Every month Brave Island runs a Young Creative of the Month fund, where we spotlight a local young creative with an interview on our blog, and support them with funding of £100. For May, it’s Iris Little, a textiles artist currently focusing on Amigurumi. This fund launches at the beginning of every month, you can apply to be Young Creative of the Month for June here.

Please can you tell us about your creative practice?

I’m currently in my final year at sixth form studying business, fashion and textiles. I spend a lot of my free time doing all kinds of craft work. My main creative focus currently is Amigurumi, the art of 3D crochet animals. I have tried out a few dozen different patterns in under a year and I just love the way I can bring each crochet animal to life. I use gorgeous, chunky yarn which is not only a dream to crochet with but also means everything I make is so soft and colourful! I become inspired by crochet creators on instagram and jump from one pattern to the next. Amigurumi takes patience but to me it’s very therapeutic and I love learning new skills. When I do craft sales I also make bunting, bags and pencil cases on my sewing machine.

How did you get into Amigurumi?

Since a very young age, I have absolutely loved sewing, crafts and textiles. I keep myself busy with not only my A Level Fashion and Textiles but also learning and teaching myself new craft techniques, and I always have lots of different sewing projects sat next to my sewing machine waiting to be done! I’d known how to crochet for a while, having made various scarfs and snoods, when I decided to try out Amigurumi last summer. Since watching a youtube video on how to make myself a pink bee with some old yarn I had, Amigurumi has become a daily thing in my life!

Where would you like to be in a year’s time?

Hopefully still enjoying what I do now! An apprenticeship or degree in textiles is my main aim now I’m finishing sixth form. On the side of that I would love to start creating my own amigurimi patterns and to continue learning how to make my own clothes would be amazing.

Where can people find your work if they’d like to support you?

I have an Instagram page @irislittlemakes and a Facebook page Iris Little Makes – https://www.facebook.com/irislittlemakes. I also have lots of my crochet animals stocked in Lesleys Nutshell in Ventnor town. Any support is always massively appreciated!