Interview with the artist - Jenny from JRP Crochet

Jenny who is also known as Pickleweasel360 on deviantART won the National Yarnographic contest there with a piece that's particularly dear to my heart, not only because it is an animal I think is absolutely fascinating, but also because of the expert way she put it into crochet.
Just look at the spots she brushed on! What a labor of love.

Snow leopard

Tell us a little about who you are and where you come from.

I'm a 22 year old girl from a small town in Kentucky. I've always been a fast learner when it comes to arts and crafts. I get my skills from both my mom and dad, but mostly my mom. She would draw with me and make clay animals for me when I was a kid. I wanted my stuff to turn out like hers did and eventually I was able to make it happen.

What's your craft/art and how did you get to do it in the first place?

The craft I'm currently obsessed with is crochet. I've been crocheting a few months less than two years. I try to make my pieces as realistic as I can. I love making things I haven't seen before or making them in my style. I got into making crochet because some of the cutest art pieces I have seen on deviantART are crocheted. I didn't have the money to buy them, so I had to learn to make my own.

I think this is one of the most asked questions - where does your inspiration come from?

I've always enjoyed animals of every kind. Most of my toys as a kid were animals and dinosaurs. My favorite ones being the ones that could be posed. So when I started getting the hang of crocheting, naturally I wanted to make animals I could play with. Making them poseable is one of my favorite things about my work. It gives them personalities and each one is unique.

Crochet Pegasus

Tell us a fun thing about yourself.

I graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College. The whole time I was there I was the only girl in my class. All day, everyday. It was the first time I had been in a school where I didn't know anyone. So besides making little animals that could sit on your dash, I could also fix your vehicle if you broke down.

Do you do other crafts, if yes, what?

I used to sculpt things out of clay, but I haven't made anything in years. The last things I made were in High School. I haven't had the desire for it since then. The clays I have now stain my hands and I don't want to mess up my yarns.

Which one of your pieces is your absolute favorite? Which one was the hardest to make and why?

My favorite will always be the deer. It was the first thing I designed completely from scratch and it is what led to all the other things I make now. I would have to say that the dragons are the hardest to make just because they take the longest to finish.

Crochet dragon

Is there someone whom you admire and who inspires you?

I've made a lot of friends because of my art. People who enjoy my work and people who share the same passion for crochet. I'm inspired by them. Reading comments and sharing ideas helps me think of what to make next.

"Which way to Santa's sleigh?"

If you had free choice of just one supply you can use for your craft/art, what would you be dreaming of, no matter how expensive?

I suppose a machine to dye my yarns custom colors would be the most fantastic. Finding the right color yarn in the right thickness for a project is hard. Especially when only certain types of yarns come in only certain thicknesses.

Do you sell online, if yes, where can we find you?

I do indeed! I have a new Etsy shop at JRP Crochet or you can send me a note on my deviantART.

Is there anything you feel you need or want to tell the world outside now?

A lot of people say, 'I wish I could make things like that' or 'I wish I knew how to crochet!'. It isn't as hard as it looks. With each piece I learned something and slowly improved. I found a lot of free patterns on Ravelry and used them as practice. Once you learn a few of the stitches, you can make a lot of things with them. In most of my pieces I only use 5 different types of stitches!


Thank you, Jenny, I really hope to get to see more of your fabulous pieces over time and hope so will others!