“No one wants to buy something that looks unfinished,” Tessa Olderman, 16, a high school student from Hartland, Wisconsin, admits, “that would be a pity purchase.” Olderman is a self-taught crocheter that has been crocheting for around three years. It all started when she began watching Youtube tutorials in her free time to learn. She hoped to start a small business and sell her custom crochets for a little bit of extra cash. 

Now an advanced crocheter, she has gotten much busier as she began selling her creations at local pop up shops, and to her friends. Although she started off only wanting to sell  her crocheted stuffed animals, during the process, Olderman discovered that it happened to be a great stress reliever as well. She enjoys crocheting so much now that, “In a perfect world, it would be every day,” although she is only able to make time three to four days a week. 

Her favorite projects to crochet are stuffed animals, also known as “amigurumi.”. But, in order to make these, she needs many supplies including crochet books, yarn, crochet hooks, sewing needles, safety eyes, and scissors. First, Olderman searches for inspiration online, then works to crochet the outer body of the animal. She mostly has to free-hand the crocheting and cannot exactly follow a pattern to ensure the plushie comes out perfectly. After the body of the amigurumi is formed, she goes back in to stuff the outer shell, insert safety eyes, and cut off any hanging threads. 

Olderman adds that she has been binging Netflix and other streaming services while she crochets. Gilmore Girls has become her favorite recently. “I don’t want it to be over,” she says, “I don’t know what to watch next”. Her love for Gilmore Girls not only serves as entertainment, but a tip to stay focused and interested in creating. She also recommends that it is necessary to always persevere even if that means ripping stuff out and redoing. “It is what it is,” she claims, “You kinda just have to keep going.”

In all, Olderman indeed has a knack for crocheting. Her amigurumi are adorable, and continue to amaze customers of all kinds. In order to repeat her time-consuming process, all it takes is a couple youtube videos, some yarn and hooks, and a dedication for crafting these perfect plushies. “Hopefully,” she says, “Someone out there will try crocheting too.”