So the topic of Yarn came up on The Daily Post (a daily topic suggestion blog) and I knew that I had an expert in my corner. Even before I married her, Chastity, my now wife has impressed me with her extensive knowledge and amazing ability to create. She is most definitely the most creative person that I have ever met. I’m very excited for her to join me and Daniel in our blog on this special occasion: The interview with my crafty wife.
Me: So even though I know a lot about you already, can you tell me when, how and what got you into crocheting/sewing.
Chastity: I remember whenever I was a child, and my grandmother used to babysit me. I remember her sitting in her rocking chair crocheting stuff when I was young. But it wasn’t until I was in my teenage years that I went to stay with her some summers, and I asked her to show me how to crochet because I was so intrigued by it.
Chastity: I idolized my grandmother. I always thought she was probably the most wonderful woman that I’ve ever known so I always wanted to do everything that she could do and do it with her.
Me: What has kept your attention to that aspect of crafting more than any other that you have encountered?
Chastity: To me, crocheting is very simplistic. All you need is a skein of yarn and hook. And from one simple strand of yarn the end result feels like such an accomplishment.
Me: Is the gratification from completing a project with your hands intensified if the person that you are making it for truly appreciates the hand-made item?
Me: And why do you think that there has been a reduction in the amount of people producing/making homemade gifts?
Chastity: Oh yes, it’s greatly intensified. Whenever you make something handmade you’re doing it with love. 
It’s almost like knowing that your love is appreciated.
Chastity: I just don’t think that people appreciate handmade gifts anymore. I
think in the way that this world has grown, greed and the desire to be cool or popular is a big factor. Handmade doesn’t come with a brand-name. Handmade gifts are also a lot more expensive than fast fashion or buying bulk overseas. Most people don’t see the point in paying more for something handmade when they can just go to their local Walmart and pick it up for cheaper.
Me: What would it take in our society for people to start utilizing tradesman instead of looking towards the big name retailers?
Chastity: I’m not sure the right answer to that question. However, I believe that if we learn to grow as a society of people that reuse or repair instead of throwing everything away just because it has the slightest flaw, that we could learn to fix things instead of throw away and buy new. We might learn to value quality over quantity better.
Me: Excellent point. What is something that you enjoy repurposing and bringing new life to? What would be the easiest and most fun repurposing craft project for someone who doesn’t have as much crafting experiencing as you do?
Chastity: I personally would prefer to repurpose things that she wouldn’t commonly expect to see repurposed, like the neck tie chair that I made. And my next project will probably be to sew in a hand crochet embellishment in a cut out on the back of a shirt. I also have seen people use the ends of rakes as jewelry hooks or all door knobs on wood pieces as coat racks. All of those things would be very good for someone without a lot of experience.
Me: So the necktie chair is one of the focal points of interest when people walk into our living room. Can you tell me more about the thought process that went into its creation? How did you come up with something like that and can you describe our investigation and what we found out about the chair itself.
Chastity: Ah, the tie chair. Crochet actually inspired my idea of the tie chair. 
Crocheting itself is just a series of woven Yarn in a particular way. I saw this chair at an auction and noticed that the seat part of it was very damaged, but the back rest was flawless. I hated to see such a beautiful chair be cast away. I think we won the auction for the chair at a measly $3 bucks. I decided before anything I was just going to removed the bad seat part and go from there. After I had it cleaned up and chose the neckties for the project, I began by tying them one at a time horizontally. Then, weaving them over and under vertically. I secured the under side with some staples and done! Seriously, that is all there was too it. Any beginner could rock that.
Me: So since I’ve gotten you way off topic and we’ve already talked about your other crafting projects, what is your favorite thing to crochet. Do you have a favorite brand of yarn?
Chastity: Ha! I was thinking that this had gone a little off 
topic as well. My favorite thing to crochet would have to be dolls or baby dresses. I like to do blankets but I find that after a while it’s so repetitious that it gets boring. And anyone that crochets or knits seriously will tell you that they always have a favorite brand of yarn. My go to yarn is I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby or Caron Simply Soft. I have found so far, that they are the easiest yarn to crochet with.
Me: So thank you for answering all of my questions. Do you have any words of wisdom to anyone wanting to get into crocheting?
Chastity: Learning to crochet was actually, at first the scariest for me to learn. It looked so intimidating. It is an art that quite literally comes with its own language. I just knew I could never do it. My advice would be to ignore that little voice, it’s not as scary as it seems and is and has been a huge stress reliever for me. I joined a bunch of crochet support groups that have lots of very experienced crocheters and they have always been more than willing to offer assistance so go find some groups as well!
Images: Courtesy of Chastity Brown, own work. Not for redistribution.
Prompt: Courtesy of Daily Prompt: Yarn
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