AMIGURUMI AND ME!
My first attempt at crochet, or specifically amigurumi, was frustrating. It was during early days of covid and I was managing a team of engineers at the birb. We wanted to see if doing crochet together over a video call would be a good team experience.
The team experience was good. We bonded over being newbies as we attempted to create a blue penguin from a Woobles kit. It put us in a place of feeling more comfortable with each other b/c we were struggling and laughing together (take note aspiring managers!).
Now my own experience with the project? Terrible. I wasn’t sure what kind of stitches I should be doing and didn’t know how to count my rounds. My yarn frayed constantly. In trying to debug my work, I unraveled the entire thing and couldn’t get back on track. Later, that kit ended up in my donation pile during my annual home decluttering sessions.
A couple years passed and I wanted to give it another shot. I bought another Woobles kit. Not entirely sure why. Maybe it was the reduced price. Maybe it was the continued draw of being able to create my own toys. This time, there were some very noticeable changes: beginner friendly yarn that doesn’t fray and VIDEOS!! That updated kit was my gateway to a new hobby (interest? maybe addiction?).
It’s definitely a divergence from my drawing. I usually spend my creative energy sketching in a journal or making doodles on my iPad via Procreate or Adobe Fresco. (Lately, it’s been more Procreate thanks to their latest stance on AI art generation).
I found that it’s been really helpful for me to take a break from 2D art. It’s also been very inspiring to see how shapes are formed with a simple piece of yarn. There are tons of patterns out there that I found irresistibly cute, but also inspiring. One of my favorites right now is the Sanitation Worker Racoon (TRASH PANDA!!!! And I’m currently working on it!). This is the kind of humor I aspire towards!
Why is this important to me? There’s a lot of elements here that are hard to distill, but I’ll say:
It makes my inner child very happy. I grew up in a very poor household, so hobbies were considered a luxury especially if they required materials that weren’t already at home (buying yarn and hooks vs pencil and paper which I already had by nature of school)
It tickles my creativity in other ways. I sometimes feel like I’m in a rut. And with anything, taking a break and doing something else will give me a fresh pair of eyes.
Inspiration can go 2 ways. I think it’s been inspiring me to draw cute things. Also my drawings have been making me think about designing my own crochet toys.