It all began with a picture book and an idea.

When I was a child, I bought a kit to crochet a Bert doll. With only the instructions in the kit (there was no Internet back then), I set out to teach myself crochet. Needless to say, it ended horribly, and I hung up my crochet hook, where it would remain for over 40 years.

I was at a wedding shower when the bride-to-be was gifted an amazing patchwork blanket. I thought it was knitted, and I set out to find a pattern to create one of my own (I have been knitting every since my mother taught me how over 30 years ago). The more I looked for a pattern, the more I wondered if the blanket hadn’t been crocheted. Two years ago, I made it my summer project to teach myself how to crochet.

I published my first children’s picture book in 2020. The main character was a hedgehog. My second picture book also featured a hedgehog, my third and fourth a unicorn, and my fifth a hippo. I wondered if it wouldn’t it be a great idea if I had a stuffed version of my character to sell along with my books. I found patterns online that looked like my characters and created them.

At a recent gift show, someone was selling crocheted keychains. My daughter liked them and asked me if I could make one. That was last Christmas, and I haven’t stopped making them since.

The crocheted figures I make are called Amigurumi, “the Japanese craft of crocheting small stuffed toys, such as animals, play food, or dolls,” and there are a wide range of patterns available.

I’ve branded these as “backpack buddies.” I am attending the Sweet Week Market at the Bathurst Jewish Community Centre on 10 September 2023, where I will be debuting most of these designs. Here are a few of them:

More to come.