Story by Rhylea Thompson
The first time Shelley Husband picked up a crochet hook, she was a young girl, helping her pregnant Mother Bev Cope, create a granny square blanket for her soon-to-be baby sister.
“I remember the blanket being navy, blue and green – but Mum distinctly remembers it having white in it too,” Shelley said.
“Grandma crocheted a yellow bikini and a pink and purple poncho for me when I was young, but Mum was always more of a knitter.”
Despite impressing both her Mother and Grandmother with her natural technique and speed, Shelley would not return to the art of crocheting for another 40 years.
HOOKED ON CROCHET: Seasons resident Bev Cope (left) and her daughter Shelley Husband, who is an award-winning crochet designer. Picture: Maddison Bywater
Now, Shelley is an award-winning crochet designer, educator and author, and recently delivered a creative workshop for the residents of Seasons, including her own Mum.
“I dobbed her in. As soon as I start talking about her and everything she has achieved, I can’t stop,” Bev said.
“Shelley was always very precise, logical and had the brain for this kind of work, so I always knew she would do wonderful things, but I’m very proud of her.”
SPINNING YARNS: Resident Bev Cope (left) with daughter Shelley Husband, who recently delivered a crochet workshop at the Seasons Sinnamon Park community. Picture: Maddison Bywater
Ascending from a long line of creative women, Shelley has always enjoyed making things with her hands, from cross stitching and embroidery, to candle making. But it wasn’t until 2012 that she rediscovered crocheting – and she was hooked.
Within 12 months, Shelley was designing her own patterns and by 2018, she had released her first book Granny Square Flair, which was crowned the British Knitting and Crochet’s Best Crochet Book the following year.
Since turning her passion into a successful career, Shelley travels across the globe and country to deliver workshops, has published 10 books, with two more on the way, and was recently named the Australian Yarn Show’s Crochet Designer of the Year.
Based in Bendigo, Victoria, Shelley said the most rewarding part of her role was connecting with others at her workshops and witnessing firsthand how the art of craft could bring generations together.
INTERWOVEN GENERATIONS: Inheriting her grandmother’s love for crocheting is renowned designer Shelley Husband (right) who made her first ever blanket with her Mum and Seasons resident Bev Cope. Picture: Maddison Bywater
“Almost everyone who does this kind of craft has beautiful, personal family stories and I love hearing them,” she said.
“I still have a chest full of stunning bedspreads covered in grape vines and peacocks that my great, great aunts and grandparents made by candlelight, using the finest cotton… it feels like I’m carrying on that tradition in a new way.
“I’m quite isolated when I’m designing patterns at home, so it’s really meaningful to connect with people at workshops and see what they have created.”
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