find out about yokieb
Hey y’all, I’m Taralah! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂 In this post you will find out about yokieB and how it all began for me with my creative biz! I’m so thankful to have this little handmade business and I hope you will join me for the journey! Sign up for my newsletter [here]!
I’m the owner, designer, and maker of all things yokieB! I have been crocheting for over 20 years and knitting for almost 6. I love them both so much, and it’s hard to say which is my favorite….
find the free downloadable pattern for the bright fade beanie shown above [here]
about yokieb and how it all began for me with my creative biz
Have you wondered about yokieB and how it all began for me with my creative biz? Well, I have always loved creative things! From drawing and painting to sewing and needle work – growing up there was usually some type of creating happening in my house. I started really getting into fashion around 5th grade – I remember planning out a fashion design business with my classmate. She had a notebook that we kept ideas in and we even drew our logo on our hands (which we then immediately got in trouble for and had to wash off…. LOL!)
My mom was so influential in my creativity. She taught me how to sew, crochet, knit and lots of other fun things. I love that we can share the joy of creating with each other! The sewing and knitting didn’t really take until later in life and I didn’t get serious about crocheting until I was in my mid- twenties-ish. Now, you couldn’t take my crochet hook or knitting needles away if you tried! 😉
And so it began!
yokieb creative biz footprints
I went to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in L.A. after high school and decided that visual communication (a.k.a. visual merchandising) was what I wanted to do! Fashion design was still always on my mind, but I felt like merchandising was a more practical option for me. I moved home and started working at a local department store. While working part time, I dabbled some in graphic design classes. I soon started working on the merchandising team at that department store, and from there, I transferred to visual merchandising. Thus, beginning my 10+ year career in visual merchandising.
starting my yokieb Etsy shop
I truly love visual merchandising and am so thankful for all of the things I learned from my experience in that field. However, I couldn’t deny the urge to work at home and create handmade items anymore. Every time I saw a handmade shop on Etsy, my desire to open a shop of my own grew stronger! After a lot of prayer and discussion with my husband, we decided I would quit my job and open up a shop! Can I just take a moment and give a giant shoutout to my AMAZING husband who has supported and encouraged me through every. single. step of this journey!
what to make
I wasn’t sure exactly where to start when I opened up shop and started my creative biz, but at the time I was obsessed with crocheted fabric, so I decided to start there. These bracelets were fun to make, and I loved playing with different colors and textures. One of my favorite things about crocheting and knitting with fabric strips is how different the fabric looks when its worked up! For someone who loves texture and color, these babies were a perfect fit.
A few months after starting my shop, a friend suggested I try making headbands with those fabric strips. I decided to give it go, and after a couple not-so-great designs, I landed on these! They were definitely a best seller for me, and I’m so glad I took my friend’s advice! Psssst, you can find the video tutorial on how to make these headbands [here]!
I soon added beanies and scarves to the mix . Craft shows were also a fun way for me to sell my handmade items. How hilarious is this pic y’all?! Oh all the Instagram filters back in the day. LOL! 😉 This one is from my fave craft show in Memphis – Cooper Young Festival.
on to pattern designing
After a few years of working on my shop, and then having my daughter, I started toying with the idea of writing patterns. I thought to myself “how in the world will I ever get to that point”?! I loved designing and wanted to spend most of my time doing that, but I just couldn’t get past my fear. The thought of putting a tutorial I had written out there for other people to follow absolutely terrified me! I decided to reach out to my sweet friend Emily at Two Little Birds Patterns. She creates beautiful designs and easy to follow patterns. Her help was instrumental in me being able to move forward.
My mom also helped me tremendously by proof-reading ALLL of my patterns. Thanks mom!!! 🙂 I truly felt like this was the direction I was supposed to go in, and I know God gave me the strength and endurance I needed to press on.
my first pattern
In October of 2017, I released my first pattern: the Fire Lily Cowl crochet pattern. It was so exciting, so scary and so worth everything that went into it! Taking that leap really triggered a follow-thru in me that has continued to keep me moving forward. I am so thankful that God gave me a shift in thinking and a level of trust that He would give me everything I needed to carry out His will for my life: to create. If I have one piece of advice, (which I rarely give cause I don’t like telling people what to do..LOL!) It’s to not let fear stop you from following your dreams and trying new things. I let it hinder me for far too long, and I’m so thankful to finally be breaking free from it!
all glory to Him
Fast forward almost three years and 10+ patterns later, (that may sound like a small amount to some, but for me it took a lot of work and a lot of persevering) and I am moving on to my next venture on this creative biz journey: blogging! I’m excited to share this wild, creative ride with you, and with a gorgeous rocky mountain back drop none the less! (praise hands) God is so good and so faithful with our dreams. He nurtures them, guides them, and grows them…all the while, growing you as you wait for them. I couldn’t be more humbled or more grateful. Thanks so much for joining me! I hope you enjoy following along! 🙂
Sign up for the yokieB newsletter and find out when new patterns, tutorials and blog posts are published. Plus, get some freebies! Just click the button below!
about yokieb and how it all began for me with my creative biz
pin it for later!
