Welcome to our blog tour! Here at Crochetville, we celebrate National Crochet Month with our NatCroMo Blog Tour. This year, we’re interviewing crochet designers, teachers, and hobbyists throughout March and our theme is crochet memories. You can browse all of this year’s blog tour content on our page NatCroMo Blog Tour 2020.
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About Meg Rivers
Please allow me to introduce our featured designer of the day, Meg Rivers of Meg’s Minions. Meg designs amigurumi, plush toys and accessories, and pet toys. Meg’s designs are often inspired by her work at a natural history museum. You can find out more about her uniquely designed stuffed animals at megsminions.com and purchase them in her Etsy shop, MegsMinions. Today Meg will share some of her crochet memories with us and we’ll showcase three of her crochet designs.
Meg’s Special for Our Readers
A Special Treat for the NatCroMo Blog Tour
Meg doesn’t sell or share her patterns to ensure customers get a unique plush they can’t get anywhere else. But for the blog tour, she’s happily sharing a coupon code for anything in her store. Go to her Etsy shop MegsMinions and enter coupon code SIDEKICK to get 10% off!
Meg’s Crochet Memories
Would you share with us one of your earliest memories of crochet?
My mom first taught me to crochet when I was in 6th grade, but I had lost the inclination to continue for more than 20 years. I picked up the habit, and now it’s an obsession, when I was working on a crochet project at the natural history museum where I work. There’s been a hook in my hand for the last 8 years. Now all of my work is inspired by the natural world in the hopes of engaging people about the wonderful world around us.
Would you share with us one of your memories of becoming a crochet designer?
Crocheting in the round is daunting, but yields so many wonderful projects. After my friends and family were well attired with scarves, I decided to try making a ball. It quickly led to understanding how to make basic shapes that form entire amigurumi. My first plush was a pink pig for a friend who had just given birth to her daughter. What truly made this plush special was not only the huggable shape, but the now-iconic bellybutton I put on all of my mammal toys. (Birds, dragons, and anything not mammal get other embellishments.)
Showcase: Crochet Designs by Meg Rivers
Crocheted Narwhal Plush Toy
Get the plush toy here: Narwhal Plush Toy
(Note that this is a finished item, not a pattern.)
About the plush toy: 9 inches of nautical, yarn fun, this narwhal was inspired by an exhibition about the natural history and mythology of this amazing animal. The shape is incredibly huggable while the tusk is not hard as not to poke anyone’s eye out. When looking at my other projects, I tend to work with a different body shape. This was my first attempt at a more cylindrical shape and am quite happy with the results. The mixture of yarns really lend themselves to the slightly mottled grey tones of the body compared to the cream-colored belly. Note, a blowhole on top! Ahoy maties!
Blue Dragon
Get the plush toy here: Blue Dragon Plush Toy
(Note that this is a finished item, not a pattern.)
About the plush toy: Fantasy is often a fun take on people trying to explain the natural world. We live on a planet full of dragons, but maybe not the fire-breathing kind. This cuddly dragon is complete with horns, scales, and wings with arms out-stretched for a hug or grab onto for any adventure that comes your way. Since this is a departure into the fantastic, I play around with a rainbow of colors along with variegated yarns that catch my attention.
Kraken Giant Squid
Get the plush toy here: Kraken Giant Squid Plush Toy
(Note that this is a finished item, not a pattern.)
About the plush toy: What has 8 arms and two tentacles to make you smile? This giant squid! Modeled after several giant squid species found in natural history museums, it comes complete with a beak (their mouth). It was a challenge to get the two tones of arms and tentacles right so you can see a clear color change while still being durable enough for playtime and washing machines.
Follow Meg Online
Here’s where you can connect with Meg online to be sure you don’t miss any of her new creations!
- Web Site / Blog: Meg’s Minions
- Etsy: MegsMinions
- Pinterest: meg7569
- Facebook: MegsMinions
- Instagram: @megsminions
- Twitter: @megminions
- YouTube: Meg’s Minions
About Meg
“Always on the go in Washington, DC, I’m never really alone. Whether dropping off sidekicks like this soft bunny or with my buddy, Squidy, the mini kraken finger puppet, I’ve got a buddy with me.”
