Adventures in Amigurumi

Pica Pau Crochet Amigurumi Animals by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

Pica Pau Crochet Amigurumi Animals by Thisblogisnotforyou.com
Pica Pau Crochet Amigurumi Animals by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

Pica Pau Crochet Amigurumi Animals by Thisblogisnotforyou.comHaving a knack for creative hobbies can lead to a serious passion of collecting new hobbies and skills (and sometimes ditching them shortly after). I’m certainly guilty of hobby hoarding. During my blogging break this winter I had the urge to try something new. I’ve always adored Amigurumi figures and as they look incredibly complicated to make I never thought I had the time to learn how to make them myself.

One evening I had sat down with an old crochet hook and some leftover yarn and watched a couple of YouTube videos on making Amigurumi bunnies. A few weeks later I’d made three bunnies for my nieces and nephew and was so in love with this new hobby that I treated myself to some more supplies. See, with collecting hobbies there always comes a massive collection of supplies with it and since I will run out of space sooner rather than later, I try to be more selective about what I really need to buy. I loved this technique so much that I knew I wanted to spend more time making crochet animals and found the amazing Yan online, an Amigurumi pattern designer on Instagram. Luckily, she’s got some books out already which had really great reviews.

Pica Pau Crochet Amigurumi Animals by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

I bought the pattern book “ANIMAL FRIENDS OF PICA PAU” as well as a basic set of crochet hooks and was addicted from the first second.  I’ve made almost half of all the patterns in the book and the enthusiasm doesn’t seem to run out!

What I love most about the book  – apart from the amazingly cute patterns – is that it doesn’t leave any gaps. As an absolute beginner I was able to recreate the animals as shown in the photos just following the step-by-step patterns with the help of a crochet 101 guide also included in the pattern book. The instructions are really well photographed so that even the more complicated bit and bobs weren’t that hard to wrap my head around.

Pica Pau Crochet Amigurumi Animals by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

Pica Pau Crochet Amigurumi Animals by Thisblogisnotforyou.com
Pica Pau Crochet Amigurumi Animals by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

Pica Pau Crochet Amigurumi Animals by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

I was a bit worried about what wool to use, but learned that I doesn’t need to be the exact same wool as used in the book. You could use pretty much any wool you’d like as long as you used the same one in different colours for one project. The animals turn out bigger or smaller depending on the yarn and hooks you pick. Using a similar yarn and hook size as recommended, my animals measured pretty much the same size as the ones in the book. I got hooked on (bad pun intended) a really nice cotton yarn from Schachenmayr, called “Catania”, which is perfect for Amigurumi as it is silky smooth and slightly shiny. On German Amazon it is about 2,50€ per ball, quite a reasonable price for the quality you get. I used approximately 1-2 balls of yarn (main colour) for the animals plus small amounts of all the other colours.  They have a really nice range of nice brown, cinnamon and taupe tones. They also have really lovely pastel and vintage looking colours that I prefer to bright and glaring reds, yellows etc.
Here in Germany they sell Schachenmayr Catania in pretty much any wool and sewing shop I found out, so this is sort of my go-to brand now. The only thing that annoyed me a bit is that they apparently release limited series of “seasonal” colour ranges, which they stop selling online after a while. Naturally, I ran out of one of these mid-project and had troubles finding it online. I bought some of off Ebay, which was alright but annoying nonetheless.

So all supplies considered, the cost of making an animal is somewhere between 5-10€. For the stuffing I recycled some Ikea pillow stuffing, which works perfectly and is much cheaper than the plush toy stuffing they offer in stores.

Pica Pau Crochet Amigurumi Animals by Thisblogisnotforyou.comPica Pau Crochet Amigurumi Animals by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

So, in case you’ve been itching to learn how to make Amigurumi yourself, I can only encourage you to try! It’s fairly easy and soooo relaxing! Another plus: lots of cute presents for you friends and family!

The ones in the pictures I’ve given all away except for the wolf which I cannot part with. I’ve made a couple more that I didn’t photograph which also found happy new owners already.  They bring so much joy, it’s incredible!

Have you meddled with new hobbies lately? Anything you’ve fallen in love with and would like to recommend?

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!

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Giveaway Winners!

Knit Noro Accessories 2 review & giveaway by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Congrats to Ros and Joy!!!

You are the winners of the giveaway!

Ros, you’ll get a copy of KNIT NORO 2, and Joy, you’ll receive a copy of 60 Quick Knitted Toys!

The lovely folks over at Sterling Publishing will get in touch with you soon, to send you the books. Have lots of fun knitting!

Thanks everyone for your lovely comments!

Have a great week everyone!

xx

Charlie


Happy knitting!

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Winter Is Coming! (Amazing Knitting Books Giveaway!)

Knit Noro accessories 2 & 60 Quick knitted toys giveaway by thisblogisnotforyou.com

WINTER IS COMING.

…or, as those of you eagerly awaiting the Game Of Thrones Season 7 start tonight know: Winter has come.

To be prepared, I’ve checked out some cool knitting books for you! And I teamed up with the lovely folks over at Sterling Publishing to giveaway a copy of each book! (As always – all opinions are my own! My reviews are completely honest and I only giveaway products that I genuinely love.)

Let’s have a look!

Knit Noro Accessories 2 review & giveaway by thisblogisnotforyou.com

KNIT NORO: ACCESSORIES 2

Sixth&Spring Books

First, there’s Knit Noro: Accessories 2. It’s a beautiful hardcover book full of easy, mostly quick to make accessory patterns: gloves, socks, hats, shawls, ponchos, and more. The patterns themselves are fairly simple but show off some really great techniques and colourways. Projects in this book are certainly achievable for beginners and still interesting enough for more advanced knitters.

What I love most about this book is the photography. The Noro yarns come in beautiful rich colours and the projects are styled in a really cool way. The whole book has a really fresh look about it and inspires to start planning your autumn projects right away! It would certainly make for a great present, as well.

The knitting instructions are very detailed and clear, all marked on a 1 to 4 stars skill level.

All thumbs up!

Knit Noro Accessories 2 review & giveaway by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Knit Noro Accessories 2 review & giveaway by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Knit Noro Accessories 2 review & giveaway by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Don’t these projects look lush? I love these cabled boot toppers!

60 Quick Knitted Toys review & giveaway by thisblogisnotforyou.com

60 QUICK KNITTED TOYS

Sixth&Spring Books

The second book I checked out for you guys is definitely my favourite of the two: 60 Quick Knitted Toys.

If I was able to show you all 60 of these projects, I would have! It was super hard to narrow it down to just a few sneaky peeks. This book is full of amazing knitting projects to make for kids: stuffed animals, toys and even games, which I had no idea you could knit! (Such as fishing or ball games, Tic-Tac-Toe, baby blocks etc.)

The book includes super cute stuffed animal patterns and some really fun, unusual knitted toys, such as a tool set, building blocks, a guitar, a peace hippie van, baby rings, numerous hand puppets and a castle set complete with a dragon, king and queen. (Also great for some Game of Thrones reenactment!) It’s all just very adorable and flipping through the books the projects get better and better. The projects range from super easy to really complicated-looking, so there’s definitely something in there for everyone.

The only drawback to this book: There’s simply not enough time to make all of these! But have a look yourself:

60 Quick Knitted Toys review & giveaway by thisblogisnotforyou.com
60 Quick Knitted Toys review & giveaway by thisblogisnotforyou.com

60 Quick Knitted Toys review & giveaway by thisblogisnotforyou.com
60 Quick Knitted Toys review & giveaway by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Super cute, right?

I simply LOVE that adorable little dragon. Which brings me back to the topic… dadam dada dadam dada dadam, dada daaaaaaa… Are you watching the GoT season start tonight?

No, sorry, I got distracted there. I wanted to let you know how to get a chance at winning a copy!

HOW TO ENTER

First, this giveaway it open to US and Canada readers only!
I’m really sorry, if this means you cannot enter. There will be more opportunities to enter giveaways in the future. If you really love the books, both are available to order online or in your local bookstores.

Together with Sterling Publishing I’ll giveaway one copy of each book to two lucky winners! To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment below letting me know which one you prefer and which GoT characters you’ll think will die this season. Oh, right – that last part isn’t mandatory!

The giveaway closes on Sunday 30 July 2017 at midnight (UTC) and I’ll announce the two winners shortly after on the blog.

Good luck!

xx

Charlie

Please note: Two winners will be selected at random from all entries entered before midnight on 30 July 2017 and the winner will receive the prize described above. There is no cash alternative, and your prize is non-negotiable, and not refundable. If the prize isn’t claimed, another winner will be selected at random.


Happy Knitting!

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WATG Giveaway Winner!

IMG_98401

Congratulations, Evie!

You won the WOOL AND THE GANG giveaway! The lovely people over at WOOL AND THE GANG will get in touch with you to sent you a Ruby Rabbit kit in your colour of choice, so please check your inbox.

Thanks everyone for your really lovely comments! There’ll be more chances to try your luck in the future.

Have a great week everyone!

xx

Charlie


Happy knitting!

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WIN A RUBY RABBIT KIT THIS EASTER WEEKEND! (WOOL AND THE GANG GIVEAWAY!)

Ruby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Ruby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Ruby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Ruby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.comRuby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.comRuby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.com

RUBY RABBITS

WOOL AND THE GANG sent me some of their Shiny Happy Cotton Yarn to try their Ruby Rabbit Toy kit just in time for the Easter holidays. I’ve never crocheted before, so this was a first for me! I love new challenges and quick DIYs, so this was a perfect after-work project. (All opinions are my own. You can enter the giveaway at the end of the post.)

It took me two evenings in total and I was surprised how successful my first dabble at crocheting was! I made the white bunny first. If you look closely, you can see it’s a bit larger than the mint green one and somewhat wonky – but all in all, I’m really pleased with how it turned out.

I chose the spearmint green Shiny Happy Cotton, as I love pastel colours in my home. The wool is lovely and soft to touch, and has a silky shine to it. It’s perfect for those amigurumi-type projects, as it’s absolutely lint-free. I always wanted to try amigurumi crochet toys, but thought it was super difficult. After finishing two perfectly cute bunnies with no prior experience whatsoever, I might actually attempt this some time soon!

Ruby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Ruby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Ruby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The kit is rated ‘intermediate level’. The instructions include illustrated basic crochet techniques, which was really helpful. The only thing I had to look up was the magic loop technique. I do have quite a bit of experience with knitting, so learning to crochet wasn’t too difficult. But in my opinion, even an absolute knitting and crocheting beginner could tackle this.

The only thing I struggled with at first was tension, which is why my bunnies are different sizes.

The kit includes one ball of Shiny Happy Cotton (colour of choice), the ruby rabbit pattern, a yarn sewing needle and a WATG label. Optionally, you can order the required 4.5mm crochet hook with it and a different colour yarn for the eyes. I used less than one ball of yarn for each rabbit, and had more than enough left to use for the eyes and nose. So if you order two balls, you get two rabbits out in the end. You’ll need some toy stuffing or yarn/fabric scraps to stuff the rabbit. I used stuffing from an old pillow.

RubyRabbit (2)photo credit: Wool And The GangRuby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.com

photo credit: Wool And The GangRuby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Ruby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.comRuby Rabbit WATG by thisblogisnotforyou.com

WIN A RUBY RABBIT KIT THIS EASTER WEEKEND!

To have a chance at winning a Ruby Rabbit kit in your colour of choice, just head over to Woolandthegang.com to check out the color options. Leave a comment below, letting me know which one you like best and head over here to sign up to the WATG newsletter!

The giveaway closes on Tuesday 18 April 2017 at midnight (UTC) and I’ll annouce the winner shortly after on the blog.

Also, you can use the promo code “EASTERX” to get 15% off until next Tuesday!

GOOD LUCK & HAPPY EASTER!

xx

Charlie

Please note: A winner will be selected at random from all entries entered before midnight on 18 April 2017 and the winner will receive the prize described above. There is no cash alternative, and your prize is non-negotiable, and not refundable. If the prize isn’t claimed, another winner will be selected at random.


Happy Easter!

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