Be Inspired to Create Amigurumi Characters with the Prince of Crochet

Crochet artist and character designer Marcelo Javier Cortés, a.k.a. Príncipe del Crochet, shares his favorite projects

Crocheting is a hand knitting technique that is gaining interest among contemporary creatives. Starting in the craft of crochet is easy, and there are lots of possibilities.

One of the most attractive projects you can do using a crochet hook is ‘amigurumi.’ You can create cute, three-dimensional characters by crocheting them as if you were sculpting with yarn.

Marcelo Javier Cortés is better known on social media as @principe_del_crochet and has been devoting his time to crocheting and designing amigurumi, a kind of knitted sculpture usually representing small characters. Read on as he shares how he started to be interested in this technique, and how he gathered a solid base of followers on social media (he has over 123k followers on Instagram and over 320k on YouTube).

Starting out in crochet

Marcelo remembers being attracted to the world of fairy tales from a young age and wanting to be part of them. Later on, he realized that his love of storytelling wasn't just about being an avid reader but also about becoming a writer.

Getting inspiration from a crocheted character, he knew at once that he wished to crochet his own characters too. Moreover, these characters should belong to the worlds of the very tales he had loved and dreamt about.

Creating a universe

Marcelo began to write and sketch more and more with so much inspiration and started to plan out some projects. The first significant character he created was a prince, Príncipe del Crochet (the Prince of Crochet), which became the face and embodiment of his brand.

Soon after, the character–which Marcelo hopes will inspire other crocheters–became his brand's identity on his social media channels.

Becoming a pro

Marcelo developed and managed his social media profile through a great deal of work, including professionally documenting his production with beautiful photographs.

All our ideas can materialize through crocheting and amigurumi. They end up becoming part of you.
– Príncipe del Crochet

Nowadays, Marcelo writes, crochets, and creates amigurumi characters on a full-time basis. He also teaches crocheting workshops, enjoying being able to share this creative style with others.

If you want to know more about Marcelo’s work, sign up for his course Amigurumi Design and Creation, and learn the process and techniques involved in bringing an original crocheted character to life.

English version by @acesarato.

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- Macramé Tutorial: Basic Knots for Borders and Braids
- Online Amigurumi courses