And that is not all, future product offerings will include bath products like face scrubbies made with 100 percent Hungarian hemp (naturally resists mold!), soft hemp vial necklaces made out of the softest Chinese imported hemp (so soft, it feels like cotton!), as well as halter tops - all made of 100% hemp or cotton. Also coming are hemp pouches (hemp is PERFECT energy for storing crystals and tarot cards!)

Hi, I am Lisa Allen. I learned to crochet when I was a girl by reading how-to-crochet in a booklet of all places! My mother was a knitter, but didn't know how to crochet (my grandmother and great-grandmother knew how to crochet but they had passed on by then). However, there was always yarn and both knitting and crochet patterns around the house! One day, in approximately 1977, I asked her to buy me a crochet hook and some free directions on how to crochet (shipping back then was like a quarter!), and when I received these supplies, I managed to figured it out! I proceeded with crocheting a poncho, potholders - and other small items - then took a big break until I had my firstborn in the late 1980's and made him a whole layette set. I also crocheted bootees as baby shower gifts for all my friends having babies!

I have been crocheting professionally since 1997, when I was approached by the then-owner of Curious Goods in Raleigh, North Carolina because I was wearing a crocheted item I made. Little did I know that "seed" would blossom into this terrific venture!

I had featured my designs in up to eight retail stores in North Carolina (some still listed, see below), as well as many satisfied private clients, ranging from the Phish-following crowd, to Rastafarians who have a difficult time in the area finding tams large enough for their dreads, to practitioners of African-based religions through a great friend of mine, Babalawo Ifajakuta, and even devoted members of a sufi order in Chapel Hill, NC (who incidentally told me they would follow me anywhere I went as long as I would make them their cufis!), and everyone in between! Of more recent private clients, Shaman and Reiki Master Standing Bear Thunder Heart absolutely loves his tam!

An Indian Henna Artist Deepika Bhatt told me that "aarti" means "holder of the light" or in other words, a lamp. I didn't know this when I created the name of my venture, as I formed it using the names of my children - now I really DO have a job now, don't I! :-)

In Spring 2000, I was approached to feature two cufi hats in a local Nike Ad (yes, Nike)! I also occasionally vended at reggae and other outdoor festivals in Raleigh and the surrounding area. In fact, Donna, one of the beautiful female backup vocalists in the internationally-known reggae band Steel Pulse, got one of my tams when they were in town! Folk Artist (and a HECK of a guitar player!) Andy Kuncl also has a skullcap from me. Now - if Lauryn Hill would just find my site ;-)

From July of 2000 to August 2003, I was located in my hometown of San Diego, California where I met my incredible webmaster Dave. Because of Dave, I decided at that time to provide my retail internet customers better service and stopped doing wholesale entirely, but decided to keep the list of stores on my site to support them as they had supported me.

In the last part of 2003, I moved to my birthplace in the Bitterroot Valley in Hamilton, Montana, attended the Annual HempFest in Missoula and met Kristen of Authentic Creations (see listing below) and I decided again to put some of my creations on consignment (I realize how much I missed doing that!). In the last part of 2004, my husband Ray learned how to crochet and now makes some of the hats at Authentic Creations. At the same time, I was approached by a wonderful friend, Annie of "Twigs and Brews," a natural cosmetic venture, to create bath products with the Hungarian Hemp Yarn (to be also sold at Authentic Creations), and some of these are now featured at Rainbow's End Health Food Store in Hamilton! And, as Spirit would have in store, a trip to Spokane, Washington that was originally intended for family purposes (involving the airport) ended up landing another store account, Piece of Mind! And in late 2005, we secured our first online store with Jah Razah hailing from New Orleans - and needed to go online due to evacuation from Katrina. In early October, 2006, People Magazine had published photos recently taken of Mary-Kate Olsen wearing a Red Tam and inquiries poured in and they added my link for purchasing information! You can see MY version here! What an autumn season we are anticipating!

I look forward to nurturing AarTiana Custom Crochet to grow - and since I did name my crochet business after my kids, it is funny how businesses are very similar to kids - they really do have a life of their own! Thank you, Spirit, for the gift of this wonderful opportunity of creative expression that enriches so many lives! :-)

Raleigh, NC:
Curious Goods, 3010 Hillsborough St. 919/834-8628, curiouskim AT earthlink DOT net
Buddha's Belly, 2112 Hillsborough St. 919/664-8099

Charlotte, NC:
Reggae Central, 1506 Central Ave. 704/37-RASTA (377-2782)

New Orleans, LA (now on the Web due to Katrina):
Jah Razah, specializing in Hand-Crafted, Natural Products, particularly from the Carribean Regions.

Missoula, MT:
Authentic Creations, 123 W. Main St. 406/543-8822
Burley's Mercantile, 1916 Brooks Street (across from Osco Drug) 406/542-1730

Hamilton, MT:
Rainbow's End Health Foods, 910 North 1st St. 406/363-1626

Spokane, WA:
Piece of Mind (Northside), 4301 N. Division 509/484-8420