Greetings, fellow crocheters, and Happy Tuesday! Hope you all are having a wonderful time where you are–and, perhaps, crocheting a little. 🙂

Today I’m writing an introductory post to answer a few things you might be wondering.

Progress-report-type-thing: This first week back is definitely shaping up to be an excellent one. Pages are getting more substance, projects are working out, and the online store is on its way to being officially in business. Yay!

Now, to the more personal matters of Crochet Buddies–its core.

Who are the Buddies, and what’s the purpose of this site?

Well, at the very very heart of this endeavor, there’s me. Orchid. It’s my pen name/crochet name, but one that’s been a part of me for a very long time. Name aside, I thought it would be fun to create a platform for fellow crafters to interact, share ideas, and have fun crochet discussions.

There is (or rather, will be) an online store as part of this site. But don’t let that deter you from the community aspect of Crochet Buddies. The store is there because, as a soon-to-be college student, I’m looking for ways to expand my creative scope while also figuring out how to work on funds for university, and pursue what I love. If you happen to like a product in the store, you are more than welcome to buy it. If not, that’s fine. (For what it’s worth, all items are 100% handmade in a smoke-free, pet-free, nut-free environment.)

With the pluralization of the name, you may be thinking, “Wait, who else is part of this? Is it just her?” For now, it’s just me. I do have friends in the crochet community who may come and go as featured guests on the blog, but right now everyone’s gone their separate ways for the summer. So there’s a pretty big chance you all are stuck with me for awhile. Lovely, huh?

I promise this is going to be a fun experience for all. If this blog does start to become too rigid, please let me know. It’s not supposed to be that way.

Also, some of the dolly characters you may encounter here are here for a reason. Mary-Anne, the Kidz ‘n’ Cats doll, is one of them (the first to be added to the Photo Gallery). These pals were my first real sources of inspiration, to go outside the box and create. Without them, I wouldn’t have had that curiosity to discover crochet in the first place. They’re family, in a sense. So they’ll stay. (And they’ve politely agreed to model some of the outfits and accessories for the store, so why not let them be more prominent here?) From time to time, I’ll let them do their own blogging, as characters in an ever-changing world.

Recently, I’ve returned to crocheting items for both dolls and people. It’s been awhile since I last picked up a crochet hook, mainly because of studies and final exams. (There is a lot going on behind the scenes.) But I’ll keep posting, because it’s worth it. It’s worth sharing knowledge with people out there. Just knowing that I’ve made the tiniest impact on one person is more than enough.

Aside from a continuous love of crochet and urge to find new patterns and ideas, I’m also at a critical point in life: becoming an adult. The notion of so much change happening in such a short amount of time is intimidating, to say the least. But I’m actually looking forward to it; trying to embrace change and take that giant leap to become part of a remarkable greater whole. Travel is a very frequent part of my life, and it’s something I hope to share with everyone as time goes by.

And that’s about it… for now. All these things are subject to change, but in the meantime this is to give you a sense of what Crochet Buddies is all about, and where it’s heading.

All in all, this site is meant to be a community: a place for discussion, positing of ideas, and everything related to crochet (and all other crafts, occasionally). You guys are meant to be part of this adventure. In fact, it’s highly encouraged!

Maybe in the near future I’ll create an email list or subscription-type-thing to keep you guys informed. At present, though, the best form of communication is to either post a comment below, or send an email via the contact form. It would be lovely to hear from you! I know this blog/site/discussion platform is relatively new, so there won’t be much to see yet. But things are definitely being added. (Quite sooner than expected, so that’s nice.)

I can’t guarantee everyone will find everything on this blog informative or appealing. But I hope that you will come out of this experience with a unique perspective on crochet and all its components. And, more importantly, how you can use this knowledge to help others, and give back. Because that, I believe, is what crochet’s all about.

Well, if you’ve made it this far I commend you to the highest degree! At any rate, I’ll try to keep these posts relatively short henceforth, so as not to exasperate you all. hehe

Stay tuned for more posts coming soon! Have fun exploring the site, and as always, keep crocheting!~

Orchid