Yarnfluenza. When did it strike you?

[KSCrocheter]

LOL..you don't even want to know what my Dad says about my yarn and crochet obsession! Not repeatable, believe me. The clean version is I've lost my ever lovin' mind, and, he's seriously contemplating having the men in little white coats come and haul me away! LOL..

 

Nita

[Veronika]

My mom doesn´t really love to knit/crochet, but she´s very crafty, and she had this "stage" where she made all kind of crocheted stuff... then I got sick, I was like 11... and was SOOOO bored in bed all day! so she bought me a beautiful pink yarnd and taught me how to knit (I made a mess, but loved it). Some years later I learnt to crochet... but I´m not really good at it Plus never had a good teacher... but I´m trying to learn by myself again

[tweety256]

I was bitten by Yarnfluenza when I was in my early 20 late teens. I need a afghan to go on my new bed. My Grandma had made afghans for all the "kids". Her kids got afghans to fit the bed that they had and the grandkids got baby blanket when they were born for the crib and then a double size afghan when they got the bigger bed. When I finally got my adult bed my Grandma had past away. I was like my afghan doesn't fit anymore. But I didn't know anyone who crochets to teach me. I decided to go to Joanne ETC and see what classed they had to offer. There was a basic crochet class. I learned the basic stitches, how to read a pattern and rounds. After that I was hooked. I am not one to set still very well so I crochet any and every where I go and have to sit or wait. I made afghans for the longest time. But I got bored and the all the patterns seamed so easy so I bought some more pattern books and taught my self for to make dolls, sweaters, thread crochet. and anything else that looks cool to me.

 

You know after all these years (about 7 or 8) I have yet to make a afghan for my bed. I have made afghans for everyone else but not me yet. Maybe one of these years. I don't see myself stopping crochet anytime soon.

 

[mythunderbird]

Hey I use to work at Super Yarn Mart & if anyone wants any of the free patterns, I have many of them in my collection.

:D :D me me me, what ya got, pm me and let me know k:hug vicki

[mythunderbird]

LOL..you don't even want to know what my Dad says about my yarn and crochet obsession! Not repeatable, believe me. The clean version is I've lost my ever lovin' mind, and, he's seriously contemplating having the men in little white coats come and haul me away! LOL..

 

Nita

:rofl :rofl substiute hubby for dad, then you have me:eek :eek seriously i have always loved yarn. my grandma use to crochet and she let me pet it sometimes when she was rolling it into balls, but i think i was about 20 when i started collecting it:devil :devil now have so much i need to go through and give some away or sell it on e-bay. :devil vicki

[KSCrocheter]

LOL...The oddest thing about Dad is that he LOVES being the recipient...BUT, he refuses to use what I've made him- claiming that it's either too pretty or too good to use! Well, before I really got into crocheting, Counted Cross Stitch was my thing...That,too drove him wild...He couldn't see the point, and grumbled about it...until I gave him a sampler I'd made and had custom framed for him. After that he was ALL for it!

 

Nita

[AidanM]

For reasons I can't recall, my Aunt Sandy taught me how to chain, turn, and do a single crochet just a couple weeks ago. Since then I've printed off more than a couple dozens of patterns from the 'net and taught myself a few things and nearly finished a hat for a little boy whose parents own the cafe where I spend most of my time (and money!) with a pattern that I altered because I didn't like the look of the original.

 

Next I'm going to make a lapghan and some fingerless gloves for myself. A friend and I are going to be starting a small crafting business soon with my crochet and her macrame. In just a few weeks, crochet has changed my life!

[CraftyChristine]

My story is a little different from most. Sadly, I never knew either of my sets of grandparents, and (sorry mom!) my mother couldn't craft to save her life. I had a very very brief (we're talking maybe an hour here) run in with crochet one day when my step-grandmother/hosebeast tried to teach me . She got frustrated that I wasn't learning fast enough at the age of five, so she stopped.

 

When I got married I suddenly got in to this Betty Crocker phase (it obviously didn't last!) and wanted to learn every crafty thing I could get my hands on. I started with cross stitch, embroidery, then sewing, crocheting, painting, mosaic, knitting and other random things. It wouldn't be until several years later that I actually learned to read a pattern and THAT is when I got Yarnfluenza. I can rarely go in to a store that sells yarn without buying something.

[Keiyla]

My grandmother crocheted all the kids and grandkids blankets when I was younger, but has since moved on to quilting. My mother also used to crochet, and cross-stitch, and I remember crocheting wormy bookmarks with googly eyes for my classmates in second grade or so, but hadn't done anything with yarn since then.

 

I have always liked to "make stuff." I'd been cross-stitching for years, but it became very unsatisfactory about a year ago, because I felt an overwhelming desire to create, not copy, as beautiful as the cross-stitch designs were. Unfortunately, I have no talent for painting or drawing, so I thought my creativity was forever doomed to rattle its cage within the prison of my head.

 

One day, as I sat in my "Fiction into Film" class at college, I noticed two women knitting during the lecture. I had to admit, the lectures were not note-taking worthy. The 2-hour movies shown for the class, even less so. I picked up a how-to-knit book, some yarn and needles, and taught myself to knit. I was bored silly. Though there are lots of patterns and different effects that can be achieved, it seemed to either be sheer repetition, or lots and lots of counting; I lost track of my stitches with astonishing regularity, and while my first shawl turned out nice, my first blanket (all knit stiches, no purls) came out... I won't go into the gruesome details; this is a family site.

 

So, at long last, I turned once again to crochet. As a first project, I picked up the "63 Squares" afghan booklet. I figured if nothing else, all the different kinds of squares would keep me from getting bored the way knitting did. I was proved correct. (It was during my hunt for instructions on the "trinity stitch" that I discovered this wonderful site!) Even before I finished it, I was buying more afhgan books, buying more yarn, and planning more blankets. I even hunted around for people to give them to, disovering three heretofore undiscovered pregnant friends, for the sole purpose of unloading baby blankets, booties, and hats on them.

 

I discovered a nice side effect for crocheting in class. I actually do BETTER in class when I've crocheted than when I didn't. When notes need to be taken, I still put the project down and jot down a few quick lines, but I'm more able to focus on what the teacher is saying when my hands are busy than when I'm trying to copy everything he/she says into the notebooks. My recall of what is being said is likewise better. When I get home and start on the same project, I can recall everything the teacher was saying in class. Some kind of association, would be my guess. I've gotten A's in all classes where I've crocheted (or knitted, for that matter.)

 

Proud to have the bug,

Keiyla

[sylver]

I got it when shopping with my parents in a BIG city. I had learned to knit in school, but only there I discovered the luxury yarns, and I was in love

[Stephanie]

I got my yarnfluenza as a 10 year old. This was kindof odd as my Mom didn't knit or crochet. She sewed. Made lots of projects, then put it aside when I moved from Massachusetts. For nearly 15 years, I only bought yarn when I was ready to start a project, finished it, and then gave away the leftover. Most of these projects were donations to the local fire department to give away. Then something happened. I took on larger, ever more complicated projects, but then kept buying more yarn for 'future' projects. It snowballed (fuzzed? yarnballed?) from there. I really don't know what happened. I even keep the leftovers. I buy others' leftovers from garage sales. What is WRONG with ME?

 

Stephanie

[Burgandy]

I got my yarnfluenza in the car. I was headed to Mom's house (with the laundry in the trunk) and there was a guy wearing one of those sandwich boards "Everything 1/2 off, going out of business" for a local craft store. Something in the back of my head said "if I am going to learn, I'm going to learn for 1/2 off, just in case I don't stick with it" I walked in, grabbed some random hooks, knitting needles and cleared out all of the blue & green yarn they had left and 2 books " I can't believe I am crocheting" and "I can't believe I am knitting". Went back to the car, headed to Mom's and started laundry, when I thought I was alone (mom was supposed to be napping) I grabbed by new stash from the car and started reading. She came out, looked at the books, laughed at me and told me to ditch the books and she would show me herself. She hadn't done any of this since she was a kid in Germany, but she showed me the basics of knitting (I suck) and single & double crochet and a fiend was born!

[ttbookjunkie]

Almost two years ago now my husband and I were fulltime RVers. We were in Oregon and I had read all the books I brought with me, couldn't find any to trade for and wanted something to do on the rainy days so we headed to a Wal-mart and went to the craft department. We saw a section of latch hook rugs on clearance so I picked one up and a week later I wanted another one. Latch hook kits are expensive when they are not on clearance so when I saw a $10 learn to knit kit at a Fred Meyer in Oregon I picked that up. April this year I really got into making knitted toys and was hunting for free patterns for different types of toys. I noticed that many of the really neat patterns were crocheted so I got myself a learn to crochet kit at Walmart. It has only been in the last two months that I have really begun to crochet regularly....

 

 

Amanda

[klouised]

Yarnfluenze didn't hit me until just recently. I've been a crocheter for about 20 years, but it was all about thread. I was totally hooked on thread and beads. I lived in California, ended up in Florida, and I do a lot of traveling in places that are always HOT, so that is my main reason for not getting into yarn. I was always making summer, lacy outfits. I absolutely :manyheart:manyheartall the GREAT yarns that are comming out, so I'm really getting hooked on that. I still love my thread, but I'm taking a break from for right now. I am totally hooked on yarns, now, and I am constantly thinking on what project to do next that is in yarn.

[dogymom]

I'm not sure of the exact date, but I think it was when I joined Crochetville;)

[Fanihi]

My Mom was always crafty--cross stitch, embroidery, crochet, knitting, and sewing. I learned how to sew, crochet, and knit when I was around 10 years old. I've stuck with sewing and crocheting, but knitting fell back.

 

But I didn't get yarnfluenza until recently. I started sewing again like crazy when pregnant with my daughter about 5 years ago. Now, I'm constantly making something. I came back to crocheting when I wanted to finish a blanket that was taking up too much room in my fabric stash. After finishing that blanket, I was bitten by the crochet and yarn bug. Now, I'm crocheting and the sewing has been set aside. There just isn't enough time in the day to sew and crochet everything I want to make. And I have a huge list of projects that I would love to do.

[NurseFrawg]

I think I caught it early on in life, but it was a dormant strain. I had been taught how to cross stitch and that was okay... but wow did it take a long time (I think if I had been born and raised 5 or 7 years later I would be diagnosed ADD or ADHD). Anyways my mom always told me about how she met her new company commander while she was crocheting on top of an Army ambulance (She was the only female assigned to the company and blended quite well... except for the yarn). My grandmother and aunt made me Barbie doll furniture with plastic canvas, sweaters made to order, and lots of blankets. I always begged them to teach me to make blankets. They just replied that I wouldnt sit still long enough:hyper . Anyways some years later sitting in class I watched in envy as my classmates made things from just a piece of yarn and some hooks or needles. Then as I walked the craft store looking for good fabric finds... I would marvle:drool at the luscious and yummy yarns. Then Mom and I went to our favorite places in the world... thrift shops and I picked up two crochet books for a total of 1.50, two sets of knitting needles for a 1.00, 5 or 6 hooks to include a long double hook for 2.00, and several skiens of yarn for 4.00. Ohh I liked this. Now just a mere two months later I have loads of yarn, hooks of various sizes, and many more patterns than one person can make in a lifetime.

[momofgmd]

My grandmother always encouraged my creative ability. She first gave me a needle and thread when I was two, and she gave me a hook when I was four. I didn't start getting any materials for myself until I was probably in Middle School (and I have to admit I've always been one to buy yarn for my project and finish my project -- my yarn stash is just leftover yarn from previous projects), but I spent a lot of time at my grandparents' house and always enjoyed making stuff with my grandmother's materials.

 

My grandma saw something in my crochet that I never did as a child. I loved to crochet and often gave gifts of little crocheted items. I gave my grandmother a potholder that resembled a Christmas tree more than the square it was intended to be. She (obviously:P) couldn't use it as a potholder, so she hung it on her kitchen wall above her table, and she admired it and would tell everyone that came into her kitchen that her granddaughter crocheted that for her. I gave my uncle a potholder (notice a pattern here? ) for his birthday that was so badly curled it resembled a ball. He kept it on his mantlepiece above his fireplace for over a year. Then my grandmother would show me beautiful things that my great-grandmother had crocheted and would tell me, "You can do this. I never could make things this nice, but you can. Just keep practicing." I think my grandmother saw beyond the skewed projects that I made and saw how much I truly loved to create. I haven't yet reached that level that she always encouraged me to, but I'm having fun trying.

[happyladybug]

I have a funny story about how I got into crocheting and caught "yarnfluenza".

 

Last December I was watching "Fame" - I had a VHS of it that had sat unopened on a shelf for several years. Well, after watching the movie, I wondered if anyone made leg warmers anymore. My Google search turned up a CROCHET pattern for leg warmers. Well, I decided to learn to crochet!

 

I bought "Crochet for Dummies" and started learning the stitches. Then I had even more inspiration when my boyfriend's mother was starting on chemo.

I wanted to make some hats for her!

 

It just spiraled from there - I have made 18 projects so far this year (working on #19 and #20 at the same time right now), and I am definitely smitten!

 

It's amazing the amount of yarn one can accumulate in a short amount of time. You know how it is - even if you don't have a project in mind, somehow a cute skein of yarn just hops into your arms and you know that you could make SOMETHING great from it!

 

Hilarie

[craftybutterfly]

my mother, nor either of my grandmothers were crafty. but i have several great-aunts who knitted, embroidered, and crocheted. when i was about 9 years old, i was watching one of them crochet an afghan one day. i really believe it was at that moment i was "hooked", and i hadn't even learned yet. i asked said aunt to show me, and she said "one day". well, that day never came. but i was determined and bought myself a hook and some cheap pink verigated yarn and attempted to teach myself. all i could figure out on my own was the chain. but danged if i couldnt make a mean chain! lol a while later down the road, a friend of my sisters (it was christmas time) came to visit and she brough me a crocheted stocking with candy. i asked her if she made it and she said yes. whoa!! i ran to my room, grabbed my little "H" hook and my pink yarn, shoved it at her and said "teach me". she showed me dc, and how to turn the work, and i took off with it! a few months later, another friend showed me the granny square, and i liked that better than just back-and-forth so i made big granny squares for a while. then i was a teen-ager and pretty much didnt have time for it. then about 10 years ago, i got the "fever" again, and had someone show me how to do thread/filet and i made a ton of name doilies. i didn't really start building a "stash" till about 3 years ago. now, i cant stop myself. i need help. when i look at pretty yarns, some colors i can actually taste...does that sound crazy?? my mouth starts to water and i cant help it. is there a support group???

[seagull1993]

>> when i look at pretty yarns, some colors i can actually taste...does that sound crazy?? my mouth starts to water and i cant help it. is there a support group??? <<

 

I think of this site as a great support group -- but I guess most of us would also fit the term "enablers". ;-)