Meet the Maker
Hi, I’m Jasmine! I’m the "bitter melon" behind Bittermeloncrochets. I picked up a crochet hook in 2020 as a pandemic hobby and immediately fell in love with the craft. What started as a way to ease anxiety has blossomed into a passion project rooted in culture and care.
My heritage as a Vietnamese-American is the heartbeat of my designs. I chose the name Bittermeloncrochets as a tribute to Khổ Qua, a traditional dish that sits at the center of many family memories. For me, this space is a gentle celebration of my roots and a canvas for the things I love most.
BittermelonBlog is where I share my own patterns and designs, post reviews about crochet products I like (or dislike), and connect with all of you!
Thank you so much for visiting. I hope you stay a while and explore more of my crochet shenanigans.
What is a Bitter Melon?
Also known as a Bitter Gourd, or in Vietnamese “Khổ Qua."
As a child, my mother made the traditional dishes of Stuffed Bitter Melon Soup and Bitter Melon with Eggs often. Whenever my sisters and I discovered we were eating bitter melon for dinner, we groaned in protest. My mom would reply, "it's good for your health. And helps cure cancer. Eat it!"
I not too sure about the whole cancer thing, but there has been articles linked to many health benefits of eating bitter melon. I tried and tried for many years to include the bitter gourd into my diet, but it was SO BITTER. I thought I'd never come to like this dish. To this day I still find the dish bitter, but on a recent eat I actually enjoyed the bitterness mixed with the pork flavor. I guess it's true, you enjoy the bitter flavor as you grow older.
Anyways, I was visiting home one day and in the midst of working on a crochet project, my mother told me she was cooking bitter melon for dinner. I groaned and laughed being reminded of my childhood days, but it thrust me into the creation of "Bittermeloncrochets."