Have you ever met someone and immediately liked them? How about someone online? And no, I don't mean a dating website; I mean a blogger! You know, the kind who is like a real person that you can honestly relate to and then, bonus, the information on their blog is either super relevant or entertaining and so you end up following them religiously (even on Facebook) and share basically everything they post...yeah...that kind. That is exactly what happened to me when I first ever came into contact with Tamara Kelly's blog Moogly and her amazing crochet patterns.
Why You Need to Visit the Moogly Blog STAT
It was a normal day, just like any other and I was enjoying one of my daily scrolling binges, when I came across a crochet pattern that nabbed my attention. Not wanting it to slip away into the never ending black hole of my Facebook feed , I paused my thumb-work and took a good hard look. I had never seen a pattern like it before. The tasteful photo was of a gorgeous cowl that was practically titled the Snow Drops Reversible Cowl.
Since like many crafters, I was already working on one project (okay maybe it was two or three), I of course immediately started reading the material list to see if I had the type of yarn that would be required to replicate the photo. Since Tamara has this awesome print-friendly feature on her site, I also made sure to save the pattern so I could start working on it as soon as possible.
Thankfully, I did not have to wait long before I got a request from a customer for a scarf or cowl that would match her brand new winter coat. As soon as I read her request, my brain snapped to attention and I blurted out that I had the perfect cowl pattern for her! Oh that pattern was glorious to make! The yarn was soft, the pattern uncomplicated, the instructions clear...ahhh my joy was overflowing. I think I may have even heard some angels singing faintly in the background as I hooked...
Do you want to know the best part of that moment?
Not only did I get to enjoy making such a beautiful piece of art but the outcome of it gave a wonderful woman the perfect companion for her new winter wardrobe! Tamara's pattern gave warm fuzzies to me as a maker and to a woman she may never meet.
On top of that, everyone who has seen the Snow Drops cowl since has loved it (to the point that when I lost my personal one in Kohl's department store, it somehow never ended up in the lost and found...but that's a story for another day.)
Considering how beautiful I found just one of Tamara's patterns to be, the obvious thing for me to do next was seek out more of these original creations. People, when I tell you Tamara has amazing patterns, I am not exaggerating. The moment I landed on her patterns page, my crafter-sense went crazy! The seemingly endless list of beautiful things that I could make was a breathtaking sight and I wanted to make them all! I'm fairly certain I almost ran the ink out of my printer with all of the patterns I just had to have hard copies of! In one fell swoop, Moogly became one of my top favorite blogs to follow. As time went on, it occured to me that I was sitting here drooling over patterns that a real live person had designed, not some magical internet fairy. I started to wonder who this talented, skillful woman was!
Logically, I needed to take a leap of faith over my fear of rejection and reach out to Tamara personal. I easily found her contact page and asked if she would be willing to let me interview her. I don't know why I bothered to worry. Tamara is as kind through direct contact as she appears to be through any platform I have seen her represented on. It was a huge testament to her authenticity and the tone she has created with her brand.
Now, it's not every day that one gets to meet a professional celebrity crafter that you look up to and admire. Boy do I hope I didn't embarrass myself too badly in my responses during our email exchange. I was totally geeking out! After sending Tamara what was probably waaay too many questions, I had the privilege of learning so many wonderful things about her. Man, I cannot wait to share them with you! You are going to love what I'm about to tell you...
(To be continued in Part 2)
What are some of the things you would ask Tamara if you had the chance?
or
Who is someone you admire that you would want to interview?
More Moogly patterns:
