2013: The Year of Amigurumi

I'm getting serious about amigurumi this year! In January, I decided to set up an amigurumi station in my living room so that everything I need - safety eyes, crochet hooks, and YARN of course! - is all in one place (not pictured: poly-fill stuffing, but it's been added to the general vicinity since this photo was taken).

Each drawer is filled with worsted-weight yarn that has been earmarked for amigurumi: the top drawer contains small bits and bobs of leftover yarn; the middle drawer contains half-used skeins that would be suitable for accent colors; and the bottom drawer is stuffed with full skeins of yarn just waiting to become something cute.

My husband bought me Stacey Trock's Crocheted Softies book for my birthday last year (which incidentally was the anniversary of its publication!), and since then it has been my #1 source for cute amigurumi patterns. Several holiday gifts were made from this book, in fact!

Recently, I purchased Amigurumi On The Go via Craftsy; it's chock-full of adorable patterns to make bags, purses and pouches with adorable animals on them. I know it's supposed to be for kids, but I want to make darn near all of the patterns for myself! Of course, my many friends who are having babies this year will also benefit, so it's win-win.

Over the weekend, I started a Roundie Bag to give my grandmother for her bithday. She's in a nursing home and I think she'd like a cute little friend to stash chocolates or other treasures in. The strap will make it easy for her to transport via wheelchair, too - and of course, I chose her favorite color, purple. Rather than a zipper closure, I might opt for velcro, which will be easier for her to operate.

I also decided to join the FreshStitches Slug-A-Long, albeit a little late to the party. Last night I started working on a wee little slug using some of my scrap yarn (yes, it was from the top drawer!). Hopefully I'll have some photos to share with you later this week!