Crafting Made Simple with Stitch & Story | Podcast Episode #127

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What does “Crafting Made Simple” mean to you?

This episode is about exploring what yarn does for you beyond just making something pretty. This realization can help you identify your strengths and help you understand how to share those strengths in the crochet and knitting community. Simplicity and stories can help us identify what type of crafter we are, why we do what we do, and how to inspire the next generation so they can enjoy these things too.

To help me with this is Jen from Stitch and Story, a resource that’s dedicated to simplifying the often complex processes in our craft. Jen and I had a wonderful chat about our personal experiences with learning aspects of knitting and crochet, something we’re both very passionate about sharing.

Episode Transcript

Brittany:
Welcome to episode 127 of the B.Hooked Podcast, the place where we love yarn, we love to learn, and we truly believe yarn can do more for us than just make pretty things. Well, along those lines, today’s episode is about exploring what it means for yarn to do more for us than just make pretty things. Specifically, how simplicity and stories can help us identify what type of crafter we are, why we do what we do, and how to inspire the next generation so they can enjoy all these things too.

To help me with this is Jen from Stitch and Story, a resource that’s dedicated to simplifying the often complex processes in our craft. Jen and I had just a really wonderful conversation about our personal experiences with the learning aspects of knitting and crochet, so it’ll be kind of like hear a fly on the wall hearing that conversation. We come up with two challenges for you as we get on with our chat, so listen closely for those. I’ll recap them at the end, and you can find them on the show notes page at bhooked.com/127 as well. All right, here’s Jen from Stitch and Story. Jen, hi there. Welcome to the show.

Jen: 1:48
Hi, how are you?

Brittany: 1:49
I’m doing wonderful today. I am so excited to chat with you. I have been wanting to connect with you for a while now. I’ve been an admirer of some of the things that you have going on in your beautiful Instagram feed. So it’s a real pleasure and a treat for me to have you here.

Oh, brilliant. I’m so glad. Yes. So I have seen you from afar, sort of mainly on Instagram. And I don’t know a whole lot about your story, how Stitch and Story came about, because I’m sure there’s a really interesting story there. But then also for you personally, can we start maybe with how you started crocheting or knitting in the first place?

Jen: 2:32
Yeah, no worries. So I learned to knit and crochet when I was in school, and this was part of my textiles class. And so we would spend… most of the afternoons just knitting swatches in our break times and just doing like knit and purl and that was all I knew back then and I eventually started to knit in my spare time back in my room I remember and I would just keep knitting and eventually my friends started knitting to request scarves and one of my first scarves was actually to my business partner Jennifer and who I’ve actually known for 15 years now and it was for her sweet 16 and I remember when I made it there was this hole in the middle and When I gave it to her, I was so proud in actually making a gift for her. And she, you know, the sheer delight on her face. And she, you know, she didn’t really notice the hole, but it was given that away really was quite satisfactory for me. And so, yeah, that’s how I learned how to knit, really. And I eventually started to learn how to sew, how to do graphic design. So I’ve kind of learned how to do quite a lot of crafts and design because I’m quite interested in that, really.

Brittany: 3:59
Yeah, I find that it’s similar for a lot of people. It seems like if we really enjoy one thing like knitting or crochet, there’s always some other type of craft that we participate in.

Jen: 4:11
Yeah, I think it’s trying to replicate something yourself for yourself and and just thinking, oh, yeah, I know how to make this or I’ll try and work this out. And I think you can apply that through baking, through sewing, through even engineering. It’s like an engineering kind of mindset, which I think everyone has in them.

Brittany: 4:36
Oh, yeah. I never really thought of it that way, but that’s very true.

Jen: 4:40
Yeah.

Brittany: 4:41
I’ve been thinking lately about why I like to crochet and why I like to knit. It’s something that’s kind of difficult to really put your finger on, but what I think I’m realizing is that I really enjoy the process, like the process of making something almost, dare I say, more than the finished product itself. Do you find that to be the case or do you really enjoy the finished thing once it’s done?

Jen: 5:11
That’s a really good question. So for me, I like the process of it and I like giving it away. And over the years, for me, I’ve realised that there are two types of makers. So there would be the maker who likes the process, who likes kind of figuring it out and making it and giving it away. Or there’s the one who likes to make it for themselves and likes to tailor everything completely to themselves. So there’s the gift giver or there’s kind of that personal maker for themselves. And you usually fall into two different categories. And for me, I fall into the process side. And I think it’s that creating something, building up to something, the research side and thinking about who the end user is. So if I’m giving it away to a friend, I like to research what they like, what their wardrobe is like, how they’re going to use it. And so I like that build up. And yeah, I think it’s quite important to research. to see which type of crafter you are, and then you can really maximize your fulfillment or joy out of it.

Brittany: 6:29
Yeah, I love that perspective of sort of identifying with one of the two, because that’s such a great way to really simplify things and make all of it more enjoyable.

Jen: 6:42
Yes, definitely, definitely. We see a lot of our knitters… either giving it away to their moms or to their grandmas or they’re just like, oh no, this is all for myself. And then they end up just making all of our knitting kits, which is hilarious.

Brittany: 7:01
Yeah, I find that I do a little bit of both. I tend to keep quite a few of the things that I make, especially the accessories and the design best when I’m making it for myself because I kind of put my own little style on that but…

Jen: 7:21
Yeah, you’re your own model aren’t you so you are your end user I guess.

Brittany: 7:29
And that actually does work out really well that I’m able to take photos of the finished thing on myself. And that’s something I only started about two years ago. I was always too bashful to put my face on the other side of the camera. And I just realized that It’s so difficult to display something that you’ve made and that you’re really proud of when it’s laying flat on a table or something like that. You just don’t get the full effect. So I had to step out of my comfort zone a little bit and learn a thing or two about photography. But I have so much fun with that part.

Jen: 8:08
Yeah, and enjoying the… The process of showing it off is really important, especially through the power of social media. And what I would like everyone to kind of break out of is making sure it doesn’t have to be perfect. So just even showing off the work in progress of it is just as rewarding as showing the end product off.

Brittany: 8:37
I love that. I think it really is important because when you’re scrolling through your feed and you’re seeing everything that’s gorgeous and beautiful and everything that that person wanted you to see, it’s really easy to forget that that person is just like you. They’re not perfect and their project has imperfections in it. And sometimes it’s easy to hide some of that in photography, but I think it would be a fun challenge for listeners to to go to Instagram or Facebook or whatever platform they like using and take a close-up photo of something that is wrong with their current work in progress. Maybe they dropped a stitch or they twisted a stitch or something like that. And I think that would be a lot of fun to kind of peel back the layers and show the true side of

Jen: 9:28
It would be, yes. And just showing the whole journey of it. And there’s this really great, powerful quote that both Jen and I really, really keep to our hearts. It’s from Zig Ziglar. And he quotes, you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. And so to start your journey anywhere, you know, it just… Of course, you’re going to do mistakes. Of course, you’re going to undo the stitches. But it’s accepting it. And I think that’s what’s so powerful about knitting. For me, I remember learning to knit wasn’t actually that easy. And you know, the amount of times I had to undo and undo and then redo it again and then understand what a knit stitch and compare it to a purl stitch, you know, once you kind of unlock that, you’re like, wow, actually I’m progressing, I’m progressing onto something now. And so I remember that feeling and I take that back to when we do workshops and I always say to anyone that joins our workshops, you know, you’re going to undo something I’m going to get you to undo your work now. And it’s just letting go of the fear of keeping something perfect. and a lot of the time a lot of the workshop people say oh no all my heart’s work but I just say you know what you’re going to do this a million times you might as well get used to it now and eventually you’ll start learning how to perfect it but right now it is about making the mistakes and just building on top

Brittany: 11:13
yes I completely agree and for me too knitting was not an easy thing to learn I actually tried to learn that first and failed miserably and then I turned to crochet and luckily that was easier for me to pick up but when I went back to knitting I followed a similar progression I made tons of mistakes until it finally clicked what a knit and what a purl looks like once I figured that out I didn’t really get lost in a stitch pattern so much because I think I was trying to do more advanced stitches than I probably needed to.

Jen: 11:48
You wanted to make a jumper, didn’t you? Or a sweater.

Brittany: 11:50
I did. I wanted to do lace and like just crazy things, learn yarn overs and decreases and increases. And before I even could tell the difference between a knit and a purl. So it was just, it was nonsense. It didn’t work. But once I figured that out, I thought, okay, I can master knit and purl stitches and And then the next stumbling block for me was fixing a mistake. Yeah. but I would often twist them and it just didn’t look the same. And I could not, for the life of me, figure out how to kind of zip up the garter stitch. You know how if you drop several rows, it’s totally backwards? Well, you kind of have to flip it back and forth. It took me a long time to learn that. But once I got over those two big hurdles, the rest was so much easier.

Jen: 12:57
Yeah, it’s almost… learning a new language i would say um especially between knits and purl once you differentiate the two it is just reading it’s like reading the textbook isn’t it and um it does take a while but i just see the delight in people who are learning when they they’re like oh this is a knit stitch oh this is a purl stitch and once they start reading patterns it’s almost second nature isn’t it and yeah it’s just

Brittany: 13:29
a wonderful feeling it really is so I’m curious a lot of the listeners here are crocheters most a lot of them knit as well but for the the person who’s listening and they’re like gosh I just am not great at knitting what is the number one thing that you tell your students in your workshops

Jen: 13:50
I would say I don’t worry, just start again and it’s okay to start again. And I would encourage to take a break from it, to put it down, like you said, put it down and walk away. And the next day, somehow it will just click in your mind. For us, one of our ethos at Stitching Story is making crafting simple as possible. And from that we actually do online tutorials we do blogs we do printed graphics and we do you know we talk about it through our Instagram but there are different ways in learning how to knit so figure out how you learn and then go with that so if you’re more visual learner and you want something like a video a video might help you better or if you don’t feel like that’s working then put that down and go and look at the graphics, the printed illustrations that are included in your kits. You know, there are different ways of learning. And so one way might not work, but you’ll find something that eventually will help click in. And because everyone learns differently and that’s the beauty of teaching is that it’s trying to figure out how someone learns, what ticks them. And it’s almost trying to… find that in yourself. And it’s a personal growth once you’ve realized that, really.

Brittany: 15:20
Yeah, it’s really fun. It is as an instructor to try to appeal to all types of learners. And what I learned is that it’s tough to do that because everyone is so unique in how they like to learn. For me as a creator, I try to teach in a way that I learn best. So I think maybe… Finding somebody who’s similar to you, that could be a good starting point, somebody to learn from. And if it’s your resources that you have available, then, you know, wonderful. It sounds like you have a lot there to help people to knit. Now, I’m curious, do you do much with crochet, too?

Jen: 16:02
Actually, we do have a crochet kit as well. So we’ve got a whole collection on crochet. And we… we started we actually launched that last year because we wanted to apply our simple teachings of what we’ve learned from knitting over to crochet and again just like knitting we simplified it made it really accessible really easy and we did exactly the same for crochet.

Since launching that line, it has attracted so many crocheters, and especially we’ve inspired those who learned how to knit and a bit afraid to crochet but we were able to teach them how to crochet because I’m not sure if you find this but you’re either a knitter or you’re a crocheter and it’s always hard to learn the other just like another language, right?

Yeah, and so for us we wanted to inspire a crocheter to learn to knit and vice versa. And so, yeah, we do cater crochet learners, and we have video tutorials as well. We’ve got a whole collection line. And what’s really exciting as well, we have an Enchanted Woodlands collection, which actually has both crafts in one kit. So you learn to knit the hat, a baby hat, and then you learn to crochet the actual decorations.

And so that’s a nice cross-between the two crafts. And so we’re constantly trying to inspire other crafters to pick it up and see what they can create.

Brittany: 17:42
That sounds like a lot of fun. I just recently started blending knitting and crochet in the same project as well. And that has been so much fun because like you said, I feel like you typically identify with being a crocheter or being a knitter. Even if you do both, it seems like there’s always one of the two that you’re more comfortable with.

Just like if you speak more than one language, you have one language that you’re really fluent in that you probably think in, but you speak other languages as well. So for me personally, I definitely am more of a crocheter at heart. I find that to be second nature, and I don’t really have to think too much about what I’m doing. But knitting is sort of like… the second language that I’m still in the process of learning. It’s just like crochet there’s so much to it there’s so much to learn that it would take a lifetime to totally master. Funny.

Jen: 18:43
Enough when you’re talking about how you’re trying to learn to knit I remember when I learned how to crochet I you you make you do weird things to try and hold your hook or your needles or whatever you’re holding and one of the things that I had to do to learn to crochet was actually use my foot like a as if it was like a sewing machine like one of those pedestal and foot pedals and I had to use my foot to control the yarn because I just couldn’t get round in holding a single hook and it’s just one of those hacks that you have to do in order to start somewhere right.

And it would be funny to hear what other people’s hacks are in order to learn how to hold two needles or one hook, you know. Yeah, it’s just funny.

Brittany: 19:41
It would be. I think that would be fun if you’re listening and you have a fun story like that to share that on the show notes page. Share that in the comments section. We would love to read through those.

I know for me, when it came to holding the yarn, I don’t remember having a funny story with trying to learn to hold the yarn with crochet. I didn’t really understand crocheting the sort of pinching it between your index finger and your middle finger. I got the like wrap around the pinky, but from there it just was really floppy and uncontrolled.

And as soon as I realized that I could sort of hold on to it with my index finger and my middle finger, just sort of squeezing them together, it worked out really well. So then when I switched over and went back to knitting, I started… continental style first because I was more used to controlling the yarn in my left hand. But then I quickly realized that that felt really awkward. And so I went to my right hand, so kind of like American style or flick knitting, and that feels so much more natural.

And I don’t understand why, but I controlled the yarn the same way with my right hand as I do my left hand. So no cool stories there, but… Yeah, hopefully a listener will have something fun and interesting to share like you did.

Jen: 21:09
My foot technique.

Brittany: 21:10
I love it. So it sounds like you have a lot going on at Stitch and Story. And I would love to get into the story part of that. How did it come about? When did it all start?

Jen: 21:25
So it began back in 2012. And so Jennifer was trying to learn to knit herself. And so she was going through this pain point of learning through old books and old tutorials. And eventually… she came up with this idea and she approached me to be her business partner and back then I was studying motion graphics back in college and so I used my skill sets as a graphic designer to simplify knitting into simple illustrations and graphics and so we evolved these into blogs and video tutorials and basically we made learning how to knit really accessible.

And so yeah, and so that’s how Stitch A Story began. And so from a knitting kit, we’ve now evolved from knitting to crochet. And now we’re actually creating kits with new brands, including Miffy and now soon to launch Snoopy collection as well. And we’ve realized that it’s actually opening up to a new generation. Everyone’s learning how to knit really.

Brittany: 22:34
That’s incredible. It sounds like you have wonderful resource for the community. So that’s really, really great. You know, one thing I noticed too, when I was looking on your website, you have your own yarn. Is that correct? Like your own yarn line?

Jen: 22:50
That is correct, actually. So it was quite important for us to source a particular type of yarn, which is 100% merino and And the one that we saw is spun and dyed in Italy. And we really wanted a type of yarn that would attract a young generation into learning how to knit.

Back then, knitting used to be associated with acrylic yarn and really sheeny, quite cheap yarn as well. And in order to make it more attractive and more appealing and something that you want to wear as a creator, you want something really soft and luxurious, you know, and something quite premium.

And so we really took our time to source that particular yarn. And so that is all… especially designed for us. And also our colour palette was really important. And we love selecting colours at Stitch and Story. And again, it’s colour that attracts, that makes knitting really attractive.

And instead of it being quite old and you know Christmas colours we’ve got now a wonderful pastel selection or really muted, you know muted colours that really makes knitting really enjoyable. I mean I love knitting in bright colours so I would always use the coral or you know red tones or yellow tones with my knitting and I think that’s one of the reasons why we make knitting or crochet quite enjoyable for everyone.

Brittany: 24:33
That’s really wonderful to be able to have different colors and selections and that sort of thing. Do you have any tips for that, knowing that you do have sort of a graphic design background? Just to sidestep a little bit, what tips do you have for pairing some of these colors together?

Jen: 24:54
I would say anything that harmonizes together. So if you pick a pastel blue, you know, you should pair it with something ivory just so that it complements together. It really depends what type of character you are as well so sometimes you can pair something up that’s quite ambitious so um contrasting colors you know you’ve got the yellow versus the purple and that’s quite a strong statement but that depends if you want to make that strong statement.

So I would say go with what you feel and what you’re comfortable with. If you don’t know where to start, use social media as your drawing board or use Pinterest as your drawing board and type in summer colour palettes. And that will just inspire you and be a good starting point. And then eventually find your own. Find what you’re comfortable with.

And I think that’s quite important because it’s going back to that uniqueness that, you know, doing it for yourself rather than colour trends that are currently in fashion, you know. And so then you start building up your own personal colour selection. But yeah, I would say use social media as a starting point, but eventually start creating your own personal palette.

Brittany: 26:21
Got it. Okay, I love it. I don’t want to get too off track with that. But I know a lot of people do struggle with putting colors together. And you’ve got a ton of experience, it sounds like.

Jen: 26:33
Yes. And what’s wonderful about our kits is that the colors are predetermined already. And so it’s already a good starting point. And so you don’t need to think about it too much because it can be quite overwhelming when you’re totally starting from scratch. Whereas with a kit, at least we’ve done the photography. We know what works well, you know.

And so as a beginner, you kind of don’t want to have that headache because it can be quite overwhelming. And then, you know, you would start pairing the green with the yellow. That’s really off. But at least with our knitting kits, at least there’s a good starting point.

Brittany: 27:12
Yeah, that’s good. Then you just choose your favorite. Exactly, yes. Well… To sort of move in the direction of something you mentioned earlier is that crafting made simple is something that you really stand behind. And I want to unpack that a little bit, find out exactly what you mean, what that means to you. I think we have an idea, but let’s develop that a little bit more. So when did this first come about?

Jen: 27:43
So Crafting Made Simple actually helps us unlock this artisan inside everyone who has this outburst for creativity and for mental well-being reasons as well. And with an increase in modern day stressors, that our generation now faces.

Inspiring a new generation of crafters means that we get to create pockets of release that engages the communities creatively by giving this modern spin to what was perceived as a really old traditional crafting hobby. And we realised that learning to craft has this immense wellbeing and benefits. And so it was so important for us to unlock this for everyone.

I mean, Everyone learns differently. I certainly learn differently to everyone around me. And we totally respect everyone learning at their own pace, for their own reasons, and eventually trying to make their own journey. And so one of our ethos is making crafting as accessible as possible. And that means making it as simple to learn where we can.

And so we create a wide range of resources from blogs to tutorials to workshops and the printed guides. And eventually we’ve now created a whole collection and this includes our much loved Miffy collection and our soon to launch Snoopy collection. And these collections now allow us to connect across different generations of crafters too.

And so not only are we unlocking it between everyone, but we’re making it accessible for someone who’s like a teenager up to a young adult to someone who is much older, but really wants to reconnect with the craft again.

Brittany: 29:44
That’s really cool. I was thinking about that. I saw that on your website and I thought, wow, there’s so much involved in that small statement. And I personally think that is, well, very important to me because I am… quite analytical I like to make sure that I’m doing everything in the best way possible in the most efficient way and I kind of drive myself insane at points and so simplifying things is a lifesaver for me because you get to the point where like you said if you have so many different options for me it sort of paralyzes me and I don’t make any decision at all.

So I’m not able to enjoy certain aspects of the craft. That’s how it was when I was learning. And so I can definitely relate to those who are just learning how to knit or crochet and not having this simplification at their fingertips.

Jen: 30:47
Yeah, and it goes back to the story that you told me earlier on, how you wanted to learn how to do lace stitch before you even knew how to do knit and purl. And I think a lot of crafters become quite ambitious and they really want to make really complicated designs in their heads and they want to run with it.

And often we find a lot of people want to make sweaters. And what’s great about us is we’ll take a sweater, you know, how to make a sweater, and we will actually simplify that shape. And instead of all of the increase and shaping and decrease in size, we actually just make it a box straight knitting style so that they can just get along with it and actually knit it, sew it up.

And, you know, there’s no shaping, but it’s just because, you know, we want them to know how to make a sweater. You know, we want to make sure that someone finishes their project and once they feel accomplished they’ll move on to eventually a more complicated jumper or sweater that has shaping, that has more patterns in it.

But as long as you have a positive start then you’ll eventually evolve from it and work on top and that’s the important starting point that I think everyone should experience.

Brittany: 32:20
Yeah, I totally agree. I love this idea of crafting made simple and how you can relate that to you personally and what it means. And I know if I had just thought that or even had that idea, I wouldn’t have given up knitting the first time. I probably would have started with that and who knows where I would be now.

But when you get to the point where you’re just so frustrated with what you’re learning, I think it’s a good idea to take a step back and look at what you’re doing and ask yourself, is this the simplest way that I could do this? And if the answer is no, then perhaps you put it down for a little bit and try something that’s even more simple.

There’s a really great saying by another podcaster that I listen to, and he says, ask yourself, if this were easy, what would it look like? So any type of process. And that’s a fun little exercise I like to do for myself when I’m in a situation where I feel like things are just so complicated.

I take a step back. I say, if this were easy, how would it be? And it’s almost like that perspective shift, just adhering to simplicity and that just makes me more productive. It makes the situation better. And I am able to follow through with whatever it is that I started because I just remembered that complex isn’t always better. Sometimes simple is better.

Jen: 33:57
Simple is much better, I think. Definitely. And it’s going… I guess as you were talking, I was visualizing and just… thinking back as a child you just do simple line drawings and the satisfaction of just doing a simple line drawing is exactly what um our ethos is — making it simple just so that you you can feel creative again you know.

And if as soon as you start complicating it without learning how to um do the basics of course you’re going to have a bad experience but um but as long as someone gives you a good experience, or even yourself give yourself a good experience, it’s a good starting point. And that’s the important bit.

Brittany: 34:42
Yes, yes. Now, a moment ago, you said something that I am also really interested in, and that’s inspiring the next generation of crafters. Why do you think it’s so important for us as crocheters and knitters to inspire the next generation?

Jen: 34:59
I think it’s super important that… just because doing anything craft related seems to have this well-being benefit. And, you know, we find a lot of people get lost into, once they start making something, they get lost into it. And it’s almost like yoga. I’m not sure if you get the same feeling, but I definitely get this feeling of you get this loss in the moment.

You’re making something. You’re focusing on the sound of the needles. And I’ve got needles with me. So I’m literally like, I love this sound. Yeah. The needles clicking together. Yeah. And so you kind of find peace with yourself.

And especially in this day and age where everyone’s now stressed from work, from this fast-paced environment, you know, we need that breakaway. We need that breakaway from technology, from work, and even from friends and family, just so that you have your own me time.

And, you know, even just five or ten minutes, you know, will help you immensely every night. And so it’s important that we address these issues about finding time for yourself. And finding time for yourself might equate to being creative and creating something for yourself, you know.

And so that’s why it’s our mission to inspire this next generation, just so that it can continue. And we continue to make and create things. Oh, actually, you know what? It’s also that same feeling that I gave Jennifer when I gave Jennifer a scarf for her birthday.

I’d love to see everyone to have that same feeling too, you know, that sense of accomplishment for yourself, you know, this can-do attitude. And also putting meaning behind gifts and items. I mean, it’s rare to give something that’s handmade these days.

And I think it’s quite empowering for us that we inspire the next generation to be part of this new movement and to be the gift giver of something handmade, you know?

Brittany: 37:11
Yes, there really is nothing quite like that.

Jen: 37:13
Absolutely.

Brittany: 37:15
Now, I think it would be fun to create sort of a challenge for the listeners here. We’re challenging them to post a photo of something that’s imperfect, but we’re going to add one to it just for fun. What is one thing that someone can do today to help inspire the next generation?

Jen: 37:32
I would say it is sharing their crafting stories through the digital platforms. And I think having to post something that they’ve created on Instagram or Facebook would really help someone else be inspired and it’s also it’s sharing your story of why you’re doing it is important because a lot of people connect quite on personal levels on personal stories.

And the more we share why we’re doing it it might be because um through something like depression or it might be because they’ve experienced a hard day at work or it might be a more positive light because their mum needs it and sharing their own stories will really just — it’s just so simple enough to just kickstart a trend or kickstart a domino effect for everyone else to start doing it again.

Brittany: 38:28
Yes and you know I was thinking as you were saying that have you ever looked back at one of your old projects and you could remember what was going on in your life at the time that you made that?

Jen: 38:42
I remember crocheting a monkey hat for my friend who was pregnant at the time and she would call her baby, her baby bump, little monkey. And I remember thinking, okay, I’m going to make that monkey hat for her.

And I think I had just finished college and I was just getting into a job as a graphic designer. And just remembering being so… open to the world I think it’s quite a positive way of just being like wow the world has so many opportunities and I’ve just started a new job and I’ve just got my own little flat and you know and I’m now creating stuff for my friend and I think it’s the start of being like my own boss and my own entrepreneur my own creative you know creative person and being able to just share something with my friend yeah I remember that positive feeling.

Brittany: 39:48
Yeah so were you able to share that story with her after you gave it to her?

Jen: 39:52
Yeah she absolutely she remembers like loving it um but I actually know I haven’t shared that particular feeling because I guess life life does move on doesn’t it and if I I think I would go back to her and I would say thanks for giving me that opportunity that really helps me um actually just sit down and just reflect on life and see your baby grow from the baby hat to now, really.

Brittany: 40:20
Yeah, I think that’s such a fun way to keep that thought, that feeling, that part of your life alive. Because when you’re giving a gift to somebody else, you don’t have that thing anymore. So you’re not seeing it and relating that to a memory that you had. But if you share that story with the person who receives it, whatever was going on in your life at that time, then you’re sort of passing that on as you go.

It’s so funny. You know how they always say that smell is the closest thing to memory? Well, I feel a lot of times for me, crochet is the closest thing to memory because it doesn’t matter what project it is. I can remember all the details down to what TV show I was watching while I was sitting on the couch working on that project.

And that’s something that I… It’s part of the story, right? It’s part of the story that… And well, part of the reason why I continue to do what I do.

Jen: 41:26
Yeah, I think this would be the great next challenge, actually. It’s actually looking back at your old projects and retelling your story to the person you gave it to.

And as you were talking, I just thought, oh, wow, I remember sitting in my bedroom and making it every night after work and trying to figure out how to make this baby hat from scratch, this monkey hat from scratch.

I was actually crocheting this is how I was trying to improve my crochet technique as well and I remember the challenge of I’ve got to figure out how to not use my foot again how do I not use my foot technique.

But I was going through Pinterest I was looking at different patterns and it’s the little little research that I had to do the amount of research I had to do to actually make that monkey hat and yeah I guess the challenge would be great if everyone could just go back to Go back to an old friend. Just say, I remember feeling this way. I remember sitting in this particular room. I remember eating this particular snack to get me through it. Yeah, that would be amazing because it is all tying down to your story.

Brittany: 42:50
Yes, that would be so much fun. Well, it has been such a pleasure chatting with you today. This has been such a really wonderful conversation. I want to give people a chance to connect with you, though, after they’ve listened. They’ve mentioned before that you have a ton of resources at Stitch and Story. But if somebody is just wanting to connect with you and get started, where’s the first, like the best place for them to go?

Jen: 43:16
I would say if you want to start somewhere, you don’t know how. Go onto our website www.stitchingstory.com and then we have a ton of kits and we have a lot that are aimed for beginners they are all beginner friendly start from there, see what inspires you first, it might be a cushion, it might be a hat it might be our Snoopy amigurumi that we have coming up soon and any project that you want, just just get it and then it’s a good starting point.

And then from there, you can start building up your questions and then you can email us. You can message us through Instagram. And we personally love helping anyone finish the project. So whether your question is big or small, you know, we would find that time to answer it.

And we’ll figure out what your learning technique is. And it might be a video tutorial. It might be a blog post that might help. It might be a private Skype session, you know. But, you know, just start somewhere and build on top of it.

Brittany: 44:30
Wonderful. Well, that is a great starting point. So I will definitely have a link to your website in the show notes page. And I just want to say thank you so much for this wonderful conversation. It’s been so much fun. Absolutely. I’m so glad. But—

Jen: 44:44
Please get in touch. We really do love, we absolutely love helping everyone to start knitting and crocheting. So please do get in touch with us.

Brittany: 44:54
That was Jen from Stitch and Story. Once again, you can see all the wonderful things they have available for you to simplify the crafting process on their website, stitchandstory.com.

Now for those challenges. The first challenge is to share a photo on Instagram of an imperfection in your current project. Use hashtag bhooked — that’s B-H-O-O-K-E-D — so I don’t miss it. But more importantly, to proudly show our imperfections because those imperfections make it beautiful.

The other challenge is to return to someone you gifted a project to recently and tell them the story of that period in your life when you were making that gift for them. I think that’ll be a really fun way for them to have a new appreciation for this gift that you’ve given them and it’ll be a fun exercise for you to go back and think about those things that were going on as you made that project.

All right, that’ll wrap up this week’s episode, my friend. Thank you so much for tuning in. Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you next week.