Stitch Oven
Welcome to The Stitch Oven!
My name is Alma, and I am a computer science student in Houston, TX. This is a creative endeavor born from my passion for my field of study, crafting, and cultural background.
I'm passionate about using computer science to solve problems across different fields, especially unexplored ones. Many don't realize but crocheting involves a lot of algorithmic thinking and creative problem-solving. There are many ways in which crocheting, as well as other arts and crafts, can become more efficient with the help of computer science. My hope is that Stitch Oven becomes a tool that empowers all crocheters to explore their creativity with more efficiency and without limitations.
In the summer of 2023, I attempted to recreate a favorite childhood snack, a Mexican marshmallow cookie called Sponch, using crochet. I decided to share my process on TikTok and my video went viral, gaining over a million views and kickstarting a growing community around my crochet creations. I received thousands of requests for recreations of other nostalgic treats, pushing me to develop new techniques and even release my own crochet patterns, of which I have sold over 170 copies.
Through this journey, I realized that crocheting involves a surprising amount of math. You can pretty much make most things by putting basic shapes together. These shapes can be produced with some general instructions, which are usually modified according to each crocheters style. The problem is that these general 'instructions' come to you with experience. It takes a while to unlock this knowledge and some of us don't want to think that hard, we want to get to the fun part. On top of that, creating original pieces takes hours of trial and error—shaping, adjusting, changing colors, yarn types, and sometimes even unraveling entire projects to start fresh.
The Stitch Oven was made to help crafters minimize trial and error. If you have a rough sketch or idea of what you want to make, you can use the Stitch Oven pattern generator to save yourself hours of frustration, try it!