About yOomii

What had originally started out as a hobby quickly progressed into something much larger. Tired of knitting her own scarfs and leg warmers, Sherry decided to venture into the art of toy making.

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I’ve always enjoyed doodling various cute characters into multiple sketchbooks that I’ve owned over the years, and I’ve always loved the idea of one day being able to turn those drawings into something more. I don’t consider myself to be amazing at illustration (although I wish I was), but I’ve always loved drawing. Seeing my characters being brought to life though this form of media is quite satisfying. The whole production process involves a lot more work than I had originally expected, but the end result makes me happy.

I created “yOomii” almost 2 years ago, unsure of what to expect, but fully excited to learn as I go on this journey. Through a bunch of experimentation, the right tools, and with the help of some really great “do-it-yourself” books, the scarfs and leg warmers that I used to make, slowly evolved into the oddly cute characters that I currently make today.

I hardly ever use a set pattern when I first make my toys. The process involves taking a drawing from my sketchbook, and trying to recreate it through knitting or crocheting with yarn, using basic shapes adapted from how I used to make my leg warmers. A lot of experimentation with increasing and decreasing stitches are involved. I usually take notes (create patterns) when making something new so that I’ll remember how to make them in the future, as well as which areas I need to fix up and improve. It’s a constant learning cycle and there’s always room to improve. Of course, adding in some felt here and there do make things look even more cute!

I think I really enjoy the challenge of taking one of my drawings and bringing it to life in the form of a physical plush toy. I also believe that people often underestimate exactly how much work goes into making these characters, since everything is literally made stitch by stitch with my two hands. Sometimes I wish that my characters would actually come to life and help me with my work, but for now, that remains a dream.

Thankfully, my customers (new and old) really love my work, and continue to be really patient with me when I have a lot of orders to complete. Thanks to them, I’ve gotten to ship out my toys to many different parts of the world (Australia, Sweden, USA, just to name a few). It’s also given me an opportunity to work on wholesale orders for some shops based in the US and Australia.

Although this is not my full-time job, I will gladly continue making these oddly cute characters. After all, they are made for you by me.

Other interesting facts:

I taught myself how to knit a scarf because they were sold for ridiculous prices in stores, and I had the mentality that I could make something much better

My sister was eager to help out with my orders, so I’ve recently taught her how to crochet; she helps me when she has some spare time in between studying for her biology and chemistry courses

I learned how to knit before I learned how to crochet, and I found crocheting to be really difficult in the beginning

I doodle a lot in my sketchbook when I cannot fall asleep

I graduated from university in 2009 with a BA in Psychology and International Studies; I’m 24 years old as of writing this

My owls seem really popular