Heyyy party peeps!!

Well it’s been a longgggg slow roll since my last blog post. My apologies for writing such a riveting piece of prose and then leaving you hanging for that long - I promise that I won’t ghost you again, well I'm gonna try!

I’m excited to start showing up here on my blog regularly and in your inbox, if you’ve so kindly welcomed me there. 

I can’t tell you exactly what you will be seeing in here, but I hope sometimes it makes you laugh, sometimes it makes you think and of course sometimes I hope it brings you nothing but JOY!

Thank you for coming along on this wild ride with me while I do life as a business owner, 9-5’er, mom, wife + all the other kick ass things I get to be.

One of those other kick ass things I get to be is a crocheter or hooker in cool kids slang (ok let’s be honest that’s me just trying to stay hip!)

Today I want to share with you five of the many, many reasons why I love crochet!

1.

This is probably a no brainer but I absolutely LOVE making things. There’s no rhyme or reason to it, it’s just the way I am; craftiness is in my blood - pssssst, guess what?! - it’s in YOURS too! (we’ll come back to that another day)

I have always been someone who loves having a project on the go or something to create - as far back as I can remember I would be trying one craft after the other. 

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have" - Maya Angelou

Some really fond memories of my childhood are my mom’s craft circle aka stitch n bitch that would rotate houses each week and hang, chat + craft. I loved when it was at our place because well what kid didn’t love it when the routine was shaken up and there were people at your house mid week, in the evening, on a school night?!?! But also my mom would let me hang out for a little bit with them and work on whatever it was I had on the go. The one I remember the most was cross stitch - I loved me some cross stitch!

And maybe this only happened one or two nights but that’s the wonderful thing about memories is that if it happened once or time and time again, it can leave an impact.

2.

It made me feel like the old me, the me before I became a Mom. It’s really easy for mothers to feel lost and yearn for the good ‘ol days. And I don’t mean the good ‘ol days of starting to get ready to go out at 11PM and dancing on speakers … don’t get me wrong it’s fun to pretend that I could still handle that LOL but I’m talking about simple things, like reading a book, going to the bathroom alone, digging into a craft project, you know those things that we can’t fathom pre-motherhood as being such a luxury.

Crochet became something just for me

Yes I make things for other people but crochet allowed me to feel like the ‘old’ me before I was a Mom, crafts, hobbies + fun projects were my jam and after becoming a parent it’s really easy to forget to put yourself at the top of your list sometimes.

And because we’re talking about motherhood - the concept of control must be brought up. Let me tell ya - kids can be a blessing and a curse for this. When I became pregnant with my first, very early on I realized that I have zero control over a lot of things … she was already doing and taking whatever the F she needed from me, my body was doing its thang and I had two choices; embrace it or fight it. I chose to embrace it and I’m glad I did because damn you gonna be doing a lot more fighting when they’re on the outside - but anyhoo… 

One reason I love crochet is that I have control over what I’m doing. I choose the pattern I want. I choose the colors of yarn I want to use. I choose where I want to sit (which is always the exact spot a little someone must also sit - so I do a lot of crocheting while doubling as a jungle gym!). I choose how long I want to work on it - well this is a complete lie cuz #kids but ya get the point.

3.

The mental health benefits!

When I first started crocheting I was doing it just to try out something new with a few friends at work. Little did I know how impactful it would become on my mental health.

It quiets the noise and chaos within + around me. 

My therapist might say grabbing my yarn + hook to find a quiet spot to crochet is me avoiding the problems haha but I’m not using crochet as an avoidance tactic, well I guess I am a little but keep reading. Crochet helps me get into the headspace of being able to slow things down and  process what is going on. 

85% of crocheters + knitters experience reduced stress with their craft*

Picking up my yarn + hook shifts something immediately in my brain that calms, settles, puts me at ease. It’s like the shower phenomenon - you’re minding your business washing your hair and BAM! that dude from that movie last week you watched and couldn’t figure out where you saw him before or that you were supposed to tell your MIL what size clothes your kiddos are wearing or a great idea for a new product just popped in your head. 

It is such a calming presence to me. It allows me to reset + recharge so that I can show up as my best self for me and those around me. Crocheting literally makes my soul smile and dance. 

*https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/

4.

It forces me outside my comfort zone.

I hear yas “gahhhh why do you wanna go and do that?!” “You can make cozy things; just stay home and don’t leave”

Yes I totally feel this because most days this is exactly what I want to do!

Crochet keeps me learning, failing, trying again, switching gears - crochet keeps me on my toes. There are so many things to learn and expand within the craft itself, so it’s really a lifelong journey of learning and growing + I am here for it!

It has also forced these same things for me outside of the craft. I could have stayed cozy on my couch increasing our blanket count, but I felt a pull to get uncomfortable . 

“You don’t grow where you are comfortable” - unknown

So I went waaaaayyyyyy outside my comfort zone. 

I started my business.

I put myself out there.

I started connecting with you, complete strangers on the internet.

It was bloody freaking scary. So many thoughts and emotions - but for reals this is a lot of the time still LOL

I’m so glad that crochet gave me the confidence to get uncomfortable and then to turn that skill + passion into a business. 

5.

The last reason why I love crochet, well not really the last, but the last I will talk about today, is the community and people I’ve connected with! 

I get the opportunity and pleasure to meet a lot of really cool people through crochet and a lot of them are not crocheters!

I’ve met + connected with a lot of incredibly talented business owners within my own city, province, country and even across the world and that is so surreal to me!

I have surrounded myself with some amazing people, (outside of family + friends - so grateful that they too support + cheer me on constantly), within the small business community. Something that has been the icing on the cake for me, because it’s so much more fun when you have people knowing + going through similar things and we are all there to support + cheer each other on.

Y’all are the real MVPs!

It means so much when you send a like my way, answer a question, leave a sweet comment on a post. I have a blast chatting and connecting with all of you. Thank you for sharing a bit of your down time with me xoxo 

My vision for Free Spirit Stitches is to spread joy out to all of you and little did I know how much joy you would share right back with me. Y’all don’t know how much it means to me and how much it fuels me, my creativity and my passion to keep showing up for us all! 

Sending cozy vibes your way,