amigurumi – Page 3

I’ve had several posts up my sleeve this week but none of them really panned out, i.e., I didn’t ~~have~~ make time to sit down and really flesh out what I wanted to say on those pesky drafts waiting to be written.

After finishing the Tunisian ripple scarf, I felt free and ready to tackle the next project. I have so much yarn ready and waiting for me to figure out what to do with it. For example, I have four bright and beautiful colors of Shine Sport from Knit Picks ready to be made into something. But what? A spa cloth? Something new and totally different? I had great results using it in Tunisian crochet previously, so maybe I should stick with that. But…but…but….my mind swirls in circles trying to come up with the “perfect” project, whatever that means.

I also have in my possession a skein of gorgeous alpaca and silk in a color called Envy – it is a lovely dark emerald color. Since it is so soft, I keep thinking about making something to go against my neck. Perhaps a small cowl in crocodile stitch? I’ve taken it out of its little bag and stared at it and handled it until I just sit in a daze, staring off into space, waiting for inspiration. Then I put it back.

I have a personal amigurumi project, for which the yarn has sat on my couch for a week, that I still haven’t picked up and started.

Then I began a personal project for someone that will be a thank-you and surprise wrapped up in one.

In the middle of that personal project, I decided to make an amigurumi I hadn’t tried yet of the bunny variety. I’ve gotten the head, arms, and body worked up, with the ears, tail, and sewing yet to complete.

(Are we seeing a pattern of Crochet ADHD here or what?)

And as soon as I began on that one amigurumi, I received several inquiries for more, two from people I know and one through the shop. I started to see the queue stretch out before me into mid to late August. I think there is something about summertime that gets people itchy to shop. Maybe it’s people planning ahead for Christmas. Maybe it’s that it’s so easy to shop online in the cool, air-conditioned indoors when it’s so disgustingly hot out. Don’t forget all the babies that will be born come the fall! (I have succumbed to the lure of shopping on Etsy for cute baby things, so I understand the pull.)

Whatever the case, I have a little amigurumi cloud raining down toy orders, thus I will be ~~in my workshop~~ on my couch crocheting away when I can. And if you follow me on Instagram, you know how I love to post the progress of all the cute creatures as I go.

With that in mind, please enjoy this bevy of amigurumi from Planet June, who is a fabulous designer and teacher. Catch you on the flippity flip!

Usually weekends are a busy time for me, crochet wise. If I’m not making something, I’m researching what I want to make next, poring through patterns and ideas online with Pinterest, Ravelry, Etsy shops, crochet blogs, or going through my books for ideas.

By and large, the weekend is my time to be able to sit and quietly work on things without the stress of a work day looming.

My real accomplishment for this past weekend was this sweet little thing:

Lamb 3

The pattern for this lamb can be found on Etsy through a shop called Bowtykes. My previous lamb pattern yielded something very small, soft, and cute, but not quiiiiiite what I was looking for with the end result. Plus, I had to tweak it too much for my liking:

Kinda looks like a guinea pig with horns.

What I love about the Bowtykes pattern is that you can easily change the size of the animal by adjusting your hook size. In this case, I used worsted weight yarn and an E/3.5mm hook, yielding a solid stuffed animal that you can hold in one hand, but it’s not tiny. Perfect for cuddling if you’re a kid.

If I were to have used a 4mm or a 7 hook (4.5mm), it would have turned out even larger. Changing one’s hook doesn’t always easily make for a larger item but in this case, it does. Plus, the designer did a great job in writing out her pattern so that no matter what yarn you use, you’ll get the little fluffy clouds on the body that represent the wool.

I used an extra fluffy yarn in two colors. I could have brushed the body if I wanted it to be fluff on crack, but I opted to leave it alone since it looks cute without having to brush. I also used weighted filler to help steady the doll since otherwise the head can become too heavy and pull the body forward.

I tried putting in black plastic eyes instead of embroidering them, as the pattern suggests, but it really does look better with the “sleepy” eyes and sweet embroidered nose. And voila!

Lamb 2

I feel confident that this sweet amigurumi will make a perfect addition to a nursery or brighten someone’s day. It did for me when it was just sitting in my living room!