Well, Waterlilyloops is the name I've chosen to represent my love of all things knitting and crochet.
So, who am I? I'm Michelle. I'm a Pharmacist by trade and I'm a yarnaholic by choice! I live in the midwest with my husband and two kiddos. My knitting and crochet journey began when my son, who was in 5th grade, was required to buy yarn and a crochet hook for a class project. As I was gathering his supplies at my local Michael's stores, I began remembering that my grandmother had tried to teach me to knit one weekend when I was visiting. I picked up the ever popular "learn to knit" kit, picked out a beautiful variegated yarn and I had a new hobby, right? Uh, nope!
My son and his fellow classmates might have learned to chain, but he has not once expressed the desire to pick up his hook since that fifth grade class. I, on the other hand, became obsessed with teaching myself to either knit or crochet. I went to Youtube to watch every video ever made on learning to knit and crochet. I could not do it. Neither one! For the life of me, I could not figure out how people took that one ball of yarn and turned it into things?!? But I was determined to create something out of this skein of yarn that I had purchased.
I finally came across the Portuguese style of knitting and IT WORKED! I learned how to knit. Wow, I was amazed. I quickly came across a knit-a-long on a popular yarn brands website and before I knew it, I had knitted myself a full size blanket that I've used on my bed ever since I finished it.
After I had conquered a second knit-a-long, I wanted to create cables. I always loved a good cable knit sweater and now I could make one, right? Umm, nope! Wrong again. I quickly learned that knitting a full size blanket and knitting a sweater were two very different projects! I was once again, overwhelmed. I decided I would create a cable knit headband and I did it! It was beautiful. Next, I tried my hand at a cable knit hat. Here's where I began to understand that mysterious word, gauge. I would knit a hat and it wouldn't fit me! I always had a hat that was way too small for me. Nevermind that fact that I don't even wear hats. So, my daughter would inherit all of the too small hats I had created. I had decided to try a Celtic style dishcloth to practice a very intricate cable design. I absolutely loved it, but my hands didn't. My tension was so tight that my hands were getting fatigued pretty quickly. Fast forward a few years and that one very beautiful dish/washcloth I created was used by that very sweet little daughter of mine to wipe up some bright red nail polish. NOOOOO! Yep, I still kept it, I'll probably post a picture of it here one day.
My love of knitting had grown so much, that I began subscribing to many yarn mail order kits. I would get those beautiful teal boxes with two skeins of luxury yarn. Well, they were luxurious to me because they were different from anything you could find at Walmart or Michaels. These kits would come with patterns for knitting and crocheting similar items. Well, I didn't really know how to read patterns well yet. Those kits just piled up. Unfortunately, most of that yarn is still in storage. I really got "hooked" on purchasing yarn online for a while. I learned that yarn companies would sell "mystery boxes" at vastly discounted prices, right? Well, after purchasing from two different companies, it didn't take long before I realized that their "mystery boxes" we really just discontinued yarns and clearance yarns that they couldn't sell in store.
My knitting continued with gifting a knitted baby blanket to friends and family who were expecting. I got so much satisfaction from creating these little babies blankets while their mommies were creating them. Oh, I just loved it! I would post pictures on my Facebook account and friends and family would all say, "you should sell your stuff on Etsy!" Me? No, I can't do that.
Since the thought of selling my finished projects sounded appealing, I began listening to crochet podcasts and taking a few courses on selling finished crochet items. I chose to learn to crochet because it is faster than knitting. I was quickly whipping up blankets in different stitches. I was taking photos of my new makes. But, I never sold them. Well, I just went live with my Etsy shop with two listings. Yep! A crochet infinity scarf and a regular crochet scarf with fringe. Will I ever sell them? I kind of don't want to lol!
My message here is to inspire you to pick up a crochet hook and some yarn or a "learn to knit" kit the next time you find yourself in the yarn aisle. It is always intimidating when you are trying something new. I can say that I'm 1000% thankful that I stuck with it. Both knitting and crocheting have been lifesavers for me. They help calm me down when life gets to be too much and they are always an option when I need a creative outlet.
Thanks for learning about who I am and I hope to start sharing pictures of my current and past projects here to keep you inspired! I am absolutely IN LOVE with all of the ways knit and crochet have enriched my life and I won't be stopping anytime soon. So, I am so excited to start this blog and start sharing my experiences with you.
Until next time, Take care, be safe and happy yarning!!
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