Welcome to Hook, Needle & Spindle's Blog. My name is Monica and this is my very own tiny, cozy corner of the internet.
A little bit about me
I was born and raised in northern Ontario, isolated on a small stretch of highway 11 as it hits its most northern point in the province. Crafting and resourcefulness was a way of life. Whether it was at my grandmother's, my friends' or at home, I was always around crafts and crochet/knitting was as much a part of my childhood as was school or snow storms.
Despite learning to crochet early I didn't really get hooked (no pun intended) until my teens. I took it up again around 16 and haven't stopped since. I mostly enjoy making large heavy weight blankets but have made and continue to make just about anything I can think of. I have recently gotten into hats and cowls (thanks to my friend Becky) which is quite fun.
A little bit about Hook, Needle & Spindle (HN&S)
HN&S is about more than just about crochet, knitting and spinning. It's about all crafts and arts; from knitting and crochet, to cross-stitch and sewing, to painting and drawing, to metal works and carpentry to even cooking and gardening. The sky is the limit. Join me in this blog as I plow through projects, learn new skills, perfect old ones, get crafty in the community and of course endure the ups and downs of a small crafty business.
As a final note in this brief introduction I'd like to say a few thank yous to some important people:
On the crafting side, there is of course, my mother who was always a busy crafting bee and a very resourceful woman. I now draw on my childhood memories of her and her crafting to help inspire my works. She patiently waited and tried to teach me crochet as a little girl though it didn't really take until I was in my teens, which leads me to Charlotte, my first boyfriend's mother. I spent many evenings at their home and became interested once again in crocheting as I watched her make more and more blankets. She taught me some basic crochet and gave me a big ball of yarn which eventually became my first project: a mini blanket. These two women gave me my first tastes of crochet and the tools I needed to further the passion.
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| Chan with her Cross-stitch |
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| Becky with some newly spun yarn |
I'd also like to give thanks to my friend Chan (Lori) who introduced me to Cross-Stitch and Becky who introduced me to Spinning and Carding Wool.
Another special thanks goes out to Becky who has and is inadvertently teaching me humbleness and motivating me to 'get up and get to it'. She has accomplished in mere months what I have thought of for years. Much of my start up networking is simply following her lead and walking in her footsteps. She, and many like her, serve as a great source of inspiration and encouragement to me.
On the support side, my thanks go out to my parents for their love and encouragement and a big special thanks to Ken whose faith in me and my dreams has always been beyond reproach or question. Any faith I have in myself comes from him.
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| Ken and I at one of his hockey games |
My last (but not least) thanks is of a spiritual nature. Though I may not be close to my Creator I hope to be one day. If God is indeed watching over me and helping to guide me along to a more fulfilling and satisfying life then many thanks are owed, and many thanks are given. Without this help and guidance I would surely fail.
For the past year and a bit I had been really wanting to make an afghan to donate to the Fort Frances Lakers in order to help them raise money, and finally, after completing my brother's birthday blanket I decided to dive right into it. Having completed my brother's afghan in record time I felt confident I could keep the streak going and finish up the Lakers Afghan in no time, and though I may not have finished this one in record time, it is completed and I'm glad to see how wonderful it turned out.
