We are a dissociative identity disorder system from the UK. We love crocheting Animal Friends of Pica Pau. They are designed by the incredibly talented Designer: Yan Schenkel from Argentina. If you love collecting stuffed animals, like TY Beanies or Jellycats, we think you’ll find these handmade creations even more special. Every animal has its own unique personality, crafted with care and attention to detail, making them truly one-of-a-kind. Yan has created a story for each animal so this brings them to life even more.
We first learnt to crochet in 2019 after breaking our ankle as we couldn’t walk very far for 9 months. Previously we have always struggled to have hobbies. Having a large system makes it difficult to agree on what we are going to do. We have found that crocheting is the one thing that all the inner parts agree on.
We bought the first Animal Friends book in 2021 and immediately fell in love with the animals. It is hard to convey in words what it feels like to start off with a ball of wool and end up with a very cute animal, knowing that you crocheted it. Being able to make the animals helps improve my confidence. It gives me a sense of purpose when the rest of my life is very difficult.
The first batch of animals we created, we gave them to a charity shop. We were so upset when all the animals had gone we wanted to get them back. From then on, we have always kept a small collection at home. Over the last few years, we have mostly given the animals away to brighten people’s day, but now we need to raise money to pay for our DID treatment.
The repetitive nature of the pattern helps to calm the constant chatter in our mind, grounding us in the present moment. Each stitch is a small act of self-care, allowing us to focus on something tangible and beautiful.
The animals feel like an extension of the inner parts we live with. We love how each animal can be made to look different. When you live in a system, you know that some of your parts look very similar but have different characteristics or a slightly different look. The animals are very similar. People also have parts that take on the characters of animals, so it really helps to have a physical representation of a part. We have a part called Billie, who dresses as a bee. So we have Agatha Bee as part of our personal collection.
When I show people the animals, they are amazed at how lovely they look. This led me to saying that they bring “Joy and Mushiness to the world”. They certainly have given us a lot of joy making them. We’re incredibly grateful to Yan Schenkel for creating such wonderful patterns that have brought so much joy to our lives.They are highly collectable because you can have an animal created in colours that you love.
If you’d like to support our DID treatment and bring joy to the world, please consider purchasing one of our handmade Animal Friends.
If you’re looking for a specific animal or colour palette, we take custom orders - reach out to us on social media. We’d love to work with you to create the perfect companion.
You can follow us on:
You can buy an animal via https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/ncwbedford
You can follow Yan at https://www.instagram.com/picapauyan?igsh=ZDdzYnFiaXBweDY4
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