A Life Full of Surprises

One of my favorite John Lennon songs is “Beautiful Boy.”  I particularly like the line about “Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.”  

I have found that statement to be so true throughout my life.  Just the other evening I was reading one of the forums in Ravelry and noticing the interesting images folks adopt for their Ravatars.  I had originally thought that I would be changing my own Ravelry image every month or so, even if it only meant switching the background colors for my trademark hands logo.  

But now my pinkish background represents “me” to so many folks.  The crazy coloring frenzy I had one evening with a printout of my logo has become my brand.  

This got me to thinking about the many times the direction I thought I was headed led me somewhere entirely (and often wonderfully) different. A prime example is this journey as a crochet designer and writer on healthy crafting.  

When I sent a message to Laurie Wheeler of the Crochet Liberation Front about her shoulder injury in April of 2008, I had no idea that I had set the wheels in motion for my first article on healthy crafting that came out in the First Ever Crochet Liberation Front Book.  

Then curiosity led me to take an online Crochetville class called Designing for Print Publication with Mary Beth Temple in March 2009 .  I was pleasantly surprised when my “homework” proposal was accepted for publication by Crochet! Magazine.  

This journey has unfolded with surprises at every turn.  

Maybe the funniest surprise is how the whole thing began.  It all started with cloth diapers. Yes, an unlikely beginning to the road of crochet professional.  

I was cloth diapering my youngest son and a neighbor friend recommended a few useful internet sites for me to check out.  I had spent very little time online before her recommendation.  But suddenly I found interesting blogs to read and so many sites about cloth diapering, which led me to a yahoo group promoting wool soakers.  

That group led me to Ravelry. In April 2008 I received my invitation to join Ravelry.  Through Ravelry I discovered FreeForm Crochet,  the CGOA,  and I attended my first Knit and Crochet Show.  I have taken numerous wonderful classes with talented teachers and expanded my crochet skills in directions I had never dreamed of.  My passion for crochet has been re-ignited and I have officially joined the ranks of Crochet Designers.  

This most recent Knit and Crochet Show (Chain Link) was the best ever.  I sold more designs, and took fun and inspiring classes. Best of all, I reconnected with wonderful stitching friends that I have met over the past 2 years thru Ravelry and going to shows.  My life as a solitary stitcher on a mountain is over, and I am forever grateful to Ravelry for making that possible.