My Crochet Journey – How I Started The Craft

Feather Charm

11 minutes ago

6 min read

Hello Everyone!

As you all know, I’ve been crocheting for over 20 years. I started when I was eleven years old, and I’ve not stopped since. I’ve made many things in the past, plushies to blankets and now clothing, but how did I get my start? Well, my mom, really. She was the one who taught me how to crochet. She was also the one who taught me how to cross stitch, but I’ll get to that another time. Crochet is a craft that has kind of been passed down through my family.

I believe my grandmother also crocheted, but I can't really remember if she did or not. Nevertheless, when I was first taught, my attempts were very uneven and all over the place. It took a couple of years before my projects started to look somewhat presentable. Now, they are, although they’re not quite as perfect as some other projects I’ve seen online. Of course, I shouldn’t compare my efforts to those that are displayed on the internet. This is my crochet journey after all.

I Started With Simple Squares

It’s been a long time, since I started crocheting, and to be quite honest, I can’t remember the very first piece I made. I do know that a chain of stitches was my first accomplishment, and I was proud of what I’d made back then, even if some of the chains were a bit too big. However, the very first item I think I made was a blanket. I’d learned how to make a granny square as one of the first patterns I’d practiced, and I wanted to see what I could do with those granny squares, so I made a small baby blanket, from one of the magazines my mom had bought, decades ago, for her own projects.

If I recall correctly, it took a while and a lot of yarn to complete. I kept buying new yarn balls every day, after school, because I didn’t have enough, but I did manage to complete it, and I was very proud of it. Did I keep the blanket? Yes, I did, until I gave it away for charity. It had been sitting at the back of my wardrobe, for years before I found it again, and while I could have kept it for sentimental reasons, I think it would be much better suited for someone else. After all, I don’t have a baby to swaddle it with, and it’s not very likely I will have one any time soon. So, it would be put to better use, if someone else could use it, and knowing it is being used, gives me joy.

My First Foray Into Doilies, Lace And Baskets

One of the magazines my mom had in her archives (in storage really) had patterns for doilies and lace baskets. What these baskets were used for, I don’t know. They were small things. My guess was that they were used for trinkets and other sewing essentials, but it didn’t matter to me, because I wanted to give it a go. I had grown tired of creating granny squares (really, there are only so many ways you can use them) and wanted a bit of a challenge, so I decided to give making doilies and lace baskets a try. Needless to say, they were rather easy to make, especially since the patterns that were printed, were made professionally, so I didn’t need to do much research.

All I needed to do was follow the pattern and the basket was made. The hardest step was hardening the piece, so it could remain stiff. My mom and I experimented with starching the thing, since I had used cotton, it held well, but as time went on, the starch faded, and the basket began to droop. I still have the basket, somewhere in my craft bin, and you can bet that it’s no longer stiff, thanks to years of being tucked away. However, every time I open that craft bin and see that basket, I do think about starching it again, but then I choose not to, since I still have so many other things I need to do.

Here Comes The Plush

Around the time I was a teenager, maybe 15 or even 16, I started venturing into the wide world of amigurumi. I loved the idea of making plush toys and keychains, because there were so many shapes, sizes and figures you could make. So, I dove into the world of amigurumi, hard. The first proper plush I’d made were depictions of food (can you tell I love my food?). I distinctly remember making a cake with a tiny cherry on top, and I was proud of it, and from there, I ventured into making more complex plushies, like Pokemon. My very first and my most proud accomplishment was making Pichu. I sadly no longer have said Pichu, again I donated it to charity, but I will never forget the feeling of accomplishment, when I first made them.

After that, I tried to make other plushies, like Chikorita and Umbreon. I even tried to make Pikachu at one point, but I had to stop, because I had exams at the time, and I needed to focus on those, instead. Of course, that didn’t stop me from trying to make more blankets, because yes, while I was making plush toys, I was still making blankets (mostly for myself). Now, I do still like making plushies, but I know I cannot advertise my projects as plush toys, because I’ll need to carry out several tests on them, in order to be able to licence them as toys, here in the UK (there are laws to ensure that a child’s safety isn’t endangered by my products). So, instead, if I were to create amigurumi items, I’ll label them as keychains or bag charms and make my plushies small enough to decorate keys or bags.

It's Time To Tackle The Elusive Clothes

Now, in all my years of making crochet items, I stayed far away from making clothes. I did attempt a few, throughout the years, but most of them remained unfinished, or if I did make a piece of clothing, they were either hats, shawls or scarves. I never made actual sweaters, dresses, tops or bikinis. Why? Some of those patterns are complicated, or they were made by amateurs, looking to start their pattern designing journey. Don’t get me wrong, I have always wanted to crochet my own clothes, but I didn’t want to cheat it with granny squares. Like I said, I’ve grown very tired of making the basic granny square, and while there are many out there that could be adapted into something more complex, I didn’t want my clothes to have holes in them.

Granted, any crochet pattern will have holes, but there are many solid textured crochet patterns out there, like the waffle stitch, or the moss stitch. These patterns are best suited for things like clothes, and can create beautiful sweaters and dresses, but I took my time in choosing the right patterns to practice. Eventually, I did make a sweater, from a pattern I found online. It’s not worth showing, because I used scrap yarn to make it (literally, it’s hideous), but I did that because I wanted to test the pattern. I wanted to see if I could follow it, and how easy it would be to follow a clothing pattern. Needless to say, I worried for nothing. I managed to complete the sweater, and make it, so it fit me, but unfortunately, I am not going to be wearing that sweater anywhere. It’s just too ugly to wear (and no, it’s not the “Christmas” kind of ugly).

Where Am I At With My Crochet Craft Today?

Right now, I’m still experimenting with clothing patterns, because I’d like to be able to expand my repertoire. I don’t just want to be making sweaters. I’d like to also make other clothing pieces, like bras, tops, and even dresses, but that will take time and research. My goal, other than to sell my products, here on Feather’s Charm, is to be able to start creating my own patterns. Of course, that will take some time as well. It isn’t an easy feat, especially if I’m looking to creating my own clothing patterns, but hopefully, one day, we’ll get there.

Well, that’s it from me today. I hope you enjoyed walking down memory lane with me. I’m going to go and finish off this sweater I’ve been working on, for the past few months. While I go do that, please don’t forget to like, subscribe, comment, share and follow me, here on Feather’s Charm, on my YouTube channel, on my Twitch channel, on my other social media accounts (Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok), and on Patreon. Your support really does help me make more content like this, for you guys.