Amigurumies

*Versión en español aquí*

Amigurumies are crocheted or knitted stuffed toys. This is actually a Japanese art, where different figures (mainly animals) are crocheted and then stuffed with cotton, cloth or seeds. Once we get to know the technique, we can make our own designs. There are several simple patterns in the Internet that we can use as an easy start. This mouse is an example:

This little mouse is easy to make. Click on the image to open tutorial (in Spanish)

Learning how to make spheres may be very useful for many designs, since most amigurumies are made of several spheres of different sizes.

Ragamuffin, a character from “Lenore, the cute little dead girl

Inspired by the videogame «Teeworlds»

Star stitch

*Versión en español aquí*

When I got tired of making lovers’ knot, I started working on this other design I found on the Internet. It is called star stitch. At first I tried to make a scarf, but after some lines it looked too compact (or maybe it was my fault, since I usually make tight stitches), so I decided to alternate two lines of star stitch and two of double stitches. This is how it looks:

This scarves look nice if they are not too long; just enough to cover the neck and join the two ends with a simple “brooch”.

Although we’re used to wear long scarves that wrap several times around our necks, this other style looks simple and nice, and feels warm as well

The “brooch” is very easy to make. First we make a circle on chain stitches, and we make several lines of single stitches one over the other, until it takes the shape of a button. Then we make a chain that is long enough to embrace the two ends of the scarf when bent in two parts (the chain). Finally, we sew the two parts together to get the accessory ready to use.

Here we can see the chain that is used to keep the scarf in place

I’ve seen some other new stitches I want to try, so when I learn any of them I’ll post it here to enlarge my pattern collection =). I also want to try new styles on the ends of the scarves…

Pompoms

*Versión en español aquí*

I learned how to make yarn pompoms when I was a little girl playing a crafts game we had at home. Well, it was my sister’s game so she made almost all the pompoms, but I also learned by looking at her!

First of all, we have to make a cardboard donut the size we want to make the pompom. Then we cut a very long piece of yarn, and start covering the donut with it. We’ll need to be patient here because we have to cover the donut with several layers of yarn, and do it carefully so the yarn doesn’t tangle. When we reach the end of the yarn (or, if it’s too long, when we cannot pass it through the central hole of the donut) we have to cut the yarn following the biggest circle of the donut. The threads won’t fall because they’re still held by the cardboard donut. With a piece of the same yarn we make a tight knot around the threads to keep them together. Finally, we take out the cardboard and “comb” the yarn to make a perfect sphere.

And now, imagination!

Susuwatari, from the film «My neighbor Totoro»

Two brooches as an accessory for a scarf 

Lovers’ knot

*Versión en español aquí*

I used to think that crochet was limited to single, double and triple stitches, but I was wrong! Surfing the Internet I found a pattern of a new crochet stitch (at least, new to me). It’s called Lovers’ knot, also known as Solomon’s knot sometimes.

As a first experiment I made a rectangular scarf, since I thought it’d be easier to connect the stitches. But when I finished it, the long sides were too tight and the central area was too loose, so the pattern couldn’t be well seen. Nevertheless, the yarn was colourful and the scarf looked nice when I put it around my neck, so I wear it happily now (    I usually keep my first attempts of craft projects for myself because they always look much better on a second attempt, after I correct the initial mistakes =)). In fact, one day I was wearing this scarf and a cashier asked me if I had made it myself and how. So now I wear it really proudly =P

My scarf =)

The second time I made a triangular scarf, for what it’s necessary to connect the stitches in a slightly different way. As it’s a really quick stitch I started trying different kinds of yarn; a round and smooth one, and a hairy one. These were the results:

The lovers’ knot can be better observed in the green scarf, but the hairy one is softer. I put some ceramic beads at the ends of the green one to make them heavy so that they’d stay in place when wearing the scarf. Working with furry yarn requires patience because it tangles easily, so smooth yarns may be better for beginners. As this stitch is very loose it may seem that these scarves won’t keep you warm, but they get thicker around the neck when you wear them so they are perfect for cold weather.

By using different yarns and accessories we can get many different results, according to our preferences.

Amigurumi giraffe

*Versión en español aquí*

This week brings us a new amigurumi animal. This giraffe is really easy to make, and the necessary materials are quite cheap. We need:

– Yellow yarn or thread.
– Brown yarn or thread (same material as the yellow one).
– Brown lace. In our case we’ve re-used an old shoelace.
– Cotton balls and sewing thread.

Here you can find the pattern that explains how to make the giraffe.
The pattern does not explain how to add the limbs (which are made of shoelace) or the mane of the giraffe, but this is really easy to do. For fixing the limbs and the little horns into the animal’s body just fit the lace on one of the holes of the crochet pattern, and put a few stitches to secure it. The process is the same for the tail, but in that case you can fray the end of the lace to make it look like fur. To make the mane, tie several short yarn threads forming a row along the neck and fray them. Finally, put a few stitches to make the eyes and accentuate the snout, and here it is!