Today, dear readers, you'll be reading a heartfelt and amusing story by Becky Schuffenhauer, who shares how her husband’s attempt at crochet led to her lifelong passion. Enjoy!
When I was younger, my grandma was the queen of crochet, creating intricate doilies that looked like delicate laceworks of art. She taught me the basics—chains and single crochet—but back then, my interests were elsewhere. Fast forward to today, and I have a good portion of her doilies collaged into frames, proudly displayed in my home.
In the early '90s, when my husband was sick, he had an unexpected revelation. "You know, my grandpa used to crochet. I think I’d like to learn,” he said, possibly delirious from a fever, or maybe he was serious—I still wonder. We went out, bought yarn and self-learning books, and prepared for his grand crochet debut.
He tried. Oh, how he tried. After many frustrating attempts and colorful language, he looked at me and said, "I am all thumbs." And that, dear readers, was the end of his crochet adventure.
This, however, was the start of my story. I picked up the self-learning book he abandoned and decided to give it a go. I made lots of doilies and other things, but life got busy raising kids and I didn’t crochet for a few years.
Years later, with granddaughters in the picture, I dusted off my hooks and made them an endless wardrobe of Barbie doll clothes. It was a delightful detour, but my real breakthrough came a few years ago when my daughter suggested, “Why don’t you make a blanket for your great-granddaughter?”.
Did I mention I don’t like making blankets? They’re too boring, doing the same stitch over and over. Yet, for my great-granddaughter, I made several baby blankets, each one a labor of love and a battle against monotony. Then I started making stuffed teddies and other animals, and about a year ago I found Crochetree dolls.
Discovering Crochetree dolls was like finding my crochet soulmate. I just finished Yuki, my 12th Crochetree doll. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could master those gorgeous eyes, but they were surprisingly easy. Now, I get so many compliments on them that I’ve lost count.
I also get requests from friends to make all kinds of stuff, which I thoroughly enjoy. When do I find time, you ask? I crochet whenever I sit down to relax. With retirement just a year away, I’ll definitely have more time to create and embrace my crochet passion fully.
~ Becky Schuffenhauer ~
Thank you for joining Becky on her crochet journey. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and crochet adventures from our wonderful community at Crochetree! We can’t wait to share more creative journeys with you.
