Jo Hamilton’s Crochet Portraits

Jo Hamilton‘s crochet portraits really bring the faces illustrated to life with their colour and movement. Hamilton has also done a wonderful crochet picture of Portland, Oregon. Hamilton explains her process: “In my work I use a traditional basic crochet technique taught to me at an early age by my...

Jo Hamilton‘s crochet portraits really bring the faces illustrated to life with their colour and movement. Hamilton has also done a wonderful crochet picture of Portland, Oregon.

Hamilton explains her process: “In my work I use a traditional basic crochet technique taught to me at an early age by my Gran. I work one knot at a time, from the inside out, row by row. In making the crochet portraits I always begin in the middle with the eyes and work out from there until the piece is completed. I work directly from photographs, using no sketches, graphs or computer imaging. Each piece is instinctively composed, handmade, labour-intensive. Nothing is planned ahead; I make it up as I go along. I spend a lot of time simply looking, unraveling, and reworking until I get it right.”