A stitch towards her medical dream
Once the fourth-year medical student started crocheting, there was no looking back.
POLOKWANE – Practice makes perfect for Sewela Kganakga, who challenged herself to become a businesswoman while still studying to become a gynaecologist.
The fourth-year medical student from Sefene in Botlokwa wanted to try something out of the ordinary. She remembers how her grandmother made something beautiful with a crochet hook and a thread of wool in her hand. This is what made her decide to challenge her creativity and she therefore started crocheting.
She described her first attempt as a mess. “I made a beanie but it did not look like a beanie. I did not get discouraged, kept on practising and the more I practised and the more tutorials I watched on YouTube, the better I became.
My next attempt was a top which was not pretty, but with practice, I one day surprised myself with a creation that wowed everyone,” she said with a smile.
After a year of learning and perfecting the craft, Sewela decided to open Dikgosikgadi Designs, which means reigning queens, in 2018. “Opening my own business took a lot of courage but it has been worth it. The designs did not come out how I imagined it at first, but when they did, I made sure I perfected them.”
Sewela says the biggest challenge she faces is juggling her studies and her crocheting business. “Time is never enough but I always manage to work around it by communicating with my clients if I am not able to finish their orders on time. Having to juggle studies and work has groomed me in perfecting time management and organising skills,” she explains.
Another challenge she faces is when clients want designs that she has no idea how to make. She pushes herself to get it right and deliver on her clients’ request.
“Crocheting brings peace of mind as you can come up with solutions to some problems while making designs too.”
Sewela says she gets her inspiration and creativity from all kinds of places and that she even makes designs from drawings of her younger sister. She plans to have a pop-up store for her work and those who are interested to buy her products can contact her at 067 057 0013.
