Hooked on crochet: For this creator, every piece has a story

Tino Mpofu was a child when her mother first taught her to crochet, but it wasn't until her second year of university that she found herself once again drawn to the craft.

"I bumped into a sermon that spoke about how God gave us resources and he left it to human beings to create it into something useful," she said.

"So I was like,'OK, what resources have I been given that I can turn into something useful that would serve the world, as well as serve me?'"

She got back into crochet "bit by bit,"and now Mpofu can crochet virtually anything. From baby clothes to adult clothing to jewelry to home decor, she is constantly creating.

"When I crochet, I usually crochet from a story or from something that is in my mind."

Mpofu's pieces are vibrant with yellows, oranges and reds often appearing in her work.

"My colours are usually in those ranges of tones because it just reminds me of the richness of Africa," said Mpofu.

Mpofu is from Zimbabwe and has been living in Newfoundland for five years, where she operates her business, Muvaki Creations, selling her work on Etsy.

"Muvaki" is a Shona word meaning "builder," and the word holds special meaning for Mpofu.

"I want to be a builder. I want to explore everything that is in me that I can build," she says.

Mpofu also helps other people build things; to date she's offered three crochet workshops, and has plans to hold more.

"I do it because I think everyone should be equipped with at least a hobby."

Meet Mpofu and see some of her beautiful creations in our series, Drawn to It, in the video player above. And catch up on other instalments of Drawn To It here:

Videographer and editor: Mike Simms

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