By: Rachel Ventura
A little over a year ago, I decided that I wanted to learn how to crochet. Actually, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to crochet or knit. I admit, at the time, I wasn’t too sure what the difference was. I knew the tools used to do each were different but other than that, I was completely clueless. Both of my grandmothers had crocheted and knitted. I always admired the things they had made. I really enjoy being crafty and I thought it would be a useful skill to have, and might save us some money on buying winter items!
I watched a quick video on crochet and another on knit, and I decided that crochet looked a bit easier, and that’s where I would begin. I went onto Amazon and ordered some crochet hooks and yarn, not having any idea what I was buying or that there is such a vast difference in yarns and hooks. When the package arrived, I was psyched! I went straight to YouTube and searched “how to crochet a scarf for beginners” and found a ton of videos! I learned a very simple stitch and completed my first scarf. The yarn was no good; it was thick and bulky and scratchy, but I made something!
And I was totally in love.
I decided to go to the craft store and actually see and feel the yarn for my next project. I quickly realized how many different kinds there are! (And quickly began buying lots and
lots of it. My collection is now a bit out of hand!) I chose a much nicer yarn, still in rainbow colors, for my daughter’s scarf. I used the same stitch and pattern as the first, but this one was actually wearable! Definitely not perfect, but I was proud of the finished product! And I was completely addicted to hooking!
Crochet was something I really enjoyed from the second I started. It’s relaxing and almost therapeutic. I decided to get brave and try a different pattern next. Still using YouTube as my guide, I made a scarf for myself with a much more involved stitch.
I really enjoyed this pattern and how the completed scarf looked, so I began crocheting like crazy! Before I knew it, I had completed 12 scarves, and everyone in my family was going to receive one for Christmas…whether they wanted to or not!
Next up was hats. I made a few different types and enjoyed them as well. Then it happened. Someone asked me to make them something. A hat and diaper cover for their soon to be bundle of joy. I was nervous and excited and honored. And I got to work on it right away!
It was fun creating something for someone. They were very happy with the product and it felt great to deliver! I decided to create a FB page to display my work, rather than keep flooding my personal FB with crochet pictures and talk. And that’s how Six Stitches was born.
I began receiving requests for different projects and it was so exciting to create these little treasures for people. I love getting asked to make something out of the norm. Searching for a pattern or trying to make one up on my own, and then creating and completing the project! It is absolutely exhilarating!
People began sharing links and articles with me on different projects and I would try to make each one, time permitting.
One that kept coming across my page over and over was the all mighty mermaid tail blanket. They were everywhere! It did not look like something easy to make, but everyone seemed to want one. It would require a lot of yarn and a lot of time. When I got an official order to make one, I was excited and nervous. It was for a child, so not too big; and it came out great! Soon after, I got an order to make an adult size mermaid tail blanket. It was of course more yarn and more time, but it was fun and I love how it came out!
I’m still crocheting like crazy, making orders, making things for myself and my family,
and working on creating a stash of items for a possible craft fair next year. But up next, I want to learn to knit. I’ll use the same approach as crochet, using YouTube. My aunt recently sent me a package that included yarn and knitting needles that were my grandmother’s. In the package was also a sweater that my grandmother had started knitting before she passed. We are not sure who the sweater was intended for, but I do know I want to complete it.
Some people, like my husband, sometimes tease me and call me an old lady because I crochet. It’s a joke, of course, and I laugh it off. But crochet is something I truly enjoy. It’s sometimes tough to find the time with everything else in my crazy, busy, hectic life; but I make it happen, because I really do love it. I just hope I am making my grandmothers proud!
Do you have a skill or hobby that you really love and enjoy? How did it start for you? I’d love to hear about it! Comment and share the details!
Community Voices for Health 
Hello!! Crochet is my addiction too 🙂 there’s lots of us here on WordPress