MIND AND BODY

Yessabett Bueno shares how combining her two passions in life, crochet and yoga, has developed a mindful crafting experience that encourages her creativity

- Colette Earley

Around the age of seven, Yessabett Bueno was taken by her grandmother to learn embroidery with a local nun – her first time crafting. Her mother then taught her the art of crochet at age 10. “Even though my love for crafts in general has been an important part of my life, I feel like crochet is a technique that allows me to work on specific ways of combining colours and shapes,” she tell us.

CRAFTING COUNTRY

Yessabett grew up in Chile, a beautiful country in South America that’s the longest in the world, meaning the inhabitants experience several landscapes and all kinds of weather. Yessabett and her husband have travelled almost all over the country. “That’s when I learned a lot about life and new craft techniques,” she tells us. “Chileans have traditionally woven ponchos and ruanas (from our cultural roots). Over the years, our crochet technique has evolved and the last century has seen more fashionable work with lace – the typical tablecloths and crochet lace valances for windows.”

The family eventually settled in the south of Chile and, after studying psychology, while continuing to work on her craft and selling her designs at local markets, Yessabett decided to pursue a crocheting entrepreneurship. Soon after, an opportunity arose to study yoga – Yessabett’s other big passion – so she grabbed it with both hands. This was when she started to visualise the benefits of merging the two. “Some friends invited me to participate in a group of creator women, where we organised fairs and activities to sell our products – I taught yoga, but there were lots of craft sellers, so I soon fell in love with crochet again,” she says.

HAPPY CREATIONS