Say hello to lovely Stella (@StellasYarnUniverse ) of Stellaās Yarn Universe - our Ribblr of the week!
Stella has been a Ribblr designer since our early beta days, and she is hosting her second interactive craft along this Saturday! For more details please keep reading or click here.
Hi Stella! Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Stella and I grew up in Hamburg, Germany. Iāve been living in the UK for almost 10 years now, currently near the beautiful Lincolnshire Wolds. I studied fashion design back in Germany and until recently my main job was creating eco-friendly yoga clothing. Now I spend most of my time making amigurumi tutorials on YouTube and designing amigurumi patterns. Since last summer I have also been teaching crochet online for a lovely charity in London.
So when did you start crafting and how?
I have always been crafty. I learned knitting and crocheting from my aunties when I was about seven. The first things I made were clothes for my dolls. Over the years I dipped my toes into many other crafts but knitting and crocheting remained my favourites.
And how did you start designing?
When I was busy with sewing my yoga clothes I had little time for knitting or crocheting. I missed it terribly and thought the only way to work with yarn every day is if I turn it into a side business. I knew I had to focus on one - either knitting or crochet. Then I discovered Amigurumi and knew it had to be crochet design. I was so excited that I jumped right into designing my first patterns. The first few designs I kept to myself but soon I started my blog and published free crochet patterns. The positive feedback I received encouraged me to design amigurumi patterns for sale as well. This helped me turn my passion into my side business, that I hope to make my full time job soon.
Do you have a favorite craft type and if so - why?
Now my favourite craft is definitely crocheting. I still love knitting too but what I prefer about crochet is that the design doesnāt necessarily have to be fully thought through in advance. You can adjust and add things as you go. Also, if something goes wrong it can be corrected more easily.
What was the longest project you worked on?
The longest project I managed to finish was a long cardigan. I would have never completed a project this size if it wasnāt for my lovely crochet students who requested a cardigan for their 6-week online workshop.
And the shortest one? (excluding frogging!)
One of the shortest projects I worked on was probably Steve the Strawberry.
Whatās the most recent project youāve worked on?
The most recent project I worked on was my little squirrel. You can find the free pattern here on Ribblr, including the video tutorial.
Which of your designs are you most proud of?
My favourite design so far is Tilda the Toadstool. Looking at her just makes me happy and I would love to create a whole childrenās storybook around her character one day. 
That sounds amazing! What is your usual process of designing?
I usually just start crocheting based on an image in my head. I then tweak things as I go. While I crochet I take notes and for my free tutorials I simply use these notes and record while I crochet the second version of my little animals. My paid patterns usually need a little more tweaking. Then I crochet the second version of my ami and take lots of step-by-step pictures along the way. With the help of my testers I then make further improvements to make the process of crocheting them extra easy and fun.
And what inspires you to design?
I feel most inspired by nature and fairytales. I recently moved from the city to the countryside and I can already feel the inspiration bubbling out of me. I love crocheting animals and so the more different species Iām surrounded by, the better.
Any favorite song, book or movie you would like to recommend?
One of my favourite books is āThe dressmaker of Khair Khanaā by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. Itās about a girl who turns her craft into a business in the most difficult of circumstances.
That sounds like a story weāll all love! 
What is your favorite feature on Ribblr?
My favourite feature has to be the option to add particular sections of YouTube videos to the patterns. Sometimes itās just so much easier to explain tricky parts in video format and as a crafter I prefer seeing how itās made. I also love the Live CAL feature because it allows me to crochet and interact with like minded people in real time, while they can still see the written pattern, which makes following along so much easier.
Thatās great to hear! And of course your second interactive CAL is coming up this Saturday! (details below)
Finally, hereās your chance to pay it forward with a shoutout to a fellow Ribblr
I love āThe Dream Crochetā! I made Ashleeās Granny Cardigan and have many more of her designs on my wishlist. Sheās so creative and looking at her dreamy pictures always makes me so happy!
Thank you for sharing! 
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Iām glad to hear you like Oliver. Thank you so much for the feature! 
Thank you so much! Iām glad you like them 