Welcome & crochet origin story
Welcome, crochet friends! I assume you’re a crocheter, or crochet curious, at the least, considering this is going to be a blog about crochet. There may be a random other craft related post along the way, since I am way too into making things myself. I should probably introduce myself…
Hi, I’m Graceface and I am a craftaholic. Since I was a little kitten, I have been addicted to making things. If there is a crafty hobby, I’ve done it or plan to do it in the near future. It used to bother me; I felt like a disappointment to myself and everyone I knew because I couldn’t stick to any single hobby. I’d bounce from one hobby to the next, leaving a trail of craft supplies in my wake. Learning I have ADHD was a turning point in my life and helped me to shift my perspective.
Wearing 2 of my first wearable crochet creations
What has driven me all my life has been my desire to create. I am at my happiest when I’m crafting some new idea and showing it off to everyone I can flag down & get to listen. The world can be such a sad and lonely place (trust me, I know from personal experience). The anxiety that makes up 98% of my being can distort my field of view, depression can drag me down and make me feel like I can never escape. Yet, despite the darkness that can surround me, my face lights up when I display my newest creation and launch into a 10 seminar about its details and how I made it. This excitement is the same whether it’s an origami model, a story I’ve written, a cake I’ve decorated, a silly video I made, or my latest amigurumi design. The common theme is that being creative is what sparks the light in my soul. It doesn’t really matter what the medium is; what matters is being free to express my creativity and share it with others. So, that is what this blog will be. A way for me to share my creativity with others in a new format.
It seems like a lot of people’s crochet origin story involves a family member teaching them to crochet at a young age. I suppose my story grazes past that trope a bit, however this isn’t a hobby I’ve had forever.
Memoner and me
Three out of four of my grandparents died before I was born, so I only ever had one grandparent growing up; My Dad’s mother. They wanted us to call her ‘Mother,’ because that is what my Dad called her. My sister heard everyone calling her ‘Mother’ and started calling her Memother, because she wanted everyone to know that was her ‘Mother,’ too. To me, she was Memoner. Memoner crocheted, and so did my Mom, but I thought it was kinda old fashioned and never got the hang of making anything but chains.
As an adult, I tried making some amigurumi around 2006. I made a few things as cat toys and they were so wonky! The only one I remember was a Koala I named Higgins. My cats had no interest in the toys and my Husband wasn’t a fan of the hobby either, so I ended up shelving it. At the time, I had dreams of learning to knit and making my own sweaters. As a self described sweater-holic, it really appealed to me. I also enjoy thrifting, and my husband felt it was a better use of money to buy sweaters at the thrift store rather than make them yourself. The time it takes and the money for yarn make it not a worthwhile investment, in his opinion.
In 2020, my 23 year marriage came to an unfortunate end. I’m not comfortable going into all of the details, but things had been bad for quite some time and evolved into an intolerable situation. It wasn’t at all related to the pandemic, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. I was very devastated at my entire world crumbling around me. Depression and CPTSD made it hard for me to do anything. I had huge chunks of missing time from dissociation. I wanted to find a reason to keep going other than my cats, but everything felt so pointless. As I sat alone in my apartment trying to hold myself together, I decided to pick up a new hobby to help me pass the time & feel like I had something to show for it. A friend suggested that I do something my Husband wouldn’t have approved of, as a way to feel empowered.
One day in the Fall of 2020, I was thrift shopping and came across a ‘Learn to crochet’ kit with hooks and patterns for a few projects. There was also a bunch of yarn for super cheap. So I did what any good ADHD craft goblin would do and bought it all! I started by trying to make a blanket. It had some slanted edges, but I quickly learned to count stitches and use stitch markers so that wouldn’t happen to me again. I also quickly realized just how much yarn it takes to make ANYTHING 🙂 The blanket ended up in my shame basket, where it still lives today. The locals say if you listen closely at night, you can hear it crying with it’s abandoned brethren!
The beginning of my amigurumi obsession
It took time for it to help me; I crocheted for 10 minutes here and there since that was all I could seem to motivate myself to do. I started another blanket, a Granny Square one this time. It also lives half finished in my shame basket. Then one day while scrolling on YT, I rediscovered amigurumi. Club Crochet’s Triceratops sucked me in & before I knew it I had made 6. There, in the Winter of 2020, my addiction to making plushies was born!
Now almost 2.5 years later, when I look back I can clearly see how crochet saved me. It pulled me out of my crippling depression and soothed my anxiety. It made me feel like I had a purpose. I started posting my crochet projects on Tiktok and people liked it. So, I kept posting it and just look at where it has taken me! I am a business owner with 4 successful amigurumi patterns and a fifth on the way. I still struggle daily with my mental health. It’s a hard road, but having crochet as my coping mechanism helps see me through. I honestly don’t know where I would be today without it!
I hope you enjoyed reading a little more of my history and getting to know me better. I’m excited to keep sharing my insights and crochet projects with you. I’m working on some awesome patterns to share with you, so be sure to come back!
