Say hello to our Ribblr of the Week: Andrea! (aka @rollingyarn)
Hey! Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m Andrea, at the moment I’m a researcher actually, but I design crochet patterns as a fun little side gig haha.
So when did you start crafting and how?
I’m a self-taught crocheter since 2020 (I’m sure so many people understand lol), and ever since I’ve really been really loving crocheting (I have done a little bit of knitting as well, but I’m not the best yet haha). At the time, it really started as a way to pass the time during lockdown, and I think it’s no hyperbole to say that crochet really got me through 2020 and so much of 2021. It all started when I went on Youtube one day and for some reason had one of those Harry Styles cardigan tutorial videos on my recommended. I don’t listen to Harry Styles at all, but I really liked the look of the cardi, so I thought “sure why not” and the rest is history 
And how did you start designing?
Once I got the hang of what stitches looked like, and what they can be used for, I started thinking up of designs I really wanted but couldn’t find anywhere else, so I started freestyling them. Since I’m The Way I Am, I stated writing detailed information of the process so that, if I ever wanted to remake them, I would have all the information I needed to do so. Eventually, it was my friends actually who suggested making patterns. So I tested the water with a small simple free pattern for two pumpkin amigurumis and it became so much of a hit that it really gave me the urge to keep doing it.
Do you have a favorite craft type and if so - why?
oh, I adore colorwork! I ADORE IT, it’s my favorite thing. I love being able to create such detailed pictures from simple pixel charts. I think that’s also where my fortes lie too, I like being able to design charts and recreate them on crochet, and no two designs are the same.
What was the longest project you worked on?
ooh, I’d have to say my yo-ho-ho sweater. It is a patchwork colorwork sweater, with each patch including a rather detailed colorwork design in a 5"x5" patch which let me say - the smaller a chart is, the harder it is to get all the details, so it took so long to create them in a way that looked great. I also had to individually block them, and I added interface at the back so I could add some embroidered details as well. So each patch took a very long time, and then putting it all together AND adding the sleeves and hemming took long too haha. But it’s the design I’m most proud of, I put a lot of my time and love into it.
And the shortest one? (excluding frogging! 
)
probably the pumpkin amigurumis! I think it took me a day to make both and write up the design, then another day to proofread the design haha.
What are you currently working on? Be honest - how many WIP do you have right now? 
– omg, ok so… I have a LOT of design ideas I want to do but the one’s I’ve started at the moment are: I got this storage box that I want to cover up with a crochet cover and make it look like a die. I finished the cover for the lid but then ran out of yarn, so the box has been sitting naked on my floor until I go buy the yarn haha. Then I’m halfway through making this super elaborate colorwork kimono-style cardigan. I finished the front and back panels, but still haven’t started the sleeves, and I need to weave in the ends and block the panels I’ve finished… it’s going to be a while. Apart from those two, I also have this fisherman’s vest that I’ve been working on-and-off since like November 2022. I’m using mohair silk yarn so it’s been quite cumbersome lol. I’m halfway through the second panel, tho, so after that, it’s just a matter of putting the panels together, and then the hem. I think that’s it for the WIPs.
Which of your makes/designs are you most proud of?
For sure, my yo-ho-yo sweater, I poured so much love into it, and I wear it all the time (weather permitting). It’s pretty niche, I think, but I really love it.
With that in mind, what is your usual process of designing?
It depends on the thing I want to make. If it’s a wearable, I usually would doodle a design of more or less what I want, then break it down into panels so I know what shapes they would need to be, how I would need to make it (e.g. top down, bottom up, etc.). Then I figure out the measurements I want for them, and start designing it, while I write up my notes and take pics of the process, in case I decide to write a pattern for it. If it’s a non-wearable – say, a tapestry, then the process is more straightforward. I get an idea for a design, I draw up the design, and turn it into a chart of the size I want, then it’s time to crochet, and I clean up the chart as I go based on how the stitches end up looking in real life.
What inspires you to create/design?
Everything and anything hahahaha. I get inspiration from many different sources, sometimes movies or shows or characters I really like, or like specific aesthetics. Right now, I’ve been really into traditional American tattoo style, so a lot of my most recent designs have been inspired by that style.
That’s awesome!
And now time for some pop culture. Any favorite song, book or movie you would like to recommend?
Cracker Island by Gorillaz and Bronco by Orville Peck have been albums that have become my entire personality this year lol. The Chain is always a go-to for me as well. I think the last movie I saw was The Batman (FANTASTIC, AMAZING, SHOWSTOPPING–), and for shows, like. Our Flag Means Death has had me in its grips since March last year (A WHOLE YEAR), so. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who likes pirates, comedy (that Taika Waititi special blend of tragedy and comedy). A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara has been a great book as well, I think the last book I’ve read.
Thank you for all those recommendations!
It’s Monday- care to share a funny story that happened to you recently?
I moved recently to a new country, and before moving into my flat, I was actually staying in this like. Guest house. Actually, it was technically not open at the time, but they kindly let me rent a room for a month while I waited to move into my new flat. But that meant I was THE ONLY one staying there (no concierge at the front etc.). And in order to get into the rooms, you need a card… and so one night I opened my door to throw a bottle of water on the garbage bin that was RIGHT by my door, so I didn’t think to take my card OR phone… and ofc the door locked in my face it was like 10pm, btw… so this led to me leaving the guest house altogether so I could see if I could find someone who may know how to contact the manager of the house so I could get him to come open the door. I’ll spare you the details but yes I did end up contacting the manager in the funniest game of telephone - I called someone through a random person’s phone, who called someone, who got in contact with the manager, and I managed to stay in contact with him through this person’s phone and I was doing all this in my pijamas in the middle of the night, so I probably looked insane. But I got back to my place at 1am LOL.
That’s crazy! 
We’d love to know- what is your favorite feature on Ribblr?
I really love a lot of them, but I think the fact you can cross out lines as you work through a project is SO useful. In the same vein, I really like being able to write up journal entires as I work and they keep track of where I was in the pattern while I wrote it, the best, it’s so useful.
Lastly - pay it forward - your shoutout to a fellow Ribblr 
my QUEEN, @shyspidercrochet – she’s the best, I really like her patterns, and she’s so sweet, and has a greatttttt sense of style, I loveeee it. It’s so stylized, I’m jealous of her makes 
Thank you so much for sharing! 
Check out the Rolling Yarn shop​
Want more?
Check out our previous featured Ribblrs here.
Want to be our next Ribblr of the week and earn a special badge?
Send us a message and be our next Ribblr of the week (plus earn our special Ribblr of the week gold badge​
)
