A Crochet Celebration in Kuwait!

Yesterday was International Crochet Day, and the new Crochet group "Khayt"(which means yarn or thread in Arabic) in Kuwait, hosted a crochet event to celebrate! Their members exhibited their work in the beautiful surroundings of the Sadu House, a cultural center that exists to promote Kuwait's traditional textile arts. Al Sadu is the name of the traditional style of weaving traditionally produced by Bedouin women. I love the photo above of the crocheted afghan next to the pillow covered in Al Sadu weaving. The two crafts side by side!

Although I had never met any of the group members previously, I was familiar with many of them through Instagram, which is the most popular form of social media in Kuwait. I think it is fueling the growing craft community here, and many people are selling their crochet and crochet supplies on Instagram.

The group members were so welcoming, and gave me and my daughter a tour and information on their group. They meet 2-3 times a month and they choose a crochet project to work on together. This project is started at the meeting, and finished off at home. Usually one of the members is familiar with the pattern and leads the crochet-a-long. A great way to share their skills!

It was really nice to talk with local crocheters about their passion for crochet. They were surprised when I told them that in the USA crochet is less popular than knitting. They told me they love crochet because of its possibilities, its beauty, and also the fact that crochet can only be done by hand. I asked them why they think Crochet is more popular than knitting in this part of the world, and they said they thought it could be because of the hot weather. People don't have as much need to make things for warmth here, so they gravitate to the laciness of crochet and use a lot of cotton thread and yarn.

Below are some of the photos taken by my daughter, who kindly took the photos for me so I could chat. So many gorgeous pieces were exhibited, and the members were happy to discuss how they were made. It was wonderful to be in a room with so much creative energy. I hope this will become an annual event and that the membership of the Khayt group will grow and grow!