Hi there! My name is Tonya. I love to crochet and I have an obsessive need to own all of the yarn in the world! So far I have made only a very small dent but I am on a mission! I live in Kansas and I am a wife, mother and Nana of 9 and mom to 2 fur babies. I spend any free time I can find with my very large family. I enjoy reading, watching movies, playing board games and eating good food.
I have been crocheting now for over 40 years. I was the eldest of six and my much wished for baby sister didn’t arrive until I was almost 11. She is the youngest in the family with 4 boys sandwiched between us. As you can imagine, I was pretty much surrounded by GI-Joe, He-Man and dinosaurs for most of my childhood.
We lived out in the country on a small farm and there weren’t any neighbors to play with so I spent a lot of my childhood reading books and spending time with our many farm and 4H animals.
We had family friends that lived not far away, “Aunt” Dorothy and “Uncle” Bob and they became like another set of grandparents to us kids. Aunt Dorothy was a master crocheter and knitter and I was pretty interested in learning so at the age of 8 I started going over to their house every week to learn. At the time I was the only one she was teaching and I so looked forward to our time together. As you can imagine, with 4 brothers in a small house it was very rarely quiet at home and these quiet one-on-one times with Aunt Dorothy were treasured and I look back on those times fondly.
Every year we would work on a big 4H crochet project together for the Fair and she would help me make Christmas gifts for every member of my family. She was so patient with me especially when she tried to teach me sewing and knitting. Needless to say, knitting and sewing weren’t my favorite things to do at the time!
We moved away from Michigan and came to Kansas when I was just 16 years old and for several years I didn’t crochet at all but when I graduated from high school and moved out of the house I wanted to get back into it and I haven’t looked back since.
Through the years I have made many a gift for loved ones but when the grandchildren started arriving that is when the real crocheting began! The kids love watching me crochet and asking if whatever I have in my hand is something being made for them.
I am now teaching my oldest granddaughters to crochet and they love it. I am so happy that I get to pass on the love for this craft that a wonderful woman gave me so many years ago. Now I hope, to pass this knowledge and passion for this wonderful craft to many others by beginning this work of love — Nana’s Crafty Home. Thank you so much for being here and sharing this journey with me!
The idea of Nana’s Crafty Home started in the spring of 2017. I had never previously designed a crochet pattern on my own but I had many designs living in my head that I wanted to share with others. Nanascraftyhome.com went live with my first design the Retro Duster Vest on August 5, 2017.
Since then I have shared over 120 designs for wearables, accessories, home decor, blankets and so much more! My love for crochet and for designing has only grown through these years. And I know I have so many more designs to share!
I love sharing and teaching and I have been a featured designer for Happily Hooked Magazine providing them with a complete corner to corner crochet video course.
I have also been included as a featured crochet designer in the popular Knitcrate Subscription box.
My designs have been featured many times in the Hooking on Hump Day/Loop Scoop hosted by Moogly and Petals to Picot as well!
You can check out some of my most popular designs (so far!) below:
Gnome Towel Topper – this little guy went viral and has been a very popular gift and craft show item!
The Autumn Rhapsody Blanket – this stitch sampler style blanket has been made in so many color combinations and is beloved by makers worldwide!
The Many Wonders Ruana is my most popular wearable design – the complete video tutorial has 120,000+ views on my YouTube channel!
I hope you will find inspiration from my designs and gain confidence in your crochet skills as we work to beautify our lives and homes!
Hi! Thank you so much for being here! I am Tonya the designer behind Nana's Crafty Home. As a wife, mother, Nana of 9 & with 2 fur babies, my days are filled with love, laughter, hugs and yarn! Here you will find colorful and creative crochet designs for yourself or loved ones. My hope is that you will be inspired to learn and create along with me!