Say hello to Amy (@curiouspapaya) our Ribblr of the week!
Scroll down to read our interview with Amy and learn more about her unique designs.
Hello Amy! Please tell us a little about yourself.
Hi! Iām Amy, the designer behind curiouspapaya. Iām a Taiwanese-Korean-American crocheter and I love sharing about my culture through my creations. Iām also a full time teacher!
Thatās awesome! So how did your craft journey begin?
Iāve always enjoyed making crafts and picking up various hobbies but it wasnāt until 3 years ago that I learned how to crochet. I found it so amazing that you could take a ball of yarn and transform it into anything imaginable - and so, I hopped onto Youtube to learn. Learning to crochet turned out to be very therapeutic too. It saved this very tired/stressed out teacher, ha!
And how did you start designing?
I never thought I could design something until I found myself working from someone elseās poorly written pattern. As I was forced to make modifications (some parts were completely missing altogether!), I realized that I understood how to make various shapes better than I thought! I took a huge leap of faith and started sharing my first designs, which to no surprise, were very slow to pick up traffic at first. It took quite some time and consistent effort to gain traction as a pattern designer 
Is Crochet your favorite craft? What other crafts do you enjoy?
Iām obliged to say crocheting - specifically, amigurumi, the Japanese art of crocheting small stuffed animals. I just love all things cute and chibi and thereās so much you can do with amigurumi! Aside from crocheting, I also like hand lettering and paper crafts.
Whatās the most recent project youāve worked on?
Itās a secretā¦ itās for an upcoming Halloween themed CAL during the month of Septemberā¦ (which I invite you all to join!) But Iāll give you a hint. It rhymes with bot dog.
Which of your designs are you most proud of?
Oh, this is a tough one. I think itās got to be Gertrude the Grumpy Chick because sheās the first original character I created that gained a lot of popularity! Iām so thankful that people love her (and her spunky attitude). It makes me so happy whenever I see photos of her tagged by makers from all around the world. I love that people have bought into taking care of this sassy girl too by making her little props like her favorite icecream flavor or making her other hats and outfits.
So cute! 
What is your usual process of designing?
Soā¦ this isnāt entirely greatā¦ but I typically picture everything in my mind and ābuild the plane as Iām flying it.ā I do sometimes draw a rough sketch of the generic shapes I want to achieve but I donāt spend a ton of time making it look pretty or coloring it in like some other folks do - mostly because things always end up changing or new things come to mind as Iām working). Color selection influences which type of yarn I decide to use and takes a lot of time and intentional thought because itās basically like choosing your weapon! Itās undoubtedly my favorite part of the whole process of designing.
What inspires you to create?
Oh, what doesnāt! I feel like Iām a sponge, constantly absorbing inspiration wherever I go. Iām drawn to pops of color and eye-catching yet simple designs. Things in nature, commercials on TV, and the students I teach inspire me daily.
On that note, any favorite song, book or movie you would like to recommend?
The song that always puts me to ease and hits the perfect rainy day vibe would be āIāll Treat You Goodā by Gabe Bondoc. It was also our wedding song As for a movie, I recommend āWhite Chicksā. Itās one of those silly movies that I canāt get tired of, no matter how many times Iāve watched it.
Can you share a story, something that happened to you recently, that give us a good laugh? 
Hmmā¦ does trying to open our front door with the automatic car keys count? Yeahā¦ mom brainā¦
Thatās hilarious! 
What is your favorite feature on Ribblr?
Itās gotta be the interactive feature that allows you to keep track of your progress. I mainly work on patterns on my laptop and if I ever close out of the window or restart my computer, I lose track of where I am. Itās such a headache counting and recounting trying to figure out where I left off!
Last weekās Ribblr of the week, @stitchingwithsab gave you a shoutout. So you can now pay it forward to another Ribblr! 
Blue Sparrow Handmade (@BlueSparrowHandmade) - her photography is immaculate!
Thank you for sharing Amy! 
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