Let's Talk Ami
Have you ever seen that plushy on Pinterest and wondered, how is it that humanly possible to actually CROCHET that thing?
I was at that point as well. Yes that was a long time ago for me, but the same question still crosses my mind. This is called amigurumi, the Japanese art of crocheting 3-D objects such as stuffed animals and characters(stay tuned to see my first amigurumi project). First though, we have to know where it originated from.
Amigurumi started evolving from Japan to the world in the 50's. According to Wikipedia, western cultures didn't actually explode over amigurumi until 2003. They also mention that in 2006 it was the most popular selling item on Etsy. You tell that now its much larger than that, and still counting.
Yeah, okay, its from Japan and all... but what does the word amigurumi(編みぐるみ)mean? 'Ami' means knitted or crocheted; and 'nuigurumi' means stuffed toy or doll. Just as Rachel from Little Yarn Friends said,"...so knitt it, stuff it, and you have amigurumi." Pretty self explantory.
Most ami projects include, worsted/DK yarn and a hook smaller than the usual. Typically I use a 3.75mm F hook. The reason for this is to create a gauge that keeps the poly-fill stuffing in the crochet stitches. You'd hate to make something so looses and open that it falls apart. Safety toy eyes and stitch markers are also used. Safety toy eyes are an alternative to embroidered or button eyes. You can find them in various sizes and colors, from black to neon. Stitch markers help you keep your round end and start visible. Amigurumi is worked in a spiral to leave out the stripe effect of color changing.
Last but not least, I wanted to prove to you that I wasn't an expert from the start. Here is a look at my first amigurumi project. An adorable baby pink elephant!
Everyone welcome Ellie!! She was made by a pattern from Crochet by DK Publishing. As you can see, her ears and eyes are crooked and uneven, her tail still has an undarned thread, but heck. Its not that bad. You can imagine my excitement when I finished her. Surprised my parents didn't throw a party for me and my friends!!
Thnx,
Lisa
Me after my first orchestra concert...
I was at that point as well. Yes that was a long time ago for me, but the same question still crosses my mind. This is called amigurumi, the Japanese art of crocheting 3-D objects such as stuffed animals and characters(stay tuned to see my first amigurumi project). First though, we have to know where it originated from.
Amigurumi started evolving from Japan to the world in the 50's. According to Wikipedia, western cultures didn't actually explode over amigurumi until 2003. They also mention that in 2006 it was the most popular selling item on Etsy. You tell that now its much larger than that, and still counting.
Yeah, okay, its from Japan and all... but what does the word amigurumi(編みぐるみ)mean? 'Ami' means knitted or crocheted; and 'nuigurumi' means stuffed toy or doll. Just as Rachel from Little Yarn Friends said,"...so knitt it, stuff it, and you have amigurumi." Pretty self explantory.
Most ami projects include, worsted/DK yarn and a hook smaller than the usual. Typically I use a 3.75mm F hook. The reason for this is to create a gauge that keeps the poly-fill stuffing in the crochet stitches. You'd hate to make something so looses and open that it falls apart. Safety toy eyes and stitch markers are also used. Safety toy eyes are an alternative to embroidered or button eyes. You can find them in various sizes and colors, from black to neon. Stitch markers help you keep your round end and start visible. Amigurumi is worked in a spiral to leave out the stripe effect of color changing.
Last but not least, I wanted to prove to you that I wasn't an expert from the start. Here is a look at my first amigurumi project. An adorable baby pink elephant!
Everyone welcome Ellie!! She was made by a pattern from Crochet by DK Publishing. As you can see, her ears and eyes are crooked and uneven, her tail still has an undarned thread, but heck. Its not that bad. You can imagine my excitement when I finished her. Surprised my parents didn't throw a party for me and my friends!!
Thnx,
Lisa
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