STITCH LOVER

Who: Carmen Jorissen What: Crafty Queens blogger

You should know: Dutch Scheepjes blogger Carmen caught our eye with her flocks of stunning amigurumi birds, and kept our attention with rainbow cardigans and more.

“I actually learnt to crochet in primary school, but stopped doing it soon after learning,” she says. That all changed while she was studying abroad for a year in her early twenties. “My mum sent me some DIY crochet kits to make nostalgic Dutch treats. From that moment, I’ve never put my hook down!”

Carmen soon mastered the art of creating shapes such as spheres, ovals, rectangles and squares, and realised it would be simple to create her own designs using those skills. “I started with amigurumi – dolls, animals and different kinds of fruits with cute smiley faces. I loved to see my creations come alive!”

Carmen remains an amigurumi fan. “It’s very satisfying to complete something in an afternoon,” she says. “But lately I’ve been really into garment design.”

By far her proudest crochet moment was participating in the first round of the Mollie

Makes Handmade Awards. “I won the Youth category with my triangular crochet birds!”

Carmen has just started making DIY kits, with the first one containing everything needed to make her amigurumi birds. “I call them Birds in a Box,” she says. “Each box contains enough materials for three birds – either Betsy the Bluebird or Eugene the Robin. I’m very excited to see how it goes. I already have ideas for upcoming kits!”