2017 Wow

Well for me it’s been rather amazing!

2017 started with the designing of our first Crochet Along in conjunction with Knitcraft/Hobbycraft, @lyndascraftroom and I honestly thought we’d get about 100 people max taking part, if we were lucky!

I even remember us high fiving each other when we hit 77 😂 77 people! We’re close to 4000 now, 4000 people making our Designs, ours?! <<
u know you’re doing something right when your members start asking for a second CAL, specifically a Christmas themed CAL just just 4 months away from the big day! After a lot of hard work a few choice words and 8 weeks, yes just 8 weeks we managed between us to create The Christmas is…..CAL

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onestly cannot tell you how nice that warm feeling is when thousands of people make something that came out of your mind, through your fingers and into a yarny creation (struggled with that bit 😂) it’s just amazing. And it feels phenomenal to inspire people!!!

At the start of each CAL we get asked ‘can a beginner do this?’ ‘I’ve never crocheted before, will I find it easy?’ ‘This looks complicated I’m not sure I’d be able to do this’ we always tell them yes!!!!!!!

I have to be honest at first I found it a little alien, because unlike other areas in my life (weight management is a good start!) I have never looked at a pattern and thought ‘I can’t do this’ I just do it! And I keep doing it until I get it right. To me it’s like a recipe, so long as you can follow instructions you can cook it.

We get to so many people joining who have never picked up a hook! Never made a blanket, or crocheted anything before, and to see their results it’s just amazing!

Take Sarah Miller as an example. I met Sarah at high school, and never saw her a again when we left, she moved to the US and married the man of her dreams, she had crocheted a granny square and she had also done some scarves, in single stitches. She said she’d never be able to do Tea on the green, but she did!! She flew over in November and came to see us!! And this morning, she has posted this beautiful and amazing piece of work

Isn’t it fabulous!!!!

I’ve learnt a lot in 2017, especially about designing! I’ve learnt a lot about people, my skin has grown a lot thicker, like a lot, and that’s a good thing, I struggled with comments I thought were negative at the start of each CAL, I’ve grown to realise they’re not negative towards myself and Lynda or the CAL it’s just a few thousand people looking at what lies ahead of them and announcing ‘I can’t do this!’ But we know that now, and we turn them around and they do it!!! And they do it so well!!!!

Through the CAL’s we’ve made so many new friends too!!! I love crochet friends!

Myself and @lyndascraftroom have also launched The Crochet Sanctuary that’s been a big learning curve, with many more to come I’m sure! We’ve successfully sold out on day passes and initially all weekend passes, so we increased them by another 5, we’ve still 3 more weekend passes to sell, but that’s fine! May just have to add a little more discount to get them sold before February, but this will see an amazing start to 2018, and we have another CAL arranged for Spring and then Autumn, and Sanctuary’s arranged throughout the year!

So I think I can say it’s been a good one!!!

I’d like to thank YOU for following and reading my blog.

Thank you to Knitcraft for actually having faith in two amateur designers, letting us loose on your customers, trusting us and for giving us such a fabulous opportunity.

And too my partner in crime @lyndascraftroom for putting up with me! Listening to my ideas and telling me they’re crap when I needed to be told, we’re so different in so many ways, but together it just works! Thanks Lynda!!!

Until next time

Merry Christmas

Happy New year

And

Happy Hooking!!!!!

Lisa xx