Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Ana Paula Rimoli Interview

I have mentioned before that I am a huge fan of amigurumi. Once I discovered my love for crochet, it was all over. I really wish I had more time for it these days. I am so glad people like Ana exist. She was a wonderful person to work with for the Plush You book, she has always been very generous and most importantly, her creations are adorable. Any age would love a treat from Ana OR from you as you can make your own. You can get her patterns on her Etsy shop or purchase her new book, Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet. The title sums it up. You can also leave a comment here (with your email or way to contact you) and possibly win your very own signed copy directly from the creator herself!



S- When did you begin making amigurumi toys?

AP- I started making lots of them when I was pregnant with Oli (5), but I had made some (without knowing they were "amigurumi") when I was little (I started crocheting when I was 6 or 7)



S- Were you a huge hit on etsy right away? How did you try to increase your etsy business?

AP- At the time I was working full time in an office type place, and wasn't taking Etsy that seriously. Once Martina was born (she'll be 2 in September!) and I was in maternity leave I started making a lot more toys & patterns and posting a lot more and finally realized that I could Etsy full time, and I quit! :) I've never done too much advertising, but I did join Flickr right away and started posting in different amigurumi/craft related groups. I think that's helped a lot!



Read full interview here and Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a signed copy of Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet!

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

So adorable! I love the shiny black eyes; they add so much character.

ana lilia said...

i love ana's work! i have admired her work for a while and even tried to make my own amigurumi, but it just wasn't as cute as hers. i didn't know she had a book out and now that i do, i would love to win it!

Neus said...

I love Ana's stuff. It always makes me want to do lots of toys for my baby

Kassie said...

Thank you for acknowledging Ana's talent. She's marked as a favorite on my Etsy. I started amigurumi because of her inspiration.

Way Out Wear said...

OMG! I love Ana's creations! And would love to win her book of patterns!

smoose003 said...

Ooh-ooh-ooooh! I have really been wanting to try amigurumi. Ana has some uber cute patterns. I am totaly jealous that she is able to do Etsy full time.

Justin said...

I prefer making amigurumi instead of making other things; I always find it harder to concentrate on scarves/blankets/any other variations on a big rectangle. I haven't had as much time to make anything lately, though; I really need to get back to doing that...^_^

Anonymous said...

These are soo sweet! I would love to learn how to make these, I've only been able to work on rectangle things like scafs and blankets miadudesigns at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

How adorable! My only problem with amigurumi is keeping it away from my cats. They think I keep making them their own personal toys!

Anonymous said...

I just taught myself to crochet a couple of days ago. I've been a knitter for a long time, but I love the way crochet looks, and I'm dying to learn to make some amigurumi for my baby niece to play with!

Bern said...

Her work is absolutely adorable. I would love to win the book (burnadebt at gmail).

Anonymous said...

I love Ana. I'm still working on her Katamari Prince design (I'm a slow crafter, but I have a friends helping me). I'd love to see more of her work, and I'm glad she's made a full-time career out of what she loves to do.

Christina said...

her work is adorable! amigurumi sounds like a great craft to learn -- small, manageable, but much less stuffy than endless numbers of lace coasters. =)

moonRabbit said...

I really like the amigurumi made by her. I frequently visit her blogs. The stuffs she made are all very cute.

kjw said...

What a little purler!

Kimberly Pye said...

I want the signed copy! I'll give my friend my other one! :-) We both LOVE Ana's stuff (but she doesn't have the book yet). :-(

kimberlypye at gmail dot com

Misty Fowler said...

My son just loves stuffed animals, and last Christmas I crocheted some for both of my sons that would fall under amigurumi, I think. They keep asking me when I'm going to do more, and I can't wait. I'm working on one for my grandmother, and I have a few other projects ahead of them. But, I love that the projects are so small I can take them with me when I go places.

Akhila's Handblog said...

I love Ana's work and all her friends. She's such an inspiration as well. She got met totally "hooked" to crocheting and little toys.
Akhila

Melody said...

I'm just learning to crochet. I'll so looking forward to making amigurmi.

Patricia said...

I keep trying to make critters like these and I keep failing miserably.