My go-to yarn for making amigurumi is usually 100% cotton or a cotton/acrylic blend from a big-name yarn store. The pros are many: it’s easy to find, it’s cheap, and the color range is vast. But there’s another choice out there for amigurumi: hand-dyed yarn.
(You can find a low-cost and ad-free version of this pattern in my Etsy shop here!)
Summer in America can mean a lot of different things but I think we can all agree that baseball goes with summer like sprinkles go with donuts! Crochet this smiling amigurumi baseball and celebrate an American pastime with my free pattern below. The best part is this baseball can’t break any windows!
Two weeks ago I wrote a post on my favorite yarn for amigurumi: you can go read it here. While the cotton/acrylic blend will always be my favorite for traditional amigurumi, I also love crocheting with velvet yarn for its squish factor. But squish has its downsides – for the novice amigurumist, furry yarn like velvet hides stitches and makes counting difficult. But even beginners can conquer velvet! Keep reading for my best tips for crocheting amigurumi with velvet yarn.
This post may contain affiliate links to products I recommend to you all. If you click on one of these links and decide you’d like to make a purchase, I will make a small commission (at no extra cost to you).
As promised last week in my skirt and sleeves tutorial for my Colorado bear, here’s an easy tutorial for the Colorado appliqué I made.
This appliqué is designed to be sewn over two rows of single crochet stitches. I used the hat pattern from Animal Friends of Pica Pau and crocheted rounds 15-16 in white and the rest in royal blue. That’ll give you your Colorado base.
Personalizing my amigurumi is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do. A good pattern is vital but once you get the basics down, you can start improvising and giving your toys unique features.
I did this recently with my polar bear. The original pattern called for a cowl and vest but my version received a skirt and bell sleeves. Here’s how you can add a simple skirt and bell sleeves to your own amigurumi!
Ever walk into the yarn aisle and become paralyzed by all the options? Which yarn is best for amigurumi?
Yarn choice matters when it comes to amigurumi. You want your amigurumi to stand the test of time, withstand the play of children, and to look amazing! If you ask the Internet you’ll get a billion different answers and hear, “Whatever’s in your stash! You can use any yarn!”
And it’s true. You COULD use any yarn. But I’m going to make myself unpopular and say that you might not want to.
This post may contain affiliate links to products I recommend to you all. If you click on one of these links and decide you’d like to make a purchase, I will make a small commission (at no extra cost to you).
No, we’re not eating penguin! We’re looking at two different iterations of the same pattern. YES, these amigurumi penguins were both made from the SAME pattern. A bit shocking, right? This is the difference a year of experience makes.
Let’s dive in.
My first attempt at Pippin was about a year ago. He was my second or third attempt at amigurumi and I hardly knew what I was doing! Let’s go through everything I learned between these two penguins.
I go for a certain kind of aesthetic when it comes to amigurumi. I like whimsical and cute pieces that can fit into a nursery, a child’s arms, or on a shelf in your living room. My favorite pattern book by far is Animal Friends of Pica Pau by Yan Schenkel. I found this book early in my amigurumi life and it fits my aesthetic exactly. Of the 20 patterns included, I’ve made six and have plans for more!
And good news for us! Schenkel’s new book, Animal Friends of Pica Pau 2, just pre-released! If you order it now, you get the PDF copy immediately! Pre-sale ends May 11! You can find it on Amazon too but only the physical copy, which releases July 1, 2020.
Now that I’ve grown comfortable with crocheting amigurumi and freehanding designs, I’m starting to customize her patterns with some of my own flair. My most recent creation started with the pattern of Hans the bear but I added flared sleeves and a skater dress. I kept the hat of the pattern but didn’t include the cowl or vest. And voila!
I recently released my first amigurumi pattern into the universe: a happy, textured pineapple. The experience of pattern-writing and the work it entails was certainly eye-opening. Crochet designers put a LOT of time and energy into their patterns; so much is trial and error, ripping out what you’ve done and trying again. Then when you get your prototype done and your first draft of instructions written, you do it AGAIN to test whether you wrote it down correctly the first (or seventh) time. And if you’re including step-by-step pictures you’ll need to take those during your tests which means you need good lighting and a healthy chunk of time, etc. It’s a lot!
But don’t get overwhelmed! Below are three tips for pattern-writing newbies from a recent newbie herself who emerged on the other side.
This post may contain affiliate links to products I recommend to you all. If you click on one of these links and decide you’d like to make a purchase, I will make a small commission (at no extra cost to you).
Last week I wrote an introduction to amigurumi and this week is a free and easy pattern to get you started on your very own amigurumi, and just in time for Easter!
Speaking of Easter, check out my amigurumi crochet pattern for Sophie the Sheep – she’s just the right size for Easter baskets!
You can make these eggs in a solid color or any pattern you choose. I’ve demonstrated simple stripes in the photo tutorial below. If you’re new to amigurumi, try working the pattern in a solid color first and then make another one where you change colors. I’ll have an easily printable low-cost pattern available on Etsy and Ravelry soon and I’ll update this post when those uploads are live. Update: the Etsy link is live!
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