Maria Skog's incredible crocheted food is a sumptuous feast for the eyes

Real food is, of course, amazing, but on the downside, it tends to go off if we don't eat it. If only there were a way for food to be immortalised forever in a cute, cuddly, tactile form that looks just as good as the real thing. Well, thanks to the impressive crochet creations of Maria Skog, that's exactly what's happened.

Craft artist Maria lives in Närpes and has been busily stitching everything from strawberries to roast turkeys and ramen to waffles for over a decade. "I started crocheting food when my kids were small because we wanted to play café and grocery store," Maria tells Creative Boom. "And then I just kept crocheting even though my kids are big now."

Since then, Maria has honed her skills by busily creating a plethora of delectably plush foodstuffs. Nothing seems beyond her scope as even leafy greens, glasses of wine, marshmallow snowmen and scoops of popcorn get the crochet treatment.

The nature of the medium helps Maria to whip up her crochet food more quickly than if she were knitting, but there is no set time for how long they take to stitch together. "That, of course, depends on what I'm making, but it takes much longer than you might think," she explains. "A little candy piece could take about an hour to finish. Then there are some things I spend months thinking about before I even begin to crochet them."

No matter how long these crochet creations take, people can't get enough of them. Maria has racked up over sixty thousand followers on Instagram, sharing patterns for each piece and even offering some up for purchase.

Speaking about why she thinks her crochet food is so popular, Maria says: "I think it might be because it's humorous, unexpected and a bit crazy." And when asked to choose her favourite piece from her crochet cornucopia, she reveals that she has something of a sweet tooth. "I love making candy and other small items," she explains. "And also fruits and veggies."

Not all crochet foods are created equal, though. In fact, some of them prove to be a challenge for Maria to stitch together. "I think the most difficult is meat because it's shapeless, which means that the colours need to be exactly right to make it look like meat," she says. "Although I've managed to make bacon that I'm happy with because I got yarn in the right shades."

Unlike the real thing, Maria's crochet food doesn't spoil. And while this is great for anyone who's purchased one of her creations, the sheer wealth of food she's whipped up must be a problem. After all, where does Maria keep it all? "I give it to my nieces," she concludes, "or sell some and save the most in a wardrobe."