My Crochet Obsession

My obsession with crochet began at a young age.  As a small child, I would watch in fascination as my mother's and grandmothers' fingers would work magical wonders with a crochet hook and yarn. My grandmother would always keep a box of scrap yarn left over from her afghan projects, which I would gleefully roll into balls and gush over the array of textures and colors.  I think Grandma got as much amusement from watching my excitement as I had being the recipient.  Even now when I roll a ball of yarn, my thoughts turn to Grandma and her gentle way of teaching me the correct way to do it.

I started learning to crochet when I was just eight years old.  My mother and grandmother taught me the basics of how to hold the crochet hook and the yarn, making starting chains, making rows, changing colors, ensuring straight edges on squared projects, etc.  Then I hit the ground running from there.  I perused every crochet pattern I could get my hands on.  Whether it was my mother's and grandmothers' old crochet magazines, free patterns from the craft store yarn aisle or inside yarn skein wrappers...  I studied and studied all the different stitches and ideas.  And might I add that this was in the days of no Internet, when oodles of patterns weren't free for the taking online!

By the age of nine, I was making little button-fastened purses for cousins and friends, Barbie clothing, baby doll clothing, scrunchies and doilies.  For one of my elementary school science fairs, a teacher actually permitted me to exhibit my crochet work and gave me credit.  I remember adults passing by my display very impressed and asking if I'd make them something.

I made my first afghan when I was ten years old.  It was a simple pink and cream granny square pattern.  It's full of mistakes and probably not the prettiest of afghans, but it is still a treasured item.  Although it is now showing signs of wear and looking a bit unsightly with its pilling yarn and seams pulling apart, my daughter has fallen in love.  She sleeps with it every night and often uses it when she's playing "picnic" or dressing up in a superhero cape or pretty princess gown.  The reason she loves it, she says is, "Because Mommy made it when she was little."  Aww...  :)

When I see my little girl's fascination with rolling balls of yarn and her excitement when I make her something new, I notice the same gleam in her eye that I first had.  A little yarn is developing behind those gorgeous blue eyes, if I say so myself!  She loves to unravel yarn for me as I work on projects and ask questions.  At the age of five years old, she's in a sense already learning how to work with yarn.  In fact, just the other night as I was shaking out my cramped fingers, she held out her little hands and told me, "Here, Mommy.  Give it to me.  I want to do it for you."  Such a thoughtful girl...

I was crocheting when crochet wasn't "cool", but now I'm discovering crocheters and knitters everywhere.  How peculiar because I can recall countless times when others made fun of me or called me an "old grandma" for doing it.  Still, my heart leaps a bit when I find a fellow yarn crafter.  My how times have changed... yet again!

For me, crocheting has always been a creative outlet.  Now that I've been doing it for nearly three decades, I can comfortably say I'm a professional.  I am always working on something.  No matter the season of the year, my evenings are usually spent on the couch with hook and yarn in hand.  My husband and I joke that even when sitting still, I'm always busy.

Recently, I've decided to take my crocheting to the next level.  For years, my husband has encouraged me to sell my crocheting; and for years, I've declined for fear of forcing one of my favorite hobbies to feel like "work".  Sure, I have sold made-to-order projects in the past to close friends and co-workers but have never advertised my services to the general public.  That is... until now!  Now I have decided to just give it a chance and see what happens.  I'll never know unless I try!

I now have my own shop on Etsy called Creative Crochet by Becky!  Not only that, but I want to share my creations with the world via this blog!  I am just so excited about creating with crochet.  In the past few years, I've really broken through a crochet development barrier by not only creating my very own designs but beginning to write my own patterns.

On this blog, I'm sharing some of my favorite projects and links to my Etsy listings.  If anyone is interested, feel free to check out my shop and refer it to others.  Also in the event that a project featured on this blog is not listed in my Etsy shop, just send me a note via e-mail.  It's possible that we could work something out!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!  If anything in this recent venture, I hope to make new crafter connections and more friends.  Yarn lovers and crafters unite!

This is me wearing one of my projects, the City Girl Cap (aka Newsboy Hat).  :)