Animal instincts
Meet Jen Starbird, a US-based crochet artist who uses hyper-realistic amigurumi to bring creatures from the wild, her imagination and even the prehistoric past to life
Extinct and endangered animals, mythical creatures and little-known species make up Jen’s ami’ menagerie
JenStarbird is proof that whatever your passion in life, there’s bound to be a way to celebrate it using crochet. “Crochet is a means of sharing my love of the natural world with others,” says Jen. “My focus is on endangered creatures [and] unusual and less well-known fauna, as well as recently extinct and ancient animals. With crochet I can demonstrate to others the tremendous variety of creatures on the planet that are currently in our care.”
Jen came to crochet nearly 13 years ago, learning the craft mostly via YouTube and dedicated tutorial sites. Before too long her friends were asking her to crochet items, such as purses and animal hats for kids, but then she discovered an amigurumi dragon pattern by Megan Lapp of Crafty Intentions. “I loved the complexity of it,” Jen says, “and when Megan asked me to be a pattern tester for her, I jumped at the chance.”