My Crochet Story
Hi there, I’m Julia!
I’m an amigurumi pattern designer and based in Seattle, who loves all things yarn related. On any given day, you can catch me snuggled up with a book or with yarn in hand dreaming up my next cuddly friend. I first discovered crochet and amigurumi (the Japanese art of crochet toys) during college when I came across the most adorable stuffed bears online one day. At first I was convinced that I could never learn how to make anything as intricate-looking and complicated as amigurumi, but the next day I went to Michael’s and picked out my first crochet hook and ball of yarn. After a few days of failure and restarts, I finished my first amigurumi— a little blue whale! Even though it was far from pretty, it was enough to make me fall in love with the craft.
Since then I have begun creating my own designs to bring more of my ideas into reality. I absolutely adore all things cute and miniature, so bringing little characters to life gives me so much joy. Most of my creations are inspired by my other passions: classical music, books of all kinds, musicals, opera, and more. It makes me so excited to be able to express my passions and increase the amount of cuteness in the world!
I began designing amigurumi in the summer of 2020 by sharing my patterns on Instagram. Since then, I’ve had the honor of being featured in several publications, including:
- Crochet Now Issue 67
- Knotions Digital Magazine
- Clover USA’s Blog
- Furls Crochet’s Blog
- The Loopy Lamb Featured Maker
- The Skeiniac Tester Tuesday Profile
If you also love all things cute and small, stay in touch with me on my quest to fill the world with adorable crochet friends! Sign up for my newsletter below or follow me on Instagram for more frequent updates.
My Personal Story
I grew up in the suburbs of Boston, and recently graduated Williams College in the Berkshires majoring in Classics, Chinese, and Comparative Literature. Now, I live and work in Seattle with my partner and army of teddy bears, where I spend all my free time eating at as many new restaurants as possible!
Although I’ve been immersed in and loved many endeavors that could objectively be called creative, I’ve never considered myself an artist until recently.
Growing up, I nurtured a deep and undying love of reading and literature that continues to this day. Since beginning the Boxcar Children series in first grade, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t actively thinking about reading, excited about reading, or looking for new books to read. What I read runs the gamut, spanning from YA, fantasy, classics, and literary fiction (whatever that means), and poetry. For several years in high school I reviewed every book I read on a personal blog, Between the Lines, as a way to encourage myself to both read and write more. I cherish poetry of all kinds deeply as a way to find truth in the world, and love memorizing it to be able to have those words close to me — a passion that sparked my studies in college.
I also have a passion for classical music, which began when I started playing cello in fourth grade as part of a school program. Although I had played piano for a few years previously, being able to be a part of orchestra and chamber groups made classical music one of the most exquisitely powerful experiences of my life. I played in a premier youth orchestra, the Boston Youth Symphony, at the end of high school, eventually going on international tour to Leipzig, Germany, and playing in the Gewandhaus with a resident youth choir. As a member of BYS, I performed two semi-staged operas (Eugene Onegin and Carmen) in Harvard’s Sanders Theater, experiences that left an indelible imprint on my mind.
I’ve spent much of my life deeply passionate about stories, both in a written medium and also a musical one. Programmatic music is especially intriguing to me (including operas and programmatic pieces like Scheherazade and La Valse), but until I began my crochet and amigurumi journey I never felt myself to be a personally creative or artistic person. Playing music involves a degree of musicality and creativity, and I push myself to write nonfiction as a way to express myself with words, but I had never felt a sense of pure, unadulterated creativity where I was able to make something out of nothing, or bring an idea in my mind into reality.
Designing amigurumi has proved to be that outlet for me, where I’m able to both create designs inspired by stories that I adore, and also write about them on this blog. Inspired by music, I’ve designed an amigurumi Carmen (from Carmen), Royal Lion (from The Carnival of the Animals), and the Sugar Plum Fairy (from the Nutcracker). From my love of literature, I’ve created the Little Prince (from The Little Prince) and Almanzo the Farmer Boy (from The Little House on the Prairie). Of course, I enjoy making designs that are simply cute as well, but when I’m able to draw inspiration from a particular passion of mine, the result can be quite magical.
Outside of my artistic interests, I also love traveling and learning about and from others. One of my favorite parts of starting this blog has been the many kindred souls that I’ve been able to meet, from Indonesia to Poland, all of whom have enriched my life and that I’m so grateful to be able to share my passion with. So far, my favorite places to travel have been Athens (especially Aegina), Singapore (for the water features), and Taiwan (bubble tea!!!!). In the future, I’d love to be able visit Rome, Japan, and Portland!
I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about me and that you’ll stick around! If we have something in common, please drop me a line on Instagram or email me at littleworldofwhimsy@gmail.com. I’d love to meet you!
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