Being a military wife, Tammy had to learn how to master her crochet skills on her own, with a hook, yarn, and book! When there’s a will, there’s a way!
Who Taught You to Crochet?
My Mom taught me to chain and my Grandma taught me single crochet. But I actually taught myself years later.
How Long Have You Been Crocheting?
I learned to chain around 7. I learned to sc around 16. I actually decided to take up the art after my first child was born when I was 20. I was a military wife 1500 miles away from home, so maternal help wasn’t an option! So I went to the store, bought my first skein of yarn, hook, and a “how to” book. My first sc pillow that I made was about 10″ at the bottom & 17″ or so at the top! Lol! That’s ok! I loved it! I also fell in love with crochet! That was in 1986 & there wasn’t much literature out there where I was. I snapped up as much as I could & learned by myself. I learned sc, dc, tc, and how to keep my edges straight! I also learned to make teddy bears. I made afghans, baby items, doilies, and much more. Then the wonder of the internet happened! Wow! I couldn’t get enough! Now I’m unstoppable!
Title: This Christmas’s Bear Description: Teddy bear with removable clothing complete with working buttons.
Why is Crochet More than Just a Hobby to You?
Crochet is a way of life for me. I sell or gift 90% of what I make. I’ve taught my 1st daughter to crochet, and btw…she’s 30 now! She also sells what she makes and her talent rivals my own! Generally, she does the big projects like afghans & I do the small, more tedious projects like Amigurumi and thread crochet.
~ Tammy
First is my connection to my family I already mentioned. But there is more to it. I’m an artist, so anything creative is important and meaningful to me – I feel that it is my duty to put beautiful things into the world. In particular, the ability to create clothing and useful items from something so simple as a hook and a string seems miraculous and marvelous to me. I also suspect that the history of crochet is tied up with the history of making fishing nets and so I feel a sense of history when I do it, a grander connection to the whole family of humanity. It is also deeply meditative, and so I suspect that my continued rise in life happiness is connected to the act of crochet.