Hello Friends!
I am excited to announce that the Hooked In series will be returning in 2023 after a 2 year hiatus. As I was migrating all of my old posts here to my new website, I remembered how much fun it was getting to know some of my friends better and sharing their businesses with you, so its coming back!
It also occurred to me that after 4 years of being in business, I never really properly introduced myself to you. So, as a preview of what’s coming in 2023, I am going to sit down for an interview with myself so you can get to know me (and Straight Hooked) a little bit better. (Is this weird? Its kinda weird, but we’re gonna roll with it!)
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Welcome to Straight Hooked! I am so thankful you’ve taken the time to share some more about yourself and your business today. First, what is your business name, and how can we find you?
I am the owner of Straight Hooked. You can find me here at www.straighthooked.com or any of these social media outlets:
facebook.com/groups/StraightHookin
instagram.com/straighthookedus
twitter.com/Straight_Hooked (If I ever get around to actually learning to post there!)
How long have you been in business?
I just celebrated my 4 year anniversary on November 4th!
How long have you been a crocheter?
I taught myself to crochet in November of 2002, so just over 20 years now!
What made you take the leap and start hooking for money?
My husband and daughter have been my biggest fans for many many moons. Initially, I only crocheted blankets and my husband kept asking me why I didn’t try to sell them. I kept telling him that nobody would want to pay over a thousand dollars for a blanket, and anything less than that was just not worth my efforts. In December of 2016, I met Pam Grice, aka The Crochetpreneur. She had just had her messy bun hat go viral and was completely overwhelmed by orders. I was hired as a subcontractor to help her make all of the hats people had ordered. It was then that I realized one could crochet things other than blankets, but it still took me nearly 2 more years to finally take the plunge. At first, I was super intimidated by designing patterns, but I joined the Crochetpreneur Business Academy as a beta member and signed up for Pam’s Get it Done Pattern Writing Challenge. I successfully published the Delightful Velvet Headband as my very first pattern release, and since then I have published over 50 patterns, with more written in notebooks that I need to type up, and even more still in my head just waiting for my hands to catch up!
What inspires you?
I get inspiration from the most random of places. My latest series of scarf patterns were inspired by my team at my “other job”. They asked me to make them each a sweater for Christmas, and I laughed and said, “no, but if you’re really nice to me I will make you a scarf!” And then designed each of them a new scarf, plus I made extras because I just couldn’t stop the scarf making!
Sometimes, my husband inspires me when he suggests something completely off the wall that I don’t think I can actually make. Most of the time, he requests a small thing like a doorknob cover or a speaker doily that I whip up for him but never write a pattern for.
Other times, the yarn itself inspires me. I will sit down with some beautiful yarn and my hook, trying different stitch combinations until I love something and know exactly what it should become.
What is your biggest struggle with your crochet business?
Time. I work full-time, and tend to my blog on the weekends. This leaves my evenings (and the occasional long Zoom meeting) for my “playing with yarn” time. Sometimes I get really excited about a project I am working on, and will stay up too late on a work night or not want to get on my computer on the weekends because my yarn time is just too much fun!
Why is crochet important to you?
Ever since I was an itty bitty girl, I wanted to learn how to crochet. I grew up with family members who were all crafty in their own ways, but nobody was a crocheter. Trust me, I asked literally every family member and friend of my mom’s who was crafty to teach me! I’m not sure what it is about crochet that has always allured me, but ever since I finally learned to do it, I have pretty much always had a project going. It is so relaxing and so fun to see what you can create using just a ball of yarn and a hook! I believe everyone needs some crochet in their lives, whether it be by creating something themselves or receiving what I refer to as a “yarn hug”.
What is your signature design?
I don’t necessarily have a “signature design”, but I am the proud inventor of the Dolphin Stitch, so this is my signature stitch. I have designed several patterns utilizing the Dolphin Stitch, many of which you can find for free here on the Straight Hooked blog!
What is your favorite yarn to work with?
Well, that’s a rude question. How can I choose a favorite without hurting all the other yarns’ feelings?
I love allll the yarn! Although my fingers don’t much care for the dexterity required for tiny yarn and hooks, so I guess we can say that my least favorite yarn is anything thinner than 3 weight, haha!
What kind of hooks do you prefer?
Oh, now that’s an easy one! Susan Bates. I love me some inline hooks. I have 2 Furls hooks and one CroChic Styles hook which I also love to use from time to time, but they’re so pretty and delicate and I’m afraid to break them so I usually find myself grabbing my 5mm Silvalume Soft hook. I’ve used it so much that the blue color has pretty much worn off and the throat is nearly silver. I should probably get me a new one of those soon!
How are you changing the world with your crochet?
My aim is to create designs that look complicated but have easy to follow patterns, creating finished projects that will be stunning and demand compliments everywhere they go!
If you could do anything without the constraints of time and money, what would it be?
I would start an alpaca farm and produce and hand dye my own yarns!
What is your favorite crocheting snack and beverage?
Coffee. The occasional sweet tea. Coffee, and probably some fresh banana bread or brownies. Oh, and coffee.
What are your hobbies? (Other than crocheting, of course!)
Hobbies other than crocheting? I’m not sure I understand. I love spending time with my husband, our Shih Tzu Lucy, and when she comes to visit, our daughter. But I can (and do) spend time with my 3 loves while also crocheting!
Where do you love to crochet?
I have a favorite chair, which is an electric recliner in my living room next to my Ottlite that I found at the Goodwill for $15 a few months back. But I also crochet in the office I share with my spouse in a big, ugly but super comfortable chair. Most of the time though, I crochet in my bed while my spouse and I are watching our shows before bed.
What do you like to watch (aka have on in the background) while you are crocheting?
Am I alone or with my hubby? Because that makes a huge difference! My “I’m crocheting all by myself and I’ve caught up on all my DVR shows and have no idea what to put on” go-to will probably always be Grey’s Anatomy reruns. But it also depends on the time of year. Is it almost Easter? Then you know I gotta watch Jesus Christ Superstar. Is it December? White Christmas. Is it August? Singin’ In The Rain.
If I’m sitting with my spouse, then we are either watching a movie or one of our shows that we like to watch together.
Actually, I wrote a blog post a couple years back listing my 20 favorite shows to binge watch while crocheting. You can find it here.
Tell me about the exciting things you have coming up in your business:
Well, the Hooked In series is returning regularly, so every month I will be interviewing a new crochet friend. I hope you will “tune in” each month so you can learn more about my designer friends, and maybe find some new crochet friends!
I’ll be publishing more patterns all year long as well, and adding more content to my Rumble channel.
Then of course, I will be joining in blog hops and bundle collaborations with my designer pals throughout the year. If you haven’t subscribed to the Straight Awesome newsletter, I hope you will. This way you can be among the first to know about every new fun thing happening here at Straight Hooked!
That was actually a lot of fun to sit down and answer the same questions I ask my friends when I interview them for the Hooked In series. I hope you learned a bit more about me and are looking forward to meeting more of my friends in 2023!
Until next time,
Happy Hooking!
~Malena
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