As a child, my siblings and I often stayed at my aunt's daycare while my parents worked. Those memories included educational computer games like Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo, the Veggie Tales show and movies, and crocheting. My Aunt Peaches is an amazing crocheter, creating dresses for dolls as well as hats and scarfs for her friends and family. I remember learning basic stitches from her and enjoying the actvity of crocheting. Yet, I don't remember actually making anything, so crocheting became a forgotten pasttime as I grew older.
Fast forward to Summer 2023 and I start to see all these crochet kits from the Woobles on Instagram. Inspriation for writing (novels, poetry, or whatever) has been next to nil. Most of my personal coding projects are more about refactoring than creating. And gaming (at least my preferred sort) doesn't provide that same creative spark. Remembering that I did like the rythmic movement of crocheting, I bought a set of kits that ranged from beginner to intermidate.
Meet Pierre the Penguin, my first ever completed amigurumi (Japanese meaning "crocheted or knitted stuffed toy"). He is a little lopsided and one of his fins seems to be bigger than the other mostly due to inconsistent tension. Yet, I am very proud of him and for a first attempt, I would deem him a success. After completing Pierre and receiving encouragement from family and friends, I kept going. I first completed the Woobles kits, and then I got some more kits. After that, I searched the Internet for free patterns, discovered Raverly (a social media site for knitters and crocheters), and bought entirely too much yarn. 😅 It all resides in a one of those giant decorative baskets that my mother originally bought from me to store blankets. I mean, technically, it stores the products that I would use to make blankets. 🤷🏽♀️
In the seven months that I have been crocheting, I have created bears, cats, pokemon, dinosaurs, a cow, a bearded lizard (that kinda looks like a frog from the front), several catarons (a cat-shaped macaron), a cat-tus (a catcus-shaped cat), a puppy, a hippo in a dress, and Perry the Platypus. To say that I have been inspired is an understatement. Crocheting is an activity I enjoy due to its rhythmic and relaxing nature, allowing my overactive mind to simulate the zen of a nothing box. I also get a cute little guy out of it. I tend to have a lot of little guys hanging around since I can usually complete an amigurumi in about two to three days. If it's small enough, I can even complete it in a few hours. While I am not creating a crochet business, my mother suggested that I put any extra I'm not giving away up on my Ko-fi store. So, if you're looking for a cute gift to a family member or friend, check out what's available.
And now with March coming to a close, I hope all of my fellow crocheters had a happy national crochet month! Until next time.
