Beyond Knitting
A Theater Kid Crochets Shakespeare
I should probably start by explaining that growing up, I was a theater kid in every sense of the word. This statement will not come as a surprise to any of you who know me. I think it’s safe to say that I can blame my mother, the playwright, for my flair for the dramatics. She was thrilled that I inherited this personality trait and encouraged my theatrics at almost every turn … much to my sister’s chagrin.
I spent a large portion of my summers roping my sister into reenacting scenes from The Sound of Music in our living room. I was always Liesl and she naturally had to play Rolf. Sometimes she would get a break when I would decide that day we would instead be reenacting scenes from Kiss Me Kate where I of course played Paul singing “It’s Too Darn Hot” while my sister played the audience.
She often had the opportunity to catch me as I fainted, press Play on the CD recording of Rent so that I wouldn’t miss my bedroom stage cue, and was often in charge of drawing up programs that would be handed to family members perched on couches. My childhood and hers by association was filled with an appreciation and love of the theater.
But one storyteller seemed to reign supreme in my heart. I LOVED Shakespeare. Every night one of us got to choose the bedtime story for my mom to read aloud. My sister would always choose a reasonably short National Geographic article about the differences between black and brown bears and I would always choose a LENGTHY Shakespeare story that would sometimes have to be broken up into multiple readings.
Whether it was in the form of Kiss Me Kate, a musical adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew, an episode of the PBS children’s show Wishbone, or in later years, 10 Things I Hate About You, I was always intrigued by the twists and turns of a Shakespeare or Shakespeare-adjacent plot.
Side note: in looking up that Wishbone episode, I discovered that it was titled “Shakespaw” and it made my whole day.
So imagine my joy when Hooked on Shakespeare, a new book from Gurinder Kaur Hatchard (@yayforcrochet) arrived on my front door. This book includes crochet amigurumi projects inspired by The Bard, William Shakespeare, and even includes a “Woollen Shakespeare” doll that my Wishbone-loving inner child got a real kick out of.
As a kid I would have LOVED having customized dolls that could bring these stories to life. Each chapter included a brief summary of the story that the dolls come from and a few fun facts about that story. Did you know that Die Hard found inspiration in the formatting of A Midsummer’s Night Dream???
I love that the author encourages the use of a wide range of skin tones in the featured project images, allowing every maker to see themselves in the characters. You truly can make your visions of these characters come to life right in front of you. And because these are in no way supposed to be historically accurate recreations, creative liberties were taken, you can feel free to make them however you would like.
My personal favorite project in the book would have to be Titania, from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This doll features pink hair, beautiful wings and a crown. She captures the magic of the source story perfectly. I already have a space picked out in my apartment for her.
But that project will have to wait because there is another project that will have to come first and is long overdue.
This holiday season, my now-all-grown-up sister will be hosting her first holiday dinner, and I cannot show up empty handed. It seems only right that I make her something that finally combines our two childhood loves and gives her the thank you she more than earned for putting up with me throughout our childhood.
In this book there is a project inspired by … the bear in The Winter’s Tale! I know we will both get a good laugh when I give it to her.
Hooked on Shakespeare is an adorably fun read-and-make craft book. Storytelling, childhood nostalgia, and crochet inspiration combine to create adorable makes that the whole family will enjoy. Which Shakespeare story would you like to bring to life first? Let me know in the comments below!
[Exit, pursued by a bear …]
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Delightful!
Titania!
I hope these characters start popping up everywhere! Tbey are wonderful!!
Growing up immersed in books and music, my mind swam with ideas. I would not mind a shelf of my childhood favorites…Jo, of Anne of Green Gables; Marie Curie, Albert Schweizer, Clara Barton, and so many Dickens characters!! (I met Shakespeare as an adult…Dickens was my Shakespeare in childhood.)
The witches from Macbeth. When I was 8 or 9 my mum taught me their lines in order to bring to life my costume for the community center Halloween party. I won a prize!
The gravedigger from Hamlet. Such a good character.
I am impressed by the creativity & skill of the book’s author. What a labor of love!
Prospera – based on the film version of The Tempest in which Helen Mirren plays the lead. If you’ve never seen it I recommend doing so ASAP, it’s awesome as only Dame Helen can be….
And also, Falstaff!
Malvolio from Twelfth Night–with his yellow stockings.
Portia
Falstaff!
Hamlet
Oh the wings on that Titania, lovely! Thank you Samantha. My favourite: Beatrice! And Benedick and orange trees. I saw a wonderful performance years ago where courtiers spied on B & B hidden behind pots on wheels containing formal globular orange trees. The pots began in garden-like lines which the courtiers moved to snoop.
Lady Macbeth could be colourful… Hamlet!
The magical Titania and Prospero for my young niece and nephew. You are never to young to start quoting Shakespeare.
And Ariel, too!
Falstaff, too
I think I loved Wishbone more than my daughter did!
Lovely post!
I love Kiss Me Kate, and would have to make the Ann Miller character, Kate’s younger sister Bianca. Her performance of Too Darned Hot is one of my favorite dance scenes in the musicals.
Hmmm. I have always been partial to, A Comedy of Errors. I think the sets of twins and outfits (exchangeable of course!) would be a hoot to create!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream will always be my favorite. I met my best friend when I was cast as Helena and she as Hermia in a community theatre production. She’s also a crafter and I think the rest of the cast was amused to see us knitting together backstage and then going onstage to “We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, Have with our needles created both one flower, Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion, Both warbling of one song, both in one key, As if our hands, our sides, voices and minds, Had been incorporate.”