Custom Orders

Can you make my caterpillar bigger/smaller?

No. They are the size they are because that is the real estate needed to get in the details. If big caterpillars aren’t your thing, consider shopping my Smalls.

How big are they anyway?

Caterpillars we think of as the chonky bois typically come out to 40-42 inches long.

Long, skinny caterpillars are 48” or longer.

Either of these will weigh 4-5 lbs. Any bigger than this they won’t fit in my boxes. The box I use is the maximum size before we get to double or triple shipping costs.

Slug caterpillars are more like 24-26 inches long.

Smalls are 8 - 9 inches long or about 4-5 inches long for slug caterpillars.

What materials do you use?

All caterpillars are high-quality man-made (cruelty-free) yarns, polyester filling, and sometimes other materials like plastic stabilizers, stainless steel wire, and special fabric or materials. Most of the caterpillars are machine washable and dryable, though often just a spot clean is sufficient.

Can you make a Woolly Bear?

No. Not on the large scale, anyway. Yarn doesn’t really behave properly to get a fuzzy caterpillar. Besides… it would weigh A LOT. I will eventually have a Woolly Bear in Smalls using novelty yarn.

If I order a new design, how much will it cost?

You can expect it to cost about the same as an existing design of similar size, shape, detail. A price will be agreed on long before you are ever invoiced. An alteration on an existing design wouldn’t cost extra, unless it adds an extra day of work.

What determines the price of your caterpillars?

I decided that I at least needed to pay myself minimum wage, so my prices have gone up this year. Here is the formula I use:

Number of hours it takes to crochet/assemble/embellish + material costs + shipping supplies + average Domestic shipping cost.

What discounts are available?

Repeat Customers will get $20 off each new order.

I will also give a $20 discount on the FIRST customer to order any caterpillar that has a note about my plans to update the design. Your faith in my vision is appreciated.

Why are orders limited to 1 per customer?

That is just for 2025 at this point. The Waiting List is already very long. Once I get a couple of popular caterpillars out in a pattern, orders will slow down. I just need more time.

Shipping

Caterpillars are squeezed into a cubic foot box and shipped either USPS (less expensive, but slower) or UPS (a wait or an additional charge may be required). The box and filler can be recycled or composted. The tape cannot. It takes strong tape to hold some of those guys in. All domestic packages are insured and tracked.

Prices include shipping within the continental US. $15 of cost will go toward any other shipping. Customer assumes additional cost.

If you need the caterpillar for a certain event, please get onto the Waiting List ASAP and let me know immediately.

Returns

If I make a mistake, I will fix it, and the extra shipping costs will be at my own expense. I will even offer you a future discount. I do not offer refunds, however. I cannot get that time back. Other customers who could have had your time slot cannot get that opportunity back.

Refunds

I will refund your payment if you change your mind between paying the invoice and me beginning work on your caterpillar. Circumstances change., stuff happens.

Crochet Patterns

Are you going to make a pattern for X ?

If I get enough requests for a particular pattern, eventually. Sorry that it takes so long. My patterns tend to be 20-40 pages long and are filled with step-by-step photos. Some pattern lines have 20+ color changes. It’s a lot to type out, format, and edit. And then there is the problem with getting a pattern for such a large item tested. I am looking for professional testing and editing but, once again, the size and time it takes to make one of these has proved a deterrent for testers who get paid by the item.

What level difficulty are your patterns?

Most of them are marked Intermediate to Advanced, but I have had first-time crocheters tackle some of my patterns with not-too-bad results. It really has a lot more to do with how self-motivated you are and how good you are at reading and understanding lengthy written instructions.

Having said that… 80% of my patterns are single crochet, though it can involve a lot of colorwork. The shaping might be something you haven’t encountered before, but it’s not really new. I’ve borrowed methods from knitting and sewing and altered them to apply to crochet.

Sometimes shaping involves sewing and using the yarn to pull and bunch things into shape. I provide lots of pictures and even internal illustrations for that.

Are your caterpillars just like large Amigurumi?

Not really. Some parts will remind you of amigurumi methods, but most of the pieces are made flat (though they may not actually be flat) and then assembled.

Are you going to make a video for this pattern?

No. I only have time to do one thing and the thing I prefer to do is crochet. Besides, relying on videos is probably why you can’t read a crochet pattern. ;)

more coming soon as I remember the things people keep asking me…