Amigurumis? A Cute Way to Crochet!

A few years ago, my grandmother taught me how to crochet. I went from making a few potholders to a giant blanket and burned myself out pretty quickly. I had only learned a few stitches, and the length of time it took to finish the blanket scared me off from trying much else. I put my yarn and hooks away and did not think about them again for a long time.

During the pandemic, that changed. I like to craft, and when I was stuck at home with nothing to occupy my time, I kept stumbling upon cute little figures that were labeled as amigurumis online. The word amigurumi is derived from Japanese, and it essentially means a crocheted, or knitted, stuffed doll. The dolls can be of various shapes or sizes. They were so cute, and I loved the ones that were small, so I thought I would give it a try!

I went straight to Mid-Continent Public Library’s catalog to start my research. I was surprised by how many results I found on this topic! I requested a few titles as well as a crochet stitch dictionary and got started. Here are some of my favorites:

• Hooked on Amigurumi by Melanie Morita – Animals, real and myth, mingle through the pages of this book of patterns. It also has some great reference pages in the back with instructions for key stitches used throughout.
• Kawaii Crochet by Melissa Bradley – This book is all about food! Learn to make adorable little strawberry, ice cream, or even a fortune cookie friends with the patterns in this book.
• Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden – For lovers of cute toys and spooky seasons, this book is a great mashup of the two with patterns including the grim reaper, zombies, and aliens!  

One thing I love about this craft is how deceptively simple they are to stitch. For many patterns, you only need to know two or three simple stitches! Depending on the size and complexity of the pattern, they can be a day, weekend, or longer project.

You can get started right away with these digital titles! Visual learners can also check out the Udemy Business course “The Ultimate Course for Beginner and Intermediate Crochet.”

Anna C.
Consumer Technology Specialist