CAT Crafter Interview with Ozlem @ring_beller

Where do you live? I live in Istanbul, in Turkey

What craft is your therapy?: Crochet seems to be my therapy these days, but I also love knitting and pottery.

How long have you been crafting for?: I started crocheting when I was five. My mum wouldn’t teach me how to crochet since she was worried that it would damage my eyesight. However, I secretly learned it from my cousin. When my mum found out she was mad at me, but there was nothing to do. She was the one who taught me how to knit and I never stopped knitting since then. I wasn’t into crocheting that much until I discovered amigurumi

Tea or coffee?: That might sound a bit weird, but neither. It’s pretty much water for me

Favourite quote?: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Samuel Becket

Is there a crafter that inspires you?: There are tons of great crafters that inspire me – Emma @steelandstitch, Funda @kikalite, Mandy @crochetbyredagape, Tine @littlehappycrochet, Yan @picapauyan and Sandrine @tournicote just to name a few

Why did you choose your IG name?: Ringbeller is a word which means “a really splendid dream, the kind that makes you wake up smiling and happy”. It was made up by Roald Dahl. I chose this name since I wanted to do something that would make kids happy and Roald Dahl was one of my favourite authors

Your CAT story?: i used to work as a full-time translator until I quit my job two years ago. Once I quit, I had so much time but nothing to do. So, I decided to do pottery and sewing. It didn’t take me long to give up on sewing and it is still my least favourite craft although I carried on doing pottery. I started crocheting again when I discovered amigurumi and it has become a way of turning my ideas into real things, things that kids can enjoy. I craft because it calms me and keeps me sane in our insane world.