A few years ago, I was shocked and horrified by the story of an Australian girl who died by suicide after relentless online bullying.

It made me think about the old saying:

“Sticks and stones can break my bones,
but names can never hurt me.”

I’ve always known this isn’t true. Words can hurt, and they can hurt very deeply.

Not long afterwards, I was invited to join a Facebook group of crocheters who were each making a hexagon. The hexagons would be joined together to make a blanket for a family going through a terrible time.

I thought it was such a lovely gesture and was honoured to help.

Then another story shocked me to the core. A teenage girl was viciously assaulted and tortured for two and a half hours while the attack was filmed.

This affected me deeply because, although I know what it is like to be bullied, I had never experienced physical violence. The girl who was attacked was also disabled. I have known many disabled people and used to work with them.

The attack happened in Moe, Victoria, Australia — the same town where I grew up. The girls responsible were only 12 and 15.

I know terrible things like this have happened throughout history. But usually they happen when nobody else is there to see them. We might see a child who has been beaten up at school, covered in bruises, and think, “Poor boy, that is terrible.” Or they might simply be told, “Just ignore them.”

This time, the violence was there for everyone to see. It was awful.

I decided I wanted to do something.

I created a Facebook group where people could come together and make crochet hexagons. The hexagons would be sent to me, and I would join them together into a blanket. Hexagons are a wonderful shape for joining, and I think they make a much more interesting blanket than squares.

The group originally started as “Crochet for Kim”. We later made another blanket, using squares, for her sister. After that, we decided to keep the group open to all kinds of crafters, and it became “Crochet and Crafts”.

Then I decided I may as well create a pattern for the hexagon too.

Of course, I got carried away and made it quite fancy, so I decided I needed to make an easier version as well.

For more information, see:
https://craftcove.blogspot.com/2018/12/hexagon-2-pat…