The Evolution of Amigurumi - Thank Goodness!

Normally I'd leave the crochet snark to the experts over at What Not to Crochet (some of the content is 'not safe for work' so Google it if you want to take a look.), but this was an opportunity I couldn't resist. My mom was recently spring cleaning and gave me a couple of old magazines she came across that had crochet patterns in them, "I may want to try." This little gem comes from the Sept. - Oct. 1981 issue of Woman's Day magazine (retail price $1.89!). It's special edition dedicated to the wonders of the Granny Square.

Oh granny squares, is there anything you can't do? Well, based on this picture, it looks like you can't make children happy! I mean really, look at that little girl's face. I'm not sure if she's more sad about her granny square sweater, the fact that all her furniture appears to be made of granny squares or the heartbreaking news that her new toys are a creepy granny square based worm and a dog? Horse? Vote now in the comments section. What is that thing?

I'd like to know if the headline writer was being earnest or sarcastic with the claim, "Building blocks for happy tots!" I hope it was sarcasm that went over the heads of the editor and anyone else who had to proof this page before it went to print.

But enough about creepy children's toys. (Though I think it's worthwhile to look back on them so we can truly appreciate the wonderful amigurumi and crocheted toys that are being made by present day designers.) Right now I'm eagerly waiting for Amazon to deliver my copy of Ana Paula Rimoli's most recent pattern collection, Amigurumi Toy Box: Cute Crocheted Friends.

Now those are toys that could actually make a tot smile! This is Rimoli's third collection of toy patterns, all of which she tests on her own daughters before using. Her creations are always clever and the patterns are quite easy to follow. I did a full review of her first book Amigurumi World here. Although I didn't find the time to review the second one Amigurumi Two!: Crocheted Toys for Me and You and Baby Too when it came out, I did purchase it and it is an equally great collection.

Look at that, no granny squares in sight!

Books I'm eagerly awaiting!

I was doing some browsing on Amazon and came across two books I can't wait to own. It's amazing how excited you can get about something you didn't know existed ten minutes ago, isn't it?

First up on my wish list is Crobots: 20 Amigurumi Robots to Make by Nelly Pailloux. This 96 page paperback is expected to be released on April 21 and will retail for about $13.51 in Canada. Pailloux is the name behind the Etsy shop La Fee Crochette. I've featured her adorable Cookie Monster in one of my Cute Thing of the Week columns and am also an admirer of her South Park characters. If those creations are any indication, I'm certain her collection of robots is going to be adorable. I can't wait to have a look inside the book!

I'm a huge fan of Ana Paula Rimoli's work and I was very pleaesd to discover that her first book, Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet, was successful enough to earn her a sequel. Rimoli's new books, Amigurumi Two!: Crocheted Toys for Me, You, and Baby, Too will be released in paperback in June, 2009. The new book is 80 pages and expected to retail for about $17.07 Canadian. You can check out pictures of all the patterns that will be available in the book by visiting this Flickr site that Rimoli set up

Amigurumi World. My thoughts...

I had the chance to play around with Ana Paula Rimoli’s Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet this past weekend and I’m happy to report the book lives up to its name. Check out my Ami Bunny to the left here, is it not seriously cute?

At first glance I thought the fact that Rimoli was including many of the patterns in several sizes, a mom or dad and baby of each creature, was a bit of a copout, but on further inspection I take that back. It would be a copout if the book only contained 10-12 patterns, but counting the parent and child pairs as a single pattern this book still contains over 20 different designs from animals to fruit, to dessert items and even a couple of cactuses (or should I say desert items?). There are also added touches such as instructions for how to add various pieces of clothing to the different animals.

As well, I really appreciate that the animals are kept in scale with each other. Adult animals are anywhere from 5 inches to 10 inches tall while babies are generally 3 or 4 inches tall and they’re kept true to scale with their animal kingdom counterparts. Owls are smaller than penguins, penguins are smaller than lions, etc. This may not matter if you’re only making one animal, but let’s say you decide to make all the animals for a child’s play set, then this logical sizing is going to be something you can really appreciate.

This Ami bunny that I’ve made comes from a section near the back of the book entitled Tiny Amis. In this section Rimoli uses the same basic head and body shape to create seven different animals that all stand 3 inches tall. These animals can be made in about one to two hours and I think they’d be a great stepping stone for anyone who wants to start designing their own patterns. Start with one of these bodies and try to come up with a different animal yourself. As well, these tiny amis have a lot of versatility. For example, I’m thinking they’d make great Christmas tree ornaments if I just crocheted them some red and green hats and scarves.

I think if I have one quibble with the book at all, it’s Rimoli’s use of the chain 2 then put X number of stitches in second chain from hook method of starting her pieces. It’s just a personal preference thing. I don’t care for this method. I always find that first chain that doesn’t have any stitches in it always sticks out kind of strangely and I have to spend time tacking it down. Instead I much prefer to take however many stitches she’s putting in that second chain and make a magic ring with this number as my starting point.

That minor complaint aside, if you’re looking for a book of quick cute Amigurumi creatures I highly recommend Amigurumi World. It’s great if you’re just starting out in the world of crochet because it illustrates all your basic stitches and amigurumi techniques in the first few pages with nice clear instructions and pictures.

There are a few typos in the books, as tends to happen, but I was pleasantly surprised when I ventured over to Rimoli's blog and discovered that she’d already set up a post where users could comment on problems they’ve found in the text. Personally I think this speaks volumes about her character and makes her someone I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from.

Note: Any differences between my bunny and the one pictured on the cover of the book are due to choices I made and not a flaw in the pattern. I used a different size of eyes and also a safety nose rather than an embroidered nose. I also used a different kind of wool and much stiffer felt than the book calls which made my bunny's ears less floppy. The changes were more about supplies I had on hand at the time than a desire to change the look of the bunny.