Stratford crocheter’s yarn creatures to help Taranaki Daffodil Day fundraising

Rachel Sutton has created crochet key chains and memory games for the Taranaki Daffodil Day committee’s Made with Love initiative. Photo / Alyssa Smith

A Stratford crafter is using her crocheting skills to help the Taranaki Cancer Society.

Using hook, yarn and plenty of talent, Rachel Sutton has made memory games and key chains for the Taranaki Daffodil Day committee’s Made with Love initiative.

She said after reading the Stratford Press article calling for crafters to create items to sell during this year’s Daffodil Day, she wanted to help.

“I had a bit of spare time and thought I could contribute so I contacted Raewyn Rooney, mentioned in the article. I like to give back where I can and this is something I can do.”

She said supporting the cancer society is important.

“It’s a good cause. You never know when something like cancer could strike a loved one or yourself.”

Sutton learned how to crochet during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown.

“I needed something to pick up and I’ve never put it down. I do amigurumi which is the Japanese art of crocheting small creatures.”

The crocheted key chains and memory games are made from cotton yarn.

“The turtle memory games feature little turtles with different colours on the bottom. I thought making the memory game would be great for grandparents and their grandchildren or for caregivers to play with their kids. I’ve also made little keychains for backpacks. There are different keychains ranging from hearts and flowers to charms and ice creams.”

Each creation gets a lot of love and time put into it, she said.

“It is very time-consuming. The little key chains can take anywhere from an hour to two to make and my other creations could be anywhere from a day to a week, it all depends on the size and difficulty of the pattern.”

Sutton currently makes commissioned crocheted items for friends and occasionally lists items for sale on Facebook marketplace.

For now, she is only making creations for the Taranaki Daffodil Day fundraising committee.

“I love the creating process and more importantly seeing the smile and joy from the person who gets one of my creations.”

For more information, go to the Stratford Daffodil Day Facebook page.