Chatting with hit blogger, designer and yarn lover Meredith Crawford about her debut book.
By Christina Behnke
“Still Sheepish, But No Longer Shy,” stated Daryl Brower’s Knit Simple Holiday 2014 profile describing the career of One Sheepish Girl blogger Meredith Crawford. As careers go, it’s been a rocket-powered one. Having hesitantly started her blog in 2010—“I had no idea what to expect,” she has said of the experience—Crawford’s ode to all things yarn has since been shared by the likes of Mollie Makes and Martha Stewart Living. Now, the social media maven has moved to the world of print: Her debut book, Crochet with One Sheepish Girl (Sixth&Spring Books), goes on sale this month. We spoke to Crawford about her new book and the benefits of being multi-craftual.
One little-known fact about you is that you created several of the promotional images for I Love Yarn Day. How will you be celebrating this Friday, October 10th?
I am looking forward to celebrating my love of yarn on October 10th by attending a yarn flash mob here in Dallas, TX! Stay updated on the I Love Yarn Day events on Facebook.
Knitting was your first venture into needlecrafts, and you got into crochet and embroidery soon after that. How did you come to give them all a try?
I started knitting after I finished reading The Friday Night Knitting Club. I loved the book so much that I decided to teach myself to knit only a few hours after reading the last page. I sat down in front of YouTube with knitting needles, a ball of yarn, and the rest is history! Crochet came a few weeks later and I fell in love all over again. The same thing happened with embroidery. Knitting opened up a whole new world of creativity and I couldn’t get enough!
It seems like so few people are multi-craftual. Do you have any tips for anyone who’s hesitant to take the plunge into a new craft?
If you have desire to learn a new craft I absolutely encourage you to give it a try! Learning a new craft allows you to gain a new perspective on your creativity. It also opens up possibilities in the craft you are experienced in so you can combine techniques and create something truly unique.
Despite having so many interests, how did you settle on writing a crochet book?
I’ve always felt free to experiment with crochet. I try to put my own twist on traditional projects and techniques. When Sixth&Spring Books approached me about doing a crochet book I was so excited to have the opportunity to share my ideas with others!
How did the process of writing a book differ from writing for the web?
The process of writing a book compared to writing for my blog is different because I couldn’t share what I was working on for such a long time. I was used to making something and posting about it immediately on social media. It was so hard not being able to post photos and share stories about the writing process. I am so excited to finally reveal all of the hard work in the next few weeks!
Can you give us a little insight into your design process?
I find inspiration for my designs all around me. I see crochet project inspiration in my daily life, fashion editorials, textures, photography … pretty much everywhere I look. I love taking that inspiration and creating projects that are useful and beautiful!
Your photos are always so pretty and thoughtfully composed. Do you have any project photography tips for our readers?
Thank you! I love styling photos. Creating beautiful images is another one of my creative passions. A few tips would be always use natural light, create a simple layout so your project can truly shine, and use color and pattern to create an interesting setting.
On the other hand, you recently Tweeted, “Only allowing the pretty moments on my blog has made me feel distant from it…I am growing and I want my blog to grow along with me!” What can we expect from you in the future?
I definitely want to share more than the “pretty moments” but that is something I am still trying to figure out. I have grown a lot since the first days of One Sheepish Girl and I hope I can find a way for my blog and brand to grow along with me.