Amigurumi Mouse
About a week ago I was perusing Craft: magazine’s website/blog. I came across their collection of posts on softies and amigurumi. The amigurumi they featured really caught my attention and, well, I was hooked. Amigurumi, as I understand it, is a Japanese style of soft toy created primarily by crochet but also by knitting. Amigurumi are usually crocheted in the round, as a continuous spiral, using the single crochet (US) stitch. The three-dimensional shape comes from increasing and decreasing stitches within a round. I’ve been into crochet for quite some time. I’ve never really cared for most crocheted dolls or animals, but the amigurumi style critters really appealed to me. They’re just so cute. They have a simple form and really accentuate the “toddler” or “infant” proportions: big head, tiny body. So this mouse represents my first foray into the world of amigurumi. I came across the pattern via a list of links on Squidoo (which I found via Google, of course). The pattern was created by KristieDM and posted on Crochetville.org. She has other really cute amigurumi patterns on her site: http://kristieskids.weebly.com.
I had so much fun making this little mouse. He’s made from worsted weight blue yarn (that’s what I grabbed from my stash). I think it might have been Red Heart brand–lost the wrapper a long time ago. It took me all of an evening to make it. Such a fun, little, near-instant gratification project and my son thinks it’s a neat little toy to play with–fit’s so nicely in his hands. Since making this mouse, I’ve tried my hands at a couple of other critters and also have tried making my own designs. More on that later.