I took the time to interview one of my best friends, Lela Borgeson, who goes by Tsuki Tora or Fuchsia Gorilla. Lela is a crochet artist that makes all kinds of things from clothing to blankets to and plushies of characters from your favorite cartoon, anime, video games, and other things from nerdy pop culture. Lela’s creations bring joy to many people who have seen or owned one of them. I love the plushies she makes so much, I’ve decided to get one myself!
Chris: Introduce yourself — tell me your name or nicknames you go by, and what is it that you do?
Lela: Name is Lela Borgeson. I usually go by Tsuki Tora or Fuchsia Gorilla, and I like to crochet cute nerdy things.
Chris:How did you come up with Tsuki Tora and Fuchisagorilla?
Lela: Tsuki Tora came from the Japanese words for moon and tiger, respectively, since I love tigers, and the moon. Fuchsia Gorilla came from a random username generator when I first bought Minecraft.
Chris:What is crochet? And what is it a crochet artist makes?
Lela: Crochet is a fiber art of using a tool called a crochet hook and some yarn and kinda…. tangling the yarn into something pretty. It was made by nuns in France originally. And what can’t a crochet artist make?! We make plushies, blankets, jackets, scarves, hats, and some of us are making masks in the current climate. There’s also gloves, arm warmers, socks, slippers,and many, many other things!
(Right: A crocheted patterned blanket, made by Lela)
Chris: What are your favorite video games, anime, hobbies, etc? And how do you incorporate them into your crochet?
Lela: I think crochet is considered a hobby. Video games… currently are Final Fantasy XIV and Animal Crossing, though my favorite series is still Professor Layton. And I incorporate it into my crochet by…. well… making characters from said properties. Same would go for anime and other shows/movies.
Chris: How does it feel being an artist and attending conventions? How is the experience and is there any difference?
Lela: I would consider all my ongoing experiences to be good. i just feel so lucky to have had booths at any con, no matter the size. I love cons, and I love to see the smiles on people’s faces when they see my work, and I get to talk to them all and it’s always very good. some cons are slower than others, so i do have a lot of down time, but it really doesn’t bother me.
If you’d like to check out Lela’s works or like to get something made, check out her Etsy shop and instagram . She also live-streams over at Twitch, where she crochets live and sometimes plays video games. Hope you’ve enjoyed this short interview and check out Lela’s stuff. She’ll also be participating in unConventional, July 10-12 and August 21-23.
This has been an interview with Tsuki Tora, Interviewed by Chris Nelson!
(Left: a titan from Final Fantasy, made by Lela during a live stream)
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