I've always been on the weird creative side and I'm totally okay with that. Being creative in your own way makes you a unique person. Ever since I was young I always had a very strong sense of imagination and very little concentration on things like science and social studies. I always doodled in my notebooks, played pretend at recess, and would go home to my mother hunched over her sewing machine, or painting flowers. This is where my struggle to find my true art form.
My family had quite a few crocheters, knitters, sewers, and painters. My grandmother tried to teach me Crochet when I was around 7 or 8 years old, being the easily frustrated child I was I could only make a chain of loops before giving up and going to play fairies and dragons with my older cousin.
Years later, my inspiration to pick crochet back up hang on the side of my fridge. A nice pair of sliced watermelons my Great Aunt Dot made when she was still alive. As a child I would always stare at them in awe and amazement. After I moved out of state they were given to me as a present from my Gram and my Mother. I was pretty excited to say the least. They were my step towards Crochet.
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| Watermelon Inspiration |
When I became pregnant with my first (and only at the moment) I decided one day in my second trimester after all the puking and tiredness had (almost) subsided, that I would crochet my daughter her very own blanket! I thought how hard could it be? Ha. It took quite a bit longer than it takes me now to make a baby blanket. I picked out a lilac purple and variegated (pink, white, green blend of colors) colors from Bernat's Baby Sport Yarn because it was available at my local Wal Mart and it was pretty inexpensive given the amount of yarn there was. I bought a hook and went home ready to take on the world.
I watched countless Youtube Videos on how to make a chain into something more, and when I did it the very first time I felt so proud of myself! It was the best feeling I had in years. Accomplishment is something I didn't feel often with my procrastination problem. I felt accomplished and I held on to that feeling as I kept crocheting row after row I finished the blanket in probably 12 hours worth of actual work. It's definitely not the biggest baby blanket I ever made, but I did make it all on my own.
I'm happy to say that my daughter got to snuggle up in it when she was a tiny little baby, and now at 2 years old she now has 2 of her own blankets, the original one I made, and a star blanket I made for her 2nd birthday. It makes me so happy to see her snuggle those blankets before nap or bed.
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| The first blanket I ever made |
I decided that the accomplished feeling I got crocheting was amazing and soon made all kinds of things that were beginner friendly like hats, scarves, granny squares, and so many more. I went from wonky looking rectangles to actual rectangles and finished projects that looked pretty good (at least they look good in my opinion haha) I had countless friends and family members tell me that I should open an Etsy, because Etsy has been a really big thing for quite a few years now. It took me 2 years to finally open shop. I opened up in August of this year (2015) and have made a few sales. I am looking forward to hopefully making more sales and having this become a business that I am proud of (right now I'm just proud that I decided to take this step forward in my life)
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| Star blanket for my daughters 2nd Birthday |
I can proudly say that not only do I crochet now but I also knit, and sew! Since opening my Etsy shop I have not been able to sew as much as I would like but I hope to continue with all three trades that have been in my family for years.
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| Blanket made by my Aunt Dot |
My goal for this blog is to help people learn to crochet and knit while finding free patterns that are easy to understand. Books that have helped me along the way, tips and tricks that I've picked up and maybe some Etsy advice for beginners (from a beginner). I am hoping this blog and followers of this blog will grow with me as I continue my voyage into the vast sea of Handmade goods!
- Danii
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