23 October 2020
Designer Spotlight: Noodles Crochet
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Hi, I’m Muriel, the owner and creator at Noodles Crochet. I make kawaii (cute) crochet for the young and young at heart.
I live north of Perth, Western Australia with my hubby and 2 children. We live fairly close to the coast and I love to visit this beautiful stretch of coastline to clear my mind and refocus my energy when things feel like they are going off course.
As a family we also love to spend our holidays camping around our wonderfully diverse state.
I have been crocheting amigurumi for 6 years, selling on Madeit for 18 months and I’ve also been selling at local markets for 5 years. I decided to join the Madeit Makers’ Village as a way to sell my creations between market days.
Madeit is a wonderful platform to sell on, from an owner who answers emails personally to a supportive seller community. It’s Instagram and Facebook community have made it possible to share my creations with a larger audience.
My workspace is a spot on the couch and a cupboard to keep my yarn, but I never limit myself to working there. I will literally crochet anywhere; at markets, at the park, in the car or whilst waiting for kids at swimming lessons!
We also have a home office where I have set up a corner for photographing my wares, a computer to do all the boring stuff and a space for packing orders.
I come from quite a creative family and although I pursued a career in natural sciences, I have always found myself creating and crafting in my free time. I love handmade items, particularly those made by people close to me. They embody a little of the creator’s persona and help to keep them close at heart.
I was in my early twenties when my Grandmother (Oma) taught me to crochet whilst I was on an extended holiday in Germany. She taught me the basic stitches required to crochet flat items. The first projects I made under her guidance were a trivet for under a teapot and a set of pot-holders. Some twenty years later they are treasured items that I still use on a daily basis.
I transitioned to crocheting amigurumi (the Japanese art of crocheted small toys) when I was asked by my sister to make a Hoot toy, from the ABC Kids TV show Giggle and Hoot. She had sourced a pattern and the supplies but needed someone who could convert them into a toy and that’s how it began!
I researched how to crochet amigurumi, did a crash course in pattern-reading and practiced by making some crochet food items for my children’s toy kitchen. My Hoot wasn’t perfect but my niece loved him and still does! The crocheted food was also a hit at our house and lasted for many years of imaginative play.
Long story short, I basically haven’t stopped since. I love seeking out the next quirky pattern to make and have designed a few of my own patterns. In the future I hope to publish some of my patterns and send them into the crochet world.
This creative outlet and having my own business allows me to be there for my kids, something I don’t feel I would have achieved in my previous job. Whilst crochet started as a relaxing and meditative activity, it has become much more than that. It allows me to play with colour, get my brain thinking about how I can create a certain 3D shape and best of all create cute, quirky critters that make people smile.
Visit Noodles Crochet to find whimsical crochet characters for the young and young at heart: noodlescrochet
