Kristin Omdahl - Wrapped in Crochet

The Crochet Girls (Jennifer Carabio, Christine Clever-Scheuer, Melissa Kelly, Debra Lane, Gail Moehlman, Christine Penzak, Tina Robbins, Dhurat Rosinski, Patti Smith, and Jen Yohe) for their meticulously stitched sample garments, incredible attention to detail, a fun crochet party, and lots of triangle motifs!

John, for being an angel when we needed one.

To Marlon, my inspiration

When I taught myself how to crochet, it was out of necessity: I was pregnant, living overseas with practically no support for the craft, and compelled to make booties and blankets for my childs impending arrival. I worked from one little pamphlet my mom shipped to me from the States and made several layette sets before realizing that my son was about to be born in a tropical climate, in the summertime. Im afraid that he only wore the outfits once, on a day when I cranked the air-conditioning so he could don my outfits for a little photo shoot. It was only a few minutesI assure you he did not suffer a bit!

In spite of the fact that my first foray into crochet didnt go exactly as planned, the crochet bug had bitten me, and hard. I was completely obsessed with crochet but had no more booties, layettes, or blankets left to make. What was a mother to do? Always a fan of wraps and shawls, I decided to focus on adult accessories instead. I designed and crocheted a rectangular wrap for my mom. I first made a swatch, then sat down with a calculator, pen, and paper, and figured out how many stitches and rows I needed to create the wrap I wanted to make for her. Always a math addict at heart, I was thrilled to be calculating shapes again. So I wondered if I could calculate other shapes as well, like a triangle. I combined crochet with the Pythagorean theorem. Fireworks exploded in the sky, light bulbs went off over my head, and my passion for crochet design began. I have been consumed, passionate, and thrilled with designing in crochet ever since.

When I was six thousand miles away from my family, I made it a point to crochet every single stitch of a wrap with love and thoughts of the person I missed. It helped me to bridge the gap between myself and the people that I loved. Fast-forward to today, and as a designer of knit and crochet patterns and garments, I am still in love with designing. I am consumed with stitching, geometry, and fiber choices. I am giddy with anticipation with every new project. Seriously.

I am thrilled to write this book full of scarves, wraps, and shawls. Its where I began, and where I fell in love with the craft. Whether you crochet for yourself or the people in your life, make it a point to crochet every stitch with love. Your recipients will feel your hug every time they are wrapped in crochet.

Kristin