Crochet! Squee! Oops, sorry, but just the thought of crochet gets me happy these days. I’ve been bitten by the amigurumi bug and just can’t seem to stop making cute little animals and food. “Food?” you ask in mild disbelief.

“Oh, yes,” I reply with conviction. You, too, can make adorable crochet cupcakes and ice cream cones. Or a sushi roll. Or a psychotic tomato. Whatever makes you happy.
So, what the heck is amigurumi, anyway? It’s simply the Japanese word for “knitted or crochet animal.” And there are tons of them out there. Everything from apples to zebras. If it can be made into a stuffed figure, someone’s making it. They’re usually small, and are crocheted fairly tightly to prevent the stuffing from peeking through the stitches.

They’re really easy to make, all you need to know is the single crochet stitch, how to work in the round, how to increase and decrease, and how to seam things together. Seems scary? No need to fear, there’s tutorials and patterns all over the net. I’ve taken the liberty of assembling a list of fun and instructional amigurmui web sites for your viewing pleasure:

Hook & Needle

This is the mecca of aigurumi tutorials. If you are even thinking of possibly maybe making amigurumi one day in the far distant future, visit this blog. It’s a three part tutorial that starts you off with a video on how to make a chain and it only gets better from there. Just go. Trust me.

Lion Brand

Lion Brand has a few free amigurumi patterns. Everything from stuffed animals to iced doughnuts. (See? I told you there was food. They even have very simple patterns where the body is just a rectangle pillow and the limbs are the only thing worked in the round. These are great for dipping your toes into the amigurumi swimming hole. You do have to register with them to view the patterns, but it’s totally free.

A Crochet Toy Chest

You want crochet patterns? They’ve got crochet patters. Lots of them. Not all of them are amigurumi, but a good bit of them are. What I like about this site is that the links are organized by type of toy. Say you want a dog. Just click on “dog patterns.” Say you want a Dalek. Just click on “monsters & creatures patterns.” (Yup, that was Dalek. As in Dr. Who. And it’s not the only Dr. Who pattern on there. I think I’ve found crochet heaven.)

Farm Hustle

Totally addicted to amigurumi? Got some time to kill? Hop on over here and play Farm Hustle. Match three cute little animals to clear the blue background from their squares. Clear all the squares and you’ve won the level! Your prize? A new level with a new group of little animals! Yea! A bit of advice: when you earn a bomb use it. If you’re lucky, you may rack up enough points to earn another right away. Woah. I just realized that I have played this game way too much. Simple pleasures and all that, I guess. Oh, and while you’re there you can check out the rest of the site. It’s the business site for a crocheter who makes and sells original amigurumi figures. She even makes them all free hand without a pattern. Rock on, sister!

So, now you know how to make ‘em, and now you know where to find ‘em, and now you can even play a game that features ‘em. So, get out there and start creating amigurumi! It’s fun, I promise!