I Don't Play, I Crochet!

First I would like to introduce myself. My name is LaTanya Buckner and I am a crochet artist.
I have been crocheting since the age of 13 but for years I was limited to crocheting blankets due to the fact I had a hard time understanding patterns and the only person who knew how to crochet was the neighbor who taught me but she moved away shortly after teaching me how to crochet. At the age of 20 I had crocheted blankets for my newborn son and a couple blankets for a friend of mine whose daughter was born 6 weeks after my son. That was 23 years ago.

In 2008 I decided to pick up the yarn and hook and since the internet was a great tool for finding video tutorials I took advantage by watching You Tube videos. First I found videos by one of my crochet idols, tjw1963 who is one of the best teachers out there! Then I started looking at things such a bikinis and figuring out how to make them without the use of a pattern. Within a couple months I had started making swim suits, bikinis and dresses like crazy, then I decided to come up with my own crochet designs business "Cafe Crochet Designs."

Over the years I have met some wonderful crochet artists, the first one being Ebony Chappel of "I Am Crochet" out of Decatur, Georgia. It seemed like we were creative twins that shared the same vision when it came to crocheting and even though both of us had mad skills with the yarn and hook, we always managed to assist and help one another with any crochet idea, situation, problem or solution. It was a wonderful thing having someone who lived so far but yet was so close with a crochet connection. Then there were The Double Stitch Twins from Chicago who are two beautiful sisters with one heck of a talent for crocheting designs that have other crocheters following their patterns. Then there was Marcelle Cooper-Greffen who welcomed me into her crochet group "Fresh Off The Hook" which allowed me to spread my wings and start recording videos for You Tube showcasing what projects I had been working on. I then decided to branch out and do video tutorials, create a group of my own as well as write patterns. I thank not only the ladies I have mentioned but I also thank all the wonderful crocheting ladies and gentlemen out there creating the most unique and beautiful pieces of art. This blog page has been created for all of you.