Cat Mad Crochet

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

You know what I love? Those weird, probably intended for children, not too scary films about some sort of paranormal stuff. If it’s a foreign film, even better. I think a lot of foreign films do a much better job with paranormal storylines for kids. American films and shows are far too focused on being either cute or a conduit for selling merchandise, something foreign films don’t seem as impacted by. So when I found Family Pack (originally the French film Loups Garous) on Netflix, I was in. That there were some crocheted pieces in the mix, even better, though I say that with a bit of reservation.

The first bit of crochet turns up right away on Clara. I was excited to see it, but it has the look of modern, store bought crochet, so I took some pictures of it and did an image search. 

Sure enough, this top was originally sold by Sandro, though I could only find it being resold on Yoox. A little more searching tells me that Sandro is a mid-range French clothing brand with a fast fashion-esque supply chain that Good on You gives a not good enough rating. You can check it out for yourself here. Sandro – Sustainability Rating – Good On You

This top demonstrates the exact issue I have with finding crochet in films and shows today: While it’s awesome to see that crochet is being used and seen and appreciated, knowing that this piece was likely made in far from ideal working conditions by someone vastly underpaid for their, likely her, skills and time does not make me happy at all. Quite frankly, I’d rather see crochet pieces in movies and shows stay in the realm of clothing for the weird people (read aliens and outsiders and anyone generally considered the other) that was the norm before fast fashion and near, if not actual, slave labor brought crochet to everyone at rock bottom prices. At least crochet pieces in movies and shows from time before fast fashion crochet were probably made by people making specific pieces for production houses who had a better shot at getting a fair price for their work. 

Despite the provenance of this first piece, there is a secret hidden gem once the family goes back in time. I know, spoilers. I do apologize.

This shawl is worn by one of the women in the background at the medieval market the family walks through. It’s only shown in passing as the family walks by. It was very hard to get a clear shot. However, if it’s not crocheted, I’ll eat my stash. This is a classic crochet mesh with a pineapple-esque border. Let’s hope that this one was found in a thrift shop or a backroom in the costume department. From there we can headcanon a life for it in which it was made in good working conditions by a crafter who was either well paid or making it for a loved one who later let it go. We can hope. Either way, I did not find it on an image search, so I am hopeful.

Sifting through my stitch dictionaries, I think you could come close to recreating this with Traditional Mesh from Crochet Every Way Stitch Dictionary by Dora Ohrenstein. It’s a simple yet versatile stitch that would give exactly the look we see on the screen. Of course, if you want something a little more interesting, there are tons of mesh stitches to play with.

For the border, I would use pattern 260 in The Complete Book of Crochet Border Designs by Linda P Schapper. There are other stitch patterns in that particular book that could work, but I think example 260 captures the pineapple sort of look and the triangular element between those parts. 

If you watch Family Pack and catch some other crochet, let me know. I’d love to see what you find.