Hey there, can you introduce yourself?

Hi! I'm Twinkie Chan. I design and crochet food-themed accessories for you and your stuff, like cupcake scarves, hamburger mitts, and corn dog pen cozies! I live in San Francisco with my two doggies, and I also am a blogger and YouTuber. I really love cookies, french fries, and teen-drama television.

Tell us a bit about the book?

The book is entirely focused on crochet patterns to make your home super cute. It is organized into rooms of the house: kitchen & dining, living & lounging, bath & beauty, and home office. You'll find projects like a giant donut floor pouf, a bath mat that looks like a retro piece of bubble gum, a licorice allsorts afghan, a cheeseburger tissue cozy, and a honey bear apron for you to wear!

What was the inspiration behind it?

I first started designing scarves for myself, which led me to designing more wearable accessories like hats and mitts. When I wrote free crochet patterns for Michaels.com a few years ago, I noticed that the home decor projects, like pen cozies and tissue box cozies, were quite popular. I realized a lot of people might like my design aesthetic but were not quite ready to wear a t-bone steak scarf. So now they can have fun with my designs and let their houses do the talking! Ultimately, the inspiration for this book was all the people who follow my work and let me know what they like to make.

Which is your favourite project?

Oh, that's a tough question! I'm really proud of the TV dinner tablet cozy, and I love wearing the honey bear apron, but I know the show stopper is the giant donut floor pouf. I was walking down the street with it since we used it in the set of some online classes I filmed, and EVERYONE was stopping to ask where they could get one!

What is your craft space like?

My craft space is my dining room. I have an infamous rainbow yarn wall. I try not to collect too many things because I'm afraid to be a hoarder, but I did realize that I like to collect art. So behind my computer, I have my gallery wall filled with prints and paintings that I love. I like the idea that we can celebrate every day, so I like to hang garlands and use a lot of bright colors. My craft space is great, but honestly, I do a lot of crocheting and pattern-writing on my living room floor while watching TV. There was something about the way I was raised or what grade school I went to that made me love working on the floor!

Have you always been creative?

I was always encouraged to be creative. My mom is very DIY, but more in an upholstery/power-tool kind of way. When we'd go shopping, she'd always say, "You could go home and make it." I learned to crochet when I was very little, and I'd figure out a lot of small projects on my own. We didn't have the internet when I was 10-years-old, and I didn't want to spend money on buying books or patterns, so I'd just experiment with crocheting toys and small blankets. In college, I was an English/Creative Writing major and then worked in publishing for 10 years, so I always thought I'd write a book, but college-me would not have guessed it would have been a crochet book... :P

When did you first start crafting?

My mom's best friend was also very artistic, and I'd sometimes spend a week with her in her tiny house in the woods. To keep me busy, she would teach me how to oil paint and how to sculpt. I remember sculpting squirrels. I'm sure they just looked like oblong-shaped blobs, and then we used her husky's hair as squirrel whiskers, which I remember thinking was pretty cool.

Who are your crafty heroes?

It will be hard to choose a few to mention over others!!! As far as crafty heroes, I will always and forever look up to Heidi Kenney of My Paper Crane. She was one of the first crafters whose blogs I started to follow, and I love seeing all the different things she has done with her business throughout the years. I also really love the work of artist Naoshi. She paints with sand! And her imagery is so cute. I want to be one of her sand paintings, like a girl floating away on a donut flying saucer. As far as authors... to be honest, I have read much fewer books since leaving the publishing world. I do really love "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson. We used to work together as literary agents, pitching writers' books to publishers, and now she's an award-winning young adult novelist, and it's just amazing, and I'm so proud of her!

Where do you find inspiration?

I don't really go anywhere or look at anything in particular for inspiration. I try to just always be in an open and inspired state of mind. I keep a pad of paper on me always in case I need to remember something (although smart phones kind of take care of that now, too!), and I always try to keep my senses aware. I do also like Instagram for following artists. It's nice to have a regular source of inspiration, not for content/ideas, but inspiration to create, just knowing that other people are actively creating and then feeling inspired by that.

What's next for you?

I will probably write a 3rd crochet book down the line at some point! I'm also going to try to get back into more regular YouTube tutorials. I sort of fell off the wagon last year due to working on my book, but I want to get back in the saddle! Right now, I honestly have no idea what's around the corner, which can be scary and unsettling, but I have a lot of pattern ideas to put out into the world, so you can always count on that!

Crochet the cutest food-themed home goods you'll ever see with Twinkie Chan's new book of patterns!

Crochet designer and craft superstar Twinkie Chan is back with her highly anticipated book Crocheted Abode a la Mode: 20 Yummy Crochet Projects for Your Home. This is the follow-up to Chan's first book, which featured food-inspired crocheted accessories. In Crocheted Abode a la Mode, Chan unveils twenty new food-themed crochet patterns for crafters to follow as they crochet their living space into a cozier, yummier place. The book is organized according to rooms in your house: kitchen and dining, living and lounging, bath and beauty, and home office.

Helpful diagrams, step-by-step instructions, and colorful photos help crocheters of all skill levels create Chan's cute and cozy home decor pieces. Readers are guaranteed to find several adorable, food-forward patterns to bring to life with their crochet hooks--everything from giant donut floor poufs to sweet honeybear aprons to savory corn dog pen cozies.

Chan's signature style is cute, colorful, food-themed, and always functional, which highlights an attribute she likes to call "cute-tility." Her fun, unique designs are inspired by Japanese kawaii (cute) culture as well as her childhood collection of faux food toys. Her patterns appeal to crafters of all ages, and her warm, conversational writing style welcomes them into her cozy crocheted world, encouraging everyone to get creative. So, what are you waiting for? Let the fun unravel!