They say that eyes are the windows to a person’s soul. But how does that translate for amigurumi? One of the things that I like doing is having an assortment of different eye choices when I’m making a project, just so I can make a decision about what the final look is going to be. I present to you three different eye options: safety eyes, yarn eyes (crocheted/knitted and embroidered) and button eyes. I also include my personal thoughts on them as well as some safety issues you may want to take into consideration.

Safety Eyes

Incredibly popular, safety eyes are most commonly used in commercially produced stuffed animals and can be bought in stores – some general craft stores will carry them, as well as some fabric stores and online websites. Safety eyes have require some assembly – there’s the piece for the eye that has a post and a washer (metal or plastic). What you do is put the post through the piece and then place the washer over the post and push it down the post until it’s all the way down. Safety eyes are very snug and difficult to pull apart. However, a safety concern is that crocheted or knitted fabric can fray or the spaces between the stitches (especially in crochet) can stretch or get larger, allowing the eye (washer and all) to come through, creating a choking hazard for children and pets. One way to remedy this is to use a small piece of felt between the washer and the crocheted/knitted fabric. Safety eyes can be pricey, if you’re purchasing them in pairs, so consider a bulk purchase – this would require you to buy a large amount of eyes in the same size and colour though. So if you’re an occasional amigurumi creator, you might want to consider other eye options as this would be an expensive option for you.

Safety Factor: relatively child-safe (can be reinforced, if assembled correctly)
Cost Factor: most expensive

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have a coworker who’s going to be a dad soon. Whenever I’m working at the company and there’s someone new having a child, I seem to come up with something. Well, it’s only happened twice so far (while I’m employed, don’t really have time to come up with gifts when I’m in school and not finding out that people are going to have kids until like a month after it’s occurred). So here’s some photos of what I’ve come up with! (Picture heavy with 7 awesome shots of Mister Snuffles.)

And this is how it all begins…

Read the rest of this entry »