Colour Connection

Designer and owner of The Mercerie, Sue Maton shares her philosophy that crochet is a comfort, teaching tool and an important way to connect with others

- Lucy Evans

As with many craft entrepreneurs, when social distancing measures started several weeks ago, it didn’t take Sue Maton too long to find new ways of keeping her crochet ventures going. “Initially, the prospect of lockdown filled me with despair as I make my living teaching classes and helping people to be sociable and support their high street retailers,” she recalls.

“However, most self-employed creatives are pretty resourceful and responsive to changing environments. I’ve migrated most of my courses online now and I’m using a combination of video tutorials and live Q & A sessions on Zoom. It’s been a steep learning curve for me, and very time consuming, but it’s also pointing me in a new direction.”

Sue’s classes are a major part of The Mercerie’smission. “When I started The Mercerie in 2012 I had a vague idea that I’d be an online yarn retailer, and thought it would be good to design some products to help sell the wool,” she says. “The reality was that I didn’t sell much yarn; I couldn’t compete with other retailers and my heart wasn’t in selling, it was in designing. So in 2016, I decided to concentrate on designing products that I could genuinely put my heart into. Also, at this time, I began to grow the crochet classes and found that I could successfully combine the two things I love; designing and teaching. This now forms the core of what The Mercerie is all about; good design and bringing people together.”

NEW VOCATION