In the World of Crochet
Every crochet designer has a passion. Some are known for their clothing, others specialize in afghans and there are those who are inspired to create accessories. Among doll designers, the crochet world is fortunate to have Yolonda Jordan, who creates wonderful and unusual dolls of color.
Yolonda is a crochet designer, a self-proclaimed “one-woman show.” Her dolls are small versions of women, men and children with many hues of brown skin tones and natural hair-inspired hairstyles. As she says on her website, www.myprettybrowndoll.com, “I’m a brown girl who loves the skin she’s in, and this is just my small part in making sure that little and not-so-little brown girls see the ‘pretty’ in every shade of brown.”
As an African American woman, her perspective on her design work is different from other designers. “You see pompoms, I see Afro puffs. How I see the stitches and what they could be or what I want them to represent is different. The use of color in general, where someone else might think it’s too bright or too bold for a doll, I know that [an African American] girl will see it and be like, ‘ That’s me!’” Her work obviously fills a niche that isn’t always seen in crochet magazines, books or on yarn company websites. Yolonda is from a military family that lived in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland and Germany, but always found its way back to North Carolina where she was born and mostly raised. She now lives there in a small rural town and has a 19-year-old son.
She was taught to crochet at age 7 by her great-aunt, who made all the blankets used in Yolonda’s family home. She’s still in awe that one “can take yarn and turn it into a useful, functional thing.” She feels the same pride in her work today as she did when she made her first project, a dishcloth. Yolonda didn’t set out in life with the intent of crocheting for a living. With a bachelor’s degree in political science, she once wanted to be a lawyer. She’s worked briefly as a lobbyist, and had an interesting 12-year career as a hospice care consultant for nonprofit and for-profit hospice organizations. She remains a huge advocate of hospice care.
Earning from crochet began in 2011 when she sold her first crocheted scarf. She opened an Etsy shop on Black Friday that year and made over $300 that day selling hats and scarves. It was still a hobby then, but obviously a spark was lit! She’s been earning a fulltime income since 2017. Her business grew thanks to word-of-mouth publicity and social media. For a time, she posted every day to get her name and work “out there.”
Many designers begin their professional careers selling a pattern to a yarn company or magazine. Not so for Yolonda! All her work has been self-published and -promoted; her first pattern was an infinity scarf released in in 2012 titled DgitCrochet Signature Infinity Scarf. A selection of her dolls are offered as patterns, but the majority of her work is designing and crocheting custom, one-of-a-kind dolls. She also sells non-doll patterns and branded merchandise on her Etsy and Ravelry sites. At the time of this writing, Yolonda was working to increase the number of patterns for sale so she could connect more with crocheters who want to make their own dolls. So what’s so special about Yolonda’s dolls? Her custom work, which starts at $150, offers a long selection of features that will make a doll unlike any other. Click on Custom Doll Request on her website to see the details offered. It’s amazing: 10 colors of yarn for skin tones, 13 different hairstyles ranging from a “teeny weeny Afro” to locs to a full head of “curls for days,” and 12 outfits (some removable) and accessories. Yolonda can add eyeglasses, earrings,
fabric headwraps, and handpainted eyes. Customers can request additional or different features such as a professional uniform (like nurse or firefighter), hair color other than her standard black and colors of clothing. Dolls are offered in 4 styles: classic, curvy, males, and whimsical (mermaids and unicorns!). Browse the dolls in her portfolio and you’ll be delighted at Yolonda’s creations. Each of her dolls stands out for one feature or another, and you’re sure to find your favorite!
In addition to dolls, her website offers workshops and courses in crochet doll making, doll hair, and how to make “the cutest keychain ever.” Students have unlimited access to the classes in a closed Facebook group, as well as to any additional information added to the workshop (at no additional cost).
Although she’s made a few celebrity designs, Yolonda prefers her designs to invoke some type of memory or emotion about the person rather than to have them just look like the person. That’s another reason her dolls are so special: the personalization goes beyond the physical attributes.
Of course, these dolls take time to create. Yolonda makes each herself, and from order placement to shipment, it takes about 4–6 weeks. I interviewed her during the COVID-19 pandemic and asked if and how it had affected her work. Prior to the pandemic, she had already planned to shift her focus to more pattern work and less custom work. The pandemic brought an uptick in pattern and workshop sales, so it’s clear that her forethought steered her business in the right direction during this time of extreme stress. She’s grateful that she was supported throughout the crisis and for the growth of her following.
On the downside, there were problems with mail deliveries, including lost dolls, and she works hard to resolve such issues.
Her heart and hands belong to crochet, so she’s a dedicated hooker for life! She doesn’t consider herself particularly crafty outside of crochet, although she does like gadgets. She owns a sewing machine and equipment for other crafts, but admits that they’re all dust collectors.
Like every crocheter, Yolonda has her hook and yarn preferences. Her go-to hook is a F/5/3.75mm round head. She loves working with natural fibers, not the norm in doll making, but her dolls are keepsakes and not intended as toys. She loves the feel and appearance that natural fibers produce in her designs.
She writes as she designs so she can see the piece come to life. Her “people” stand out among similar dolls by other designers because “I am the secret ingredient.” She loves that her hands can do what no one else’s can, “and that’s the magic!”
There’s no typical day for Yolonda; she’s still working on creating this. She makes a to-do list before bed each night for the next day and then just works through it. Some days are better than others. She’ll pick the top three or four items and work from there. She tries to crochet at least two hours in the morning and a few more hours in the evening. Most of the crochet work is done after the sun goes down.
What’s new and exciting from Yolonda now? At the time of my interview, she was working on her first book of African American crochet dolls, tentatively titled “Adventures of Mia” and scheduled for a spring 2021 release. Mini Mia is not only Yolonda’s first doll pattern, it’s also her favorite design. Look for the downloadable patterns for this adorable little lady and Yolonda’s other delightful creations on Ravelry and Etsy.
For Yolonda’s custom dolls and workshops, go to: www.myprettybrowndoll.com For patterns and branded merchandise: etsy.com/shop/myprettybrowndoll Follow her on Instagram and Facebook: myprettybrowndoll Ravelry (search Designers): dont-get-it-twisted-crochet