My first encounter with crocheting was when I was 13, with my Aunt Elsie.  One day after work, my aunt came home and showed my mom her little crochet square. My mom asked, “How did you learn how to do that?” And she responded, “My coworker brought her crochet supplies, because today was slow, so I asked her if she could teach me.” I was quite surprised when I found out that my aunt enjoyed crocheting. My aunt is not the type of person you would expect to love crocheting. When I think about crocheting, I think about elderly people with patience, and my aunt does not fit that profile. Elsie is very young and hip and is always up to date with the trends. She acts more like a teenage rather than an adult, so when I found out that she picked up crocheting it caught me by surprise. I was a little skeptical with her intentions, because I know my aunt, and she’s just probably doing this for a trend and will later forget about it. So, I decided to ask, “What are your intentions?” and she simply replied with, “I’m just trying something new and it was easy to pick up.” Frankly, I was not surprised by this response because Elsie tries something new practically every week and I just thought it would be a phase. But little did I know that she would stick to it.
            That day would be the first time I was exposed to the entangled world of crocheting. My aunt would gush about how relaxing it was, and I questioned myself if it was truly relaxing and not boring.” Does this not get boring?”, I asked. She replied nonchalantly, “No it’s really calming, and it sets my nerves at ease.” I was slightly intrigued by this; during that time in my life, my loving great-grandmother passed away, which cause me an incredible amount of unwanted stress and anxiety. My great-grandmother and I were very close up to her passing, and I did not know how to handle her death. I felt like I loss a sense of safety, community, and control in my life; I thought crocheting would help with this. I thought that if it helped my aunt with her nerves, then it could help me.
 I did not know where to start and I felt embarrassed to go to an actual crochet class, so I looked to my aunt to help me learn the mysterious art of crocheting.
            Our first lesson would take place in my living room. My aunt brought her supplies, which consisted of these little metal hooks and big red balls of yarn. Instinctively I picked up two needles, but my aunt quickly took one needle from me and explained that crocheting and knitting were different. At that I point I realized I did not know a single thing about crocheting. My aunt tried to demonstrate how to start the most basic stitch and I tried to repeat her actions, but I failed. She tried again to explain, but I kept getting frustrated, so I got up and left. This failure emphasized my lack of control and patience when it comes to stressful situations. As I was walking away, my aunt called to me, “Sephora you’re not going to get it on the first try,” but I ignored her and walked to my room. I did not understand how I could not do the basic stitch; I felt like that situation was making my anxiety and stress worse. I wanted to give up on crocheting right there and then, but I told myself to have patience; so, I sat there and thought of how I could learn, and an idea popped up. I had forgotten that there were instructional videos on YouTube. I searched for beginner crocheting videos, and I saw many on how to do the basic stitch. I was delighted because as soon as I started watching the videos, I began to understand how to crochet. The videos were very helpful because they allowed me to learn at my own pace. I also went to my local library and found some books on crocheting. The books were also helpful because they provided step by step instructions on how to do certain stitches. As I got the basics down, I began to learn how to crochet blankets. Blankets were easy to me because they repeated the same stitches.  The repetitive actions helped with my anxiety. Because I was no longer frustrated with myself, I was able to love crocheting and feel the effects it gave off. When I crocheted I no longer felt anxious, crocheting gave me a sense of control.
            The YouTube videos and crochet books allowed me to explore the world of crochet. I felt that I was not limited to just blankets, I was able to explore different stitches and designs. Whenever I had a problem, I knew I could turn to my books. I found that books allowed me to have a better understanding of the directions, because they were in print and the directions were easy to follow.
             One day while crocheting, my aunt Facetimed me and showed me a blanket that she had made that had designs on them. I was so impressed, I asked, “How did you do that? That is so cool, how were you able to know what type of stitch went where?” She replied, “I used a website that allowed me to insert the design, and it gave me instructions on which stitch went where.”
 I was so surprised because at that point I did not know that was possible. I did not know that a single sheet of paper could give me directions to crochet a blanket 72 x 36in. I began to use that software whenever I wanted to create a design on my blanket. For example, if I wanted to do a flower, I would transfer a picture of it on the template and the software would generate directions for me. This software would be another source I would use if I wanted help with my crocheting.  If I was unclear on how to do a certain stitch, I knew I could always ask my aunt for help. She was able to give me tips and tricks that books or videos were not able to provide. She would teach me things to avoid, so I would not make the same mistakes as she did. It became easier to learn from her because I now had a foundation of crocheting. I felt that with the combination of these sources, I was able to master the basics of crocheting and later build on my abilities. This in turn, fostered my beginning steps on a path into the crocheting community. Within the crocheting community, I have found an outlet for my stress and a sense of belonging.