The Peter Rabbit™ Crochet Toys by Carla Mitrani (AmourFou) was published last year to great success. Who is she? An Argentinian journalist, producer, crochet doll designer, and author who brings together children’s literature and yarn through lovely crochet patterns. In this interview, we celebrate her work, explore with her the links between reading and crafting and, of course, her love for Beatrix Potter’s™ characters.
Crochet has become incredibly popular in the last few years. Ideas about getting offline, revaluing arts and crafts historically linked to women, spending time doing a mindful hobby, and creating your own garments and decorations have placed crochet as a trendy activity on social media. If you look for #crochet on Instagram and TikTok, for example, you will find thousands of creators sharing tips, yarn recommendations, patterns, and more.
Among the most popular crafted items you can find tote bags, crop tops, coasters, and plushies. Amigurumi plushies, specifically. The term comes from Japanese, and is used to refer to plushies whose parts are crocheted in the round using single crochet stitches. After making all the different parts (like head, body, limbs, and other details), you sew them together. Take a look at this cute Little Mermaid I made in 2020, following a pattern made by Lia Arjono, published in the book Unicorns, Dragons and More Fantasy Amigurumi (2018). Or this Swimmer Piggy after a pattern by Yan Schenkel, @picapauyan.
The relation between children and homemade toys, like these amigurumi plushies, goes a long way. This connection can also include other childhood media when one considers the possibility of amigurumis made in resemblance to literary characters.
For this new episode of Sliding into the DMs of Book Professionals, I interviewed Carla Mitrani (also known as AmourFou on social media) about her work as a crochet designer, her love for reading, and how these two passions came together in her last book, Peter Rabbit™ Crochet Toys.
Francisca Tapia Álvarez (F. T. A.): How did you begin exploring the world of amigurumi plushies?
Carla Mitrani (C. M.): I have always loved dolls, I still do. Making them myself is something I always wanted to try. I remember when I was little, I used to make dolls with paper and pieces of boxes and made them dresses from the scraps of fabric my grandmother, who was a seamstress, used to give me. Twenty years ago, I saw a crochet toy by Anne-Claire Petit, a designer from the Netherlands, and fell in love with the technique. A few years later I found another wonderful designer in Argentina, Yan Schenkel, who gave courses and I learned the craft with her.
F. T. A.: How would you describe your relationship with reading and books? I’ve noticed that several of your patterns are based on writers and characters. The children’s literature ones are particularly lovely!
C. M.: I love books, I love reading. I’ve never been very sporty nor outdoorsy. I always had a book with me growing up. And while I read, the characters became my friends. I remembered this when I began to crochet my first dolls and thought it would be a great way to encourage my boys to read if I gave them a beloved book and a doll of the main character. So they could, for example, listen to me read Where The Wild Things Are while cuddling Max.
F. T. A.: Which one of your literary characters is your favourite? Why?
C. M.: I have many favourite literary characters, that’s why I have so many book-related designs. I have dolls to gift to children from classic tales, like The Little Prince, and I also have dolls honouring the main character of my favourite adult reads, such as Jane Eyre or all four March sisters, from Little Women. I certainly don’t believe dolls should be only for children. A Jane Austen fan like myself loves to have an Elizabeth Bennet and a Mr Darcy perpetually together on the shelf of his or her workplace or right on top of their desk!
F. T. A.: In your words, what is the relevance of exploring the intersection between crafts and reading?
C. M.: As I said, for me it’s a great way to encourage children to read. Over the years I have paired books and dolls as gifts always with great success. Of course, I have read the books I give and know they will be loved, but the doll gives that extra boost that sometimes children need, especially now that we compete with so many screens for their attention. I also truly believe that reading to children from the very beginning, even if they are babies, is never a waste of time. Our voice will soothe them at first and, when they are older, it’s a beautiful time to share together before bedtime and to chat about the stories. Tuck the child in bed, with the crochet doll, open the book and let the magic begin!
F. T. A.: Your book Peter Rabbit™ Crochet Toys was published last year, and it’s gorgeous! Why did you choose to adapt Beatrix Potter’s™ characters to crochet? What is the story behind your motivation and creative process?
C. M.: Although I have always been a fan of Beatrix Potter’s™ books, it was not my idea to make this book, it was my publisher’s, more precisely Ame Verso’s, from David & Charles. I had already worked on three previous books with them, but those books featured my designs entirely, based on my drawings. This new project was different: the aim was to turn Beatrix Potter’s™ impressive illustration into crochet dolls. It was truly a challenge because some characters were very complex and detailed (she drew so beautifully), and we wanted the dolls to be easy-to-make. Plus, each design had to be approved by the owners of Mrs Potter’s copyrights. I think we are all very happy with the result and I like to believe Beatrix would approve!
Peter Rabbit™ Crochet Toys by Carla Mitrani, BookMarked© and David&Charles©, 2025
F. T. A.: Finally, do you think children’s literature is an open place to spark creativity, for both young people and adults?
C. M.: Certainly. Books offer children windows to other worlds. And when they are little, imagining those worlds is so easy for them. I guess we lose that capacity a bit as we grow. Reading out loud to children before going to bed is one of the most beautiful activities you can share together before bedtime. It also offers a great opportunity to speak about our feelings and worries as we compare them to those of the characters. This is why I started making my dolls. I still cherish those moments I had with my own children. And, of course, if in kindergarten, they also have teachers that tell them stories and read out loud to them, the synergy is perfect. This was also the aim when we came up with my Domestika course, where I teach how to design and crochet finger puppets: for crafters to be able to make tiny theatre versions of a great story!
Finally I believe there are little things as satisfying as seeing how, as they grow, children get to choose the books themselves and read them on their own! When they ask to go to a bookstore it is absolute bliss! That’s when you realize you’ve done a great job!
If you fell in love with Carla’s designs, you can check out more of her marvellous projects on her Instagram page @Amorfou_crochet and blog Amour Fou. Or, if you got inspired by Beatrix Potter’s™ wonderful characters, you can check the other knitting and crochet pattern books by David & Charles inspired by her work here.
Have you ever made any children’s media related craft projects? Please share them with us on our social media accounts! We would love to see them.
SLIDING MAGAZINE 
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