A Fluffy, Fuzzy Adventure

Too much for 1 week?!

I'm kicking off my Fluff and Fuzz Mini Challenge with Amanda Berry's Space Rocket and Astronaut. I hope I've started with the most challenging one first, although I've never cabled anything before which is why I bought Miles... Hmm, I guess we'll see how it goes! I couldn't very well take on this fluffy fuzzy challenge without asking Amanda about her Handmade Adventure;

How and when did Fluff and Fuzz come about?

I have been knitting since I was a little girl, and always loved making toys. I started designing my own toy patterns about six years ago, and at the time, there were very few patterns for toys that were written for a beginner knitter. I wanted to start writing patterns that were easier for knitters of all abilities to follow, and that is what I set out to do with fluff and fuzz. I started selling my designs in 2010, I started with 5 designs, and have grown with some amazing fans and customers ever since. Oh, and fluff and fuzz were the names of my pet hamsters, sadly no longer with us, but as my own name Amanda Berry was already taken on sites like Etsy and so on, I decided to adopt fluffandfuzz as my user name!

Red Riding Hood

Are you self taught at knitting and writing patterns?
 
Yes, I have been teaching myself to knit for years, although my Mum taught me the real basics when I started. There is always something new to learn, and thankfully YouTube makes everything easier to understand these days!

I knew I should've gotten Eric!

What is your favourite pattern?

Erik the Viking! He is a design I had wanted to make for ages, and I finally found the time to make him last year. He has been so popular, and I have had so many requests for other designs of dolls, that I am slowly working through all the requests to expand my doll range.

What do you love most about what you do?

Senor Hector... argh too cute!

I love working for myself, and being able to respond and react to my customers is great and something I have never been able to do in other jobs. It isn’t always heaven to be your own boss, I have had a lot of long days knitting through the night ... I am a tough boss, I don’t get a lot of time off! But when I get lovely feedback about my designs, that makes everything worthwhile!


Do you have any new patterns in the pipeline?

Well I am working on expanding my doll range (so many customer requests!) and have a Robin Hood, Princess, Frankenstein and Dracula in the pipeline. I also have a half-finished cockatoo in my work-box, and some pretty rough sketches for a camel and piranha fish which I hope to get to work on before the summer.

Where are you planning on going next on your handmade adventure?

Well I would like to write a book of toys (hopefully one day!), but at the moment I am just enjoying the ride!

Moss the Sheep - Told you it was hard to chose!

That's Amanda's story. I'll let you know on Sunday if I've managed to turn a ball of wool into a rocket and an astronaut...