A Bit More About Me

I thought I would start this blog by writing a bit more about me and how I got into designing crochet patterns.

My grandmother used to crochet and even though it was around me in my teens, crochet only became a serious thing for me since 2016.

I’ve always loved craft but somehow I ended up studying Computer Science and worked as a web developer for about 12 years. I felt I was making a difference to the field by being one of the very few female web developers around at that time.

Whilst working as a web developer, at the weekends I would make aliens out of felt, this is when my first Etsy shop began.

I loved taking the time to cut out each piece by hand, choose the buttons for the eyes and hand sew the facial features. It gave me an artistic escape from my 9-5.

Not long after though, I had had enough of the 9-5 and needed a break. I decided to quit and go travelling with my partner.

Travelling opened my eyes to how much we were/are using up all the worlds natural resources without a care for the fact that they might one day run out. My partner and I then watched Cowspiracy and a few other documentaries that opened our eyes further. We became vegan overnight and started to really think about how we could do things better.

I decided not to go back to web development and to make craft my full time job. But making aliens with felt no longer seemed right. I didn’t want to continue making things with brand new materials that would probably eventually be discarded. I started making purses and tech covers using reclaimed fabric and yarns.

At the same time, in my personal life, I was trying to find more natural, plastic free items to use at home. I made small swaps here and there but I was really struggling to find a decent natural washing up sponge. I knew I could make one for myself, I just needed to find the right material. One that I was happy using, that didn’t use up lots of resources, didn’t negatively affect the environment in its making and didn’t leave anything behind to sit in landfill for all eternity. In came hemp and the new byGoldenberry.

The Braided Sponge and Hemp Dishcloth were my first ever official designs but I was mainly designing for myself so that I could make sustainable items for others to use. Only after designing the Mushroom Foraging Bag did I realise how much I really loved to design.

Now, my hope with byGoldenberry is to inspire others to make sustainable items for themselves, their loved ones and for their home.