Absolutely Small: A peek inside the creative life of Karla Fitch

First off, a little backstory. Who are you? What do you make?
I'm The Itsy Bitsy Spider and I specialize in amigurumi crochet critters. I'm a mom, a wife, a writer, a crocheter, a kisser of boo-boos, and a lover of touchable, colorful art. My daughter, Kaia, is one of the big reasons I got into amigurimi crochet. After making afghans (and just about everything else) for more than 15 years -- I fell in love with a baby girl and have been making dolls to delight her ever since. She is my muse and my inspiration.
My original amigurumi designs are 100% hand made with the same quality and attention to detail that I would want for my own daughter. And, each stitch I hook in each piece I make holds a story. You'll find some of the stories right in the item listings on my shop -- for instance, did you know that the tooth fairy turns stale gumdrops into colorful mice so people won't accidentally have dental emergencies?

But, it is my hope that my creations' best stories are yet to be unlocked by the people who eventually receive them.

What projects are you in the middle of right now that you should probably be working on instead of doing this?
Right now, I'm working on several different projects -- it's actually rather NOT like me to be involved in several projects at once... but I guess I've been a little schizophrenic since my last show. I'm knitting a pair of socks for my husband for Christmas (*shhhh! Don't tell him!). For the shop, I'm working on a new baby dragon ( http://www.etsy.com/listing/59613957/pattern-baby-dragon-amigurumi-pdf ), an "Itsy Bitsy Spider Monkey" for a special order, and a little crocheted tea set pattern. I'm most excited about the tea set pattern -- so far I have the cup, saucer, spoon, and tea bag finished!

Where do you primarily create?
I have a "craft room" made out of a bedroom that is really too small to be a bedroom. Mostly I hang out in there because the little one likes to get into my yarn. But after she goes to bed, I occasionally like to crochet in front of a good TV show in the living room!

Where do you find inspiration?
Mostly stories. I have always loved reading (although with a two-year old, my reading now-a-days is mostly limited to kids' books). I also get inspired by toys that I see that I want to give my daughter and by my amazing colleagues on the Etsy Plush Team!

Do you have a favorite book/blog/movie/etc you'd like to recommend?
I absolutely loved The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket. She also has a wicked cool and BEAUTIFUL blog called Yarnstorm ( http://yarnstorm.blogs.com/).