Crochet Podcast Ep 1: Secret Yarnery WIPs in Kenya

Secret Yarnery Crochet Vlog Episode 1: Christa’s WIPs, Wins, and Real Life in Kenya

Starting something new is always a little awkward, even when you’ve been crocheting forever. In Episode 1 of the Secret Yarnery crochet vlog, Christa shares what her crochet life actually looks like right now, a busy home, a yarn-filled workspace, a growing pile of WIPs, and the projects she’s teaching (and testing) along the way.

If you’ve ever wondered how someone balances family life, teaching, and making new patterns without losing their mind, you’ll feel right at home here.

Meet Christa from Secret Yarnery (and the yarn “deliciousness”)

Christa is the voice behind Secret Yarnery, a space that has grown into crochet classes and a yarn emporium. She’s originally from Canada (born in Saskatchewan, grew up in Vancouver), and she’s been living in Kenya for about 16 years. Kenya was not on the original life plan, but it became home.

Her crochet setup (for now) is in the guest house on her property. It’s a practical choice, and it’s also temporary since the family is moving soon. Once she’s set up in the new place, the background and workspace will look different, but the vibe will stay the same: yarn everywhere, projects in progress, and a constant stream of ideas.

At home, she’s juggling life with a family of six. She’s married and has four kids (ages 11, 8, almost 5, and almost 4), and the calendar is packed, especially with birthdays coming up close together. That’s the kind of schedule that makes you good at squeezing in a few rows whenever you can.

Secret Yarnery is also built around teaching. Christa runs two crochet classes a week, and that keeps her making fresh samples and patterns all the time. If you want to follow along with future videos, she shares a direct link for the channel in the video description, including the Secret Yarnery YouTube subscribe link and her pattern shop at SecretYarnery.com written patterns.

How crochet classes lead to a mountain of WIPs (and why that’s okay)

Some crocheters keep one project going at a time. Some keep three. Christa used to try to cap her works in progress at three too, but teaching changed that fast.

When you teach two different classes each week, you don’t always have one shared project. Her Saturday group might request one thing, and the Monday group might want something totally different. That variety is fun, but it also means more half-finished samples, more pattern testing, and more projects that are “done enough” for teaching, but not necessarily finished for personal use.

She estimates she’s sitting at about 10 WIPs, and she doesn’t feel guilty about it. That’s an important point for anyone who’s ever looked at a stack of yarn and thought, “I should really finish something.” Sometimes the point of a project is to learn, teach, or write the pattern, not to make a perfect final item for yourself.

Where it gets tricky is storage. WIPs multiply, and if they’re not contained, they take over the whole space. Christa found some great baskets at a local grocery store in Kenya and bought several. They worked well, until they were all full and stacked up.

Now, the system is more realistic:

1. WIPs that are active stay accessible in baskets.
2. Low-priority WIPs (the ones that won’t be finished soon) go into ziplock bags, then into a single basket.

It’s simple, but it works. Keeping projects grouped and contained makes it easier to pick something up and keep moving, even when real life is loud. If you’re building your own storage setup, she also links supplies like WIP storage baskets and yarn ball storage bags in the video description.

Favorite finished projects from the past year (shrugs, stools, and animals)

Christa’s crochet timeline over the last year is a mix of wearable comfort pieces, home decor, and playful makes. Some projects came out as instant favorites, others were more of a learning experience. All of them helped shape what she teaches now.

The Hug Shrug, a “first big” project that stuck

One of the earlier highlights she mentions is the Hug Shrug, a cozy wrap-style shrug that she still loves. It’s the kind of piece you reach for again and again because it’s easy to wear and gives that warm, hugged feeling without being fussy.

She mentions possibly doing a tutorial for it in the future, and she invites viewers to comment if they want it. If you prefer a written pattern format, the Secret Yarnery site has the Hug Shrug crochet wrap pattern, and there’s also a related post on designing a custom crochet shrug.

Mandala stool covers, Kenya’s practical “IKEA” substitute

One of the most location-specific projects in the vlog is also one of the most charming.

In Kenya, Christa explains that many households use small stools used for making chapati. If you don’t have a kitchen counter, you can roll dough on a clean, flat surface placed on a low stool. They’re practical and common, and Christa found them at the grocery store for the equivalent of about $4.70 USD.

Instead of leaving them plain, she crocheted mandala-style covers that sit on top. It’s a smart way to turn an everyday item into decor, and it doubles as an “IKEA hack” for a place where IKEA isn’t an option.

She’s made three and has been looking for more stools for months, but the store hasn’t restocked. It’s a familiar problem for anyone who falls in love with a project that depends on a specific supply.

What makes this idea work is how approachable it is. If you can find a stool, a side table, or even a firm round cushion, a crochet cover can completely change the look of it without changing how it functions.

The amigurumi crew: hippo love, giraffe indifference, tortoise cuteness

Christa also shares a few of her animal projects, and her opinions are refreshingly honest.

• The hippo is a favorite. She loves that it looks good from both sides, and she’s made it more than once (second or third hippo).
• The giraffe was not as exciting for her. It’s not that it was a failure, it just didn’t hit the same way.
• The tortoise (or turtle) is described as “super cute,” and she plans to show it in another vlog.

She also mentions slippers as a recent finish, but saves the details for later. That’s the rhythm of crochet content in real life, one project gets finished, two more are halfway done, and something else is already calling your name.

A guild project and a stitch she wants to teach next

Some crochet makes are just for you. Others are for a group, a class, or a community. In this episode, Christa shares a finished project made for the Crochet Guild of Kenya, and it’s the kind of practical item that still feels special.

She created a binder cover to use as a sign-in book for their “out and about hook along.” The binder itself was a simple “flippy” binder from a stationery store, and it only cost about $1.50, which fits her love of a good deal.

The yarn was also part of the story. She imported a very cute yarn from Turkey, loved it, but didn’t know what to do with it at first. The binder cover became the perfect use because it shows texture and color without needing a huge quantity.

For the stitch, she uses what she calls the fantail (or paintbrush) stitch, describing it as open and airy, with a look that works especially well for covers and decorative pieces. She hopes to do a tutorial for it, possibly even the same day she filmed.

If you want a reference for the stitch style, these step-by-step guides show similar construction and texture: Fantail shell crochet stitch tutorial and fantail shell stitch photo tutorial.

When a sweater turns into a blanket (corner-to-corner in chenille)

Christa’s current WIP is a classic example of crochet being flexible. You can start with one plan, realize it’s not working, and still end up with something great.

She was aiming to make a cocoon-style granny square jacket sweater, the type that wraps around you and feels like a wearable blanket. Instead, she made it square, and it turned out too long. The width is wonderful, it goes wrist-to-wrist, but the length drops from neck down toward the back of her knees. That’s not quite the look she wanted.

Rather than forcing it into a sweater shape, she decided to turn it into a blanket for a friend and start a new version later, this time in a rectangle so it fits like a cocoon sweater should.

The material choice makes this even cozier. She’s using worsted-weight chenille, so it’s thick and warm, perfect for Kenya’s cooler season. The plan is to add an edging in a matching eyelash chenille, and her friend picked the colors, which makes the finished blanket feel more personal.

If you’re learning corner-to-corner and want a rectangle shape (which is handy for blankets and wearables), Secret Yarnery has a helpful guide: how to crochet a C2C rectangle. For another reference, The Crochet Crowd also has a long-form resource on the technique in their corner-to-corner afghan tutorial.

What’s coming next: yarn orders, kid birthdays, and future tutorials

Outside the yarn room, life is busy. Christa has kids’ birthdays stacked close together, and that means party planning, including booking a bouncy castle. It’s the sort of real-life pressure that makes crocheting feel like a break, even if it’s only ten minutes at a time.

On the crochet side, she’s waiting on another shipment of yarn from Turkey, including a cotton bamboo yarn she’s excited about. She mentions she’s already made a tunic from it and loved how it turned out, so she’s looking forward to getting more in.

She also shares how she wants this vlog format to go. The plan is to post about every two weeks, depending on her schedule and the kids’ schedule, which is about as honest as it gets.

If you want to follow along or pick up tools that match what she’s using, the video description includes a full list of crochet supplies. A few standouts include crochet hooks she recommends and her general yarn link, Secret Yarnery yarn selection. She also offers a free reference download, the Secret Yarnery crochet cheat sheet.

Conclusion: a cozy, real-life crochet vlog that invites you in

Episode 1 sets the tone for what Secret Yarnery’s crochet vlog series is about: real projects, real WIPs, and real life happening at the same time. From the Hug Shrug and mandala stool covers to guild projects and a corner-to-corner “sweater” that became a blanket, it’s a reminder that crochet doesn’t have to be perfect to be worth doing.

If you’ve got your own pile of WIPs, consider this your permission slip to keep going, one row at a time. Share what you’re working on, where you live, and what tutorials you want next, then keep an eye out for the next vlog. Stay hooked.