So just what IS "Amigurumi" Crochet anyway??

Welcome to my very first Blog! Why am I so nervous?? Well let me briefly introduce myself. I'm a mom, a grandmom and a recently "displaced" worker. Having been laid off from my job of 9 years only 2 weeks ago I've been forced into what I now have decided to call my "vacation". Hey, might as well make the most of it right? And it sounds so much better than being "unemployed". I haven't been "unemployed" for any length of time since I was 15 years old. So here I am. 49 years old, recently seperated from my husband of 26 years, and raising my 3 year old grandson, who has lately been my main motivation for anything and everything I do!! I've been doing alot of worrying and contemplating lately. Where do I go from here? I've tossed around all the ideas of taking advantage of my meager severance time and going back to school, doing some babysitting out of my home, calling everyone I know to put the word out that I'm looking for work and all the various "work from home" ideas. What I came up with is basically...nothing. I'm just more confused than I was before. So I called an old dear friend to cry on her shoulder, which she obliged and then proceeded to tell me about how busy she is getting ready for a craft show here in our town in October 2009. She has done these craft shows before and makes a nice little chunk of change to supplement her retirement income. "You should whip up some of your beautiful crochet and attend the craft fair with me this year! We could get a booth together even."


Now that was something to think about. I love to crochet. I taught myself when I was 14 years old and have been happily addicted ever since! I've crocheted everything from afghans, to potholders to sweaters & scarves. I love to create!! To me there is such a wonderful sense of accomplishment and pride to take a piece of string and turn it into something beautiful! "Okay" I told my friend. "That sounds fun and it will get me out of the house if nothing else." I might even make a little extra money if I'm lucky. I've got a little time before my severance pay runs out in 5 months so why not? The more I thought about it, the more I liked this idea of attending a craft show with my very own "products" made with my own two hands! My family and friends always say I should sell some of my crocheted work because I am so "talented". But I've never had the time or the energy to make a substantial amount of pieces....until now.

So, first things first, I thought. "What should I make?" Afghans, baby blankets and the like would take too long. I need to make something that's beautiful and can be done relatively quickly if I'm going to be ready by October! Then it hit me. I've seen pictures in crochet magazines and on crochet websites of these little tiny dolls, animals, bugs and just about everything you could imagine....even vegetables and food!



I have often thought of trying it for gift giving or toys for my grandson. That might be something I can do quickly enough to have a respectable "inventory" for my first craft fair. So I jumped on the computer and started searching for patterns of these tiny little creatures. I was astonished at how many there were and just how popular this delightful art form called "Amigurumi" Japanese crochet is.

Ami-gu-what???

What does that mean? I did a new search under "amigurumi" and much to my delight I found hundreds upon hundreds of pictures and free patterns. The definition of "Amigurumi" is as follows: the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures. The word is derived from a combination of the Japanese words ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll. Amigurumi are typically cute little animals ( bunnies, cats, dogs, turtles, bears, squirrels and so on), but can include artistic renderings, and inanimate objects endowed with anthropomorphic features.


Ah, I see. Well that looks fun, and easy even! I'll give it a try. My first pattern was a cute little Lady Bug I found here:
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/80016AD.html

Isn't she just toooo cute???!!! ♥♥♥♥

I grabbed hook and yarn and finished "Lorelai" in an afternoon! I was hooked. It was fun, easy and quick. And best of all adorable and sure to be a popular bazaar item. I couldn't wait to start my next project.

The blog was an after thought. I thought it might be fun to document this "journey" I'm about to begin from start to..well, wherever it leads!
I welcome any ideas or feedback and meeting some new friends along the way would be nice too!

Here's a link to a free pattern for some super cute turtles that would be good for anyone just beginning amigurumi crochet.
http://www.crochetville.org/forum/showthread.php?t=40998



It's less challenging than the lady bug (all those spots and legs!!!!) Try it out and let me know what you think!

Until next time.......happy hooking!!

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