Interview: Pauluschkaa & Her Crochet Designs

When did you start crocheting?
I was still relatively young the first time I had a crochet hook in my hands. My grandma taught me it. But what I’m doing now I really started last autumn.

So a lockdown project?
Yes, if you have a lot of time, you get very creative.

Your designs aren’t the typical boho crochet pieces or granny crochet doilies, you call them funnySTUFF, how did you create them?
First and foremost, what I do should be fun – that is my general motto for everything when it comes to clothing. It can be loud, it can be too much, and it can be colorful. I know it sounds pretty cheesy, but life is too short for me to think in black and white. The first funnyTOP was made from scraps of wool. I had a huge bag full of balls of scraps in all colors and I started with those.

What is your process of creating the patterns now?
I never only take five colors for a project; I always have the big pile in front of me. And then it’s often just a feeling. I take inspiration out of anything: color combinations I see on stranger’s outfits on the street, the way apples and bananas are lying together in my fruit bowl… It’s the simple things that some may not pay attention to… that is what I am incredibly interested in. Everything is created during the process; nothing is planned in advance.

On the contrary, the cuts are very straight and boxy.
I developed the cut based on how I personally feel most comfortable in tops. It is more pragmatic. As much as I like colors and brightly colored patterns, I like straight lines and clear cuts. Because the stiches are relatively large, they are actually wearable from S to small size L. But custom sizes are also not a problem due to the cut.

How many pieces did you produce in this style so far?
I can’t give you an exact number. At the end of last year over the holidays, I crocheted a lot, but it wasn’t until early January that I dared to put my designs online. Since then, I’ve sold around 30 tops, in all kinds of cuts, long-sleeved and short-sleeved.

Right now, you’re preparing a bigger drop to go online this month. How many pieces did you make for that?
The demand for long-sleeved funnyTOPs is huge, so I made several of them and I’m currently working on funnyTOPs in monochrome colors. I made them in red, yellow and blue. And perhaps I’m making sets out of them with monochrome miniskirts for the summer. And then, of course, several of the usual short-sleeved funnyTOPs, as much as my capacity allows.

Approximately how long do you need for one funnyTOP?
All in all, I need eight to ten hours.

What are your usual crocheting spots?
I’m actually sitting everywhere and nowhere. I do a lot at home, but how others read books on the train, I started crocheting there. To the delight of my friends, I sometimes also crochet on coffee dates. But I also like to just sit outside with a podcast and crochet. Preferably where there is something to see, where many people are. Referring back to my observing, in my case, some would almost call it gawking.

Do you have any tips for crochet beginners?
Start with the simplest crochet pattern there is and go from there, I still do it. I’ve watched tons of YouTube tutorials; they are always helpful. The stitch size is also important. If they are too small, it is extremely arduous to crochet. I don’t think there is one right way to do it, so just try it out, get a feel for it, and keep going.

Keep up with Pauluschkaa on Instagram 

Interview by Hannah Sulzbach
Photos Courtesy of Pauline Deckert