The Birth of Craftybits!

Once upon a time, there was a teenager. This was no ordinary teenager, mind you, because her name was Gabrielle and as you know, nobody named with such a fabulous and fantastic name as Gabrielle could ever be ordinary. One when this Gabrielle was in 7th grade, someone taught her how to crochet. Taken in with this unique and amazing craft, she bought her own skein of yarn, and her own size 7mm crochet hook (very small) and she sat down and crocheted a crooked little thing that now resides on her dresser, underneath a little figurine. Sadly, this thing was not more than four inches across, but this lovely Gabrielle was now, permanently, hooked (literally) for the rest of her life. She saved that skein of yarn like it was more precious than gold, saving it carefully for just the perfect pattern. She waited, and waited, and waited some more, searching for the perfect pattern to use this very fine thread. While doing so, she had just realized that crochet was so much more than old ladies simply sitting down and making doilies and table runners. There was a world of patterns and things to make and do, if only you had the right sized hooks. She once again delved deep into the world of crochet. Coming out victorious, she savored her elation as she garnered three skeins of blue yarn, and one skein of purple and a G/6 crochet hook to top it off. Now she had to carefully plan the use of this yarn, and lo and behold, her aunt gave her a book with about 24 patterns. After careful evaluation, she chose a pattern and started it. Alas, disaster struck and something went wrong. Nobody know exactly what happened, but Gabrielle is convinced it was a pattern, and the pattern is convinced it was Gabrielle. Anyhow, she became discouraged and temporarily banished all her yarn and hooks to a dusty corner to grow knots and gather dust. It seemed like the end to the story until the day she discovered how and why everything was going wrong. She picked up the hook again.

Then her sister brought the most wonderful thick, soft yarn and a P/15 hook. She had gotten a ticket to Obama's inauguration, and since people don't usually have winter clothes in tropical countries, she crocheted a scarf and some embellishments for it too. Then her sister made her and ear warmer. She made her sister a long promised hat. Then she found a comprehensive, complete encyclopaedia of crochet and had and excellent idea for a crocheted product she calls "DreamCatchers (c)" and is now developing this idea.

This story never ends. It's my story. Change it a little and it could be a a lady who lives many miles away and has never met me, or a man who crochets in secret for fear for being ridiculed. It could be a collage student's story, or a lady you saw yesterday crocheting on the bus, or a great-aunt who made a sweater who has been passed for generations, or the woman wearing the cool scarf, or the teen with the cute handbag, or the lady working in the yarn store,or the woman who made such warm, warm socks for her son. In a way, all crocheters are alike. We're all cool. we all like crafts. We all crochet. Why don't you crochet too? Open up a world you never imagined. Pick up a hook.