Dive into the imaginative world of Projectarian in this exclusive Q&A, and get a sneak peek of the upcoming #UnderwaterTailsCAL.
We're thrilled to spotlight an exciting collaboration that's been creating waves of anticipation at Hobbii. 🌊👀
Dive into the colorful and imaginative world of Projectarian, a renowned crochet designer known for her playful amigurumi patterns. With a following of more than 60K on Instagram, Jessie from Projectarian has captured the hearts of crocheters worldwide with her designs that are not just patterns, but true crafting adventures!
In an exclusive collaboration with Hobbii, Projectarian is bringing her unique flair and imaginative designs to a Mystery Crochet Along (CAL) that promises to be unlike anything we've seen before.
Psst! The project, named #UnderwaterTailsCAL, kicks off on June 5th. Want to join? Grab your kit right HERE! 🐠🐙🐚
We had the pleasure of chatting with Jessie for a Meet the Designer Q&A session. Continue reading to get to know the designer behind the upcoming CAL, discover her inspiration and design process, and maybe even catch a few hints about the Mystery CAL along the way! Are you ready to dive into it? 🐳 (pun intended!) 😉
1. When and why did you start crocheting?
"My main hobby before crochet was sewing, but in 2015, I broke my foot and couldn't use my sewing machine pedal for several weeks. Around that time, a few of my friends and family members were expecting babies, and I wanted to make them gifts.
One of the gifts was a unicorn swaddling blanket sewn by hand. When it came to the horn, I asked my mum for advice on how to make one. She suggested crocheting it and offered to teach me. I was totally against learning crochet, but she convinced me, and I’m so glad that she did because it triggered a bottomless obsession.
Nine years later, I still can’t get enough! Crochet is limitless - you can create any shape that you can imagine - and I could spend a lifetime exploring that."
2. What is unique about your amigurumi universe?
"Most of my characters have space-themed names because it feels majestic and romantic to me, as I love the idea of fantasy space exploration. Design-wise, I love to create life-sized creatures to set them apart and submit my own unique offering to the crochet community.
I always aim for a balance of cuteness and realism in my animals, with a splash of fantasy and fun in the colors I use. Nothing brings me more joy than developing an intricate little nose for a lemur or individual toes for a hippo, and giving all my animals friendly, sparkling eyes."
3. What role does the online crochet community play in your creative work?
"I am lucky to have an incredibly warm and friendly community supporting my work. My Instagram followers are precious treasures. I love interacting with them, and there's nothing more rewarding than when a pattern I designed brings someone enjoyment in their life and growth in their crocheting skills.
Having hobbies is a blessing and a gift, and I can't believe that my job is to contribute to the enjoyment of others during their leisure activity, especially one so wholesome and beneficial for our minds as crocheting is. I'm eternally grateful to my community for giving me this job. Their positive reviews invigorate me, and I hope I can continue to please them."
4. What does your design process look like from idea to finished project?
"I keep a list of ideas to draw from whenever it's time to start a new project. After choosing the type of amigurumi I want to make, I like to research existing patterns to ensure I can create something different from what's already out there, to offer something new to the world.
Then, I'll research real animals for proportional references and fantasy characters for 'cuteness' references. I choose my materials, and then it's time to start crocheting, so I pick a body part to begin with. I usually start with the most complex part and make it as small as I can because that dictates the scale of the finished model.
Designing is an exercise in trial and error, but once it's done, I'll draft a pretty pattern document and then it's time to test the pattern. My test team will pick through the pattern, and I'll edit any mistakes out until it's perfect, and our little critter is ready to be let loose into the world!"
5. How did you come up with the pattern for the #UnderwaterTailsCAL?
"Making reversible amigurumi is tricky, so when deciding on a creature combo, it starts with being mindful about the shapes of the two models and how they might be able to fit together (but it also has to be something that sounds appealing for me to design - haha!).
Gumdrop and Juju are two animals I've wanted to make for a long time – and they are captivating creatures that so many people love – so I was thrilled that they were ultimately the perfect fit for this collaboration with Hobbii.”
6. How do you work with storytelling in this CAL?
“When I'm quite far into a project and I know exactly how the model is going to look, I start thinking about its name, its individual personality, and a backstory. I was enamored with the specific type of Hobbii yarn that I used for Gumdrop and Juju, so it came naturally for them to have a candy-related story; it just had to be set in an underwater candy landscape with some kind of magical mystery to uncover by diving into the sparkling depths.
As we learn in their backstory, our characters are the guardians of magic candy that other sea life consume to gain the ability of bioluminescence. They bedazzle us with their fantastical secrets and ultimately leave us with a special memento as proof that the unbelievable experience really happened – a token of a special memory to be cherished."
Read the backstory tale from Projectarian here:
7. What did you enjoy the most about the CAL design process?
"Choosing which colors to use is a lot of fun, but the absolute best part is when you have to study the shape and proportions of the real-life animal you're trying to replicate. There's always something beautifully unique and miraculous about each one.
I also loved working with the specific yarns that we chose for this project; they definitely influenced the vibe of the CAL and our characters' personalities. I would also like to say that Hobbii has been the best company I've had the pleasure of collaborating with. They are infinitely friendly, professional, gracious, and generous, and I love their products too."
8. What excites you the most about the upcoming Mystery CAL?
"There are so many things I'm excited about! I can't wait for everyone to see how beautiful the kits are. And I’m very much looking forward to the fun that we have planned for the build-up before the CAL. It's going to be super fun watching everybody's progress during the CAL, and I'm excited for the mystery animals to be revealed at the end – to see everyone's reaction!
I also can't wait to see all the finished models that everyone is going to make. It's very exciting to be part of a big event that has been planned with such care and attention to detail – it's packed to the gills with fun, yet everything is so well organized, and that thrills me!"
9. Why join this CAL?
"This is a highly accessible project. Although it's rated as intermediate, I am confident that beginners will have no trouble following along with the content that I have carefully packed into the pattern and videos for you. I always go to great lengths to make my patterns easy to follow and ensure everyone has support if they need help. If you're on the fence, definitely take the leap – we've got you!
The kits are absolutely STUNNING, the amigurumi itself is adorable, interesting, and satisfying to crochet. It's going to be a big event, loaded with all kinds of fun, and you must join us!"
10. What are your top 3 amigurumi tips?
“1 – Use the recommended supplies, it always gives you the best chance for success.
2 – Learning new things takes effort but the rewards are worth it!
3 – We crochet because we love it – so don’t forget to enjoy your projects.”
Want to join Projectarians fun Mystery Crochet-Along?
Get a sneak peek here ↓
