What is amigurumi? Where did the word come from? How the %#*! do I pronounce it?

All very good questions!

Amigurumi is a Japanese word and encompasses knitted and crocheted toys – usually animals or human-like dolls. They generally have cute features (like big eyes), are made of yarn, stuffed with love (or polyester stuffing). Due to the nature of the stuffie (or amigurumi, I just find ‘stuffie’ to be a lot easier, and quicker, to type out), it is generally recommended that you use a smaller size crochet hook or knitting needles when making them in order to ensure that you are making a tight fabric. This makes sure that when you stuff (with love!) that the stuffing does not show through.

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Caron International is having a giveaway!

If you’re a resident of the US and you want some free yarn, all you need to do is send in 3 labels from the Caron Simply Soft lines and your address and you’ll get a free full-sized skein (not a sample size!) of NaturallyCaron.com Country yarn – you don’t need to send in shipping and handling.

Do note that you don’t get a choice in colour, but you do get a full-sized skein of the NaturallyCaron.com Country yarn.

Interested? Click here to go to the official Caron’s free sample page.

This hat was done in 100% acrylic yarn (Red Heart Comfort Prints). I finished the large ball that I had bought when I first started learning how to crochet, back in 2006. The ball was 340g (12oz) and I had used the majority of it to make a book bag (my first crochet project, done without a pattern) and other small amounts to make mini-purses (so I could practice how to increase and decrease).

I pretty much threw all the simple stitches that I knew at this hat. There are single crochet, half-doubles, one row of triples, and a bunch of double crochets until the very end. There is also one row of back-loop only in single crochet and one row of front-post only in double crochet stitches.

Model: Belarus

This sweater was done in Patons Purple Heather 100% wool. There was no colour name, all the label has is the dye lot and the day it was made: 26/11/1973. The yarn was from the stash that my mom had given me when I started knitting.

I made up the pattern as I went along, I changed the way I did the arm holes from the grey sweater dress, these ones more resemble button holes.

Model: Sophie

This sweater dress was done in sock-weight 100% acrylic yarn… I lost the label so I don’t know what brand it is (yet I somehow remember the fiber, whoot).

This was my first time attempting to do arm holes, and they will never be doing it this way again (I basically left holes large enough for her entire arm to go through).

Model: Belarus