Say hello to Maria (@Letodolls) - our Ribblr of the week!
Hello Maria! Please tell us a little about yourself.
I am a language professional from Spain who that does crafts for enjoyment, stress relieve and when possible, for the benefit and enjoyment of others.
Thatās lovely! When did you start crafting?
I started crocheting and knitting at a very young age, during a time when very few media options were available for entertainment. I owe most of what I know and my passion for these craft to a loving neighbor that often took care of me.
And how did you start designing?
I remember starting by making clothes for my dolls when I was a little girl, I enjoyed the design process and playing with the dolls afterwards. Recently, I started making amigurumis for my nephews, nieces, and friendsĀ“ kids. When my youngest niece started playing with dolls, I decided to crochet several dolls as a Christmas gift for her. My family encouraged me to go deeper into designing patterns.
Do you have a favorite craft type?
I know the fundamentals for sewing, by both machine and by hand, however, one of my sisters is much better than me in this craft. I especially enjoy knitting and crocheting. However, lately I am enjoying crocheting the most.
Whatās the longest project you ever worked on?
The largest project was some afghans, the second several knitted sweaters, and the third the 24 inches dolls.
Oh, wow! And the shortest one?
The shortest some of the amigurumis that I made for my nephews, nieces, and friendsā kids.
Whatās the most recent project youāve worked on?
The most recent project that I finished is Pippa, a 24-inch-tall doll with a removable dress that has a granny square motif. I also have another new 24-inch boy doll, Quique.
Which of your designs are you most proud of?
Thatās hard to decide because every project feels special to me under the circumstance during which it was created. I only work on one project at the time. For example I make several afghans during a time when we were living in a āfixer upperā with very drafty windows. My sistersā liked my afghans, so I made one for each.
Your family members are very lucky 
What is your usual process of designing?
For the dolls, I first decide the main idea or doll theme. Afterwards I choose a color palette and a feature or stitch that will differentiate the new doll from the others, however, every design evolves during the process.
And what inspires you to create?
Sometimes the smallest thing, seeing in the store a yarn color that that strikes me, a suggestion from a family member, a picture or theme that I think could look nice crochetedā¦.
Time for some pop culture! any favorite song, book or movie you would like to recommend? 
I enjoy several types of genres. Now I am enjoying La nueve: los espaƱoles que liberaron Paris , in general I prefer historically based works. I like movies inspire emotions in me, like laughter, for example Meet the parents. I am also partial to music hits from the 80s and 90s. Go figureā¦I am in my fifties 
What is your favorite feature on Ribblr?
Apart from the progress tracking, I appreciate the opportunity to gift a pattern and the community aspects of Ribblr.
Finally, the stage is yours - pay it forward with a shoutout to fellow Ribblrs! 
There are several people in the Ribblr community who have been very generous in volunteering to test my patterns, such as @Cookie898, @JADENNIGHTWING, @Gator, @HookedByMarilyn, @Beatrix and the Ribblr team in answering all my questions in a very timely manner. Kudos to the Ribblr community!
Thank you for sharing Maria! 
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I am curious. Are these based on people you know? I would love to make one for each of my (17) grandbabies. Ha.
One day I would like to make one. Iām new to doing people and animals. Maybe one of your dolls will be my first. Thank you for sharing your Beautiful work.