CAREcottage is an initiative by CaringSG to support special needs caregivers who have started enterprises to support their dependants and themselves.

This article was contributed by Ling, a full-time caregiver to her son who has autism.

Hi, I’m Ling, a full-time caregiver and owner of Crochet_Connectz, an inclusive microbusiness that sells crochet, amigurumi and handcrafted gifts.

After quitting my job and becoming a full-time housewife to look after my son, his progress became my primary focus and I would do a lot of research and learn strategies to help him improve.

As he grew up and did not need my attention as much, I tried different things to find purpose in my life other than caregiving, such as working part time for a charity. With my colleagues, we invited volunteer trainers and organised workshops for caregivers so that they could attend to learn skills such as guitar, English calligraphy and crocheting, and also have respite from caregiver duties.

Being involved in the workshops was a turning point as I also started crocheting as a hobby. It was a skill that I didn’t know I had, and I was so motivated to learn different crochet patterns that I stayed up late at night to research and study them (as I was busy with caregiving duties during the day).

After many “practice crochets” to improve my skill step-by-step, I felt great joy when I could eventually produce decent-looking crochets. To celebrate my hard work and share my joy with others, I decided to feature my crochets and amigurumi (crocheted plushies) on social media. Friends requested customised crochet orders and soon after, I started a small business selling crochets.