Well hi there! My name is Stephanie. I’m a wife, mom, daughter, friend, and crochet enthusiast! It’s been quite a road to get here. Let me share a little of it with you.
Hope you’re all having a fantastic day. I’ve managed to pry myself away from any and all yarn sales to stop and tell you a little about myself. The main things to know about me are, I’m a wife; mother; grandmother; lover of all things crochet; and you’ll always find me with a cup of coffee within reach. I haven’t been crocheting very long. I learned while recovering from chemo and radiation, which took quite a toll on me. I had been a very on-the-go person; I love doing things that required a lot more energy than I had after my treatments that I can no longer do. I looked for something that would give me satisfaction and a feelings of accomplishment without having to be up and running around. That is where crochet came in, I instantly fell in love (but not only me) my husband, and youngest son Gavin also loved it. Even my older son Damian was interested. It became something we started doing together as a family, who wouldn’t love that? So me being the overly complicated person that I am, decided I wanted to make a pair of slippers for my husband as my very first project. I learned how to do the single crochet and the double crochet. I did it with no pattern or tutorial, I just kept having him put his foot up so I could look at it. I had him try it on every once in a while, and finally I did it. Then my second project was a purse (since clearly, I can’t do anything simple.) Go big or go home, right? So then I went back to the beginning and started watching tutorials on YouTube and learning as much as I could. I learned most of what I know from Crystal at Bag O Day. Though there are many many others that I got lots of knowledge from. I loved it and couldn’t get enough.
On the days I felt awful, I would pick up my hook and yarn and I would watch every tutorial I could. After some time I started thinking to myself, I can’t go out and get a regular job anymore. I don’t have it in me right now. My son Gavin has some special needs that take up some extra time with therapies and doctor’s appointments. This in addition to my own health taking up extra time and additional doctor’s appointments. I thought, could I use this crochet to make some income for my family. So I started googling. The first person I came across was Pam, the crochetpreneur, and it felt magical. I thought maybe I could do this too.
Then I thought to myself “slow down, I know you’re not used to slowing down but this is something that you’re very passionate about, and you don’t want to mess that up.” So I sat back and months went by. For some reason, one day I was watching YouTube and my husband asked, “why don’t you do that?” Keep in mind that I hadn’t let anybody know I had been researching and doing my homework for a while now. Later that week, Life N Stitches was born. I decided I want to share what I’ve already learned, and continue to learn from those surrounding me who I consider the best. I could share a bit about my life while I was at it. Living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (a rare genetic disease) having dealt with a brain tumor craniotomy, an accident that should have taken my life which left me with a crippling nerve condition, then cancer after that, all while raising four children, the youngest of which was born with a brain disorder has it been challenging yes. But guess what? Every moment in my life has brought me to where I am now. This is the happiest I’ve ever been. Overcoming these obstacles has only made me stronger and made me want to fight more for the things I want. Life is far too short not to do the things you love. Far too short to not fight to reach every goal you set. So let’s give this a go, but before I leave, I want to give a shout-out to every one of you who has encouraged me to take this leap of faith. This crochet community has become family to me, and I could not thank you enough. I also couldn’t do this without the support of my family and their willingness to share me with all of you.
Love,
Steph
