Toy Story: Student Markets Her Crocheted Creations

She has a long-distance partner in her venture: her mother Galina, whose chronic kidney disease has left her disabled and unable to leave her Moscow home. After learning of her daughter’s new hobby, she also taught herself to crochet.

Her new hobby helps her pass the time, Andreeva wrote in an email. “I help by finding her toys a new home. A piece of her love and warmth travels a long way to make children smile when they hug their toy for the first time.”

From Moscow to UVA

As Andreeva entered her final year of high school in Moscow in 2020, her father had his application for permanent residency in the United States approved.

Polina began searching for American universities. She ended up applying to 18.

“I got into quite a few,” she said, “but after careful research, I picked UVA.”

So, she, her father and her younger brother moved to Charlottesville, sight-unseen, in time to start classes in August 2021.

Andreeva started in the College of Arts & Sciences, intending to study political thought. She enjoyed it, she said, but fretted about her career prospects. Intrigued by the contrasts she observed between cities in Europe and the U.S., she discovered urban planning.

While she can crank out smaller toys in about a half hour, larger, more complex creations can take five or six hours, Andreeva said. (Photo by Emily Faith Morgan, University Communications)

“There’s a lot of politics behind it, but I enjoy it because America has a very interesting urban landscape,” Andreeva said. “It’s not perfect, because it’s built around cars, and nowadays people are realizing that’s not probably a way to go. We need more walkable cities. We need grid cities. We need cities that would support a car-free lifestyle.

“There’s a lot of work for urban planners in America.”

Suzanne Moomaw chairs the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning and has taught Andreeva in four courses, including a studio class that sought to imagine rebuilding a Ukrainian city after the war.

“She’s creative, she’s energetic, she’s interested in the bigger picture, the bigger world. She’s so resourceful, both in and out of the classroom, thinking about things in new ways,” Moomaw said.

Andreeva enjoys American higher education.

“We have probably 15 hours of classes during the work week, compared to Russia being close to 40,” she said. “In Russia, it is old-school teaching, so you’re often required to memorize everything that is written out in the textbooks. UVA is way more liberal. It uses different learning techniques, and it’s more about creativity and different learning styles, different learning methods, different teaching methods.”

Andreeva taught herself to crochet by watching YouTube videos. Her mother did, too, and sends her toys to sell at her booth. (Photo by Emily Faith Morgan, University Communications)

It also leaves time to crochet.

Market Days

In a typical week, Andreeva said she makes about 10 small toys that take about 30 minutes each, five medium-sized ones at about an hour each and perhaps one larger toy at five to six hours. She and her partner, Quinn, tote their goods from their apartment near the Downtown Mall and set up for the 9 a.m. opening.

The first time she set up, “I probably had about 10 toys. I didn’t really know what would speak to people. 

“Now looking back, I don’t think it was my best work, because I was just starting,” she recalled. “It still looked very cute, and it spoke to a lot of people.”

A steady stream of marketgoers admires her work. Few vendors offer toys, and shoppers often bring curious children. 

The City Market fits in well with Andreeva’s ideals of what a city should be, providing residents with access to locally produced food and goods – including toys. (Contributed photo)

For Andreeva, crocheting now goes well beyond being a way to pass the time at a desk job. It’s a “heartwarming hobby that transforms love and creativity into cherished companions for children,” she wrote. “Each stitch is infused with care and tenderness, crafting not just a toy, but a friend who will accompany kids on their adventures and provide comfort through both laughter and tears.”

The City Market shuts down in November, but there’s a Holiday Market from Thanksgiving to Christmas and another market at the Ix Art Park. 

The markets, she said, fit nicely with her vision of how cities should be. 

“I love that it is a hub where the community can come together and everyone has a nice talk,” she said. “You get to meet your local creators or farmers, and you learn about all the small businesses that reside in the city, and about all the natural resources that our ground provides us with, because Charlottesville has great natural resources.”

A New Home

Andreeva will wrap up her degree requirements in December. She’s working part-time for a local engineering firm and has accepted a full-time position there.

Charlottesville – the town she moved to sight-unseen – has grown on her. She’s even found a small-but-supportive Russian community.

“Charlottesville is a small-town community (that) is very friendly and open-minded, and it is also very green,” she said, “and I love the views of the mountains, so I would like to stay in Charlottesville.”