Say hello to Sarah (@TotallyStitchcraft) - an incredible designer and our Ribblr of the week!
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Sarah, but my husband calls me Bean, which is my childhood nickname from my mom. My husband, Phil, and I have two dogs. One Belgian Malinois named Shadow and one Australian Shepherd named Bear. We love to hike in the mountains, ski, and mountain bike.
When did you start crafting and how?
My roommate in college crocheted and tried to teach me but I didn’t really pick it up until the pandemic. I was working from home and I wanted to do something that would occupy my hands in meetings that would also help me pay attention.
And how did you start designing?
I started designing crochet a few months after I learned how to crochet. I was interested in developing my skills as a crocheter and I started to read patterns and thought to myself “huh, I could do that” so I did. I’m drawn to educating others and teaching so it brings me a lot of joy to make tutorials and patterns.
Do you have a favorite craft type and if so - why?
my favorite craft is absolutely crochet. Give me a hook and some yarn and I can find endless joy. Why? I can create anything I can imagine!
What was the longest project you worked on?
the longest project I worked on was actually the most simple. It was a blanket I started when my college roommate first introduced me to crochet. I bought a ball of yarn and she gave me a crochet hook (which is still my favorite one). That project spanned 3 years until I finished it during the pandemic. But of those 3 years the majority was the yarn waiting for me in a box.
And the shortest one? (excluding frogging!)
my quickest projects were some of the granny squares I designed last year, they’re short and simple!
What is your usual process of designing?
My process of design is usually to see something in nature or in public or see something and think “wow, what of I made that in crochet?”. Then I source my yarns (typically from my own stash) and make some doodles in my notebook. I like to pre-size my patterns in excel - I’ve got this really cool spreadsheet that can do all of my mathematical calculations for pattern sizing! Then I make the item piece by piece and take photos along the way and write down lots of notes.
What inspires you to create and design?
I’m inspired by my desire to find my true self. For a long time I chose outfits based on what I thought others wanted to see. Now I’m on a mission to find what I love so I’m exploring color, fit and function in my pieces. I also like to design items that are fun to make, not just fun to wear. Sitting for endless rows of single crochet is super boring for me so I try to avoid it where possible.
Any favorite song, book or movie you would like to recommend?
My favorite book is The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. Actually anything by Brandon Sanderson is totally my jam. My husband and I listen to books before we go to bed and we are in the middle of this series
Care to share a funny story that happened to you recently? 
My husband and I recently bought a house (I mean in the last two weeks recently). This house is a fixer upper but we are determined to make it home. When we moved in I wasn’t surprised at the state of the kitchen but I jokingly said to my husband “wow, we should just tear this out and start over”. I came home the next day after grocery shopping to find, to my utter shock, that an entire kitchen wall was torn down! So, like any other wife would react, I ordered a giant dumpster for the house. Then we unpacked the sledge hammer and tools and we got to work ripping it all out. We’ve had a lot of fun and we like to make jokes about the names of all the tools we use. It’s all good fun and we get to build something along the way.
What is your favorite feature on Ribblr?
My favorite Ribblr feature is the journals! As a crochet designer it’s always the most rewarding to see someone else create from the pattern you’ve written.
Lastly - pay it forward - your shoutout to a fellow Ribblr 
My favorite Ribblr is Autumn Olive Crochet! (@autumnolivecrochet) (Current obsession is the Vintage Kitchen Sweaters pattern she has)
Thank you so much for sharing! 
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