A hook, a loop, a knot: When crochet becomes art

It is with admiration tinged with a good measure of envy that I view Aze Ong’s art. Admiration because of the intricacy and fine detailing of her pieces, and I must add awe at the size and scale of some of her works, one a towering 20 feet tall, another 80 feet long. Her imposing pieces — as well as smaller ones grouped together — tamed the cavernous space of the Foro de Intramuros, where her works were on exhibit during the Asian Cultural Council Philippines’ 25th anniversary event early this month.

- DOREEN G. YU

And envy, not because I ever aspire or claim to any artistic inclination, but because her medium is something I had actually practised in my younger days, when eyesight was sharper and fingers more nimble. I'm talking about crocheting, generally regarded as a domestic craft, done by ladies on lazy afternoons, perhaps over an exchange of neighborhood gossip (they were then known as chismosas, before the concept of Marites came into vogue).

I wanted a hobby where I could work with my hands, so I took up crocheting (knitting seemed too complicated, and not too many people hereabouts were knitting), but alas, all I managed were doilies and coasters. I wanted to crochet myself a blouse, but that didn’t get very far; the neckline and sleeves stumped me as I couldn’t figure out the instructions in the pattern book.

My manang is very good at this, the crochet hook moving as if on its own. She has patterns and designs memorized, and she is crocheting a runner for my buffet table (100 inches long and 12 inches wide). She has crocheted for our dog Filemon Jr. and his best friend Noey collars in red, blue and yellow.

Aze’s crochet works are in a class of their own, in a different stratosphere, actually. Breaking away from identifiable shapes like mere circles and squares, her pieces are amorphous, like living, moving, throbbing objects. This is perhaps due to how she approaches crocheting: there are no patterns to follow, no sketches or designs to guide or limit her.