Nerdish Delights

I’m Denise, a very late 30s Australian geek, and mother to my amazing nine year old daughter, Amethyst. I started crocheting about five years ago because I had started seeing amigurumi pop up all over Facebook and decided I needed to learn. I started making simple scarves before diving into toys, where I quickly learnt I was doing it all wrong. The first amigurumi I made was a pink Darth Vader who was bumpy with arms of different lengths, but that helped me figure out where I was going wrong.

I tend to make mostly toys, blankets, and accessories (hats, scarves, gloves, etc), and the occasional piece of baby or children’s clothing. I love making things that are fandom related, or have a geek or nerdy twist to them. I like making pieces for other people, so I rarely keep items for myself. And even when I do make them for myself (such as my Doctor Who blanket), they somehow end up with other people, like my daughter. But that’s okay, because I can still borrow it.

I had posted my work to Facebook to show family and friends, but I thought it would be better to keep it all in place, rather than scattered through posts and albums. I also wanted to start designing my own pieces, as I couldn’t find patterns for things I wanted to make. That led me to creating my Outlander and Star Trek blankets, with new ideas popping up all the time. You can follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr, and find paid patterns for sale in my Etsy shop, though the majority of what I share will be free.

I am a single mother with depression and osteoarthritis, and in June 2016 my daughter had successful laparoscopic fundoplication surgery to treat GORD/GERD, which she suffered from for over 2.5 years, and also has developed anxiety issues. Crocheting helps me to relax and manage my depression, even though my arthritis means I can’t do it as much as I used to. I am doing what I can to help her while also managing my conditions, but it can be hard for both of us. Her anxiety does prevent her from going to school some days, which affects my ability to go to work. She comes first, though, and we are working with a psychologist to help her. Though I don’t expect people to do so, if anyone wanted to help us out, they can donate here, and I would be incredibly grateful.

I like having this little corner of the internet to store my work and ideas, and I hope you like it, too.