All About Ami
a blog about me and my love for amigurumi
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I can’t believe it’s been a year since my brother graduated from high school already! Our family had a great time attending his commencement and grad, and he’s had a wonderful first year of university. I made him this little ”Graduation Teddy” to help him commemorate this special time in his life, complete with a diploma, mortarboard and tassel matching his school colours. Since graduation season is upon us once again, some others have used my free pattern to make sweet Graduation Teddies for their friends too!
Makayla of Illinois made this teddy for her cousin who is graduating! I love the purple she used, and she did an absolutely fantastic job with the diploma, mortarboard, and yellow and red tassel. I’m sure her cousin loved this special, personalized gift! What a cutie!
Emily was new to crochet, so she watched some videos and learned how to read crochet patterns as she attempted her own Graduation Teddy. She did a wonderful job, particularly since this is her first amigurumi project! I love the light, airy colours she chose, and I think she did a superb job stitching the nose. Emily wanted to include the year on her hat, so she used glue! Way to go, Emily :)
Nicollette of Louisiana found my pattern and made this bright orange Graduation Teddy for her sister-in-law! I love how everyone uses such different colours for their teddies :) She stitched on the year as well!
Maria of Indiana made this Graduation Teddy in a similar blue colour that I used! He looks very dashing with his white and blue tassel! She also did a fabulous job stitching “2012” on the hat as it is very bold and thick- the year really stands out!
Mandy made this Graduation Teddy using a yarn called “Oatmeal”- she decided to name her teddy “Oatmeal” too! What a cute name :) He has a lot of texture with this variegated yarn, and he looks very proud to be graduating!
Mandy had a great idea of also making a Graduation Cupcake Bear! She said that this project went by really fast, and she added polly pellets to the cupcake liner to give it some weight. This is such a great idea as not having to crochet the body and limbs and attach them together will save a lot of time! And as Mandy says, there are so many fun and fabulous cupcake liners out there to really make this project unique!
Fadilah of Rojak made this bright green Graduation Teddy and even added a little bit of felt to the neck as his graduation robe! That’s such a cute idea :)
Fadilah didn’t make just one teddy! Her friend asked her to make one for her boyfriend, so she made this purple one for him and a green teddy keychain for her! I love how Fadilah wrapped up the purple teddy so beautifully and even had the teddy holding a lovely bouquet of flowers! I’m sure her friends were very touched when they received these special gifts.
Since Fadilah had many friends graduating, she made many Graduation Teddy keychains in a vast array of colours! Similar to Mandy’s idea, this is a great way to save time when you have a lot of gifts to make. It must’ve been fun handing out these special bears to her friends with their adorable sideways graduation caps :)
I love seeing how other people’s creations turn out using my patterns as well as how they modify them. If you have a special grad in your life, do check out my free Graduation Teddy pattern as well as the step-by-step photos to personalize a special teddy for them! Thanks for sharing your pictures and stories with me, everyone! Congrats to all the new grads of 2012!
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Hey everyone! Guess where our travels are taking us next? To JAPAN, the Land of the Rising Sun and where amigurumi originated! We are incredibly excited as we will be leaving soon! We will spend most of our time in Tokyo :) Does anyone have recommendations on good places to eat and visit? I would LOVE to get some tips from you and hear about some of your favourite places! I would greatly appreciate it if you left a comment here, tweeted me or sent me an e-mail at all_about_ami@hotmail.com! Thank you so much :)
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Hmmm…what are Ryan and I reading?
Some super awesome magazines we’ve been featured in! I was thrilled when Anna M. Park, the editor-in-chief of Audrey Magazine contacted me, saying that she loved my crochet designs and wanted to include some of them in their upcoming spring issue! Audrey is the “Asian American Women’s Lifestyle Magazine”, and I was so excited when my hard copies came in the mail. Growing up, I used to read magazines such as “Cosmo Girl”, “Seventeen” and “Teen Vogue”, and I would get very excited whenever I saw an Asian face on a page, which of course was rare. Audrey highlights Asian-Americans in entertainment, sports, and pop culture in general, and they also feature Asian-American models in their beauty and fashion sections. I think it’s exciting where the Asian-American community is headed as the cultural landscape diversifies and more Asian-Americans are visible in the media!
Hannah Simone, of Indian and German-Italian-Greek-Cypriot descent and co-star of New Girl is on the cover of the Spring issue! Previous stars who have graced the cover of Audrey include Jenna Ushkowitz of Glee, Jamie Chung, Freida Pinto, Tia Carrere, Mindy Kaling and Olivia Munn :)
My feature is on the very last page! They included a large picture of my Dragon as well as a picture of my Spring Bunnies in the corner. The feature also includes a little bit about me, including my inspiration, my blog name and how I got started in crocheting. I am so thrilled and honoured to be featured in this great pioneering magazine!
My brother Corey is a big Nintendo fan (I’ve crocheted a Bob-omb and Luigi amiguurmi for him as well as a Pokemon cell phone cozy) and he’s always loved reading Nintendo Power. I used to flip through his magazines as we played our fair share of Nintendo games together growing up (e.g. Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Luigi’s Mansion, etc). Corey told me about the “Community” section at the back of every issue of the magazine which features fanwork from all around the world. I thought I would submit the amiugurumi Link I made since I was so proud of how my Hylian shield and accessories turned out! I was thrilled when I heard back from Nintendo Power as they were very interested in my amigurumi! Freelance writer and game journalist Nathan Meunier asked me some questions and began writing his article.
I did not know when my Link would be featured, but one day I got an excited message from Corey, telling me that he found Link in the March 2012 issue with Sora of Kingdom Hearts on the cover!
I quickly went out to the store and bought myself a hard copy! I love the title of our feature: “Lover’s Link” with the description, “This Zelda-inspired amigurumi makes for matrimonial harmony”. The article highlights how we work as a great husband and wife team and how we wanted to create our own accessories after following Japanese artist Becchin’s original design. It’s so exciting being featured in a magazine that we used to read growing up!
Lastly, I was contacted by the wonderful people over at Craftgawker. Craftgawker was being featured in a crafts magazine in the UK called “Crafts Beautiful Magazine” (haha I’ve probably never used the word “crafts” so many times in one sentence before :P). This magazine wanted to use some images from Craftgawker, so Craftgawker asked if they could have my permission to send them the photo of my amigurumi Dragon! Of course, I happily obliged and was excited that such an awesome site with so many beautiful images wanted to use one of mine! Craftgawker has been very instrumental in introducing people to my blog, and I highly recommend you check out their site if you haven’t so already: there are so many gorgeous images of inspiration for free tutorials and wonderful craft ideas. You can see my Dragon featured on the page that appeared in the magazine!
We are so thankful to be featured in these wonderful magazines, particularly since Nintendo Power and Audrey Magazine are not targeted towards craft or crochet audiences. They are mainstream magazines that can be bought in stores! Hopefully some new people will be introduced to the wonderful world of amigurumi and crochet! Thank you so much for all your continued support, everyone :)
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I’m so glad I started my “All About Ami” facebook page shortly after I started my blog. It’s been a great way to connect with people from all around the world as it’s so easy to share photos, ask questions and comment on each other’s work! I love seeing the work of other amigurumi artists, and one day back in October, I was browing through an album by Sharon Ojala of “Amigurumi Freely”. What caught my eye was a photo of two beautifully-made Mario brothers: Mario and Luigi! Sharon linked to the original pattern by Nikki or “FullMetalPiglet”, and I was blown away by her awesome patterns which she also provides for free. Her work ranges from anime and video game dolls to awesome sackboy patterns, most of which are accompanied by videos!
My brother Corey is a BIG Luigi fan…whenever we play Mario Kart, Mario Party or any other Nintendo game that requires you to choose a character, he always chooses Luigi. He collects Luigi memorabilia, from shirts to figurines, so when I saw such an amazing Luigi amigurumi, I knew I had to make it for him!
I started off by crocheting his head and then working on his body. It’s such a great idea to crochet in the back loops only for a couple of rows (near top of head) so it’s later easier to attach his hair. I also love how the body continues from the head so you do not need to sew them together later on.
Next I crocheted more of Luigi’s body, leaving an opening in the front.
Then we sewed a zipper in this opening, which is characteristic of the Sackboys (Sackboy is a character from the game LittleBigPlanet- see what he looks like here if you’ve never seen him before).
Next up was his round nose which we then sewed onto his face…
Then we sewed on his flat button eyes which we got from Walmart (see how Nikki attaches them here towards the end of the video). I’ve only ever used beads and safety eyes for the eyes of my amigurumi, but I love the look of these buttons! They give a very doll-like effect :)
Our bald Luigi then needed some hair! The hair was crocheted row by row as a separate piece with some picots added at the end for a wavy look. The hair piece was then attached to the back of Luigi’s head.
Next we crocheted some semi-circles for his ears and attached them on the sides of his head where his hair ended.
On the other side of his ears we added his sideburns! Hee hee…Luigi looks like an aging man with no hair ontop- only on the sides and at the back!
Next up came a very defining feature of Luigi’s face: his mustache! He looks very distinguished now :)
I then worked on Luigi’s green hat with a brim…
But we couldn’t forget to personalize his hat! We embroidered a green “L” onto a white oval and then sewed it onto the green hat. See the making of Luigi’s hat in this video here.
We were so excited to have Luigi try on his hat! It really helps complete his look :)
Haha, but of course Luigi was still missing his limbs! His legs were crocheted by picking up stitches on the lower part of the body and crocheting downwards- once again, I love this technique since you do not have to attach the legs separately later on. We switched from blue to brown yarn towards the bottom so that Luigi could have some brown shoes to wear! See how Nikki picks up stitches in her videos here and here.
His arms were crocheted in a similar fashion by picking up stitches in the upper part of the body. I then switched from green yarn to white yarn to get ready for the gloves.
I really love her technique of making fingers for the gloves. See how she makes them in this video here. Each finger is a little tube branching out from the glove base. Once again, I love how you do not need to make each finger separately and individually attach them later on.
I then crocheted a white band, folded it, sewed the ends together and then wrapped it around the glove base to give the gloves a more finished look.
Then we added Luigi’s blue overall straps and yellow buttons to complete his clothing!
And voilà, our Luigi Sackboy is finally complete with all of his wonderful details!
Here’s a top-down view:
And a side-view…hee hee, I really love his nose!
Love his shiny button eyes, mustache and sideburns too :)
I think having the zipper adds such a neat, unexpected look to this Luigi doll. What a great idea to make different characters into Sackboys (Nikki has patterns for a Link, Mario and Sonic sackboy too)!
In this back view of Luigi you can get a better view of his hair: the picots add such a lovely effect to give Luigi wavy hair on the bottom!
Even though I love designing my own amigurumi patterns, I still enjoy trying out and following other people’s designs, particularly when I learn new techniques or when I feel like they are taking my amigurumi-making to another level. I felt this way when I made my Link doll (original pattern by Becchin, translated by Tanoshimou) since he had a pivoting head around a ball joint and I learned how to attach hair in a different method.
With this wonderful Luigi pattern, I learned how to pick up stitches, how to incorporate buttons and zippers into amigurumi, how to use picots for a wavy look in crochet and how to make fingers in such an ingenious way. I’m so proud of these two amigurumi dolls and how they expanded my horizons in amigurumi technique. Here you can see they’re having a heart to heart :) Link is a curious little one and Luigi is more than happy to impart some wisdom on him!
As I mentioned in the sneak peek, they have some things in common: striving to save princesses and defeat bad guys, as well as their love of green and brown :)
Luig is one of the biggest amigurumi I’ve ever made (the biggest being my Despicable Me Minion), and I am so proud of how he turned out! My brother Corey, who is a regular reader and supporter of my blog, was so surprised when I presented him with his very own crocheted Luigi! He sits proudly in his room with the rest of Corey’s Nintendo collection. I was very happy that I could make something so meaningful and special for my brother! Just a couple weeks ago we were playing the new “Mario Party 9” on the Wii as a family, and we had such a blast with all the incredibly fun mini-games! It brought back so many memories from when we used to play growing up. As always, Corey chose to be Luigi :)
If you have any Nintendo lovers in your life, this would be such an awesome gift! Be sure to check out FullMetalPiglet’s site here for her other sackboy, video game and anime doll patterns which she generously provides for free! The Luigi Sackboy pattern can be found HERE. I hope my step-by-step photos can help you along the way as I know many of you found the step-by-step photos for Link to be very helpful! Keep in mind that I made this Luigi more than half a year ago back in October, but I will try my best to answer any questions that you may have…of course, you can always ask the original artist as well! Keep challenging yourselves in trying new techniques and expanding your horizons about amigurumi! And as always, feel free to contact me through my facebook page, twitter and e-mail!
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Link has a new buddy! What could they possibly be discussing?!? Maybe how to save princesses and their love of green!!!
Sneak peek of upcoming blog post: Luigi (pattern via Fullmetalpiglet)
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In this week’s edition of “Crochet Corner”, we will be featuring Sweetheart Bunny. We made this little bunny for my sister’s silent auction and as this year’s Valentine’s Day amigurumi! We gave her a pretty pink jumper adorned with a red heart and a sweet little bow as an accent. Let’s see how everyone else’s Sweetheart Bunnies turned out :)
Novy was on a long hiatus from crocheting (more than three years), but she took up her hobby again when she saw the pattern for this bunny! I’m so happy that Novy has rejoined us in the world of crochet! Her bunny looks very well-made, and I absolutely love the colours she used. The yellow heart and bow pop so well against the pink and whiteness! It makes me so happy that this pattern inspired Novy to pick up her crochet hook again. I hope I’ll be seeing more of your amigurumi work in the future, Novy :)
Susi of Siouxsiexs’s Weblog from Peru made her own polkadot Sweetheart Bunny! I love how she used the same fabric for the lining of the ears and for her bow (as well as the backdrop for her photo!). Susi said that she found my pattern very easy-to-follow and that she loves my patterns :) Thanks so much, Susi!
Stephanie named her Sweetheart Bunny “Melanie” and followed my pattern very closely. There are so many beautiful fabrics out there, and it’s wonderful being able to use them in crocheted projects for a nice contrast. The blue and white bow is an unexpected pop against the bunny! Melanie looks very sweet indeed, almost like she’s blushing :)
Tina used a beautiful lightweight yarn (mercerized cotton I think) to make her bunny, and you can see how dainty and small she turned out when you compare her to a pair of scissors! Instead of using fabric or yarn, Tina used ribbon for her bow. Tina wrote that she just needed to pick up some red yarn to make her little heart and finish her up!
Katka of Katkas Creations made this Sweetheart Bunny for her mom for Valentine’s Day. Then, Katka went on to make THREE more Sweetheart Bunnies: one for her son’s friend, and two for her boys. Katka has made way more Sweetheart Bunnies than I have! I’m so happy that you like the pattern so much, Katka…and I’m glad it’s been a hit with your loved ones :)
Catherine used a bright fuscia colour for her Sweetheart Bunny’s jumper and cheeks. Did you notice the adorable pink shoes that Catherine’s bunny is also wearing?
Catherine included another great addition too: a pom-pom tail! How cute is that little fluffy tail? What a great idea! I’m sure she sits much better now with this tail too! I love the modifications you made, Catherine!
Amanda of Wisconsin was new to amigurumi and crochet when she stumbled upon my blog. She fell in love with some of my patterns, and within a week she made the Spring Bunnies, Snuggles, a Knotted Headband, a phone cozy, an Urban Jungle Slouchy Beanie and….a Sweetheart Bunny. Isn’t that amazing? Amanda said she is really enjoying her new hobby and that my site has really helped with learning new techniques and tips. I’m so happy to hear this, Amanda, and I think it’s so inspiring how you’ve really taken off with amigurumi and crocheting!
Candy from Singapore made a little satchel bag for her bunny! I think it’s so cute when amigurumi have accessories :) What a fancy border and cute background for this little bunny’s photo too! What a model ;)
Do you all remember how my Sweetheart Bunny was based on this image on my pencil case? I thought this bear and bunny were such a cute pair with their adorable facial expressions and cute little hearts.
Well, Višnja posted this photo on my facebook page a couple of days after Valentine’s Day, and Ryan and I were absolutely blown away! Višnja modified my pattern to make Sweetheart Bunny’s Bear friend! Isn’t he absolutely adorable? I love his little blue shirt and rosy cheeks. The stitching of the nose is so well done, and using buttons for the eyes gives these two an adorable doll-like look. We were so impressed as it really shows how people can do such amazing things by putting their own creative touches on patterns!
You too can make your very own Sweetheart Bunny by following my free pattern here and checking out the step-by-step photos here. Keep sending me your photos through my facebook page, twitter or e-mail (all_about_ami@hotmail.com). Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to send me their kind words and encouragement and for showing me all your lovely amigurumi!
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I have been receiving some e-mails recently from people asking how to read amigurumi patterns. I always assumed it was straight forward enough, but I often forget what it was like when I first started crocheting. Trying to interpret patterns can seem like trying to understand a foreign language with all the symbols and abbreviations! And so, I thought I would take the time to explicitly and clearly describe how to read amigurumi crochet patterns as I find it very exciting that people are getting inspired to learn how to crochet after seeing my amigurumi. I want to make the learning process as easy as possible so everyone can make their own stuffies!
Please reference my “Amigurumi for Beginners” blog post to see videos on how to do the basic stitches as well as materials you will need to make your own amigurumi. Here is a chart showing common abbreviations that you will find in some of my crochet patterns (see more extensive list here):
Next, I will go through one of my patterns (e.g. Teddy Ornaments) and explain what the instructions mean, row by row.
Translation: Work six single crochets in a magic ring. The “R” stands for “Round” because we are crocheting in the round in a continuous spiral (could also be denoted by “Rnd”). The “R” could also stand for “Row” (when working in rows, you usually turn your work at the end of each row and work back across the top of the previous row for a square or rectangle). The number in brackets at the end shows you how many stitches you should have completed during that round. I always count how many stitches I’ve completed to double-check my work compared to the pattern to ensure I haven’t skipped a stitch or accidentally done one too many. [Note: in my earlier patterns, Round 1 often looked like this: “R1: Ch 2, 6 sc in second ch from hook. (6 sts)”- this is interchangeable with the R1 above as I was not using the Magic Circle back then.] See how to do the Magic Circle here.
[Note: Please IGNORE the number of stitches in each round and the number of rounds in these photos as they are not accurate. I will be using the pictures for reference to show how many single crochets should be worked into each stitch.]
Translation: Work two single crochets in each single crochet around. Since you are crocheting two stitches in each stitch around, you are doubling the stitch count (from 6 to 12) so that your circle expands outwards. Patterns that say “inc in next st all round” mean the same thing.
Translation: Work one single crochet in the next stitch. Then work two single crochets in the following stitch. Repeat the pattern in asterisks 6 times.
Translation: Work two single crochets in the next two stitches (one in each). Then work two single crochets in the following stitch. Repeat the pattern in asterisks 6 times.
Translation: Work three single crochets in the next three stitches (one in each). Then work two single crochets in the following stitch. Repeat the pattern in asterisks 6 times.
You keep following this general pattern for the rest of the rows as your ball expands outwards (e.g. Rows 6-8 in the Teddy Ornaments pattern), doing one single crochet in each stitch and then doing two single crochets in the next stitch every once in a while. Eventually, the ball will need to keep its shape for the middle part without expanding or decreasing, and it will look like this in the pattern:
Translation: Work one single crochet in each stitch all around. As you can see, there is no increasing or decreasing and no asterisks.
You keep doing one single crochet in each stitch all around for a number of rows (R9-20 in the Teddy Ornaments pattern), maintaining the same number of stitches in each row until it is time to decrease and close up our ball (in this case, 48 stitches).
Translation: Work six single crochets in the next six stitches (one in each). Then decrease over the next two stitches. Repeat the pattern in asterisks 6 times. I highly recommend doing the “Invisible Decrease” to ensure that there are no holes or bumps in your amigurumi. Check out my blog post here to see how to do “The Invisible Decrease”.
Translation: Work five single crochets in the next five stitches (one in each). Then decrease over the next two stitches. Repeat the pattern in asterisks 6 times.
You keep decreasing the number of stitches row by row by doing a number of single crochets, and then doing an invisible decrease every so often. Eventually, your ball will close up. Along the way, you will add safety eyes, perhaps embroider a nose or a mouth, and add stuffing.
I hope you found this blog post helpful! Please feel free to add any suggestions and tips, and do pass this post along to your friends who are just learning how to crochet or wanting to make amigurumi! I’ve linked this post to my “Amigurumi for Beginners” post here, and I’ve also updated it by adding some resources that can help you learn how to attach and sew your amigurumi parts together since I’ve received some questions about it. Don’t hesitate to e-mail me or leave a comment if you have any further questions. I’m so happy that people have been inspired to try my patterns after seeing my designs, and I hope that this will be a helpful resource for you all! Happy crocheting :)
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I had never participated in an art trade before, but I jumped at the opportunity to work with Kim Rountree of Oborocharms when she suggested that we do one (read about how I got to know Kim here). I had a difficult time choosing what I wanted to ask Kim to make as her shop was full of adorable charms and stuffies. What stood out to me in particular were her custom charms that were incredibly detailed. I thought it would be so special to have little custom charms made based on my original amigurumi designs. I e-mailed Kim, listing some suggestions of custom charms I would love to have, including Chinese New Year Doll, Valentine Teddy, Sweetheart Bunny, and Dragon. I also told Kim that I completely didn’t mind choosing items that were already in her shop (non-custom) if it was too much trouble. Kim was so gracious and generous as she immediately replied, saying she wanted to make ALL of them! I knew it would be a challenge, but there is nothing that Kim can’t handle!
As I excitedly began to work on Snuggles the Penguin for Kim based on one of her charms, I was treated to “sneak peeks” of my charms through Kim’s facebook page. Kim periodically posted photos of all her work in progress, and Ryan and I had a blast seeing our charms being made along the way and trying to figure out which ones were for us! Can you identify any of my amigurumi designs in the photo below? The next series of photos are all courtesy of Kim from her facebook page!
I thought I’d point them out to you just in case you couldn’t see them all! From left to right, we have Dragon, Sweetheart Bunny, Valentine Teddy and Chinese New Year Doll. Haha, I don’t blame you for not being able to identify Chinese New Year Doll since she’s flopped over! You can see the bun in her hair ;)
Next, Kim posted a photo of her charms drying after she had painted them! Kim does such fine detailed work, and her painting is impeccable. Here you can spot Dragon, Sweetheart Bunny, Valentine Teddy and Chinese New Year Doll too!
I was so excited when Kim posted this photo of the Dragon charm, as was everyone else on her page! Kim had yet to add some more detail, but he was looking super cute already!
Here is the Dragon charm all finished, complete with his scaled body and tiny fang!
Kim drew a sketch of this baby dragon six years ago, and now he’s an amigurumi AND an adorable charm :) This charm seems to be very popular as Kim has been making so many of them! I love how you can have them in any colour you want too- check out that blue dragon! You can order your own Dragon charm by clicking here.
Kim also posted a photo of the finished Valentine Teddy charm! Look how tiny he is compared to a penny!
When Kim posted this picture of all four of my completed charms, I absolutely could not stop smiling and staring at the screen! They were all SO CUTE and accurate, and I was so thankful that Kim had made all four for me :) I asked her if she would attach them onto a bracelet for me as she had recently added a custom charm bracelet option to her shop. Kim happily obliged and attached them onto the bracelet in the order in which I had designed and created them. I was so excited when Kim told me that she had officially sent the bracelet off in the mail!
Kim also has a youtube channel here, and in this video she took the time to describe some new charms she had finished. Kim talks about the charms she made for me between 0:43 - 1:34, and you can see what they look like from all different angles (Sweetheart Bunny and Valentine Teddy both have cute little tails and Dragon has some horns along his back). I loved being able to see them “in action”, which of course got me even MORE excited for my bracelet to come in the mail!
I excitedly checked the mail everyday and practically squealed with joy when I saw that my package from California had arrived! I waited for Ryan to come home so we could open it together! Inside the package was this adorable litttle box that contained my charm bracelet PLUS some cute pinback buttons that Kim had thrown in as an added bonus :) Her strawberry octofruit, owl and baby narwhal are all popular items in her shop! Don’t my charms look absolutely adorable all huddled together in their little box?
I immediately took out the bracelet and examined each charm carefully one-by-one. I could not believe how tiny and detailed they were!
Here is the order in which we designed and created these little guys: Chinese New Year Doll, Valentine Teddy, Sweetheart Bunny, and Dragon!
I thought I would show you what each charm looks like compared to my amigurumi creation in case you’ve never seen them! For the Chinese New Year Doll, I was really impressed that Kim even included the tiny chopsticks in the charm’s hair, complete with the yellow and grey decorative balls. Her little bun, side part, rosy cheeks and winged lashes are all perfect!
Valentine Teddy has his dapper little red bow and the stitching on his feet too!
Kim did such a great job with the Sweetheart Bunny, from her detailed floral bow to her pretty pink jumper and her perfect little heart!
And of course, here are the two Dragons based on Kim’s drawing from 6 years ago! They both have their little wings, rosy cheeks, scaled bodies and sweet little fangs!
Here are all four of the charms that Kim made for me with their crocheted counterparts! They’re all so sweet!
After examining each of the charms, I immediately asked Ryan to help me put the bracelet on! Kim spaced each charm out perfectly so that I had a lot of slack left-over…I don’t like bracelets that are too big since they always feel like they’re going to fall off!
I absolutely love my one-of-a-kind charm bracelet, and it’s neat to think that I’m the only one in the whole wide world who has it! I wore it out already, and I couldn’t help but smile when looking at it. This bracelet reminds me of all the hard work we’ve put into our amigurumi creations, how people all over the world have crocheted their own versions, and how much fun my collaboration with the talented Kim of Oborocharms has been.
Even though we sent off our packages on different days, would you believe that Kim and I both ended up receiving each other’s art trade items on the exact same day? Kim posted this picture of the crocheted Snuggles I made for her with the little charm Snuggles sitting atop his head! Snuggles looks right at home at Kim’s place, and I’m so happy that he made it there safely!
I hope you’ve enjoyed getting an inside look into our art trade! The whole process has been so much fun, and it’s a little sad that it’s over. We’ll definitely try and do another one in the future though :) You can crochet your own Snuggles by following the pattern here or crochet your own Dragon by following the pattern here. You can also purchase a Snuggles charm here or a Dragon charm here. If you have any custom charms that you would like made (e.g. your pets, favourite foods, favourite animals, etc.), be sure to contact Kim! Her custom charms would make very meaningful gifts either for yourself or for your loved ones! Thank you so much again for my personalized, beautifully-crafted charm bracelet, Kim :D
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Since this past Tuesday was the first official day of Spring, I thought I would do a Crochet Corner post on my Spring Bunnies! I’m hoping the weather will be Spring-like, but we’re known to have unexpected blasts of winter where I live *fingers crossed*. It was also exactly one year ago when my first pattern for CRAFT got published on their website. I was beyond thrilled when former editor-in-chief Natalie Zee Drieu commissioned me to design a Spring project even though I had only been blogging for two months. After it went live, Natalie told me that the Spring Bunnies pattern was extremely popular, and I’ve seen more final pictures of the Spring Bunnies than any of my other amigurumi designs! So, without further ado, let’s check out some Spring Bunnies that have been popping up all over the world!
First up, we have Grace of Craft by Grace from Indonesia. It’s neat because Grace used my “Amigurumi for Beginners” post and the Spring Bunnies project to teach some people to learn how to crochet! She started from the very beginning, teaching the basic stitches and how to read a crochet pattern. Below is Grace’s first Spring Bunny.
Grace taught Erni how to crochet, and here is her first ever amigurumi project! They took this picture during their last class together. Great job, Grace and Erni! You make a wonderful teacher-student combo!
Oraflana made this beautiful pink Spring Bunny. I love how everyone chooses their favourite fabric for the lining of the ears, so each Spring Bunny looks very unique. What a lovely bunny!
Christine of Oh So Pathos from Montreal, Canada made this bunny for her mom. Her mom was going through a rough period at work and wanted something ”comfy and warm-hearted” to remind her that her job wasn’t everything and that there was more to life. Christine made her mom this bunny so that she could take a moment to breathe and relax whenever she saw it. I’m sure Christine’s mom loves her handmade bunny and is always reminded how much her daughter loves her too! I love the funky fabric that Christine used and how black, white and pink contrast so nicely together.
Hilary of Buzz & Lola from Ireland made her own Spring Bunny and plans to make him a smaller friend once she masters using a smaller crochet hook! People are always surprised to hear what a tiny crochet hook I actually use, but that’s how I get those tight, small stitches :) I love the colours that Hilary used with the grey felt and pink nose on his cream body. He looks very snuggly and cute!
Bogee made her own Spring Bunny with both a flower and a carrot- lucky bunny! Bogee found it difficult to sew the felt on the feet and ears, so she actually sewed the stitches on the felt pieces first and then used fabric glue to stick the felt pieces onto the crocheted pieces. What a great trick! This bunny looks very well-made, and the stitching looks so even :) Great work, Bogee!
Kitty of Belgium used my Spring Bunnies pattern for her very first amigurumi project. She made a pair of bunnies and used yarn for the eyes. Kitty says that working on these bunnies made her fall in love with crochet all over again. I’m so happy to hear that your love for crochet has been reignited, Kitty :)
Candy from Singapore crocheted some bunnies and donated them to the Rabbit Society who is helping abandoned bunnies. I think it’s very sweet how these plush bunnies are helping their live counterparts in Singapore :) Candy did a wonderful job with her pink bunny with ears sticking straight up! So adorable!
And here is Candy’s floppy-eared bunny. Love the dainty floral fabric she used for the lining of the ears. What a sweetie!
Victoria of YarnRoundHook from the UK made these two Spring Bunnies, Flower and Petal, for her two children. Victoria writes that they are so well-loved that some stuffing is even escaping! She also points out that Flower turned out bigger than Petal- it’s interesting even how a little difference in the weight of the yarn can make a difference in the overall size of the amigurumi. They both look very well-made and very cute, Victoria! I’m so happy to hear that Flower and Petal are getting so much love from your children!
As always, I have many more pictures of Spring Bunnies to show you, but I’ll save them for a future post. Be sure to check out my Spring Bunnies step-by-step blog post here and download the free pattern on the CRAFT website here. Keep sending me your pictures on facebook, twitter and e-mail! I hope your Spring has been off to a great start and that you’ve enjoyed reading about all these amigurumi bunnies who’ve been brightening up people’s days all around the world :)
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Who can resist Snuggles the Penguin with his sweet face all bundled up in his removable scarf? Crochet your very own and he’ll make a great friend every season of the year!
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