How I got the "Crochet" part of "The Crocheting Mom".
I have had a lot of people ask me how I’ve gotten into crocheting and gotten to the point that I am at now. So I would like to take some time and tell you about it.
I spent a lot of time with my grandparents while growing up. My Grandmother always had knitting needles or a crochet hook in her hands while working on her latest project. When I was about 14, I asked her if she would teach me how to make things like she did. She taught me the very basics to knitting, and crocheting. I did it sporadically when I was at their house, but soon, as young teens often do, gave up on it.
Later on, as a newly married wife, I took out a hook and some yarn and tried my hand at a blanket. I ended up making it way to wide for my liking and only finished about a third of it. At that time I was still using the basic stitch my Grandmother had taught me over 10 years ago. I still have that blanket in storage waiting to be taken apart to just start it over again.
Finally when my first daughter was almost a year old, a few years after the blanket fiasco, I picked up the hook again. Family and friends were becoming pregnant and having baby showers. At that point we did not have extra cash very often, and let’s face it, baby gifts can get pretty pricey. So I decided to make blankets for them and give gifts a more personal touch. My first blanket upon returning to crocheting was very different from what I produce now. It was uneven on the sides and just a basic pattern. It was for my cousin’s first baby, and she LOVED it. I then realized that people love the personal handmade items more than the generic store ones.
Soon after we moved to Indiana, I started working at a daycare and was lucky enough to bring my, then year old, daughter with me. After a full day of working with toddlers, coming home to make dinner, cleaning the house, and getting my daughter ready and in bed, I was pretty tired! Of course it was only about 8 o’clock though, and that was when my husband and I were able to sit, relax and watch TV. About 5 minutes into any show, I was out like a light on the couch! To keep myself awake, I picked up my crochet hook!
I did not have any baby shower blankets to make so I looked online at some crochet patterns. It was like reading another language and I had no idea what they said. Then I went to trusty YouTube and found some how to videos on crocheting hats. After watching some videos I was able to make a basic beanie hat. So I made one for my daughter in orange, and figured out how to make a stem and it became my first hat, a pumpkin hat! I also was practicing making other basic beanies, experimenting with sizes and such. Once December was nearing I watched some videos again, and picked my way through VERY basic patterns, and made Ashley a Santa hat!
In January, as much as I would’ve loved Ashley to continue wearing the Santa hat, I realized I needed to find something else quick for her to keep her cute little ears warm. I found a video pattern for a flower, that I was able to attach to the basic beanie hat I had already learned. The day I brought her into the daycare wearing that, I got a lot of buzz on it! Teachers and parents were asking about them for their own kids, as well as themselves. This is when I started selling my products.
My husband helped me start a facebook page for my new business and slowly more and more people became fans. Continuing to watch videos and researching crochet acronyms helped me learn how to read patterns. I pushed myself to not give up and learn as much as I can about creating all types of items. Even now, I'm still learning new stitches. Everything I made was posted online. I reached out to social media outlets to get my name out there, and to get people talking about my product.
I like to go online and search images for “crochet hat”, “baby crochet” or any other type of combinations to get my creative juices flowing. I can usually look at a picture and figure out how to make it, or change it around to make it the way I want it. I’ve come to the point where I can fully understand patterns, although sometimes I still need to learn a new stitch, and create my own patterns. I have not sold patterns yet, but I have sold the items that I have created from my own patterns.
I am big on encouraging my customers to feel free to request something I have not made before. Many of my items have been a result of someone requesting a new item. It challenges me and adds to my variety of options. So go ahead and check out my shop if you have not done so already! Have something in mind that you don’t see? Contact me and let me create it for you!
I spent a lot of time with my grandparents while growing up. My Grandmother always had knitting needles or a crochet hook in her hands while working on her latest project. When I was about 14, I asked her if she would teach me how to make things like she did. She taught me the very basics to knitting, and crocheting. I did it sporadically when I was at their house, but soon, as young teens often do, gave up on it.Later on, as a newly married wife, I took out a hook and some yarn and tried my hand at a blanket. I ended up making it way to wide for my liking and only finished about a third of it. At that time I was still using the basic stitch my Grandmother had taught me over 10 years ago. I still have that blanket in storage waiting to be taken apart to just start it over again.
Finally when my first daughter was almost a year old, a few years after the blanket fiasco, I picked up the hook again. Family and friends were becoming pregnant and having baby showers. At that point we did not have extra cash very often, and let’s face it, baby gifts can get pretty pricey. So I decided to make blankets for them and give gifts a more personal touch. My first blanket upon returning to crocheting was very different from what I produce now. It was uneven on the sides and just a basic pattern. It was for my cousin’s first baby, and she LOVED it. I then realized that people love the personal handmade items more than the generic store ones. Soon after we moved to Indiana, I started working at a daycare and was lucky enough to bring my, then year old, daughter with me. After a full day of working with toddlers, coming home to make dinner, cleaning the house, and getting my daughter ready and in bed, I was pretty tired! Of course it was only about 8 o’clock though, and that was when my husband and I were able to sit, relax and watch TV. About 5 minutes into any show, I was out like a light on the couch! To keep myself awake, I picked up my crochet hook!I did not have any baby shower blankets to make so I looked online at some crochet patterns. It was like reading another language and I had no idea what they said. Then I went to trusty YouTube and found some how to videos on crocheting hats. After watching some videos I was able to make a basic beanie hat. So I made one for my daughter in orange, and figured out how to make a stem and it became my first hat, a pumpkin hat! I also was practicing making other basic beanies, experimenting with sizes and such. Once December was nearing I watched some videos again, and picked my way through VERY basic patterns, and made Ashley a Santa hat!
In January, as much as I would’ve loved Ashley to continue wearing the Santa hat, I realized I needed to find something else quick for her to keep her cute little ears warm. I found a video pattern for a flower, that I was able to attach to the basic beanie hat I had already learned. The day I brought her into the daycare wearing that, I got a lot of buzz on it! Teachers and parents were asking about them for their own kids, as well as themselves. This is when I started selling my products.
My husband helped me start a facebook page for my new business and slowly more and more people became fans. Continuing to watch videos and researching crochet acronyms helped me learn how to read patterns. I pushed myself to not give up and learn as much as I can about creating all types of items. Even now, I'm still learning new stitches. Everything I made was posted online. I reached out to social media outlets to get my name out there, and to get people talking about my product.
I like to go online and search images for “crochet hat”, “baby crochet” or any other type of combinations to get my creative juices flowing. I can usually look at a picture and figure out how to make it, or change it around to make it the way I want it. I’ve come to the point where I can fully understand patterns, although sometimes I still need to learn a new stitch, and create my own patterns. I have not sold patterns yet, but I have sold the items that I have created from my own patterns.
I am big on encouraging my customers to feel free to request something I have not made before. Many of my items have been a result of someone requesting a new item. It challenges me and adds to my variety of options. So go ahead and check out my shop if you have not done so already! Have something in mind that you don’t see? Contact me and let me create it for you!
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