Happy Friday! December is blasting along, and to be honest I wish it would slow down a little bit. Christmas is in one week, and do you know how many gifts I have purchased? Big fat zero. Christmas morning is going to be here as soon as I blink my eyes, and we’re all gonna wake up and discover that apparently we were naughty kids and Santa didn’t show up. Hopefully I will prevent this disaster from striking, but I’m not gonna hold my breath. Haha.
(ad disclosure: I’m a blogger. We have ads. If you click one, I might get some small compensation. Standard issue, but you can read all about it in my boring privacy policy if you really want to.)
Today though, I’m gonna forget about my sad giftless tree for a while because I am super excited to introduce you to another one of my friends! Today my friend Kristine from Ambassador Crochet has graciously sat down for an interview. She is such a kind, encouraging lady and I really admire her. I know you are going to think she’s amazing too, so let’s get right to it:
Hi Kristine, and welcome to the Straight Hooked Blog! I am so excited to learn more about you!
What is the name of your business?
Ambassador Crochet
How long have you been in business?
Since 2007 – 13 years!
What made you decide to take the leap and start hooking for money?
Honestly, it was never a plan to make money doing this. I started writing up patterns and keeping a notebook for myself. After about a year I decided to open an Etsy shop and see if anyone else would be interested in the patterns. It became a good way to help pay for my daughter’s dance classes and slowly grew into a business that I wanted to see grow.
How long have you been a crocheter?
20+ years
What inspires you?
People. I tend to come up with a new design idea when it’s for a specific person. I base it off of their personality then add their favorite color(s) or stitches that they would appreciate.
What is your biggest struggle with your crochet business?
Time management. I’m a homeschooling mom (I have 6 children) and I spend 5 days a week at the dance studio with my daughters. As much as I try to make my business a priority, sometimes my life is and my business takes a back seat.
What is unique about your business?
Being both a designer and a tech editor. Working behind the scenes as an editor I’ve learned to write patterns from a different perspective. I try to write every pattern, no matter what the skill level, in such a way that any level crocheter could attempt it.
Tell me about a crochet nightmare:
Running out of yarn with about 3 inches left before the project is finished. Unfortunately this nightmare has come true more than I care to admit. LOL
Why is crochet important to you?
This year crochet has become even more important. On top of all the stresses of 2020, my husband’s cancer came back, my son ended up with heart surgery, and there were some other medical issues with one of my daughters as well as myself. I went through a phase recently when I didn’t pick up my hook for almost a month. When I finally sat down to try to crochet I realized I needed crochet in my life as a mental stress reliever. It has literally kept me sane, given me focus, and helped me relax.
What is your signature design?
My American Flag blanket
What is your favorite yarn to work with?
It’s hard to pick just one! I Love This Yarn is up there for worsted weight and I’ve recently come to love Paintbox as well as Cotton Fair.
What kind of hooks do you prefer?
Tulip Etimo
How are you changing the world with your crochet?
I feel like kindness and encouragement can change so many things about this world. As a designer I believe it starts with how I treat crocheters who purchase my patterns or need help learning. I try to treat people the way I would want or expect to be treated.
If you could do anything without the constraints of time and money, what would it be?
In my personal life I would take my family on a trip. It’s been years and I’m not sure if or when it would happen again. In my business, I would love to hire someone to help me with things that are not my strong suit (site design, social media posting, SEO).
What is your favorite crocheting snack and beverage?
Depends on the time of day. Mornings? Coffee – Daytime? Water – Weekends? Guinness
What are your hobbies? (Other than crocheting, of course!)
Running and photography
Where do you love to crochet?
I love to crochet on the couch watching movies with my kids.
What do you like to watch (aka have on in the background) while you are crocheting?
If I’m alone, any kind of business building seminar. If my kids are around, anything that we can sit and watch as a family.
Tell me about the exciting things you have coming up in your business:
I have lots of tunisian things in the works, a collection I’m finishing up, as well as a course for new designers. I’m super excited for 2021!
What else do you want people to know about you and your business?
Oftentimes I receive emails from crocheters who need help with a pattern. After working many years in the customer service industry (both B2B & B2C) it taught me that I love helping people.
Thank you so much for taking some time out of your busy schedule to share with us today, Kristine! It was great to learn more about you, and now I admire you even more!
If you want to get to know Kristine and Ambassador Crochet better, you can find her at all of these places:
If you want to leave a comment for Kristine, I will make sure to relay your messages as well. Don’t forget- you can treat yourself to a little something this month with some new crochet patterns from Straight Hooked. All patterns are buy 3, get 1 free with no code needed. I have even snuck a couple of pattern bundles in there, so you could snag up to 6 patterns for the price of 3! Pop over to the Pattern Shop or keep scrolling down to see all of the fabulous (if I do say so myself) patterns that you can choose from!
That’s about all of my news for the week. Make sure you are subscribed to the Straight Awesome newsletter so you’ll be the first to know about all of the new and exciting things happening, and be sure to bookmark Straight Hooked and come back every week for more yarny goodness!
Until next time,
Happy Hooking!
~Malena
