My grandma would crochet all day while looking after me as my mum used to work full time as a school teacher. I clearly remember my grandma making lots of colourful flowers with yellow centres, then she would crochet around the flowers turning them into granny squares and joining them together into a beautiful big black quilt with colourful flowers - that was Francelina's signature design and she
would use the money from the sale of the quilt to buy more wool to make another quilt. When I was old enough to hold a crochet hook, probably around the age of 5 I started to make long crochet chains and I practice my tension for a couple years until my mother thought me the basic crochet stitches and my aunty thought me Tunisian crochet. Living in the south of Brazil where it gets cold in winter, one of my first crochet designs was a stripped crochet scarf and a pair of crochet leg warmers. Fast forward to the Year of 2000, I came to Australia to learn English and I continued to carry my crochet hook and yarn with me everywhere making crochet tops, skirts, bikinis, bags, headbands and other accessories. Crochet has always given me a good feeling and it has been a way of keeping myself entertained while resting my brain allowing me to live in the present moment. This mindful activity was particular helpful while I was away from my family learning a new language in a new Country. Crochet also become part of my career as I started to sell my crochet designs at the Arts and Crafts on the Coast in Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta. Later on I founded Kookaburra Kidswear and I had the pleasure of being feature in Frankie Magazine in 2016 and holding a designer debut stall at the Finders Keepers in 2017. As lots of things have happened and changed in the recent years, Kookaburra Kidswear is now Kookaburra Crochet. I look forward to sharing all kids of crochet designs and I am very happy to be teaching the Intro to Crochet Class at Mill and Make in Murwillumbah NSW. With love, Josi x
Josimara Hoffmann
