Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Alford
Hi Rachel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and my mother was known as the “craft lady” in the area. Learning to crochet with my fingers when I was 8 instilled an early love of crafts in my life. However, I lost interest and forgot how to crochet after she tried teaching me to use a hook.
In high school, we were reading A Tale of Two Cities in my english class, and my english teacher offered an extra credit assignment if we learned to knit. My grade could use the boost, so I taught myself to knit, loved it, and began making lots of scarves for those in my church congregation. Unfortunately, after a year or so, I lost the skill and forgot how to knit, too.
Fast forward to when I had my first child in 2013 and I was really craving a creative outlet, so I started an Etsy shop with my sister called Cozy Nooks. I retaught myself to crochet and the two of us made and sold finished crochet items. I loved working with my sister, and we worked together great, but she stepped away from the business to pursue other interests in the beginning of 2018.
The beginning of 2017 is when I published my first crochet pattern, which took off. I retaught myself how to knit in 2017, and I decided to rebrand in 2018 and changed the name from Cozy Nooks to Cozy Nooks Designs and began concentrating on designing rather than making finished goods to sell.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No it has not always been a smooth road. The scariest, yet most rewarding experience for my career was in 2022 when I went on the PBS TV show “Knit and Crochet Now!”
I had been asking for years to get on the show, and at the end of 2021 they finally said yes. The catch was that I had to knit as well. I assured them that I could knit as well, and then I had 4 months to crash course how to knit so I could do it well enough on national television.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a 30 something mother of four married to my college sweetheart aka my number 1 supporter, Mr. Nooks. We are coming up on our 14 year anniversary and loving life. We live in South Carolina and love raising our family here.
If I’m not crocheting or knitting, you can probably find me doing some type of home or furniture renovation project. Those are my two main hobbies, but I also love to listen to podcasts and audiobooks when crocheting or DIYing.
I teach crochet with an online subscription service through Annie’s Creative Studio as well as my own YouTube channel. Sharing my love of crochet with others is a passion of mine!
RECENTLY FEATURED
I was recently a host on the PBS show Knit and Crochet Now! Season 13.
I have also designed patterns for Lion Brand Yarn since 2020, been in Crochet World, Crochet!, and Happily Hooked magazines, wrote guest blog posts and designed for Clover & Darn Good Yarn, and I am currently filming videos for Annie’s online crochet pattern episodes.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
If you wait until you are 100% ready, you will never be ready. Dive in, and figure it out along the way!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cozynooksdesigns.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cozynooksdesigns/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cozynooksdesigns
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CozyNooksDesigns
- Other: https://www.ravelry.com/people/CozyNooksDesigns
