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In 1989 Laura Esquivel's dramatic novel, Like Water for Chocolate, was published.
In 1992 this dramatic story of love, heartbreak, cooking, and crochet was
released as a motion picture. The story unfolds in northern Mexico where Tita
lives with her family. Tita's life is full of heartbreak, and she deals with this the ups and owns of life by crocheting a bedspread from any yarn she can find. By the end of the story, her bedspread is a full kilometer long.
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| Tita's Kaleidescope Bedspread to Crochet |
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For PieceWork's
September/October literary issue, Abbi Byrd designed her own afghan inspired by
Tita's life. I asked Abbi about creating her literary inspired project.
Toni: Had you
read or watched Like Water for Chocolate
before you began crocheting Tita's Kaleidoscope Bedspread?
Abbi: I've only
seen the movie 25-30 times. It's one of my all-time favorites-anything that
combines cooking, magic, needlework, and romance is sure to keep me entranced
(I'm a sucker for historical melodrama.) When the PieceWork editors were
discussing Like Water for Chocolate
as a possibility for the literary issue, I mentioned my love for the movie and
you can guess what happened next.
Toni: What did
you think when you saw Tita's blanket?
Abbi: I love that
Tita used crochet as a coping strategy, working all of her sorrows into one
amazingly long quilt. I feel like many of us can relate to that; I often turn
to knitting or crochet for comfort when I'm feeling down or overwhelmed.
Toni: Why did you
choose the granny square for your blanket?
Abbi: Granny
squares are very easy to memorize, and they seem to fly off your hook. I
thought about using a more complex square pattern, something with a flower
motif or a lacy pattern, but I like the look of double-crochet squares. They
make a nice crisscrossing pattern and have a simple, modern look.
Toni: Did you
find crocheting this bedspread calming?
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Raw chocolate a molinillo(a wooden whisk from Mexico), and a steaming mug of hot chocolate can perform magic. These images evoke scenes from Like Water for Chocolate. |
Abbi: Oh, yes-but
then my deadline got closer and I had to spend every spare second crocheting! I en joy crocheting squares; it's very
satisfying to finish each one and watch the stacks grow taller. I was
definitely cursing those stacks when it came time to stitch everything
together, though!
Toni: And of
course, the most important question. What is your favorite Chocolate?
Abbi: Very dark,
or chocolate with bits of chili peppers!
I will always be a milk chocolate and orange girl. But in addition to chocolate, I also turn to crochet to deal with the stress and obstacles in life, and I have my own crochet afghan that comes out when I need an escape. Check out Tita's Kaleidoscope Bedspread to Crochet by Abbi
Byrd and subscribe to PieceWork
today.
Best wishes,
P.S. Have you ever crocheted a project inspired by a book or
movie?
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