Shannon Talks Yarn

   A Little Yarn, a Lot of Lessons, and Some Serious Rethinking Well, hello there! It's been a minute, hasn't it? I'm finally sitting down with a cup of coffee, some crochet, and a little time to talk yarn with my friends. It's cold and rainy here in Iowa, and I'm embracing the sweatpants-and-cozy-day lifestyle. I thought this might be a good opportunity to do a little early year-end inventory of 2026. What did I accomplish? What didn't happen? What went according to plan? And what, exactly, was I thinking ? Because if I'm being honest, a lot of my plans this year did not turn out the way I expected. And I've been doing a fair amount of questioning my decisions lately. So let's talk about it. The Year Started With So Much Potential A year ago, I was coming out of my hysterectomy recovery , and I was feeling fantastic. Physically and mentally, I felt better than I had in a very long time. I had energy, motivation, confidence, and a whole lot of ideas....

If you've been looking for an easy crochet stitch that's versatile, beginner-friendly, and works for all kinds of projects, let me introduce you to one of my favorites: the Corner-to-Corner (C2C) crochet stitch . This is one of those techniques I find myself coming back to over and over again. It's simple enough for beginners but has endless possibilities for experienced crocheters too. Whether you're making a cozy scarf, an infinity cowl, a lightweight shawl, or even washcloths and blankets, C2C is a wonderful stitch to have in your crochet toolbox. In today's video tutorial, I'm sharing exactly how I work the stitch and how to turn it from a growing triangle into a rectangle for scarves and wraps. But don't jump into the video immediatly.... first learn more about the beginner-friendly C2C crochet stitch tecnique. Can't wait? Click HERE ! What Is Corner-to-Corner Crochet? Corner-to-Corner crochet, often shortened to C2C , is worked diagonally rath...

  Have you ever found the perfect crochet pattern...only to realize it calls for chunky yarn and all you have is worsted weight? I've been there. Rather than rushing out to buy more yarn, there's an easy technique that lets you turn a single strand of worsted weight yarn into a much thicker yarn... without trying to manage three separate skeins at once. It's a simple trick that's perfect for stash busting and works surprisingly well for many crochet projects. Why Would You Want to Do This? There are lots of reasons you might want to make your yarn thicker instead of buying bulky or chunky yarn. You might: Use up yarn already in your stash Substitute yarn for a pattern that calls for chunky weight Save money by shopping your own stash first Avoid juggling three separate skeins while crocheting While this technique isn't a perfect substitute for every project, it can be incredibly handy when you just need a thicker yarn. Is It Exactly the Same as C...

There’s just something extra exciting about unexpected yarn showing up at your house… especially when you technically got paid in yarn.  Recently, a crochet friend reached out because she wanted help learning how to edit long-form YouTube videos. When she asked how she could pay me, I honestly wasn’t expecting anything, but then she asked the magical question: “Can I pay you in yarn?” And obviously the answer was yes. Always yes.  An Unexpected Ice Yarns Haul This little yarn trade turned into a surprisingly large Ice Yarns haul filled with colorways that feel exactly like my style. My friend mostly works with amigurumi and thicker yarns, so she passed along some finer yarns that weren’t really her thing... but they are absolutely my thing. Since I don’t have a lot of experience with Ice Yarns, this was especially fun. The only other Ice Yarns I had previously tried came from a smaller reseller shop, so getting to explore several different colorways at once felt like a real ...

  There’s something really fun about taking a simple crochet idea and seeing where it leads. Sometimes projects turn out exactly how I imagined, and other times they become more of an experiment and honestly, I enjoy both equally. For today’s project, I wanted to combine a relaxing crochet and chat session with a little bit of creativity and summer inspiration. The result? A floral crochet trucker hat using an easy crochet rosette pattern and a plain craft-store hat. I’m still deciding whether this project is a total success or whether I want to tweak it a little more, so you’ll definitely have to let me know what you think! Inspired by a Dahlia Farm Market This past weekend I attended a small outdoor market at a dahlia farm, and it was such a unique experience. Since the setting was so floral and summery, I tried to bring products that matched the vibe of the event. I had recently been making crochet rosettes inspired by a tutorial from Melanie Ham , and they immediately fe...

  There’s something about birthdays that just hits differently as we get older. And honestly? I kind of love it. This year’s birthday was full of laughter, a little harmless “vandalism” from friends (yes… my senior picture made a public appearance 😅), and some incredibly thoughtful gifts that felt so me . So today, I wanted to sit down and share a little yarn chat with you because some of these pieces are too good not to talk about. A Handmade Crochet Hook I’ll Treasure One of the most meaningful gifts I received came from my YouTube friend, Cydney . We haven't had the opportunity to met in person yet, but over the years we’ve built a truly special friendship. Read more about that in THIS BLOG POST . And she made me a crochet hook. Not just any hook... a custom hook, designed with me in mind. It’s a smaller size (perfect for the fingering weight yarns I love), with the most beautiful mix of autumn tones, teals, and iridescent shimmer. It’s slightly weighted thanks to ...

  There’s something exciting -and slightly terrifying- about trying something completely new. Recently, I stepped outside of my comfort zone and became a vendor at a local market for the very first time. Not only was I selling my handmade crochet pieces, but I was also one of the organizers. So yes… I chose maximum chaos for my first experience. Today I’m giving you the honest recap: what I learned, what sold, what didn’t, mistakes I made, and whether I’d do it again. If you’ve ever thought about selling crochet at a craft fair or market, I hope this gives you a realistic look at what it can be like.  First Lesson: Practice Booth Setups Don’t Always Translate Before the market, I practiced setting up my booth space in my living room. I took pictures, moved things around, and thought I had it figured out. Then I got to the venue. Suddenly, what looked great at home didn’t work the same way in real life. That taught me an important lesson: be flexible. You can plan all you want,...