Every Custom Order Has a Story

A custom order rarely starts with yarn.

It starts with a story.

Sometimes it's a memory someone wants to hold onto. Sometimes it's a gift for a person who is impossible to shop for. Sometimes it's a favorite character, a special color, an inside joke, or an idea that has been living in someone's head for months.

And sometimes it starts with one of my favorite messages to receive:

“Okay, this might sound crazy, but…”

Those are usually pretty fun.

Because when someone asks me to create something custom, they aren't simply asking me to crochet an item.

They're trusting me with a little piece of their story.

Once an idea reaches my hook, I get to figure out how to turn it into something real.

And that isn't always as straightforward as you might think.

There are yarn choices and color decisions.

There are measurements, textures, shapes, and tiny details to consider.

Sometimes there's a pattern that gives me a starting point.

Other times, I'm figuring things out as I go.

There may even be a moment when I stare at something I've made and think...

Nope. That's not it.

Out comes the hook.

Back come the stitches.

And we try again.

That's part of the story, too.

One of the things I love about handmade work is that there's a person behind it making those decisions. I'm not trying to make the fastest version of your idea.

I'm trying to make the version that feels right.

For a long time, I would finish a custom order, take pictures, share it on social media, and move on to the next thing on my hook.

But I've realized something.

The finished picture doesn't tell you nearly enough.

You see the blanket.

You don't necessarily know why those colors were chosen.

You see the plushie.

You don't hear the conversation that started it.

You see the finished stitches.

You don't see the problem solving, frogging, laughing, experimenting, changing my mind, or excitement that happened while I was making it.

And you definitely don't get to hear enough about the person who inspired it in the first place.

That's one of the reasons I created this Custom Order Gallery.

I don't want this to simply be a collection of pictures showing you things I've made.

I want it to be a collection of stories.

As I add custom orders to this gallery, I want to share both sides of the experience whenever I can.

There's your side.

Why did you choose this particular piece? Who was it for? Where did the idea come from? What made it special to you?

And then there's my side.

What did I think when the request first came in? How did I approach the design? What challenges did I run into? Which details became my favorites? Was there a moment when the whole thing finally came together and I thought, Yep. There it is.

Together, those two sides tell the real story of a custom order.

Because I might be the one holding the hook, but I'm not the only person behind the finished creation.

If there's one thing I hope you take away from these stories, it's that you don't need to have everything figured out before asking about a custom order.

You don't need to know the exact yarn.

You don't need to understand crochet construction.

You don't need to have a pattern.

Sometimes you don't even need to know exactly what the finished piece should look like.

You just need somewhere to begin.

Bring me the picture.

The memory.

The character.

The colors.

The person you're trying to surprise.

The strange little idea you've been wondering if someone could actually make.

Tell me the story.

We'll figure out the stitches together.

Some stories are sentimental.

Some celebrate huge moments.

Some are about comfort.

Some are about making someone laugh.

And some exist simply because it would be really cool to see an idea become something you can hold.

There doesn't have to be a profound reason behind every custom creation for it to be meaningful.

It simply needs to mean something to you.

That's what makes custom work so different.

By the time I tie off that final stitch, I'm not just sending another crochet project out into the world.

I'm sending home something that began with your idea, passed through my hands, and became a little piece of both of our stories.

And I think that's pretty special.

If you could tell your story through something handmade, what would we create?