Num, num - Amigurumi Hamburger

See, now, this is what happens when I have the day off of work and I get bored...

I drink beer.
Then wish for a tasty, tasty hamburger.
BUT, alas, there are no hamburgers within walking distance, and I cannot drive anywhere because of said drinkage state...

So this is what happens:


I make amigurumi hamburgers!!!

They shall hence be known as... Amiburgers!


I will post the pattern for this tasty treat once I have worked out a few kinks.

until then xx

Logo Design

Today I started on the design of my logo. As long as I can remember, I have always wanted to create a business with a pun from my surname Close. I always imagined having my own film production company just so at the end of movie, it would say “This has been a Close Encounter”. As that dream is still a little too far away to think about – I have decided to use this name for my crochet blog, and eventually my online store!

And so it shall be – “Close Encounters of the Crocheted Kind”…

I drew a couple of sketches here and there of a flying saucer with a yarn ball on it, and finally I came up with this design:

I was trying to go for a retro, tacky black and white scifi movie sort of look, complete with dusty film. This is only a draft for the moment, I am going to see where this idea takes me before I decide on a final design.

I am still very undecided on a colour scheme for a website, although I am kinda keen on a old, stained paper look, with sketches on it. So I will have to see where it all goes form here...

Stay cool, kiddies
Peace, Out xx

Hook and Yarn Sizes – Conversion Table

Why do different countries have different names and gauges for EVERYTHING???
It’s so frustrating!!!

While tracking down patterns to crochet, as well as deciding on what thickness of yarn to use and what size hook to use, I get incredibly lost when I see things like ‘use a F hook’ and ‘use worsted weight yarn’. What does it all mean????

Hook sizes
In the US, they have a letter gauge system for their crochet hooks. Here in Australia, you will find all hooks are given a thickness in mm e.g. ‘3.5mm’:

Crochet Hook Size Conversion Table
Metric sizing (mm)	US Sizing
2.00	-
2.25	B
2.50	-
2.75	C
3.00	-
3.25	D
3.50	E
3.75	F
4.00	G
4.50	-
5.00	H
5.50	I
6.00	J
6.50	K
7.00	-
8.00	L
9.00	M
10.00	N

Yarn Types / Sizes Despite the fact that Australia, the UK and the US all speak English, all 3 have different names for yarn types. In Australia we tend to name our yarn based on what ply it is:

Yarn Type / Size Conversion Table
Australia	UK	US
1ply / 2 ply	1 ply / 2 ply	lace weight
2 ply / 3ply	2 ply / 3 ply	baby / fingering
3 ply / 4 ply	3 ply / 4 ply	sport / sock / light weight
8 ply	DK / double knit	light worsted
10 ply	Aran	worsted weight
12 ply	chunky	bulky
14 ply	super chunky	super bulky

Cute Little Flower Pattern

I am having so much fun making cute little cacti amigurumi. And it's all so easy!
The only trouble I'm have at the moment is not being able to find how to make small flowers to put on top of my cacti.

So instead I persevered on my own, and I played around with hdc stitches, and I finally came up with this:


And here is the pattern if you would like to make one yourself:

I used 8 ply yarn (which I pulled apart to create 3 ply piece) and a 2.5mm hook.

1. Make double loop.
2. [Ch2, 5hdc in 2^nd chain from hook. Slst in double loop.] Repeat 5 times for 5 petals.
3. Fasten off. Close up double loop.

Now that I think of it, I will try to post up some tutorials on how to do some basic stitches and loops, for those who are just starting out.

Experimenting with Cotton

Up until now, I have been using a nylon/acrylic blend of yarn at 8ply thick. I love that the colours are so vibrant compared to real wool and it the way it makes my projects far neater, but I’m still finding it fuzzes up like wool all too easily. I’m really after a nice clean, fuzz free finish - so I decided to go buy some 3 ply crochet cotton. It’s a little more expensive than the yarn I have been buying previously, so I hope it’s worth the price tag.

Also, because of the thinner ply, I’m hoping that my projects will turn out smaller and hence a lot cuter!

I made another cactus with the cotton. Only this time I used my own design and not a pattern, and here are the results:

It turned out so little! It was the perfect size to fit into a 4cm terracotta pot that I purchased from Fickle Prickles, an online store for cacti and succulents.

I used a smaller hook this time, a 2.5mm hook (I have previously been using 3.5mm).

I really want to find some key ring chains, so I can make some key ring charms out of this cotton!

Fuzzy Koala

So, the other day I found this cute amigurumi koala pattern on the US Woman’s Day Website (I'll forgive them for using the term 'koala bear', hehe). The pattern can be found here:
http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Lifestyle/Crafts/Cuddly-Crochet-Creatures-Koala.html

And here is my version -


For my version, I used fuzzy yarn in a mocha colour to give it a more teddy-bear feel, and I altered the nose and the arms slightly too. I wanted the arms to be attached on a pivot, so they could be moved slightly as opposed to having them the same shape and style as the legs. I used dark brown wool for the arms, nose and inner-ears, and I attached black buttons on top of small circles of brown felt for the eyes.

Here is my pattern for the arms:
R1 – Ch 2, 4sc in 2nd chain from hook
R2 – 2sc in each st (8st)
R3 – In back loops only, sc in each (8st)
R4 – R7 – sc in each. (8st)
Turn inside out.
Stuff.
R8 – Sc in both sides to seal the hole. (4st)
R9 - 10 – Sc in each (you may need to adjust how many rows to add in order to get a nice flat surface to attach to his body)
Attach to body.

I finished the arms off with a French knot at the attachment point to give the look of a pivot point.

I had some trouble getting him to sit up without toppling over, so I stuffed his body with some glass beads I had lying around. It worked great, although I am sure poly beads would be a far cheaper alternative. Again, poly beads seem to be something I can’t find at my local craft store, so I will have to source these on the net. I will let you know if I find a good place.

I really am having so much fun creating these guys. What will my next project be????

Amigurumi Books

I bought several Amigurumi books on Amazon the other week, and they arrived today!!! They are so cute, and the patterns seem really easy to follow. I love them all! Here is what I bought –

Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet

Amigurumi Two!: Crocheted Toys for Me and You and Baby Too

Yummi 'Gurumi: Over 60 Gourmet Crochet Treats to Make

Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More!

Crobots: 20 Amigurumi Robots to Make

Some of the patterns are just the coolest! I will definitely post some photos once I have created one or too… Amazon was by far the cheapest place to get these books that I could find (if you don't mind waiting a long time for them to arrive). Fishpond also had competitive prices on all these books, and free shipping to anywhere in Australia, but they were still not as cheap as Amazon!

Unda tha Sea!

I mentioned before about Ana Paula’s amazing blog where she posts amigurumi patterns for free: http://amigurumipatterns.blogspot.com/

Well, I found my second project from there as well. It is a cute as little jellyfish! You can find the pattern here: http://amigurumipatterns.blogspot.com/2007/10/little-octopus-ornament-to-sweeten-up.html

Here is my finished project:


I am still unable to find any safety eyes here in Australia, so it looks like I am going to have to resort to buying in from overseas. If I find a good one I will let you know.

In the meantime, I made this little guy without a face – and he is still really cute, even without eyes! He would look great hanging from a car revision mirror, or if I made one with finer yarn and a smaller hook, a keychain!

Discovering Amigurumi

I discovered the funkiest thing whilst browsing the internet the other day!

In truth I was looking up something completely irrelevant to the subject, when I magically stumbled across this photo:

And I thought, that is soooo awesome! I wanna make one!

The art form is called Amigurumi, and it derives from Japan. The name is a mix of Japanese words, Ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll. It seems the art of Amigurumi has been well practiced all over the world for many years, but here in Australia it seems to have yet to take off. Hopefully that will all change soon!

Anyway, I followed the link from the photo and it led to a blog by Ana Paula, who, funnily enough, posted the crochet pattern for this cute little cactus fellow for free.

Here it is - http://amigurumipatterns.blogspot.com/2007/11/thank-you-little-cactus.html

Well, by the next day, I had wrangled my way to the nearest craft store, bought some yarn and a hook and set to work. IT WAS SO EASY! Within an hour or two, and with hardly any previous crocheting knowledge, I had created my first Amigurumi cactus:

I did have to look up how to do some basic stitches on the internet first, and with some handy hints from my mum (who crocheted liked a madman back in the day!) the process was all in all, very simple. I added some pom-pom balls for flowers on the top there, and I decided to not put a face on this one either (my decision had nothing to do with the fact my craft store didn't have any eyes for sale... really...) .

I can’t wait to see what other patterns I can find. I think I have found my new obsession, and I love it!!!