Poldark Had Everyone In Stitches

Putting the finishing touches to my first knitted doll, I held him aloft and smiled.

- Kim Willis

Thorin Oakenshield, one of the characters from The Hobbit, didn’t shape up too badly in knitted form. With his long, black hair and fluffy coat, I was so proud of him I posted a photo on Twitter.

Amazing! You should sell these! people Tweeted me. I’ve always enjoyed knitting but found jumpers and scarves very boring. As a child, I loved cuddly toys so I decided that it would be a lot more fun to try and knit dolls instead. Despite hunting all over the internet, I hadn’t been able to find any Thorin patterns I liked so here I was,  making my own. And as my Twitter followers were so enthusiastic, it got me thinking I should design simple patterns that anyone could follow, so that any fan of knitting could make their own doll.

That’s how it all started, back in May 2015. I launched Kwerky Knits, setting up a Facebook page where I sold my dolls and patterns. I  knitted the characters of Kili and Fili too, and Bilbo Baggins. But it was only after I designed a pattern for Ross Poldark that Kwerky Knits took off.