COSY CROCHET

Who: Jess Coppom What: Made and Do Crew stitcher

You should know: “In third grade, parents came into our class to teach us life skills,” recalls Denver resident Jess. “I was thrilled when my mum showed us how to crochet because I’d been watching her work her yarn magic my whole life. I was fascinated.”

After spending much of her childhood making afghans, Jess branched out when she hit college. “I’d see a photo of something or a shirt in a store and set to work figuring out how it was made so I could create my own.”

More recently, Jess has fallen in love with crocheting shoes. “As a kid, I wanted to be a running shoe designer,” she says. “I feel like my crochet shoe and boot patterns with flip flop soles indulge the little kid in me, while allowing me to design something that’s super functional. It’s empowering to make something you can use and feel proud of.”

When Jess initially launched her blog, it covered a range of craft and DIY projects. “I found myself always wishing I was creating a crochet tutorial instead of other craft projects,” she admits. “I finally leaned into that intuition and decided to hone in on crochet. It has proved immensely rewarding to have a narrow focus that I love.”

Currently Jess is collaborating with Lion Brand Yarn. “I’m really looking forward to designing with a few of their new lines of yarn,” she comments. “And of course, there will be more shoes – always shoes!”