Have you ever made a doll by knitting? People who have tried knitting crochet ever just once would know the difficulty of it. It is boring and hard to complete. However, there is a designer who loves making dolls. She said it is the happiest thing in the world. Can you believe it? Let’s look at her work on to handmade dolls together.

Q1 Knitting is a popular hobby, but a “handmade designer” is uncommon to many people. Would you introduce your job?
   A handmade designer is someone who designs clothes or props with knitwear. Many people think that I work easily or slowly because of the characteristics that knitting as an activity has. However, I don’t do knitting all day long, and I
spent much of my time doing the rest of my work. It is a misunderstanding to think that design and to knit crochet is fun at all times. I have lots of administrative work like promoting the dolls, giving lectures, developing the products, making contracts, and doing benchmarking.

Q2 Handmade dolls started in England, so it is popular in that country. Many books for learning about knitting are written in English. The period in which you prepared for this job seems to be difficult. Nevertheless, what is the motive for starting this job and the driving force that has kept you going?

 
   I enjoyed this work as a hobby like everyone else, and I was attracted to the process of making the doll itself. However, it was difficult for me to study about handmade design because it was uncommon in Korea at that time. There was no teacher who could give me the knowledge, so I had to study it for myself. Though it was hard to learn, I was interested in new things because it gave me a challenge of consciousness. In addition, designing a doll by hand has many advantages; for example, it relieves stress gradually by alleviating tension. I wanted people to know about the advantages. These are the motives that I got me interested in the job.

Q3 To make a handmade doll, you do the sketch and design work yourself. How are you inspired?
   I worked as a stage designer. What I learned and saw during that time is a big help. Besides, there are lots of materials that I can get inspiration from these days. I can come up with new things through reading a book, watching a drama, and listening to music. Time spent on recalling the various media helps me come up with ideas. For example, although I see a horror movie, I don’t think only about cruel things, but it makes me imagine several materials regardless of the genre of the media. There are many things that can inspire me.

 
Q4 ‘The joy of making, I was moved by happiness.’ This phrase is the title of your blog. Knitting can be boring or slow because it takes a long time, but you said you find happiness from it. Which part of it makes you happy?
   The name of my corporation is “Cclim,” and the sentence that you quoted is our company’s slogan. Many people think dolls are cute and beautiful when they see the completed work. I feel also glad of the completed work; however, I love the process of making the doll itself. I make the doll by knitting crochet, and it is repetitive work. According to a scientific journal, using the hand repetitively helps serotonin activation. Serotonin is an important substance which makes happy emotions in our brain. In addition, knitting is equal to meditation in its effectiveness. The advantages proven scientifically are also meaningful, but I can unconsciously concentrate only on crochet. It has a healing power, so the process is more valuable than the finished goods. Therefore, at my company, I try to lecture on handmade design, or sell DIY packages so that anyone can make dolls on their own.

Q5 There are so many dolls on your blog. Do you have difficulty in making different dolls every time?
   I don’t think the design of a handmade doll is always different because it is advanced or modified from the same thing. The small things also give me many ideas, so I don’t have difficulty in making different concepts. When I was about to travel for a long time, I made my first doll, Mango, that was a companion for my trip. Its feature is exploration. There are a large number of subjects everywhere. Rather, I was stressed from designing a funny character. If the character is interesting, it can attract people’s attention. In addition, advertising is also difficult.

Q6 ‘Labor Therapy’ is a neologism that means realizing that the owner of one’s life is oneself by doing physical labor, not mental labor. Though it takes a long time, they think it meaningful through making by themselves. Please tell me what your students who take your class realize.
   My work is to knit and crochet, but, when I have a time to rest, I make something, too. The course of knitting dolls is
hard work, but many students feel joy from it. Most students taking my lessons are women. The age group of my attendees vary. There are some young mothers who have parenting stress or old mothers who have involutional depression. However, after learning handmade designing, they find new things and have hope. They heal their mental stress, and have new goals. Many people think that everyone can knit easily, but it is not true. The barrier to entry is very high, so many students who take my class find new things through experiencing difficulty. They can learn what they don’t know step by step.

Q7 Please tell me how you can make a doll that is so cute.

 
   Depending on the characteristics of the dolls, the ways to make the doll cute are various. For instance, if the face of it
is round, the doll can be cute by the form. If the head of it is too big for its body, the doll can be attractive by the ratio of it. In addition, the ingredients of thread can be used to represent its features. The thread types are diverse, depending on its ingredients, thickness, and feel. For example, if I make a bear doll, I can express the fierce feeling of a bear by using a rough thread. I can show the natural feeling by using the thread that is unprocessed. However, a doll which I make resembles me, so I don’t need to make the doll cute.

Q8 Please tell me your personal dream as a handmade designer.
   I want to increase the practice of handicraft in Korea. At present, we must import materials to our country. However, my dream is to export our crafts to foreign countries. Doll reflect regional or national features, and I will try to gain interest from other countries. In addition, I want to make animation which introduces my doll as a narrative story as if plays are being performed. Then, people can see handmade dolls easily and with interest. The posts in my blog are also composed like a story with diverse illustration and composition or angles for pictures.

Q9 Please give our school’s students a piece of advice.
   The university is the place to learn academies. The students have to think about deeply their major at the very least. They try to get a job blindly, but they should know their values about what they study. The values will become the force to overcome difficulties. Everything has each value; there are no trivial things in the world. If they try to get a famous title without considering their aptitudes, they will get tired easily. The most important thing is to find the work that you can love.

By Heo Moon-hee CP Reporter moony01@cnu.ac.kr

저작권자 © 충대신문 무단전재 및 재배포 금지