This is my life, this is my story...

Let me introduce myself - my name is Christina Bellmay and I am a yarn enthusiast. Looping and knotting yarn together to make something so beautiful absolutely fascinates me. I learned how to crochet 12 years ago, when I was only 9 years old. It started mostly as a hobby I'd pick up on rainy days, determined to start and finish a project in just under a day. Although that wasn't realistic in my eyes at such a young age, I finally picked up a skein of yarn and a hook 2 1/2 years ago, deciding on a traditional granny square pattern, beginning with white. Over the course of the next five or six days, I had a finished twin size purple and white afghan. My first real crochet project. I was ecstatic to finally have a finished project just before my eyes. 

Over the next few months I found my love for crochet had deepened. Being young, many friends thought it was odd that I would have such an interest, after all, aren't yarn crafts just for old ladies in nursing homes? Absolutely not!

Yarn quickly became an obsession, first, having an overflowing tote bag, then an overflowing laundry basket... to an overflowing cubical shelving unit. I've got yarn in my closet, in the living room, beside me on the bed, even in my car. It might not seem "normal" for a twenty-year-old girl, but I don't care. In my heart, this is my passion, my love... This is what I would love to spend the rest of my life doing. 

I started selling my crochet pieces in September 2011, my first sale being a newborn pumpkin beanie, just in time for Halloween. I expanded my inventory quickly as I learned new patterns and stitches. Baby blankets and sweater sets became a huge hit, and soon enough I found myself drowning in orders. Family and friends came to me before hitting the big stores for baby shower gifts, putting their trust in me. Confidence built quickly, as I decided to finally start a Facebook page and then later, an Etsy shop. 

I had one problem though, I needed a name. I couldn't go on as "Christina's Custom Crochet." It seemed too boring for what I was doing. Yes, it was crochet, and yes, it was custom, and obviously, by me, Christina. It just didn't sound right, though. I needed something with character, with personality, with my heart put into it. 

Then it clicked. Crabapple Crochet.

I would name my new crochet shop after my best friend, Kim, who passed away when we were 15. I would do this for myself, for her, for my family and friends. I would do this to show I would prevail, that I would succeed, and to prove that you really can do anything you set your heart to. I would do this in the name of my best friend. 

Within the last year and a half, I have proven to succeed, I have proven to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to. Most of all, I have proven to myself that as long as I put my heart and soul into my work, that I will forever be successful in anything I do, whether it be within my crochet career or life itself. I have vended at numerous craft/vendor fairs in all seasons, some being extremely successful, other's not so much. It's been a huge learning experience and I am proud to say that at 20 years old, I am a business owner with a positive outlook on the life I lead. 

If I can do it, you certainly can too. 

Have a great day, readers. :)