amigurumi – Page 3

Cubby the Tiger

A good friend came to me earlier in the year and requested I make a few amis for him to give as Christmas presents to his nieces and nephews. He was hoping to give them each an animal that represented the Asian Zodiac year in which they were born. A Tiger, a Dragon, and an Ox/Cow. It’s been my plan all along to one day crochet all the animals of the Zodiac, so what better way to get started, right? Well, I already had a Cow pattern I could use (Clarence), but I had yet to make a tiger and a dragon. Well, after many months, I have finally completed the second animal, the tiger! I am quite proud of my little Cubby. There are already many tiger patterns out there, but I really wanted to make my own Little Muggle-style version of one. (Someone once used the term “muggle-fy”, which I love!) It took me almost as long to write up the pattern as it took for me to crochet the doll!! This past summer has been quite hectic, so my apologies for the lull in new doll production. I hope to be more productive this fall! Anyhow, here are a few shots of my tiger. He’s a shy little guy who enjoys quiet afternoons in the sunshine. Enjoy!!

Gazing out a window…I wonder what he’s thinking?

By the way, my WIP for now is the Dragon. I’d say he’s about 40% complete. I am re-working my Spike doll, which I never formally wrote up a pattern for. Keep your eyes out for dragon updates on my Facebook page! I know there are people eager for his pattern so I’ll try to work quickly for you all!

My Ami Beanbag Buddies!

IMG_4637 - Version 2 — My 6 year old bag of polyester pellets

A number of years ago, I bought a big bag of poly-pellets, which are basically little plastic beads used for stuffing dolls. I found it at my local craft store and thought it’d be fun to incorporate them into my amigurumis. I used them in the bodies of a few of my dolls, but the whole bag just ended up sitting in a box untouched since then. Well, a few weeks ago I came across that bag and started brainstorming some design ideas that would make use of those poly-pellets! Thus my beanbag buddy idea was born. I wanted to make something small and unique, something that could sit on a desktop or shelf and just add a pop of cuteness. A little beanbag doll seemed ideal – they are all nice and stable from the heaviness of the pellets.

Violet the Kitty is my first beanbag creation. She’s made a very soft worsted weight yarn I am very pleased with the color combination here. I like to choose colors that you might not think to put together, just to make things interesting. I toyed with the idea of making these “buddies” with no limbs, which I think would look good too. But the little arms and feet look so cute that I had to include them.

After Violet, I just had to add some colorful friends for her, so I came up with these:

My final beanbag buddy turned out to this baby owl. I’ve always wanted to make an owl, but there are already so many out there, I wasn’t sure if I could come up with a fresh version of one. I was amazed at all the positive feedback I got for this simple little design! It’s such cute little character and such a fun little project that I’ve decided to release this pattern for FREE! There are endless color combinations and designs that can be incorporated into this pattern! I hope you all remember to post pictures of your owl creations on my Facebook page because I can’t wait to see all the creativity out there!!

As always, thank you so much for your interest, love, and support! I am constantly amazed by all the fantastic creations I see from you all and I am honored and thrilled that so many people seem to like my work! Happy crocheting!

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE BABY OWL PATTERN!!

Simi the Monkey Pattern now available!

When I was a kid, I spent far too much time watching TV. I loved all kinds of cartoons and I sure watched a lot of them! (Hello Smurfs! Jetsons! Flintstones! Woody Woodpecker! Tom and Jerry! Should I go on? And yes, I realize I am showing my age here) But one of my all time faves has got to be Looney Tunes. Recently, I was randomly thinking about good ol’ Bugs Bunny and his crazy antics and for whatever reason, I was remembering a specific episode with a hurdy gurdy monkey. If you are unfamiliar with what this is, imagine an old fashioned organ grinder who stands on a sidewalk and cranks out tunes while his pet monkey dances around and collects money from passersby. I actually went hunting online and was thrilled to find the actual Looney Tunes episode so here it is in case anyone is interested in watching it! It’s called HURDY GURDY HARE. Funny this is, I even remembered the music from this episode! It’s so strange, the things one recalls from childhood…What do you remember from your own days as a kiddo that you find totally random?

Anyways, the reason I am even bringing all this up is because I wanted to share the inspiration for my newest monkey pattern! I thought it would be really cute to make an amigurumi styled after the old time hurdy gurdy monkeys. My ambition was to make a monkey wearing a hat and a cute little suit, not unlike something you might see on a monkey at the circus. Well, as you can see, I managed a hat. One day, when I develop superior clothes-making crochet skills, I will definitely release amis with fancy outfits. 🙂 Until then, I’ll have to keep it sweet and simple!

Simi is the name of this little guy ..it’s a short for “Simian”. I think he looks really cute sitting on my son’s bookshelf, along with other stuffed animal friends. I hope you all like him! His pattern is now available in my usual shops! Please take a look at Craftsy or Etsy! Have a great day, everyone! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Early Easter!

I am proud to present my latest pattern, a sweet little springtime bunny! Ok, I am thinking ahead, but this gives anyone who is interested in making this doll for Easter plenty of time to crochet! I spent a while choosing the colors for this rabbit. I wanted something soft and spring-like.. but I also wanted something a little different. I was happy to use this slightly unusual shade of green for her pants. In case you’re wondering, it is from Lion Brand yarns, my go-to yarn for all my amigurumi creations. I always use yarn from my local craft store, nothing fancy. And I had my doubts about the shoe color, wondering if it clashes with the other colors, but I think it came out alright.

The baskets in the back have some of my previous amis that I feel work with the whole springtime theme. You’ll see my Mochi bunny(Free pattern!) in there, along with a couple of Lil Quacks and my Humpty Dumpty (since he’s an egg…) Does this give you any ideas on making your Easter basket(s) this year? Making a hand-made gift for someone is truly special!

This bunny pattern will be listed very shortly in both of my shops! Here are the links – please stop by and browse! Have a great day, everyone!

In my CRAFTSY shop, you can download the pattern immediately upon payment. And if you prefer, it is also available at ETSY!

2013 Year of the Snake!

Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! Gong Xi Fa Cai, Gung Hay Fat Choy!

As a kid, I really looked forward to this time of year. Because it is customary for all married relatives and friends to give children red envelopes stuffed with money, this was a very profitable time of year for me! My mother would clean the house from top to bottom and set up a little New Year’s table, decorated with beautiful flowers, oranges, pomelos, “good luck” candies and cakes… She would even put on her old records (remember those?) of festive holiday music. Everyone would just be a really happy mood, getting ready to celebrate the start of a fresh new year!

In honor of the coming year’s zodiac sign, I present my little snake to you! I never considered making a gurumi snake, (thinking that I could never make a cute one) but I was suddenly struck with inspiration earlier this week and here is what I came up with! I wanted something with a pop of color, since a plain, single color snake didn’t seem so interesting to me. I felt the color red would have made the snake too “Christmasy”, so I settled for a nice festive orange instead! Perfect, since oranges and tangerines are ubiquitous during this festive time of year! I think this snake adds a cute and unique touch to all the New Year’s decorations in the house.

The tricky part of making this little guy was coiling his body just right so that his head pops up in just the right place. After I coiled it, I did pin it in a couple of discreet places for it to hold it’s position. Just sew those spots together with some yarn and your snake should stay upright and coiled indefinitely! The free pattern can be found HERE!

TURTLE Amigurumi Crochet-Along!!

Welcome to the first Little Muggles Amigurumi Crochet Along!! This little turtle is fun, cute and simple to create! This design is simple enough for beginners to make, but also has a lot of potential for the more seasoned amigurumist! (Think embellishments, shell patterns, etc…) For those who are not familiar with a Crochet Along, it is very simple. Basically, any number of interested people can use this FREE pattern to “crochet along” with each other! That is, you can share your progress with your fellow crocheters, ask questions, post pictures, basically just share your thoughts and your amigurumi making experience with everyone! The most fun part is seeing everyone’s finished works! Everyone is free to use whatever yarn colors, gauges, decorations, etc.. that he/she prefers! Doesn’t this sound incredibly fun? I encourage everyone to Crochet Along with me!

I have named my turtle Sheldon! He is approximately 4.5 inches(12 cm) high and 6 inches (15cm) long. He makes a cute little decoration for any room or a super unique and adorable gift for anyone of any age!!

There’s more!

As an added bonus to the fun, I have decided to enter everyone who submits a picture of their turtle into a random drawing at the close of this Crochet Along! One winner will receive a FREE pattern of their choice from my Etsy shop! Who can resist another cool amigurumi project, right? The winner will be announced on my Facebook page!

Here’s what you need to do!

Spread the word! Share the news of this Crochet Along with your friends and fellow crochet pals! If you “share” my Facebook post about this Crochet Along and submit a picture of your doll, your name will be entered TWICE into the drawing!! That’s an extra chance to win!
Get your materials and start crocheting!! A list of what you need can be found in the pattern itself!
After you are done, take plenty of pictures and email me your favorite one at LittleMuggles@yahoo.com, or post your best pics on my Facebook page! Remember to include your name, your turtle’s name, and where you are from in your entry!!

For this turtle’s FREE pattern, CLICK HERE to get started!!

Little Muggles’ 1st Crochet Along officially starts Monday, January 14, 2013. Anyone with entries (photos) submitted by February 28, 2013(11:59pmPST) will be entered in a random drawing to win a FREE pattern from my shop!

Have fun and happy crocheting, everyone!!

I can’t wait to see your dolls!!

Happy New Year!!

What better way to kick off the new year than with a new gurumi! I wish you all a very happy and healthy new year! May it be filled with lots of creativity and inspiration for a fantastic craft filled year!! My crochet resolutions this year include coming up with more designs, contributing to another amigurumi book, and working on this website to make it cuter and more informative for you all! I intend to include a tutorial section and will be updating all pages in the future! Also, keep an eye out for more freebies in the near future!!

This panda doll has been in my imagination for quite a while now. I’m happy to finally finish it up and will be writing up the pattern for it shortly. Writing up patterns takes a lot more time than you might imagine! I take a lot of care in trying to make my patterns well organized and easy to follow. I am also somewhat obsessed with making them look cute! For these reasons, it can take quite a while before I come up with something that I am satisfied with putting into my shops! Currently, I am finishing up the pattern for my piggy. It should be done within a week! I will be posting the link to the pattern onto my facebook page, so make sure you “like” my Little Muggles page so you can stay up to date!

Oinky — Hamlet the pig… Pattern available soon!

Well, happy crocheting to you all! Have a wonderful day and a wonderful year!!

2012 Little Muggles’ Creations

My Holiday Collection

Jolly the Snowman, Jingles the Reindeer, Pepe the Penguin

Presenting my 2012 holiday collection! Jolly the Snowman, Jingles the Reindeer, and Pepe the Penguin! These little guys all sit at about 7″ high. Little Jolly was the first creation..I just love cute little snowmen, so he was a no-brainer for me to make. Jingles came next. Originally named “Rudy,” he was a bit more of a challenge. I wasn’t quite sure how to make his antlers, but with some experimenting, I think it came out alright. I had a bag of jingle bells that I had bought maybe 3 years ago that I have never opened! I am thrilled to finally put them to use! The ribbon around the neck is also something that I saved from a previous Christmas present. I had been holding onto for a few years now. It’s funny how things come together. I knew everything would come in handy one day! Anyways, a day before I was ready to post “Rudy,” a great amigurumi designer Josephine Wu (from a Morning Cup of Jo creations) debuted a reindeer with the same name! What a coincidence! So on the recommendation of a lovely Facebook fan, I ended up selecting “Jingles” and I think the name fits wonderfully for my little guy!

The penguin is my most recent creation. I wanted another character that reminds me of wintertime and I came up with Pepe. Other characters I considered but didn’t become reality were an elf and a gingerbread boy. Maybe next year, for the 2013 holiday collection! Pepe was a lot of fun to make. I toyed with the idea of using a different color for him, something unusual. I thought of using a light blue, or a purple.. but ultimately I decided to stick with classic black. I have never made anything using black yarn before. It makes photographing a little bit harder, because details can be lost in the darkness. I love how colors just pop against his black body and white eyes. I didn’t think I could go wrong with any color for his hat and scarf set. To keep it festive, I chose Christmasy red and green. I think purple would look great too! In general, after I make a doll, I pretty much have no interest in repeating it again…so I don’t think I’ll see how well other color combinations might work. That’s why I LOVE seeing pictures of other crocheter’s finished dolls from my patterns. It’s so much fun to see the creativity and liberties that others use to modify my patterns to create their own visions.

These three patterns are available in my Craftsy shop, Etsy shop, and on Amigurumipatterns.net! Only $3.99 each! Make your own version today!!

Happy Holidays 2012, everyone!! Peace!!

Meet my Harajuku Girl!

Greetings to all! I’m proud to present my first ever human amigurumi! It was a lot of fun creating this one. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Japan once and I will always remember seeing the outrageous Harajuku fashions! I’m surprised there aren’t more amigurumi Harajuku dolls out there! Mine was really fun to make, especially trying to decide what sort of cute details to add after the crocheting was finished. And bright pink hair! So fun! This was my first time making hair for a doll and I loved it! I have lots of ideas for wacky hairstyles… now I have to figure out how to actually execute it! I’ve started working on the pattern for this doll, so hopefully that will be available to you soon! In the meantime, I’ve already started on my next project! Stay tuned!!