“Really, all you need to become a good knitter are wool, needles, hands, and slightly below-average intelligence. Of course superior intelligence, such as yours and mine, is an advantage.”
― Elizabeth Zimmermann, Knitting Without Tears: Basic Techniques and Easy-to-Follow Directions for Garments to Fit All Sizes
With a big thank you to Wikipedea : Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures. The word is derived from a combination of the Japanese words ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll. Amigurumi are typically animals, but it is also used the create little dolls or even fruits and vegetables and what nots, often given human like features. Amigurumi has no practical purpose, which makes it in my opinion extra attractive ;0)
Met hartelijke dank naar Wikipedea: Amigurumi is de Japanse kunst van het breien of haken van kleine dieren of antropomorfische wezentjes. Het woord is afgeleid van twee woorden: ami wat breien of haken betekent en nuigurumi, wat knuffeldier betekent. Amigurumi zijn gewoonlijk dieren, maar t wordt ook gebruikt voor poppetjes en zelfs groente en fruit en wat al niet meer, vaak met menselijke trekjes. Amigurumi heeft geen praktische functie en daardoor is t naar mijn mening nog aantrekkelijker ;0)
I only knew Amigurumi from crocheting, though I admired it, crocheting is not my thing. How pleasantly surprised I was when my youngest son gave me this wonderful knitting book for Mother’s Day. The patterns are far from easy, a real challenge. So I studied it carefully, polished my knitting needles and selected the yarn and here the first result!
Ik kende Amigurumi alleen van haken en ik vond t bijzonder fraai maar haken is niet mijn ding. Ik was dan ook aangenaam verrast toen mijn jongste zoon mij dit boek voor Moedersdag gaf. De patronen zijn verre van gemakkelijk, een echte uitdaging. Dus ik bestudeerde alles nauwgezet, poetste mijn breinaalden op, selecteerde t juiste garen en zie hier t eerste resultaat!
Phew: I read the pattern and started, unravelled it and started again, muttered and sighed and re-adjusted the pattern here and there to my own style of knitting and had a few ‘AHA-moments’ but all and all: Amigurumi knitting is a lot of fun. To be continued!
Oef: ik las ‘t patroon en begon, haalde alles weer uit en begon opnieuw, mopperde en zuchtte en paste het patroon hier en daar aan voor mijn stijl van breien, en had menig ‘AHA-moment’ Maar al met al: Amigurumi breien is bijzonder leuk. Wordt vervolgd!
Love and Liefs, Johanna.
PS: book info: ‘Amigurumi Knits, patterns for 20 cute mini knits’ by Hansi Singh , ISBN 1-58923-435-9
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I haven’t knitted or crocheted in quite some time. I would still be considered just beyond beginner! I saved some of these amigurumi patterns on revelry.com. So cute!
Now you have me curious…tried the link but it did not work!
I can’t believe you made that! Incredible ~ well done!!
This is giving me a boost of inspiration to pick up the needles and finally learn to knit. I might not start with these complex patterns, but a scarf seems doable (right?). I absolutely LOVE amigurumi! I look forward to seeing more of your creations.
~Andrea<3
Dear Andrea, how sweet of you! Of course a scarf is doable and a very good starting project indeed. Invest in good natural yarn, it makes such a difference in knitting from acrylic yarns: this would be my best advise for a starting knitter! And before you know it, you make the most beautiful projects yourself.
Amigurumi looks like a lot of fun. The quote at the beginning of the post is great.
Elizabeth Zimmerman is my ‘knitting-guru’ : she had a new approach to knitting which really appealed to me. I still watch her video’s from time to time, if only to enjoy her sense of humor!
The videos sound good. I’d enjoy something with a little humor. I’m not very good at knitting or crocheting. I should look for her videos, though I’m left-handed and tend to have difficulty reversing the directions so that they work for me.
Hi Sheryl, I did a quick search and her dvd’s are still available through amazon. Left handed should not be a problem, I taught left handed people to knit be letting them sit opposite me and ‘mirror’ the instructions: does that make sense? A dvd could work well for you.
Love your description of the learning process, with all it’s unraveling and starting over. That is the difference between someone who can DO what you can do, and someone who just wishes she could!
Dear Susan, how kind of you! I have never thought of that in this way. Thank you and a big hug all the way from Ohio to you!
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