Hooked Haberdashery

I grew up with a mother who could craft all sorts of things - sew, crochet, knit, macrame, whatever she decided to do, she could do. As the oldest child, I benefitted from her sewing with holiday matching dresses for meand my Mom - some of my favorites in our old photo albums. Her hideaway Singer machine is probably in some museum somewhere, but to me, it was always this mystical symbol of her creativity. A similar "vintage" model is worth nearly a thousand dollars on eBay! My other favorite in her creative tool arsenal was her set of pinking shears. I delighted in using those, and frequently used them for various reasons - none of which they were actually designed for. Only now, decades later, do I understand her horror when I delighted in using pinking shears for, well, everything other than "pinking." My husband has been the beneficiary of similar sentiments when grabbing my scissors for some task or other.

Mom actually taught adult ed classes in macrame, and was happy to show me how to do some of the things she could. I learned to sew by hand - making my own stuffed animals here and there. I learned to knit, too. But crochet? Forget it. Try as I might, I just could not master it. I eventually gave up, and decided I'd just never be able to master it.

Decades later, I'd gone in and out of craft phases, sewing, knitting, and failed attempts again and again to learn to crochet. I'd bought kits, books, you name it. Failed every time. I could knit, double-knit, crochet, etc. , after having mastered the art of double-knitting, I was back to crafting on a regular basis, and was visiting my Mom, knitting in hand. I had resolved that I WAS going to learn to crochet. The first chain stitches were passable, but the next couple of rows, not so much. It is actually one of my fondest memories of time spent with my mother - we ended up dissolving in laughter when none of us could figure out how I'd made the disastrous mess I'd made. I finally stitched it into a doll skirt, gave it to my niece, and passed it off as something I'd intended to do.

In January 2020, my New Year's resolution was fairly straightforward - I WAS going to learn to crochet. After failing to do so for several months, I was venting to a friend about my utter inability to grasp crochet, she recommended a book that changed everything. I had my first 'Eureka!' moment, proudly showing my husband a row of several crochet stitches. He occasionally reminds me now of the fact that at the time I said I'd probably be just doing practice stitches for a year or so before I could actually make anything.

Not so. Next came granny squares. Then I made handwarmers - lots of handwarmers. Once I started making them, my sister asked for me to make six or eight pairs for my niece to give out as gifts. I then made others for gifts. I made hats. I made headwarmers. I was off and running. It hadn't taken a year. It took a couple of months for me to be absolutely in love with crochet.

And then, one day, I saw it on Etsy while looking for a crochet pattern for a fly bonnet for a horse. I have two, and I've loved horses since I was a kid. My horse came from a fantastic rescue - but I'll get to that in a bit. I found a way for my crafts to overlap with the idea of making my own fly bonnets. But that's not what caught my eye. What I beheld was a pompom hat - for a horse. I bought that pattern right away. And made horse hats. Hats for my horses. Hats for friends' horses. A hat for a coworker's horse. Hats for the mini donkeys at the barn. And then I added matching hats or headbands for people. Friends were offernig to pay for them, and suggesting I sell them. In fact, I'd seen them on Etsy. And suddenly, it all came together in my head. What if I sold my hats with all items benefitting charities? My horse hats could benefit Gerda's Equine Rescue! I started an Etsy store with my first few patterns.

Then I got asked to make a dog hat for a friend's niece's dog, so I bought some dog patterns and added dog hats to the store. But who would benefit from my dog hats?

One of my passions over the years has been my work supporting the troops. As part of that, I'd met a veteran who after his service started breeding labradors to be trained as service animals for veterans in need. I created a special pattern - the Americana pattern. All sales in that pattern (now dog, cat, donkey, horse) would benefit Hero Labradors. Amazingly, within a few weeks, I'd generated nearly $300 for Hero Labs, at $5 per item sold.

I'd say I've learned to crochet. My Etsy store, The Hatted Horse, now boasts several special patterns for charities like Brady's K-9 fund, the Firefighters' Behavioral Health Alliance, Hero Labrador's, and of course my beloved Gerda's Equine Rescue. The pattern in my picture is Remi's Hat - named after a dog I helped transport for Australian Shepherds Furever, and benefitting that organization.

I crochet daily now - working on existing orders, designing new patterns or items, or tweaking existing ones. My indispensible tools are my yarn holders, my hooks, and a good pair of scissors (not pinking shears anymore, though). My joy in crocheting is amplified by the fact that every item I sell benefits causes near and dear to me. It took me nearly 50 years to get here, but here I am indeed!