Today we’d like to introduce you to Tasha Reynolds.
Hi Tasha, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started crocheting as a child but picked it up again in my 30s. When I was a little girl, my grandmother had this plastic 70’s tablecloth. It had yellow and orange flowers, with hints of that avocado green speckles throughout it.
I would sit there and braid the little yellow tassels when I was bored. Endless hours of braiding tassels.
One day, my grandmother said, “if you want to do something with your hands, let me teach you to crochet.” So we sat down and she started teaching me. I fell in love with it.
In 2017, I was housebound taking care of my elderly father, he was quite sick and couldn’t be left alone, or be taken out of the house much either. Unable to work, I picked up grandma’s hooks, bought some yarn, and started crocheting again. I started crocheting beanies for friends. When they asked “make me one like the one you made Jeff,” it stumped me. I didn’t remember what I did! So I started writing down patterns and looked into how I can make money crocheting. Turns out there was an entire community of crochet pattern writers and designers.
I found my people! First, I started writing down steps while I was crocheting, then began studying how to write patterns, and from there I blossomed into a full-fledged crochet designer/blogger.
While I was taking care of my father, I was also working on a graduate certificate in Bioinformatics, but I ended up dropping my program because of my own health issues. I used my knowledge in math and programming and carried it over to my website. I created crochet calculators and those are some of my most popular posts.
It’s a lot of work. I had no idea.
Being an all-in-one entrepreneur is all-consuming, but I love it. I crochet, write blog posts, photograph, design, shoot video tutorials, edit and do all the marketing, promotions, and customer service too! After five years, I am finally growing at a fast past, like a snowball, things are starting to move faster now and it’s both exciting and terrifying!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has *not* been a smooth road at all. LOL! In addition to struggling with several conditions (MTHFR mutation, ADHD, a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and fibromyalgia), I work triple duty most days. 12-hour days.
It was late 2019 when I found out what was causing my chronic illness (a rare allergy and later found out I have connective tissue disorder), and at the same time, I separated from my long-term partner of 10 years who supported me financially for several years while I cared for my father.
It was more important than ever that I succeed, but my body was failing me, and was unable to work a job that required my physical presence. It felt like the world was caving in on me. A friend of mine let me live in her backhouse for 2 months while I saved money for an apartment of my own. That was November and December of 2019.
Also in December 2019, I onboarded remotely with a crochet magazine called Happily Hooked. As their social media manager and blogger, I aimed to gain more experience. Simultaneously designing crochet patterns, growing my socials, and driving for Uber, I was very busy, trying to navigate my emerging health issues, a break-up, juggling three jobs, and looking for a new place to live. It was daunting!
My allergy restricted my diet so much that I was only eating fruit, eggs, and beans & rice. It’s no wonder I lost 80 lbs!
In January 2020, I was feeling better after I quit eating my allergen (yeast). However, as the chronic inflammation dissipated, the underlying cause of the allergy revealed itself (EDS). Around that time, it was January 2020, I moved into my new apartment.
Then we all know what happened after that. I was incredibly grateful to be able to drive food during the pandemic.
Although I felt so spread thin juggling three jobs and riddled with anxiety, along with all the health issues, I just kept going.
I started going live on Facebook & teaching crochet lessons, and just kept driving, crocheting, and seeing doctors! I still struggle, but just keep going and growing. It’s exciting and after 5 years of very hard times, I am able to sustain myself without driving for Uber.
My next goal is to thrive and not just survive.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Thanks. I am a crochet designer, blogger, and entrepreneur. I specialize in designing crochet garments (sweaters, scarves, beanies, gloves, headbands) and home decor (blankets, pillows.) I create crochet tutorials to accompany my design and help users work through my written patterns.
My most popular patterns are C2C, which is a crochet technique called corner-to-corner crochet. I created a C2C blanket size calculator to help crocheters determine the size of their C2C blanket will be based on their personal tension, hook & yarn size. I love creating crochet calculators because I can use my coding and math experience to help people.
I’m most proud of my C2C blanket size calculator has been used over 2 million times since its creation.
What sets me apart from other crochet designers?
Geez…I think we are all out there creating what inspires us the most and each is special in our own way. I love math and creating intricate patterns that go against the grain. I love to combine and create complicated but workable stitches, and mostly create functional stylish crochet patterns that are fun to learn.
Every design is an opportunity to teach something new, so I focus on inspiring aspiring designers and teaching new techniques.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I am launching a digital crochet magazine in 2023 called Crafty Graphs Magazine and I’m so excited! The magazine is for crocheters and knitters who love to incorporate graphs in their designs. Keep an eye out for it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stardustgoldcrochet.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stardustgoldcrochet/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stardustgoldcrochet/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1iFZIMfn5N4PvhtHR-EIZA
- Other: https://www.craftygraphsmagazine.com
Image Credits
Tasha Margette
