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      Amigurumi

      February 24th

      I was asked..."Can you make this, please?"
      Amiigaarami, no amicurami, no that's not right it's ami something, ah amigurumi!  It took me months to get this word right, spell check had not heard of it and so my initial efforts back in 2014 of trying to find out what this form of crochet was all about was impeded by my lack of spelling ability.

      I was asked by a large company if I could make a mascot for their environmental week to raise awareness of recycling and could I please make it so he looked like the orange and green drawing you see here on this blog post.  My first commission and I immediately screeched yes me, me, me replied calmly, of course, I could before they realised their mad fool mistake of asking a complete amigurumi novice.

      So what is amigurumi?  It's a form of crochet believed to have originated in Japan and is hugely popular.  Think cute little-stuffed toys, often with large eyes and you get the picture.  Obviously, over the years it has developed and now is seen all over the internet, (on Instagram alone there are almost 1.5 million hashtags devoted to amigurami, you just cannot get away from it.  So what is it?  Amigurumi is a mash of two Japanese words ami meaning crocheted or knitted and gurimi meaning stuffed doll or toy.  This encompasses people and even inanimate objects now.

      My first amigurumi, meet Eric the Hero

      Amigurumi is mostly crocheted as knitted items can stretch whereas crochet tends to have a denser thicker consistency.  As long as you can do the basic crochet stitches and the all important magic circle, no it's not from Harry Potter, and can stuff things evenly, you laugh but a lumpy stuffed toy is no joke and it happens.  If you can sew in loose threads then you can crochet in the amigurumi style. Oh and it helps if you can master the invisible decrease too, really no, this is not something from the school of Hogwarts.


      You cannot see it but Eric the
      amigurimi also had a swishing cape
      hidden behind his paunch of a belly
      Most items in this style are crocheted in the round to allow the 3D shape to magically form in your hands,  It really is quite an exciting process seeing something take shape that is not flat.


      An amigurumi doll from the Little Box of crochet, here a
      beautifully completed one by the talented Kate of Just Pootling
      and mine to the right, these boxes are great for travelling as
      everything you need is to hand, here I am at an airport.


      Amanda has also included several amigurumi's in her
      monthly crochet box sets, including this Baby box


      The reason for the post is that today I travel to the South West to teach a beginner crocheter how to construct yarn into a 3D shape. I am both nervous and excited at the same time. I have been teaching crochet for two years so that is nothing new, but I have never taught amigurumi. Eek!

      Last minute preparations for teaching amigurumi 

      Hoping you have enjoyed my 5 amigurumi photos and I leave you finally with the thought:   here's to continued learning for all of us, tomorrow it will be me in teaching something new and for the student learning something completely different.  




      Wish us luck 

      Joining in with Amy sharing my five with you.  Have a great week x

      38 comments:

      1. I certainly do wish you luck although I don't think you will need it, you will be amazing.

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      2. What cute little characters! I'm sure you'll be a success on the weekend. Good luck!

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      3. You'll be just fine. Have a lovely, lovely day, and tell us about it when you get back.

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        Replies
        1. Will do! Must remember to take some photos then also!

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      4. Oh yes Good Luck. Hope you enjoy the day, you can rest assured that your beginner will be too tied up in knots to notice any problems. x

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      5. Good luck with the lesson, I'm sure you don't need it. I think Eric looks ace, you did a fantastic job. I'd love to learn to crochet, I have quite a few crochet hooks mostly very small ones as I use them to crochet my dreadlocks!

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        1. You should give it a go, would give you please i am sure Tricky

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      6. Your Eric the Hero is great and so are all the other amiguramim dolls in the boxed sets you've shared! All the best with the teaching which will be fun, I'm sure. I haven't progressed beyond my blanket making, but I'm enjoying the experience of doing some simple crocheting. Wishing you a good weekend with your other activities too.

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        1. Simple crochet is so therapeutic, I need it in my life too, don't knock it, just enjoy

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      7. Good luck, I hope the lessons go well. The little characters are very cute:)

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      8. Congrats on your commission! Love your response :) Your crochet fellow looks wonderful - I love him. I'm not even going to attempt to spell the type of crochet he is.

        Happy Five on friday!

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      9. I'm sure you'll walk it. You're clearly very good at it!

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      10. Eric the hero is great with so much character in his face! Have a wonderful time teaching, I'm sure you will have lots of fun.

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      11. Loved your amigurumi post! Good luck, but I'm sure all will go well. You have magic fingers. :) Have fun and happy Friday!

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      12. These are so cute. I've made a couple amigurumi and they were fun to do. I'm sure your "learners" will have fun with them.

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      13. I'm impressed with Eric... your first amigurumi, haven't attempted this myself yet, the mention of stitch markers put me off! Hope the class goes well.

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        Replies
        1. Give it a try Fiona, sure you would find it fun

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      14. GOod luck with the class, you are going to be fabulous. Love your projects, what an honor to be asked to make that fabulous guy.

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      15. I hope it all goes well, you seem to have learned amigurumi well!

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      16. So cute little amigurumi guys ❤︎ Happy weekend!

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      17. Your amigurumi is cute. I am sure my granddaughter would like it too!

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      18. Your amigurumi is cute. I am sure my granddaughter would like it too!

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      19. These are so sweet. Good luck!
        Amalia
        xo

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      20. These amigurumi critters are so cute! I have knit some very tiny things a while back (about an inch big). I'm not crazy about joining appendages on these guys. Enjoy your learning curve!
        Wendy

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      21. Yes, I have enjoyed your five amigurumi photos (so cute), and I enjoyed that last thought about the last time I did something for the first time. Mmm, will have to think on that a moment. Good reminder to keep pushing to learn new things.

        Wishing you a beautiful day...
        Brenda

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      22. Oh, these are cute! I've always wanted to try it. Best of luck with your tutoring. xx K

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      23. I am sorry to be late visiting, but I wanted to wait until the link had closed and I could write to everyone who had taken part. Thank you so much for your support of Five On Friday this week and in the weeks gone by. I do so appreciate it and have really enjoyed reading your posts. I hope that you will enjoy going to the new link up just as much and will continue to take part. I hope that I will still see you at my blog sometimes, I will of course still be visiting you sometimes too! Best wishes and many thanks.

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      I will always read all comments and will try to reply but it may take me a couple of days, do please pop back and lets get a conversation going...