Crochet for Bears to Wear

Instead of my usual book review, I thought it would be more fun to do an interview with one of my favorite people. In full disclosure, Amy O'Neill Houck is one of my good friends in the crochet world. We room together all the time at conventions, and I keep her up to all hours of the night prattling on and on about life. She and I met through Kim Werker while designing for CrochetMe, we hit it off by our love of everything fiber. Amy is always on the forefront of the latest and greatest in the industry. In her latest book, she takes her love of yarn and stitches it into 20 designs for teddy bears.

RC: Crochet For Bears is adorable. How did you come up with the idea to write a book for bear?
AO: I was asked by Potter Craft to give them a proposal for Knits for Bears to wear. At the time, I proposed a knit/crochet combo book, and we later decided to do them as two separate books.

RC: Where do you get inspiration to design for bears?
AO: Really, from people clothes. I just thought of things I'd like to make for humans and thought--how would that work on a teddy. The book does follow the seasons so I was inspired by that as well.

RC: The book also has a number of great tips for crocheters inside. What is your best tip for changing the size of pattern to fit a bear?
AO: Measure well! That's the most important thing. Don't squeeze your bear while measuring, or your measurements will be too small (bears are squishy, and they won't tell you you're squeezing.)

RC: Your family relocated to Alaska 2 years ago from the DC area, where you wrote Knits for Bear to Wear. Did you find the move made it easier or harder to write Crochet for Bears?
AO: When I wrote Knits for Bears, my knitting group, Silver Spring Knitters (or SSK) helped me out a lot by knitting may of the samples for the book. In Crochet for bears, I didn't know any other crocheters who might want to work up samples, so I did them all myself--with the exception of my two Special Guest Designers -- you and Drew (The Crochet Dude). [You can see my dress to the right. It's made from granny flowers.]

RC: How do you think it [moving to Alaska] has changed your designs?
AO: Working the garments myself means I get to design on the hook instead of planning things out. This is my favorite way to work, even though it's not the most efficient. I like to make changes, or add ideas as I go based on how the fabric and the garment is developing.

RC: Has Alaska inspired you to write a book with Alaskan based designs? (please say yes!)
AO: Wouldn't that be fun!!

RC: What is next for you in your crochet career?
AO: I'm working on a small book of granny square projects with Julie Holetz. We're very excited about it, and we'll have more to talk about and show soon.

Ooh, can't wait to see that!

If you would like a chance to win my copy of the book, please let a comment here (or email me) by Friday at midnight. We'll randomly pick a winner. Please make sure there is a way for me to get in touch with you. Thanks!