Rabbits in yarn on a post box in London, England. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
Yarn Bombing On Mail Boxes
You may have noticed the cute crochet animals on the red pillar boxes in England - or on my previous posts. Now I have seen for several weeks, rabbits on top of a post box, called a pillar box because of its shape, in London.
Where To Buy Wool
You can buy wool and craft supplies in many depatment stores. In London we have Hobbycraft in Watford and other locations. In Singapore, New Zealand and Australia you have Spotlight.
I often see balls of wool, buttons, zips, and empty picture frames in charity shops such as St Luke's in London. The same goes for the op shops I saw in New Zealand.
Bargain Hunting
I went into St Luke's shop in Hatch End which raises money for local hospices, care homes bringing rest, and happiness to the terminally ill. The public are generous in donating unwanted household clutter.
Whilst I am in the shop for fifteen minutes three people come in with bags of goods to donate, and two more customers arrive. So while one member of staff is at the till serving you, another is in the back room sorting goods and labelling them with prices. A third is putting new stuff on shelves, and moving items which have not sold into the bargain bins - wire baskets.
As I am a regular buyer, to keep within my budget, I look first at the children's toys in the window for my grand-daughter. I wash all plastic building blocks, and the shiny pages of washable plasticky baby books.
Next I look in the bargain bins to keep within my budget.
I used to look at the crochet designs on post boxes and wonder, how did they do that? How did they get the idea? How did they design a rabbit. How do you do crochet?
On one of my successful days, I see a crochet for kids box in the window of St Luke's shop.
My crochet kit box, left, the book, hook and contents on the right. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
For the past decade, I have regretted not learning to crochet from my late mother-in-law who used to crochet and made me a bikini in white crochet.
Kit Contents
I bought the crochet set in St Luke's. The lid of the box showed four simple animals, a bee, and owl, a snail and a rabbit. I checked the box was complete. It contained a crochet hook, just the one, some coloured balls of wool, white filling, like soft cotton wool. Enough for one animal in a plain colour, or a pair in different colours, or the bee in black and yellow stripes, with black to embroider U shape shut eyes, or filled circles for open eyes, and tie a pink bow of plaited wool on the neck of one rabbit and the ear of another.
How to do it? A thin book inside called Too Cute Crochet gave instructions. The only thing missing was, how long would it take!
Time Taken To Crochet
I googled that for the answer. An experienced crochet worker could make the smalled animal in an hour. But a beginner, like me, might take three to five hours! That sounded more realistic.
At ten minutes a day, five hours, maximum about three weeks, if I kept at it, first thing each morning, or lunch time, or a minute here and there as an escapist activity instead of reading the news, during the day. Or an afternoon or all day at the weekend. When going out, waiting for trains, so long as I had somebody else watching for the train and sign board so I did not miss my train. Or when babysitting a child who fell asleep.
Group Crochet Activity
Now I realise that making a pillar box topping is easier than one might think. Most books and magazines on crochet will have a design for a simple animal, probably including a rabbit. One person can knit or crochet a rabbit in the smallest size. Another person, or you, in a week or two, can knit a second rabbit. Week three a third. One person crochets the flat circle like a large plate on which to sew the three rabbits. That's why the pillar box is empty for two or three weeks while the knitters are busy making it, or away at work or on holiday. Suddenly, after a gap in time, the seasonal spring rabbits appear.
Planning A Project
Experienced knitters and crochet experts will be looking for patterns for other houses, animals, photos to copy, with figures such as footballers and footballs, or the royal family, ever popular subjects, apearing seasonally. Very impressive. But once you are in the know, buying sets of crocet hooks in different sizes, a book of patterns, finally learning how to invent your own by changing to season or co-ordinating colours, team colours, simply a matter of donating the wool and the time.
From Amateur to Expert
Plus, of course, doing it for a year or more until you become an expert. I might make one small rabbit. I might at least crochet the first row. I might at least glance through the book. At least, even if I don't do it, now I know how it is done.
So do you.
Call To Action - Solo Crochet
You can initiate a project elsewhere in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, or anyhere in the world. Now try making a crochet toy, or covering a square or round box on your own. To fill time. Or learn a new skill.
Call To Action - Group Crochet Or Crafts
Or join a group. You might find a crafts or knitting or crochet group attached to a club, an expats club, or on Eventbrite, or Meetup or in your local newspaper, or a attached to a religious group such as a church, mosque, synagogue, temple. Or a charity group fund-raising could charge for classes or meetings. Or run the groups for free, and sell the crochet toys and craftwork made, or auction the pillar box toppings.
If there's none, you could encourage a bored friend to do it alone or link with you in person or on Zoom chat.
Joining a Group
Or starting a crochet, crafts and decorating group for bonding bored expats. In Singapore I joined a craft group attached to the Australian women's association, also at the American Club's women's association, I met some Japanese ladies, who has South African and American friends, and a group of five of us formed a craft group meeting monthly, then weekly, for tea at a different person's house where the host lady chose the craft and either bought kits for which she was reimbursed, or she provided the kits or shared resources such as paper for origami and making cards and envelopes, paper and painted or blank postcards for painting, or yarn and knitting needes and crochet hooks, and all the guests brought the cakes and herbal teas.
Useful Websites
Australian book publisher, kids' kits, and products, including chocolate eggs filled with confectionary
www.hinkler.com.au
www.curiousuniverse.co.uk
Glossary - For Teens and Those Speaking English As A Second Language
decade - ten years
glossary - short dictonary at the end of an article
-ends-
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