My Story

My name is Steffanie! (AKA PocketKitty) When I was about 9, my grandmother taught me how to make chains with a hook. As you can imagine, I went and decorated the whole house in different colors of yarn that were made into the most terribly made chains you ever saw. About 10 years ago, I found knitting and became obsessed! Then I found crochet and became equally obsessed about 2 years after.

About 6 years ago, I started to see all these cute patterns for plushies pop up on my Etsy and I bought a few to test out. The rest is history; I’ve been mainly making amigurumi plushies ever since. I started by giving them to family members, then some to friends and neighbors. Everyone really seemed to like them and some even commissioned me to make them some of their own custom ami’s. I figured that if people were willing to pay me to make them, maybe others would, too. That’s when I registered this as my business, and it became official. I still take time to knit and crochet other items here and there, but my main love is, without a doubt, amigurumi.

I have been trying to make this my main source of income for the last year because I had an accident that turned my life sideways. After years of trauma and pain, I was faced with an impossible decision to get my legs amputated or not. This was the lowest point in my life and couldn’t imagine myself not being able to walk. The thought terrified me. I take care of everyone, and now they would have to take care of me.

When they came to wheel me into surgery, I decided to take the chance to heal. I said, “No, I think it would be very wise to get second opinion.” Of course they disagreed, but honestly, when getting your legs amputated, the first thing you should do is get a second opinion (or a third!). That’s a huge decision, not to be made lightly, and the doctors were very wrong. I am so happy I went against the doctor’s orders. I had a bad feeling ever since they told me what the surgery plan was. Here I am now, almost 2 years later, and I still have both my legs. I still have to be careful, but I am glad I went with my gut and opted out of that surgery.

I faced extreme depression and anxiety at this very low point in my life. Want to know what helped me get through it? Yarn, a crochet hook and knitting needles. It has helped me to continue working on my mental health in other ways, like therapy, medications, and self-care.

Anyway, the idea has always been to find a job that could accommodate me with my legs, but that was a pretty tough task. Although I am nearly healed, I still need to keep my legs elevated all the time (preferably above my heart), which means I have to spend most of my days either almost or completely laying down. I remember one month where I put in about 300 applications and I received about 25 replies notifying me that the job was filled, or I was not the right fit. It was extremely disheartening, but I kept on trying.

Unfortunately, the sad truth is no one wants to hire someone with a disability, and especially not someone with a disability AND a gap in their resume.

And that’s why I started WiP’s and Chains Crochet. Now who am I as a person? To boil myself down into a little tiny paragraph:

I am a single mom, disabled, is AuDHD (high-functioning autistic and ADHD), trying to make something of myself in a way I know how. I am an EXTREME introvert and have terrible social anxiety which makes it really hard for me to make and retain meaningful friendships. I help take care of my elderly/disabled mother and I have a 17-year-old son. My dog, Jimmy, a German Shepard/Husky mix, is my absolute best friend in the whole world and I would do anything for her. Together, we all live together in Vermont.

Vermont is beautiful and we all love living here. The people are friendly, the communities are always welcoming, and the scenery is breathtaking. Although the winters can be harsh, I can always count on myself to crochet warm and cozy wearables throughout the winter season to keep us from freezing over!

This business is born from the cultivation of fighting my mental health, physical health, feeding my family and my love for crochet. I have put so much of myself into this, and I am so excited to get to know all of you! :)

Happy hooking! <3