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       When I saw Popkin, I immediately thought of a story about him. In my world he is a plant familiar. A plant familiar so magnificent that even me, who feels a great connection with animals and is very fond of them, can be tempted by it. The most prominent feature of Popkin is, of course, its popping eye.  But this is not a feature that it has for you to relieve your stress or to have a good time playing with it. You can harvest this eye. Don’t worry, the best part of the plant familiar is that the eye you picked up will grow back. You can place these eyes in hidden areas and connect to them whenever you want to see everything they see. Isn’t it awesome?

 The.KRRaft designed The Popkin; I and 10 talented crocheters from my witch coven tested it for you. It was a very instructive experience. It was an environment where we all communicated and talked about every step and I was able to see how other people evaluate patterns and what they pay attention to. When you work with so many talented people, you get the chance to see your own shortcomings. I don’t apply to be a tester for patterns that I am not very interested in, so my experience in pattern testing is very limited. The Popkin pattern was the process I felt closest to the process of pattern creation. As I mentioned before, I am not really interested in pattern writing. But as someone who evaluates patterns, I’ve never been this close to being behind the curtain before.

 The admiration I feel when I see a beautiful and complex pattern makes me think that pattern designers are special people. They are obviously not like everyone else and they have a God-given talent. This way of thinking can sometimes lead to the misconception that their work is hard for us but easy for them. It can make us overlook how much work they put into creating a pattern. But it should never be forgotten how much work there is behind a well-prepared pattern, how much effort there is. That’s why I get so angry with people who don’t respect the copyrights of the patterns. But they should be able to be financially compensated for all that work.

  Materials I used:

Light pink: YarnArt Jeans Number 83,

White: YarnArt Jeans Number 01

Black: YarnArt Jeans Number 53

Light red: Gazzal Baby Cotton Number 3418

Light brown: Gazzal Baby Cotton Number 3434

Tulip 2.00 mm hook 

Size: 6 cm (2,36 inches) diameter

          4 cm (1,57 inches) height

 Of course I highly recommend the pattern, you can buy it without any doubt.   Popkin is so much fun to play with that my son didn’t want to put it down. I had to convince him to take pictures of it before it got dirty. I think it is a great gift not only for decoration but also as a toy. 

       The pattern itself is a visual feast just like Popkin. Everything The.KRRaft touches will surely appeal to your eyes. I also like the page design very much. The photos are taken in detail so that you can see Popkin from all sides. The most complicated parts are shown with detailed photos.

        Popkin is a very clever pattern. The difficulty level of the pattern is intermediate. There are no lessons on crochet techniques in the pattern.  Some parts can be very challenging for beginners. It was a pattern that opened my vision a lot. I will definitely use the techniques I learned here in other projects. 

  The most difficult part for me was the eyelids.  I think the fact that the Popkin was too hard due to my wrong hook choice was also a bit of a problem.  Since my tension was very tight, my Popkin was very hard with the yarns I used and 2.00 mm crochet hook . I didn’t have a problem with the eye popping out, but I still wasn’t very happy with the shape. 

I normally try a pattern at least twice. This pattern doesn’t require it. When you get the pattern, you will see the Popkins that all the testers crocheted and information about the yarns and hooks they used. I think the addition of the testers’ work in the pattern makes a very positive contribution. I think it is inspiring to know how the Popkin looks with both yarns of different thickness and color. It is also very encouraging to make your own Popkin right away.

    Do not hesitate to contact the pattern owner if you are confused about anything. She is very kind and helpful. I have no doubt that whatever your problem is, she will solve it as soon as she can and guide you in the best way possible. 

Finally, I would like to end this post by thanking The.KRRaft and all the pattern testers. I have learned so much from all of you. Thanks to AmigurumiStreet, I have met these lovely and talented people. Without this blog I would have just continued crocheting in my own world. Popkin will always have a special place in my life. If you buy and try this fun pattern, please share your experiences with me in the comments.  I’d love to hear your thoughts. With love.

There may be some who think that we will do mischief and spy on people with Popkin’s eyes. I wish that was the reason. Unfortunately, women still have personal safety problems in many parts of the world. In my world, Popkin exists so that those women can protect themselves. After all, wherever they see independent, free-thinking, strong and brave women for centuries, there are those who think that those women will use their intelligence for evil. But we are also the grandchildren of the witches you could not burn. You could not extinguish the fire inside us then, and you will not be able to extinguish it now.

PS: The end of November was very busy for me. I also had a cold. This article was supposed to be ready for November 25 – International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to draw attention to gender-based violence. But I could’t meet the schedule.  Still, I did not want to publish it without adding the paragraph above and remembering the Mirabal sisters.