Hello, my name is Alissa and I have been crocheting since before I could read. My mother taught me and her mother before that. I soon began making up my own patterns, I seem to be the only one in the family that can do this. I can even remember teaching my 1st grade class how to do a chain stitch for show and tell. Every member of my family has something made by me. Whether it be a doily, laced hanky, or a hat (Lately they all seem to be getting hats ;-). I was visiting my friend in NYC and saw a booth in Central Park that had many great hats, but you couldn't tear me away from the kids hats. I thought, "I could do that..." and then went my merry way. The very next day I lost my job and the next month my husband lost his. At the time I didn't think of this as a sign from God but... you never know. Since then I have created over 100 of my own patterns and am constantly coming up with more. being a humongous geek I enjoy making geekery! I love what I do and am having a blast. Thank you for looking at my store. -CutieHats