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Amigurumi is Japanese for crocheted or knitted stuffed toy. The tiny yarn animals in this book are only three to five inches in height and made with inexpensive yarn, but they are cute - and that’s what Amigurumi is all about.
Tamie Snow has been crocheting Amigurumi dolls since 2005. Twenty of her animal patterns appear in this book. There is a round octopus with circular tentacles, a long-nosed hedgehog, a wide-eyed turtle, and a beaver with buck teeth. Elephant is made with pink yarn; Owl with gold and green. Fish and Pup have long eyelashes. Bear’s eyes are stitched to look closed, and Bee and Hippo have beads for eyes.
The first few pages of Tiny Yarn Animals contain instructions on basic stitches. The photographs are helpful for easy reference, and the text is organized and uncluttered. Yarn colors used in the patterns are listed in the back of the book under ‘Our Models are Wearing…’ and the resource section on page sixty lists yarn and crochet websites, including the website where you can see more of the author’s patterns.
Each animal in this book has a half-page or full-page photograph. Koala is posed on top of a mountain of yarn, while Lemur sits on the floor surrounded by buttons. Above each color photo is the name of the project and a page number to direct you to the pattern. The pattern for each animal appears on one to two pages and lists the materials needed, gauge, and finished size.
Patterns are given for each body part (body, head, arms and legs, ears, etc.) and end with assembly instructions such as “stuff head and sew to body” or “stitch to the base of the neck and tack down the tips of the wings to the sides with 1 or 2 stitches.”
There are people of all ages who would love to own one of these tiny toys. Crocheters who’d like try something new might like to explore this Japanese art of crocheting.
Tamie Snow’s patterns have appeared in many magazines. Her website “Roxycraft… Patterns that Don’t Suck” is at www.roxycraft.com.
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Tiny Yarn Animals: Amigurumi Friends to Make and Enjoy
