Hello!! And WELCOME to a Stitch of Mine!! I am so glad to be here!

A little about me; I learned to crochet from my great grandmother 16 years ago when I was just 21 and pregnant with my first child. I grew up watching my granny crochet booties and blankets for all the babies born, and potholders and slippers for Christmas gifts. I am not sure which of us was happier to have me learning from her, it was an amazing experience for me in so many ways.

 She was almost 90 then and just tickled to have her great granddaughter spending hours every evening in her patio swing learning to crochet. While I practiced on a potholder those first few weeks she not only watched and helped me but also managed to hook up 2 pairs of baby booties for my son. Granny passed away about 6 years ago now, but I always say she gave me a gift that I can give away a million times over and never lose. And I do. I taught my husband, sister, daughter and countless friends how to crochet over the last 16 years. 

So I have a crazy love for crochet and to be honest I am a pattern hoarder. I have tried designing a few things of my own, but I much prefer a well written pattern to follow, some of my favorite designers include Snappy Tots, Meg Made With Love, Twinkie Chan and All about Ami. 

So what am I here to blog about if not my own designs? Simply put; I am here to share my experience with the designs of others! Paid patterns, free patterns, established designers and new designers. I hope to help you find great new patterns to try and show you how easy even big projects can be! I hope you follow along this journey with me and let me know what kinds of patterns you want to see! 

I will leave you with a few pictures of some of my most loved recent projects. I will put links to each pattern after the pictures. 

This is the Faded Stripes Slouchy Hat by Whistle and Ivy, it is a free pattern. I really LOVED this pattern. Very simple but has a really nice drape to it. I used red heart super saver in Flamingo and Soft White, RHSS can sometimes work up stiff if the pattern is done in a tight stitch, this pattern alternates single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet which keeps it from getting the stiff fabric you might get from a pattern done all in single crochet, even using the recommended G 4mm hook it still has a softer drape. The only intermediate stitching would be the back loop only stitches (BLO) used on the brim of the hat, but even these are easy enough for a beginner to tackle!! This pattern does not contain a link to a tutorial for the BLO stitch but there is a good one here Back Loop only tutorial on the Moogly Blog.

This is the Build a Bag by Snappy Tots, this is a paid pattern but TOTALLY worth it! There are numerous different animal options to choose from. My daughter chose the frog and owl, but there is also a monkey, snowman, bat, cow and more!! This pattern was so easy to follow I made this bag in about 3 hours the night before Easter and 2 hours Easter morning! This pattern and all of the Snappy Tots patterns I have purchased (there are some great free ones as well) have come very well written with photo tutorials on some of the trickier parts like the frogs feet, as well as a list of common crochet abbreviations at the end of each pattern and her contact information for any issues or questions you may have. I love the creativity and fun of Snappy Tots and her patterns, she has a range of patterns from bags and hats to slippers and scarves. I have personally purchased most of her current patterns and am excited to share them here with you as I hook them up!

I hope you enjoyed this first post. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. 

See you next time!! 

Keep Hookin'  

Love, Um.