Every great story begins with a single stitch.

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YASL—Yarn as a Second Language—started long before we ever designed our first crochet hook.

It began with a YouTube channel.

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My friend, Miss Nikki, and I created Yarn as a Second Language because we wanted to share our love of fiber arts with the world. She knits, I crochet, and together we discovered that teaching, laughing, and creating made for something special. While Miss Nikki has since stepped away from appearing on the channel, her encouragement, ideas, and inspiration continue to shape YASL behind the scenes to this day.

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But the heart of YASL goes back even further.

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When I was 14 years old, my grandmother, Helena, taught me how to crochet. She patiently showed me every stitch, every technique, and every lesson that couldn't be found in a pattern. Crochet wasn't just about yarn—it was about slowing down, embracing patience, solving problems, and creating something meaningful with your own hands. Those lessons have stayed with me ever since.

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Years later, well into her 90s, Grandma would often tell me that holding a traditional crochet hook made her hands hurt. We looked at ergonomic crochet hooks together, hoping to find something that would let her crochet comfortably again.

There was just one problem.

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Most premium ergonomic crochet hooks cost between $60 and $100 each.

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Grandma refused to let me spend that kind of money on a crochet hook.

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Life moved on, and eventually Grandma went home to Heaven.

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But I never forgot that conversation.

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One day I realized there had to be a better way. Crocheters shouldn't have to choose between comfort, quality, and affordability.

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That's when YASL became more than a YouTube channel. ​It became a mission.

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Today, every YASL hook is designed with one goal in mind: to create beautiful, comfortable, premium crochet tools at prices more crocheters can afford. We believe exceptional craftsmanship shouldn't come with an impossible price tag.

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That's also why every hook has a name inspired by language.

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Just as words come together to tell a story, every stitch becomes part of something larger. The Noun. The Verb. The Sonnet. The Narrative. The Dictionary. Each name reminds us that creativity is a language all its own.

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Every decision we make reflects what we believe.

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When our first resin hook—the Epiphany Prototype—didn't meet our cosmetic standards, we didn't pretend it was perfect. We started over because quality matters.

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When perfectly functional hooks have cosmetic flaws, we don't throw them away. We offer them as Misfit Nouns because every hook deserves the chance to create something beautiful.

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Those choices reflect who we are.

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YASL isn't just about selling crochet hooks.

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It's about honoring a grandmother who passed down more than a craft.

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It's about building tools that help people create memories, gifts, heirlooms, and moments of peace.

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It's about believing that slowing down isn't falling behind.

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It's about creating products that inspire confidence every time they're picked up.

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And it's about carrying Helena's legacy forward—one stitch, one project, and one crocheter at a time.

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Thank you for being part of the YASL story.

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We're honored to be part of yours.