ELLINWOOD — For half a century, Robin Gray has enjoyed working on arts and crafts projects and has shared the fruits of her hobby with citizens of Ellinwood.
In a more recent hobby endeavor, Gray has engaged her skills as a crochet artist for a variety of toy characters. Gray said her work is part of a process that involves other people in the design and creation of these toys.
“The end result, that being the actual crochet work, is my creation but other individuals come up with the toys’ designs,” she said. “I test patterns for other designers before they are released to the public for purchase.”
Gray said part of her work with the designer is to insure correct grammar, placement of certain parts of the toy and correct stitch count and location. “It’s a tedious process but the outcome is worth the labor involved,” she said.
Gray added that the designers she works with possess a high level of talent and competency in their craft. “They are extremely skillful in what they do,” she said. “I feel my job is easy because I just read their instructions and create what they want to produce for the public.”
What is remarkable about Gray’s work is that she is completely self-taught. “This is something I’ve done over the last 50 years,” she said. “I never took a course in crochet. This is something I learned on my own.”
Gray does not draw a profit from her crochet work and considers her pastime a passion. “The love of the craft itself is what inspires me,” she said. “I love the creative processes and details that are involved with this hobby.”
Her skills go beyond crocheting toys. She also has a creative knack for making blankets, although she tends to favor working with the toys. “One of the challenges with blankets is that you have a long row of continuous stitches and they just go over and over, so it can become rather boring,” said Gray. “However, when I’m creating the amigurumi, it keeps my mind active because I have to continuously count stitches and make sure they’re in the proper location.”
Amigurumi is the Japanese word which describes small knitted or crocheted stuffed toys, often in the shape of characters, animals, mini foods, household objects and scenery. It comes from the two root words ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, which means stuffed doll.
As an individual, Gray said she does not market her craft but she is involved with several crochet groups via Facebook where her work is showcased. “And I work with designers from all over the world,” she said. “A lot of it is also just word-of-mouth.”
When asked how many toys she has worked on over the years, she said, “Too many to count!”
Gray said any expense involved generally comes from the cost of the material.
“I don’t receive payment for this,” said Gray. “The only thing I receive is the pattern from the designer and I go to work from there. All materials required for that pattern come out of my own pocket.”
Most of her work caters to collectors, children and charities. “Again, this is a passion of mine,” Gray said. “I’m working on this almost all day, every day.”
Last Wednesday, Gray received a visit from Sandy McMullen from St. Francis Ministries in Great Bend.
“We filled her car with between 130 to 150 or more items from my crocheted toys for the children St. Francis ministers to,” she said. “This is a large reason why I love what I do and I hope I can continue to do this for many years to come.”
