It's taken 6 months of puttering, but it's very exciting to finally be launching a proper artist website - this is it!
Maybe you don't know me yet. I'm Lydia Hansen, a crochet artist based in southeast Minnesota, currently living in Rochester, MN. I make things from yarn.
Maybe you don't know what to find on this website. You'll find an online store where you can directly purchase my crochet art, including crochet paintings, crochet fungus, crochet jewelry, crochet stuffed animals, crochet plants...a key word is "crochet". That's what I do here.
Maybe you don't see the crochet thing you were hoping to find. Not to worry. I accept commissions and have a commission form linked at the bottom of my page (any page, just keep scrolling down, you'll find it). Fill out the form with your details and I'll be in touch.
Maybe you wanted to see my large-scale work or past exhibitions you missed. I have an artist portfolio now! I'm so official! That's its own page and will grow as I secure more opportunities to do these types of projects.
Some housekeeping:
Lydia, WTF is an "amigurumi" and how do you say it?
"Amigurumi" is a compound of Japanese words for "crochet/knitting" and "stuffed doll" and is generally used to refer to the finished products as well as the practicing of making them. It's pronounced "AH-ME-goo-roo-me".
Lydia, how did you learn to crochet - can I do that???
I learned to crochet when I was about 12 years old. An aunt gave me a day or two of instruction, and left me with an instruction book that had pictures to guide me through the basics. I crocheted off and on during my teens, then discovered amigurumi when I was 18. That's when my interest in crochet really took off.
Lydia, where do you get your ideas from?
My noggin. The world around me. Doodles on paper. Projects made by other fiber artists. Ideas suggested by folks at markets. It varies.
Lydia, why is everything so expensive?
There is no such thing as a crochet machine. Everything I make is 100% by hand and takes as long as it takes. Even for a crocheter who's been doing this for over a decade, it's still a process of multiple hours to make the vast majority of my pieces. I have to price according to the amount of time invested in my art, but I am able to keep my prices lower by utilizing secondhand items wherever possible.
All the planters used for my succulent/cacti are thrifted, secondhand finds. I get my picture frames from garage sales. The wood is foraged. Most of my yarn is scraps from other fiber artists' stashes and makes use of the dibs and dabs leftover after bigger projects. Reusing and repurposing found objects is a cornerstone of my art practice, but time remains my biggest expense - hence why prices are what they are.
Lydia, how come you only have one of [insert item]?
My crochet paintings and fungal art are freeform. As such, I don't follow a pattern or write down my stapes, so they're 100% one-of-a-kind. My amigurumi are usually made from patterns designed by other crochet artists, but due to time or the limitations of my yarn/planter stash, there are very few that are exactly identical. I am not a crochet factory, and I get bored making the same thing over and over again. That's why you'll rarely find more than one or two of an item in my store.
Welcome to Amigurumi Horde! Sign up for emails to be notified of when I'll be at a market possibly near you, or when I have big shop restocks coming, OR when I have other major news.
Thanks for being here. You're pretty cool. :)
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