10ish Questions with Hannah Kennie: Crochet, Calm, and the Slow Life
A maker who grew up outdoors, designs by instinct, and somehow always runs out of yarn.
1. Alright, tell us a bit about yourself?
I grew up on a farm in the countryside and horse riding was my main hobby back then (I competed too!) This was where my love of nature started and has always been with me. My nan taught me to sew when I was little, and after school I studied fashion and clothing at college. So my two loves – nature and fashion, have always been reflected in my everyday life! I’ve been lucky enough to visit 21 countries so far and plan to keep visiting new ones as I love learning about cultures and to see how life is lived in other places.
2. How did crochet find its way into your life?
My nan taught me to sew when I was little and I studied fashion and clothing at college years ago, so I’ve always had an interest in the craft of making clothing. If I’m completely honest, I actually took up crochet with no real intention as it was am impulse purchase one random day. I tried it out, immediately became obsessed and have barely put my crochet hook down ever since!
3. Be honest, how many unfinished projects are hiding in your house right now?
In the beginning, this number would have been HIGH haha. However, I now only crochet with intention and work on one design at a time to ensure it’s perfect!
4. What’s one misconception people have about crochet or creative hobbies like it?
That there are ‘rules’ when it comes to creating. I taught myself to crochet by eye (it helped having the sewing experience) and so I didn’t and still don’t do things ‘by the book’ as it were. To me, crochet is an art form and so I don’t think there should be a textbook answer, the same with any craft. I find this helps me to be way more creative too!
5. Do you see crochet as a kind of mindfulness practice, or does it serve a different purpose for you?
Crochet is my creative outlet 100%, it’s an added bonus that it’s such a relaxing thing to do too, so I can see why people do it for this reason
6. You recently went to your first Unyoked stay- what were you expecting when you arrived?
I was expecting a beautiful cabin in nature – but the location and peace I felt there exceeded my expectations! I felt like the only person in the world, that’s how remote it was/felt (in the best possible way). I think England can be overlooked in its beauty in the countryside, but this cabin was a perfect reminder of what we have here.
7. How did being off-grid change the way you think about creating - did the slower pace spark anything new?
If I’m completely honest, I do already live a very slow life and really do take my time to be aware of life and all the beauty in it! So it was just the perfect gentle reminder being here and a refreshing change of scenery.
8. What was the highlight of your experience?
Oh waking up in (an incredibly comfortable) with that stunning view for sure! Just sitting here with a hot cup of tea and watching the world was the ultimate level of peace and calm.
9. Where can people find you?
You can follow my hikes and work on Instagram, TikTok or Etsy for my patterns.
10. Ok, final question...Which is worse: running out of yarn halfway through or realising you’ve miscounted ten rows back?
Oh I am the QUEEN of running out of yarn. As I mentioned above about there being ‘rules’, because I don’t follow patterns or instructions of any kind, I’m constantly buying yarn, starting projects and because I’m creating as I go I 9 times out of 10 run out of yarn!