Put a handmade thing next to a machine made one and people ask which is better. That is the wrong question. They are good at different things. Here is a fair look at both, so you know what you are buying when you choose one of our animals.
What a machine does well
- It repeats one shape again and again, so the thousandth copy matches the first.
- It works fast.
- It can hold a size to a very fine measure.
If you need a hundred things that are exactly alike, a machine is a sensible choice. We will not pretend otherwise.
What a person adds
A person looks at what is in front of her. She sees a stitch that is too loose and redoes it. She decides where a spot goes on a giraffe. She decides when a mane has been trimmed enough. These are small choices, made again and again all day. That is what handmade means.
The cost of this is time. A person works at a person's pace. That is why a handmade animal takes time to make.
Look at a market table of our animals. The lions stand together and so do the elephants. You can see they are the same kind. Still, no two are exact twins.
What that means for you
Handmade comes with variation. Two animals of the same kind and size may differ a little in shade, in the set of an ear, or in the spacing of spots. Another post in this journal explains why colours differ.
None of this is a flaw. It is the difference you choose when you choose handmade. It also means your animal is its own animal, and not a copy.
- Treat the photo on a shop page as a close guide, not an exact copy.
- If one detail matters to you, such as a colour, tell us before you order.
- Use the colour filter in the shop, and look at the photo for each colour.
Can it be mended?
A crocheted animal is made of loops. When a loop works loose, a person can often tuck it back in with a hook or a needle. We say often, not always. If something comes loose on one of ours, send us a photo and we will tell you what we think.
What we do not claim
We do not say handmade is better made than machine made. We have no test to show that. A good factory can make a very good object. We do not run down other makers either. Our claim is narrower. Each of our animals passed through a pair of hands in Nairobi. That work supports 25+ women.
Choose the kind of thing you want. If you want sameness, a machine can give it. If you want to feel the maker's hand in an object, you know where to find us.
