Jan Baxter
Posted By Craft Corps on May 15, 2009
Jan Baxter
Name: Jan Baxter
Age: 36
Location: Alberta Canada
Profession: Mother
Craft(s) of Choice: mostly jewelery making and crochet, but also a bit of sewing and anything else that looks fun!
Blog: http://wiremysoul.blogspot.com
I grew up learning to crochet at the knee of my mother, who made gloriously cosy afghans. That’s what crochet was to me, big, comfy blankets made with love, that took a long time to craft. I didn’t have the attention span, motivation or desire to work on the same project for months on end, so I left the hooks alone for years and years. Two years ago, while browsing for inspiration on the internet (and making jewellery), I discovered amigurumi. Hannah Kaminsky had posted her “Birds of a Feather” pattern on her blog, Bittersweet. I gave it a try and was addicted instantly! A crochet project that could be finished in an afternoon… or even, dare I say, an HOUR?! Sign me up!
With the skills Hannah’s pattern taught me, I was soon designing my own amigurumi, and my friends were asking me how I did it. I made a video just for them and put it on YouTube. Who knew there was a huge “How To” category on there? Who could predict thousands of viewers asking me to make more? Not I, that’s for sure! Now I have several videos up and regular messages in my inbox asking for advice and requests for more demonstrations.
Amigurumi were my biggest sellers at craft fairs last winter, and though tendonitis is holding me back lately, I plan to design and make more this year, as well as sharing some more of my patterns on my DeviantART journal, blog and Ravelry.
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