Hi y’all! I’m Nicole, the brains and the beauty behind Yarncraft by Nicole. I am very excited to share my love of crochet, yarny knowledge, and free patterns here in this blog. So let’s get started!
I have been crocheting as a hobby since I was 12 years old (geez that is 19 years ago!), and was taught by my mom. My mom was, and still is, an excellent and patient teacher. I was a very creative (and stubborn) child and would rip stitches out again and again until I could tell that the stitches were correct. I remember my tears of frustration when I first learned, and am very thankful that my mom didn't give up on teaching me this craft. Thankfully, once I understood the mechanics of crochet, I loved it! Soon I went beyond the foundation stitches my mom taught me and started teaching myself from craft books. Throughout high school and college I continued to crochet, but never really bothered with patterns. My mom was an avid sewer and quilter, so I understood how to fit things together into wearables as well as blankets. With these basic skills, I could make pretty much whatever struck me as interesting to make. And I was pretty content with that. However, that changed with a unique job opportunity.
Fast forward to 2020. My husband and I got married in February (yes, we are incredibly fortunate to have still been able to have our wedding as planned!), but soon the
substitute teaching job I had lined up was shut down. Lots of time inside, lots of time insolated. During the summer, still unsure what my job would look like in the fall, I saw a “Help Wanted” sign at my local yarn store, The Wooden Needle in Trenton, KY. (Check them out here! https://www.thewoodenneedle.com/) Feeling brave, and immediately falling in love with all the squishy yarny goodness around me, I applied. And that, my friends, I believe is my superpower. Did I have any experience working in a yarn store? No. Had I ever managed inventory in a POS system? No. Did I know what a POS (Point of Sale) system was?! Nope. But I still applied and interviewed, letting the store owner know all of this, but also that I was a quick learner and eager to try something new. I got the job! Two days a week, working with ladies that were extremely skilled, knowledgeable, and kind, I was completely happy. As a crocheter in a group of mostly knitters and one amazing quilter, I got to make up samples in the store’s yarn to display and promote it. Which meant following a pattern. Which I had not done. Did we pick a nice, short, beginner friendly pattern for me to begin with? Not really. Which may seem odd, but remember I had been crocheting since I was a kid- how hard could this be? I think the pattern was 12 pages, and had filet crochet, bobbles, front posts, and color changes. And I did it! And it was amazing! It was A Spoonful of Yarn’s Hotel of Bees Shawl.
Having started with an ambitious pattern, I felt confident to try others. Not only that, but I learned that not all patterns are written the same way. Some are direct, step-by-step, and very detailed. Others are recipe style, easily modified. Some use charts. Some use tons of pictures, some barely any. Seeing all of this, and gaining confidence by trying others’ patterns, I decided to dip my toes into writing some of my own. I think that was the biggest gift I got from working at that local yarn shop- I realized this could be more than a hobby. Now, I also learned allllllllllll about hand dyed yarns, yarn weights, great tools, and community as well. Even though I had to leave that job when we moved, I will keep all those lessons with me. And now, after working in schools while my hubby is getting his MBA, (Go Blue!), I’m ready to continue this love of yarny goodness here! If you want to follow all of my endeavors, I’m also on Instagram, YouTube, and Ravelry all under Yarncraft by Nicole- go check me out!
Comments