Gloria Barroso

When and how did the idea of creating your own blog and YouTube channel come about?

I have always felt the need to use my hands to create and design all kinds of crafts. My fondest childhood memories are of my grandmother with her crochet hook, linking one project to another, accompanied by my mother and aunt, with knitting needles, cross-stitch, colorful fabrics... even my grandfather was a carpenter and worked with wood, making beautiful things, and I grew up surrounded by crafts, threads, creativity... art. And with the desire to share this (my happy) way of life with the world.

When the first blogs started to appear, I, also in love with the internet and new forms of communication, immediately knew what mine would be like: dedicated to sharing my work and transmitting my knowledge acquired throughout all these years, so that my children, grandchildren... and anyone who wants to, can enjoy "handmade" as much as I do. My blog is a crochet meeting point.

Furthermore, I love combining the classic or vintage, traditional craftsmanship with the more modern and new generations, and a blog is the ideal window for this purpose. That's how "gloriarte" came about, and soon after I opened my YouTube channel, where video allows me to get even closer to all my "happy crocheters" and show the step-by-step process for creating designs in a much more visual way.

What do you like most about dedicating yourself professionally to design?

What I like most about design is that it seems like "magic"; where there was "nothing" before, now there are many things: a sweater, a doll, a bag... a dream... it's a lot of fun, you let your imagination run wild and you feel like a child again.

What inspires you when creating or designing new patterns?

I let myself be guided by sensations: smells, colors, materials, memories... I love thinking that anything in this world can be made in crochet, and I have never lost the "surreal, innocent, and impossible" imagination we have when we are little. This sometimes makes me come up with somewhat crazy ideas, hahaha, but I must say that I keep my feet on the ground; this balance is very inspiring :)

What is your next challenge?

I have many; I love challenges. I'm always working on several things at once, trying to outdo myself and improve every day and learn, learn, and learn. Of course, to keep growing and enjoying. And something that is fundamental for me is to spread the enthusiasm and good vibes you feel when you crochet. I hope to achieve it!

An anecdote...

A funny one, always... I love to laugh: in my son's class, they were asked to research the life of someone famous for a project, they had to include their achievements, how they achieved success... he decided to write about me (without my knowledge), as if I were a "renowned" YouTuber star, hahaha. When I went to pick him up from school, they looked at me "strangely," and I didn't understand anything until one of them dared to ask me, "Are you really Gloriarte?", hahahaha. I burst out laughing; I felt famous for a day. But the truth is that I am lucky that my family and the people around me make me feel that way, like a superstar, and this is the best thing in life, to feel loved and to live enjoying, yes, with a needle in hand, always ;)