Say hello to Cen @Centara - our new Ribblr of the Week and designer behind Cen’s Designs! 
Tell us a little about yourself:
Hey everyone! While I do have a different name IRL, I’ve gone by the name Cen for probably around 25 years now so everyone calls me that! A bit about myself, I’m in my mid-30s. I’m a wife to an amazing husband who is my best friend, mom of one wonderful daughter, and dog mom of 2 australian shepherds. I work full time as a research accountant for a real estate developer (active CPA license, that exam is no joke!). I love to play video games with my husband and our friends, or just solo. I also have an active obsession with anime! Especially isekai’s. I’m also a bit neurospicy, though that’s not much of a surprise once you get to know me!
When did you start crafting and how?
I started crafting in September 2024. We were at Joann (RIP) finding my daughter a craft and I decided to grab a wooble. Felix the fox. I was done within a few hours and searching the house for an old skein of red heart my husband had for one of his college projects. I made an octopus from an online pattern. Then another. I haven’t stopped since. Probably can count on my hands the number of days I haven’t picked up a hook.
And how did you start designing?
My first design was a few weeks before easter 2025. My daughter was obsessed with a giant peep stuffy at the store, so I designed my own. She loves it, but still wants the giant stuffy of course. I then did a custom request for a friend for a glasses basket. That’s when I found out I really love to design projects.
What was the most memorable project you worked on?
My most memorable project would be the shiny Rayquaza tapestry I made for my husband. It wound up being 2 ft tall and took a while to complete since I did only a few rows at a time. But I did one big push at the end to finish it before summer ended. It’s definitely a statement piece in his classroom!
What are you currently working on? Be honest - how many WIP do you have right now?
I just finished designing a sea dragon which should be going through its tester call once this is posted! My next design I’m working on is actually another mystery pattern so I can’t share that with you! I hope to have that one done shortly into January and ready for testing as well. As far as WIPs, I have a massive blanket that I intend to take me at least a year to complete (it’s already been a year since I started and I did not get very far yet). It’s more of a ‘boredom’ project. And I have 1 beanie that I need to add embellishment to for my husband, but that can wait. Hard to believe but yes, only 2 WIPs presently!
What inspires you to create/design?
Sadly, I don’t have much of an imagination, so I had an idea of how to get some inspiration. My husband works in a before/after school and summer school program with K-5th grade students. I gave those kids a challenge of design your own creature to crochet, with hints of mash-ups they could do (like 2 animals or a food item and an animal). The designs poured in (no joke, like 30-40 from one girl alone). I’ve been recreating the ones I can ever since. I prioritized one design per kid at a time since designing can take some time, and managed to get quite a few of them their creations before they left my husbands classroom at the end of summer. Now he has a new batch of kids that I get to work with. It’s so much fun to see their faces light up when their drawings come to life! I also create a pile of small creatures based on other peoples patterns so even the kids that don’t draw get a chance to get something crocheted. Have to keep the fun alive!
Which of your makes/designs are you most proud of? Share a picture!
The designs I’m most proud of would definitely be those in my dragon series. While Charlotte is my own design, the other ones are from a few of the older girls from my husbands class who really got into the challenge of making their own elemental dragon. I’ve still got probably 5-6 more designs in my pile from them too that I haven’t had time to make! They did so amazing and I was so happy to recreate them. While they didn’t get the dragons (partially because my husband is a hoarder of dragon-related things, but also they had already gotten a custom crochet item so it wouldn’t seem fair to the other kids), he did offer them other rewards that were classroom based that I think they appreciated more (extra electronics time, extra marbles towards the pizza party, and the kicker, they got to use his chair for an entire day and he had to use theirs).
What is your favorite feature on Ribblr?
By far my favorite feature on Ribblr is the epatterns. I always have issues with row counters double counting or not counting at all, so it got irritating trying to figure out what row I was on. Or if I completely forgot to even count the row. The ability to mark off rows as I go on the epatterns was a life saver as I was learning and even to this day. Especially when you have patterns that have a ton of repeat rows. Saves me from needing to go back and count how many rows I’ve done so far!
What socials can folks find you on?
People can find me on Instagram, @centaraz!
Which 3 - 5 designers/patterns on Ribblr are your favorite?
I have to give a shoutout to @LexaLovelyCrafts who has the most intricate, detailed patterns and is now also my gaming bestie (definitely NOT biased). For other designers, I would have to say @iulicrochets, @waicrochets, @yokattapatterns, and @croutonscrochet!
Thanks for being here this week Cen, it was a pleasure to read about you!
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