Tag: amigurumi

Amigurumi Swampbogger

This past weekend was a crochet fest at our house. I don’t know what came over me. I just suddenly got this urge to find my crochet needles and yarns and make amigurumi, tiny crocheted toys.

I had a skein of Stitch Nation wool to use up. This yarn is so buttery. I love it!

I made a swampbogger, one of those American mythological creatures my husband grew up hearing stories about and now as an adult making toys of.

Pretty soon my 9-year-old daughter was crocheting a white rabbit from a pattern in the book, Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts Amigurumi by Tomoko Takamori. I had to stop every so often to help her. She learned to do the chain stitch at 6 years old, and once in a while pick it up again, learning more along the way. Working with patterns was a really great way to practice her multiplication table.

I love making amigirumi because of how small these projects are. They’re little one-sitting projects that bring so much joy so instantly. Perfect for kids and busy parents.

January 13, 2014
Amigurumi Girls

Amigurumi Girl gets a little sister!

Sunday morning my daughter and I were going through my leftover yarn collection. I have a bag of one-skein yarns that I reserve for very small projects, such as amigurumi toys. We found a skein of the Classic Elite Flash in marled pink that reminds me of peppermint candy. I bought it for my daughter years ago but never got around to doing anything with it. That morning, I asked her what she imagined that yearn could be made into.

“Can you make a sister for Clariana?” she asked. Clariana is what she named the Amigurumi Girl I made last summer.

So I set to work. Then halfway through the head, I broke my bamboo crochet needle. The only US size B I have. This must be why metal crochet needles are popular.

I had to use a smaller size. 1.75 mm metal hook.

My stitches were tighter with the smaller hook, which made this sister a little sister. Other than the difference in hair and dress color, I used the exact same kind of yarns, Classic Elite Bam Boo for the dress and skin, and Classic Elite Flash for the hair.

I had finished the head and the body, and was working on the limbs when my precocious 5 year old made a discovery. Put together differently, the head and the body looked like a mushroom. Since she’s the boss of this project, I had to turn the parts into a mushroom and start all over with the little sister. I spent the whole day crocheting, supervised by my 5 year old boss.

It was a lovely way to spend a rainy Sunday together.

The Girl Pattern is in page 84 of Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts Amigurumi by Tomoko Takamori.

January 27, 2010
Amigurumi Girl and Alien

She may have button eyes, but she’s a doll! She instantly became my daughter’s favorite. I made her in Maine on a rainy day last summer. She tagged along our cross country trip from Maine to California, and now lives happily with the Alien in my daughter’s bedroom.

I made the Girl with Classic Elite Bam Boo, spun from 100% bamboo, which is hypo-allergenic. Her hair is Classic Elite Flash, 100% mercerized cotton. Don’t you just love the yellow highlights in her hair?

The Alien is Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk, a 80% alpaca wool and 20% silk. His eyes are Classic Elite Star.

The Girl Pattern is in page 84 and the Alien is actually a Butterfly without wings in page 62 of Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts Amigurumi by Tomoko Takamori.

August 28, 2009
Amigurumi Bunnies

It’s been over 20 years since I crocheted anything. I learned how to make doilies and toilet paper cozies back in high school, but I hadn’t picked up a crochet needle since.

Then I saw these adorable Amigurumi creatures. I wanted to make some too. Here are my first two tries. They look a bit ramshackled, but not bad for a newbie. The next one will be cuter.

April 13, 2009