Hello. My name is LeAnn. Crochet and knitting are very personal to me. I put love in every single stitch. You'll hear lots of crafters say that, and I don't doubt that is true, since many of us were taught our craft by a loved one. I have a dual crochet legacy, as evidenced by my name, and like my name, it has converged into one.

My parents named me after my grandmothers. My maternal grandmother was named Myrtle Lee. My paternal grandmother was named Annie Mae. From the first & middle name combo, I received my name. My mom has joked several times over the years that at least they didn't name me Myrtle Mae!

I remember as a small child watching my mom's mom crochet slippers for anyone and everyone. It seemed like she was always crocheting slippers. Mom crocheted, too, but not very often, since she had a full-time job. Grandma Jeff, as we called her, also sewed, but I have no memories of that, other than seeing her treadle sewing machine in Mom's old room, and her seamstress's mannequin in my uncles' old room. Mom says Grandma sewed all their clothes growing up. Mom sewed several of my pieces of clothing growing up, but by no means all of them. After I was grown, I had Mom teach me to sew & I've sewn a handful of things since then. You might eventually see sewn items here, or items with sewn elements.

I have lots more memories of my grandma Ann, because even though my parents divorced when I was 3 years old, she made sure never to lose touch with me. In fact, she would often call & ask if she could have me stay the weekend with her & Popa, or call just to hear my voice & chat a while. We were so close, and I looked so much like her, that Popa would laugh & call us the Bobbsey Twins. Grandma Ann's craft of choice was painting. One of my favorite things to do when I was little was to spread out my childish watercolor paints & some paper on their dining room floor. I never tried to recreate her paintings. I knew I didn't have her talent. But she always encouraged me to keep practicing, keep trying. She also crocheted, and I remember her once, maybe twice, trying to teach me to crochet. I'm not sure how old I was. Maybe 6, maybe 9? At any rate, too young, or just disinterested, I didn't understand it. As much as she loved me, she didn't have the patience to teach me, and never tried again. Grandma Ann also sewed some. She used to tell me about a winter white suit she made a pattern for & sewed for herself once for a party she was to attend. She'd never tackled a project like that, and she finished it just in time. It fit like a glove and she was so pleased. She sewed a blanket for me when I was a baby, that I still have, and a reversible doll when I was little that I'd forgotten about until she presented it to me again when I turned 18. I also now have a sampler afghan she crocheted.

So, I grew up, got married & had a daughter. When she was a few years old, I heard about the Linus Project. This is a group of volunteers who make blankets for babies, kids, teens, & adults who are in the hospital, shelters, group homes, etc. The blankets can be crocheted, knitted or quilted. My great-grandma used to quilt, but that seemed too difficult & time-consuming. Plus she lived too far away. She passed away around that time & no one else in the family quilted, for me to learn from. Knitting also seemed too difficult, & again, no one I knew knitted, so I wouldn't have any help if I needed it. So I chose to learn to crochet. I figured that if both my grandmas & my mom could do it, so could I. It couldn't be too hard. Also, it seemed like the fastest of the 3 options, since I wanted to make lots of blankets & donate them quickly. When I got married, I'd moved a few hours away from my hometown, so I decided that the fastest way for me to learn would be to buy a book on how to crochet & just teach myself. If I needed help, I could call Mom or take my project with me when the next holiday rolled around & I went for a visit. For years, I only made afghans & baby blankets & only donated them to the Linus Project. I eventually taught myself to knit in the same way, after seeing so many beautiful knitting patterns that I wanted to make. I joined an online crochet community & started making other items after seeing all the beautiful things other people create. My son always asks me to make him one of everything I make, so I've started selling my work to support his habit.

I loved my grandmothers very much. I still do, of course, but now I have to talk about them in the past-tense. Grandma Jeff went to be with the Lord in 2003. Grandma Ann joined her in our heavenly home in 2012. They both had Alzheimer's Disease. Since both of my grandmothers had it, there's a good possibility that I will have it some day. That's why a portion of my profits go to the Alzheimer's Association to help find a cure in my lifetime.