This cosplayer takes crochet to wild new heights by creating entire needlework outfits, and I'm feeling a little bad that the best I can do is a fuzzy shrimp

I picked up crochet for the first time this year, after my friend bought me a neat little kit that contains everything you need in a can. In my excitement I sat down the same evening to attempt crafting a shrimp, and was met with a real challenge. As it turns out, crochet is hard. Who would've guessed? It took me far longer than I like to admit to figure out what the instructions were telling me to do, and after a lot of trial and error and several different YouTube tutorials I had finally created what can only vaguely be described as a shrimp.

So when people dedicate hours and hours to massive crochet projects, I fully appreciate how much hard work has gone into it. I love a good scroll through the r/GeekyCrochet subreddit; you get such a range of projects, from handmade plushies to accessories for both humans and animals (including many dog costumes, which is always appreciated) but what astounds me even more than this is when people crochet whole cosplays.

Creating a cosplay is enough work as-is. There are so many details and little accessories that go alongside the base outfit which are bound to take hours to create in foam or clay, or whatever else people far craftier than me use. But to take this one step further, using yarn and all sorts of knots, has made me feel terribly embarrassed about my poor attempt at crafting a shrimp. However, it has also become motivation to better my skills as a novice crocheter, if anything.

In particular, Instagram user Tobicrochets has created a number of astounding cosplays almost entirely from crochet, and I've become a little obsessed with looking through their social media page and admiring the hard work. One that particularly stood out to me was their Madoka Magica cosplay, which was made up exclusively of their crochet (aside from the socks and shoes, of course). Each layer of the dress and all its embellishments have been made up of yarn, and when you stop to appreciate that the entire cosplay really becomes a spectacle.

It's not just the clothes themselves. All the accessories and weapons that go alongside their chosen character are crochet too. For example, Tobicrochet's Madoka Magica cosplay featured a bow, alongside light-up arrows, as well as hair accessories which had all been hand-crafted. The same goes for other accessories such as a Prison Realm cube from Jujutsu Kaisen, cigarette smoke to go with a One Piece cosplay, and chainsaw blades to go with a Chainsaw Man cosplay. All of them are so well thought-out and executed that you don't realise they're crochet until you take a closer look.

Not all of their cosplays are entirely made up of crochet though, and sometimes Tobicrochets focus on creating a few elements rather than the full thing—but they are just as effective. For example, in a group cosplay where multiple people were cosplaying different characters from the Sonic series, Tobicrochets crafted a full tail and ears for their Tails outfit, and it's adorable. From a first glance I couldn't tell it was crochet, mostly because the fluffy yarn used gives it a different look to your standard crochet, but again, if you look a little closer you can see all the intricate details of the knots—particularly on the ears.

Even though my crochet skills are a ways off from creating full outfits, it's nice to have something to aim towards. Sure, it'll be a few years before I can make anything outside of the odd granny square and now a little shrimp plushie, but I'm sure I'll get there. I'll let you know now that it won't be anywhere near as detailed or enchanting as the work of Tobicrochets, but it'll be a good effort at the very least.