If you have heard of Amigurumi, congratulations! You’ve discovered an exciting little craft niche, that is a lot of fun to create in. If not, I’m more than happy to help you out! Amigurumi is a Japanese word that means, “knitted, stuffed, toy.” I’ve seen animals, creature and inanimate objects (such as mushrooms, cupcakes, fruit, vegetables) become adorable little playthings. Full of facial expressions and personalities. While crochet is the most popular and most frequently seen method for making Amigurumi’s, I have seen people knit and sew these little darlings also.
It can be a great project for someone just starting out, learning new stitches, or trying out a new type of yarn, since the projects are usually small and any little mistake could just enhance the personality of your critter, rather than ruining the whole project. They are also a lot of fun, given how much creative license you can take with their creation. Children and adults alike love these little creations. Simply going to google.com and doing an image search under the term amigurumi will bring you tons of results to get inspired by.
They can be used as little collectables, decorations, party favors, gift tag buddies, keychains, the possibilities are probably endless. There are a number of great books out there all about Amigurumi, that include history, techniques, patterns, tips and techniques. Simply go to Amazon.com and type in Amigurumi in the search box and you can find a book that is right for you! Don’t forget to look at your local library as well. I always do that as my first step before purchasing any craft book. That way, you can get a great preview of a book without spending any money. Goodness knows, while I am totally in love with books in general, but especially craft books, I’d rather spend my money on the actual crafting supplies!
I just can’t describe how cute all these little Amigurumi’s can be, so if you haven’t checked them out already, you should do so soon. I know I can spend hours just looking online at all the Amigurumi creations that abound on the internet. Why not add some of your own?
nkilkenny Said:
on March 8, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I discovered Amigurumi craft two years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Amigurumi was also my gateway back into crochet. It’s really nice to see the explosion of creativity from all sorts of folks including amateur crocheters. My favorite book right now is the “Creepy Cute Crochet” book.
Laura Cruz Said:
on March 9, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I found out about amigurumi about two years ago as well. It’s a really good way to practice crochet and get results quickly. My favorite book right now is the Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts: Amigurumi book.
I’m really glad to see knitters coming up with amirugumi as well. It provides really different and interesting amis.