How I became a crochet designer, part 1

Hello! I don't think I've shared my full story in a blog post before and thought it might be interesting for you to know a bit about my background. 

From a young age my mum encouraged me to be creative. She can knit, sew, upholster & restore furniture, decorate, cook, bake and look after the garden - she can even crochet a little! Growing up we were always dressed in handmade clothes and later she drafted and sewed my wedding dress which was absolutely stunning!
 

The wedding day photo above shows me with my dad who was giving me away and in the background my 2 younger sisters and my flower girl in dresses my mum made for them.  We had a ceilidh in the evening and boy, did that dress twirl well on the dance floor - I'm so proud of my mum for making it so beautifully! The pic below depicts me and my husband during one of my favourite dances, Strip the Willow (no clothing is removed for those of you unfamiliar with scottish ceilidh dancing!).
 

Back to my story! Growing up I was surrounded by all my mum's pursuits and I was definitely inspired by them. I used to love visits to the haberdashery, in particular a small, family owned one we used to visit which was an Aladdin's cave of goodies and treasures! The sights, smells and things to touch and feel (when no-one was looking of course!) were such an inspiration for me. One of my favourite things was also the sound of the big scissors cutting through metres of fabric on the counter (if you know, you know!).

So, in my late twenties when I properly began crocheting (and knitting) it was fantastic to have my mum nearby to ask for help and advice. She was also fun to go to the local yarn shop with and steer me clear of tricky-to-work-with fuzzier yarns and gave me the fond love of real wool that I have today.
 
My mum has also pushed me to try new techniques, to broaden my skills and to really go for it! In turn, I've also encouraged her. At one point she was in a bit of a knitting slump and I showed her some brioche patterns - a technique she hadn't come across before - and suddenly her passion was reignited!
 

Right now, she is busy knitting me a pair of socks designed by Stephen West, the Painted Bricks Socks and they are working up a charm!
 
I realise that my mum is only one of the people I have to thank for where I am today and as this is already a fairly lengthy email, I think I'll share more in part 2 next week!

Until then, happy crocheting,
Marta xx

PS. This is your last week to take advantage of 10% off my Bandwagon Mitts! Simply use the code JAN23 on Ravelry or on my website to claim your discount.