Worldwide Artist Blog-Hop

*DenDennis is the fab amigurumi designer behind the popular amigurumi books Prettig Gestoorde Amigurumi’s and CombiGurumi. Those familiar with his work know that his designs are oh-so-fun and quirky. If you haven’t seen them yet, you may want to click here. 🙂

Read DenDennis’ answers here.

And now onto the questions!

WHY I DO WHAT I DO? Everyone needs a creative outlet. Mine is designing amigurumi. This is such a fun craft. And super addictive too! I first picked up a hook in 2012 and haven’t put it down since. 😀

WHAT AM I WORKING ON NOW? A lot of projects actually! I have more WIPs than I care to admit. I’m not the most organized person and I get distracted very easily by new ideas that keep popping in my head while I’m in a middle of a project. This leads to many half completed, discarded projects. So, though I’m working on some winter/Holiday themed amigurumi designs at the moment, I’m not sure how many of them will actually see the light of day. 😮

HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF ITS GENRE? My amigurumi patterns are meant for cheaters, people like myself who want to make amigurumis that look somewhat detailed (and, at times, complicated) but can’t be bothered to go through complicated steps to achieve that look. I also use a lot of wire frames in my amigurumis that make them poseable. Though I enjoy making amigurumis for kids, I have way more fun making designs for the grownups.

HOW DOES MY CREATIVE PROCESS WORK? I will probably need a flowchart to explain my creative process because it’s more of a jumble than a streamlined process but I’ll try explaining it without one. 😉

I usually start with drinking copious amounts of coffee and scribbling mindlessly on my notebook. Once I have a rough sketch of what I want, I sit down and start working on this project (though there are times when I skip sketching and jump right into crocheting). Midway through the design, I pause to scribble ideas that have a knack for popping up in my head at the most inopportune moments. Sometimes I continue working on project number one; other times I put it aside to work “just a few rounds” of my brand spankin’ new project number two and end up forgetting about the original project entirely (remember what I told you about distractions?). For me, it’s not just about creating something but also having fun doing it. So if that means discarding projects that no longer interest me, so be it.

While working on a new design, I also take down round by round notes and step-by-step photographs, which I’ll use later during the pattern writing stage. Finally, I celebrate the end of a project with another mug of coffee. And then the doodling starts again. 🙂

I’m now inviting four of my favorite amigurumi artists to join this blog hop and I hope they will answer these same four questions.

Jane from Jennyandteddy: I was able to make my first ever amigurumi in 2012, thanks to Jane and her generosity. Her blog is full of free, easy to follow amigurumi tutorials and patterns. If you are new to amigurumi making, her blog should be your next stop.

Vanja Grundmann from Amigurumibb: Vanja is an amigurumi ninja. Her designs are amazing and her patterns are free! Be sure to visit her site if you haven’t already. You’ll be amazed by her creativity.

Ilaria Caliri from Airali Handmade: Author of the hugely successful Amigurumi Winter Wonderland, lovely Ilaria makes the cutest designs. You’ll find her work in all of the popular Zoomigurumi series and Amigurumi Animals at Work.

Rachel H from Little Yarn Friends: Rachel is one of the designers who inspired me to take up the hook. Her love for animals is another thing that makes me love her more.

That’s all for now, folks! Until next time, be good and keep hookin’!