pine island designs

Ever since Æsa taught me how in 2015, crochet has been the craft love of my life. I dabble in other crafts (quilting, resin casting, sewing) but I always come back to crochet as my resting place. I'm neurodivergent (ADHD, OCD, PTSD, etc.) and crochet satisfies my need to stim and ward off existential dread at the same time. (I was interviewed about how crafting helps me manage my mental health in 2020!)


Because of that, I don't always bother to take pictures of my projects. I make them as gifts or even hand them off to anyone who asks: my coworker once commented that she liked the colors of the lapghan I'd been working on in meetings and I said, "Do you want it? Here, take it. I don't need another lapghan, honestly." She was shocked - but she took it off my hands so I wouldn't have to stuff another lapghan into my closet. (Seriously, I have so many lapghans and baby blankets. I only know one baby and he already has a blanket from me.)

how to

I was taught how to crochet "IRL" by my then-roomate, Æsa, so I don't have many online beginner tutorials to share but these are the links I sent my friend Mari when I taught her how to crochet:

Sarah Maker has a 101-level introduction to crochet that's worth checking out.


If you live in the U.S., I recommend looking up your local chapter of Crochet Guild of America. (There's also a Knitting & Crochet Guild in the U.K. and probably other countries, too! You can also try Meetup, etc. to find craft circles. I've never gone to a craft group where beginners weren't welcome!)

patterns

pattern collections

Most of my projects are freehand (no pattern) but I collect, read, and analyze patterns:

Most (all?) of the patterns I save are written in U.S. terms.

pattern credits