Some research showed that many people benefit enormously from practising this craft, finding it therapeutic and even 'life-saving'.
https://psychcentral.com/lib/crochet-saved-my-life/
Below is my first attempt at a
sheep tea cosy.
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| Knitted tea cosy with amigurumi sheep |
Six months later, here are more cosies:
I’m most grateful to all the crafters who freely share their skills and experience online. There are many sites offering tutorials and general advice. Planet June has an excellent video showing how to make a magic ring, which is essential knowledge in amigurumi patterns.
One thing I found to be completely absent from patterns is the instruction to turn the work right side out! When working in the round, if you just keep going, the tail will hang outside and your work will be “wrong” side out as shown below (A). When you turn it to the “right” side (B), the tail will be inside your work and end up hidden. This is a much easier way to crochet but the patterns assume you already have this knowledge.
My photo shows the difference:
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| Crochet sheep tea cosy |
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| Crochet sheep tea cosy |
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| Crochet mouse tea cosy |
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| Crochet mouse tea cosy |
I’m most grateful to all the crafters who freely share their skills and experience online. There are many sites offering tutorials and general advice. Planet June has an excellent video showing how to make a magic ring, which is essential knowledge in amigurumi patterns.
One thing I found to be completely absent from patterns is the instruction to turn the work right side out! When working in the round, if you just keep going, the tail will hang outside and your work will be “wrong” side out as shown below (A). When you turn it to the “right” side (B), the tail will be inside your work and end up hidden. This is a much easier way to crochet but the patterns assume you already have this knowledge.
My photo shows the difference:
CATS have been my favourite item to crochet.
Here are a few pictures of cats, amongst dozens I have made.
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| Crocheted cat & mouse |
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| Crocheted cats - friends forever |
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| Crocheted cats - best mates |
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| Crochet kitty |
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Meditating crochet cat
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DOGS
After making cats it was interesting to try a dog and I crocheted a couple using the following pattern: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/crochet-labrador/ |
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Crocheted dog
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DOG TREAT JARS
The jar cosies in this Etsy shop inspired me to try making a few, without buying a pattern, but I’m grateful to Angela for the wonderful idea!
HEDGEHOGS
Another animal that's fun to make (and quick!) is a hedgehog. I usually adapt a pattern to suit me, and it was very much the case with these pin cushions.
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| Hedgehog pin cushions |
CACTI
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| Crochet cacti & hedgehog pin cushion |
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| Crochet cacti |
MICE
The hedgehogs were intended as pin cushions, but when children started buying them I decided to make mice as well, using a pattern of my own design.
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| Crochet mice |
