Say hello to Erin (@ecmcrochet) - our new Ribblr of the Week and the designer behind Ecmcrochet
Hi! Happy to have you here, tell us a little about yourself.
Hi I’m Erin, the creator behind Ecm crochet. Most people assume that “ecm” is an acronym for my initials but the “cm” actually represents my dog’s name, Chunky Monkey.
I was born and raised in the Bay Area, California, and I’m a self-proclaimed foodie and boba connoisseur. I’m currently an architecture thesis student, and my studies have allowed me to travel a lot from working in Hawaii to studying in Rome and Seoul where I had the opportunity to visit the renowned yarn café! When I’m not crocheting or in studio, you can usually find me swimming, baking, listening to music, or watching a movie.
When did you start crafting and how?
As a kid, I was always into arts and crafts and loved to make friendship bracelets, lanyards, etc. I first learned how to crochet when I was 10 from an amigurumi kit that I got from a bookstore, but I never completed the kit and fell off of crochet. Then one night in summer of 2021, I found the crochet hook from the kit in my room and decided to pick up crocheting again. I started ecm crochet as a crochet journal for myself to track my progress, and everything grew from there.
And how did you start designing?
My duckie pattern was the first plushie I designed on my own. It was inspired by the bathroom in my college apartment that had a shower lined with yellow tile and our yellow bathmat. I thought a yellow duck would be a cute plushie to be a bathroom mascot for our apartment but couldn’t find an existing design that I liked online, so I took it upon myself to make my own.
Do you have a favorite craft type and if so - why?
As a fidgeter, I love to crochet, especially projects that don’t require a lot of thinking or attention, because I can occupy my hands and feel productive while doing less productive things like watching movies. I also love being able to just make whatever I want whether that be a plushie or a clothing item. I’d love to pick up knitting too, but I find it much more difficult to learn than crochet.
What has been the most memorable project you worked on?
I made a granny square blanket as a side project since I could mindlessly make granny squares. After 7 months of cranking out 195 granny squares, it was time to weave in all the ends and stitch the blanket together, and I learned why people dislike making granny square blankets so much. The finished product was really nice, but spending days weaving in ends is not something I want to ever have to do again.
What are you currently working on? Be honest - how many WIP do you have right now?
My two main projects at the moment are a blanket and a cardigan, but I probably have seven WIPS right now. I have to hold myself back from starting new projects all the time, and constantly buying more yarn doesn’t help.
Which of your makes/designs are you most proud of?
As much as I love my duckies, my favorite design to this day is my Dwayne the Bear Johnson plushie. It was one of those random ideas that popped into my head one day, and it’s one of those plushies that I think lets my personality and humor shine through.
What is your usual process of designing?
Sometimes I will sketch a design and then freehand crochet it, writing down the pattern as I go. Other times I will have an idea in mind and just execute it with no idea how it will turn out in the end. Either way, there is a lot of frogging involved!
What inspires you to create/design?
For my plushies, I like to think I find inspiration in all the things around me. Sometimes I will see a specific yarn color, and inspiration will strike. Back when I cranked out Instagram reels thrice a week, I would sometimes come across an audio and be inspired by something said in the audio.
As for making clothing items, I scroll through Pinterest, my Instagram explore page, and Etsy pretty frequently and will find things that I like. Although I don’t design clothing, I appreciate fashion, and I love to make things that others have designed, just for my personal enjoyment.
Any favorite song, book or movie you would like to recommend?
I’m constantly listening to all kinds of music and watching movies, so it’s hard to just pick one! My recent song obsession is Rome Hero Foxes’ cover of “Valerie” while my recent movie obsession is Gran Turismo. I’m not big on reading though I’d like to get into it more in the coming year.
Share a funny story that happened to you recently!
My friends and I were having a homemade pizza night and went through the whole process of making the dough, sauce, and assembling the pizza. After pulling it out of the oven, excited to eat, we were all staring at the pizza, wondering why it looked so weird when one of my friends finally realized and yelled, “THERE’S NO CHEESE!” The pizza was all red just covered in onions, ham, and pineapples, but no cheese. We all cracked up laughing for the next 10 minutes as we proceeded to put cheese on the pizza and stick it back in the oven.
What is your favorite feature on Ribblr?
I love that Ribblr allows you to cross out rounds as you go through a pattern. This way you can put a project down and come back to it without losing track of where you are in the pattern.
Pay it forward - your shoutout to a fellow Ribblr
Here are some designers and patterns I love I love seeing on Ribblr!
@crochetedbyel
@Jadrian
@CristinaRoseCrafts
@MonuaStuff
Thanks so much for being here this week Erin, it’s a pleasure reading about you!
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