It’s Creepy, it’s Crawly — and it’s Crochet!
Artist and designer infuses her work with animation.
Megan Kreiner is a needlecraft artist as well as an animator for DreamWorks, which she describes as a “sweet gig.” Her animation credits include How to Train your Dragon (parts 1 and 2) and Trolls. Her latest book, Creepy Crawly Crochet, was published by Dover in September.
Dover Books: How do you feel your crochet influences your work as an animator — and of course the other way around?
Megan Kreiner: Our goal as animators is to create the most appealing characters and performances possible, and that drive to make things appealing certainly plays a very big role in my pattern designs as well. When I’m crocheting, this ingrained focus on story and narrative influences the toy pattern sets I put together for books. I strive to create patterns that create a cohesive narrative to make imaginative play a richer experience.
DB: Could you tell us why you chose figures rather than household items or wearables?
MK: As a mom with a full time job, my crafting time is often limited to short bursts here and there. I’ve always found that toys are far easier to sneak into my day since I can make an arm now, a leg later, and a head next week and not worry about losing my place in the pattern book. The start and stop convenience of toy patterns, combined with the pure fun of putting together designs whose main purposes are to delight and entertain children (and adults) keeps me pretty focused on this area of pattern making.
DB: Do you take requests?
MK: I occasionally get requests for DreamWorks characters from my coworkers. Most recently, I put together a “Toothless” dragon for the head of character design (so he would have something to snuggle at his desk, I assume). After my Disney Crochet kits came out, I received quite a few requests and suggestions. However, I’m sensitive to copyright infringement, being so close to this industry, and would only put together licensed character patterns when provided with the proper channels.
DB: Which do you think is easier for first-timers to learn; knitting or crochet?
MK: I think beginners (whether knitting or crochet) are successful when they have a good beginner pattern book with short and concise patterns, clearly rendered stitch illustrations and access to online videos. Learning how to hold your work is an often overlooked (but vital) part of the how-to information. The most important element is to have a first project that you are excited and focused to get through.
DB: Can you tell us about any design ideas in the works? I
MK: I would love to do a “How to Crochet Your Dragon” book since I work at DreamWorks. It always struck me as a bit funny that I’ve only crocheted for Disney up until now even though I’ve never animated for them.
DB: How many hours does it take you to create a new design?
MD: I would say 5–8 hours from paper to finished product. I try to be really precise during my planning process with my sketches so I’ll have a very clear idea of what the various pieces should look like. This planning stage will often include trolling the internet for pictures of the objects, characters or animals I’m interested in converting into a pattern. I’ll also look at other knit and crochet patterns of the kind of toy I’m interested in making so I can see what worked (and what didn’t work) in those designs.
DB: Anything else you’d like us to know about you, your work, and the future?
MD: I’m just delighted to have the opportunity to entertain the needlework community with my designs. My pie in the sky goal would be to branch out into developing a product line of yarns and notions specifically for toy making. Until then, I’m just fine with animating by day and crocheting/knitting toy patterns at night!
