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Wow, the holiday came and went like a flash! I have been sitting on these adorable little creations since before Christmas and I am finally blogging about them halfway through January, yikes! I have had my eye on Animal Friends of Pica Pau for a while and I finally decided to buy myself this gorgeous book last November. When it came, I immediately opened it up and started flipping through the magical pages. My kids were extremely interested in these cute little animals, and I found myself telling them to pick an animal for me to make them for Christmas. Sis chose the cute crochet pink puppy, which isn’t pink in the book but I knew the color would speak to her little soul. The Boy chose the crochet Bat, specifically requesting that I don’t include the scarf, so I didn’t.
But I wanted to, dang it, I wanted to.
This book’s patterns are as wonderful to read and work as they are beautiful. The little crochet puppy worked up surprisingly quickly, I finished it in two evenings. The crochet bat was a bit more labor intensive, but only because of the all the sewing. I regretted my dark color choice. The blue was a bit too dark and you can’t really see the black nose and mouth. But I love the yarn I chose (if I make it again, it will make it in a lighter color). I used Knit Picks Shine to make my animals, it’s a soft, silky cotton and Modal blend, absolutely lovely.
Pink Puppy: 1 skein of Shine in Blush, 1 skein of Shine in Cosmopolitan, 1/4 skein of Reef, a few yards of Black, 2 safety eyes (any smaller size will do), polyfil.
Bat: 2 skeins of Shine in Sailor( I used almost exactly 2, so if you crochet loose you might want to order 3), 1 skein in Reef, a few inches of Black, a few inches of Blush (for the cheeks) 2 safety eyes (any smaller size will do), polyfil.
A part of me regretted letting them choose. Did they not see the otter? Oh my goodness, it’s the cutest! Or the dragon? Or the PANDA IN A TUTU?
That’s okay. When all is said and done, I am happy I let them choose. They both slept with their new animal friends (Batty and Betsy) when they went to bed Christmas Day and it warmed my heart. Sis was ecstatic that her puppy was pink, as I knew she would be.
I have admitted it before, and I’ll keep admitting it until I get better, but I am not very good at amigurumi. I can make the pieces pretty enough, but when it comes to sewing them together…it gets a little dicey.
Any advice? Batty had extra sewing because of the wings, but The Boy didn’t seem to notice my rudimentary skills.
If you are wanting this pretty PRETTY book, you can snag it up on Amazon. It’s a wonderful addition to my bookshelf and I think next Christmas my nieces will be getting something fun and soft from it’s pages. I think I will make the otter, panda and llama for myself, though.
Why not?
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I think the mocs are adorable! They are done in traditional colors, which I do like, but maybe different colors would catch they eye more and they might not be overlooked. Thank you for the free pattern…I can’t decide between the cactus pillow or a pair of house shoes. I am ordering the book with the puppy in it today and want to order a ergonomically friendly hook. Could you tell me what size hook I would need for the animals? I really enjoy your news letter and patterns – thanks for all you do!!!
I love the little dog and I think you’ve sewn it together beautifully. I also hate the sewing up, they never look the same as the pictures.
One tip I found was to use wooden skewer to pin the parts. It’s especially helpful with arms and legs as it’s easier to get them level. Oh and to use the stitches on the item to gauge where to place the items equally.
Thank you for the free pattern code, I know exactly which item I’m going to pick as I love your children’s cardis and I want to make one girl my daughter.
Louise xx
Thank you for the tips! I will try them with my next project!
Just commenting on the moccasins . I can’t imagine why they don’t do well . They look like they would stay on really well which was always my main goal with footwear for the little ones way back when. Even though the color is true to moccasins , maybe people would just prefer something brighter. That’s all I can think off. I think they are adorable.
Adorable, those turned out so darn cute! I’m sure your kids love them.
I like to. Use the fabric liquid glue. Put it in the middle, If glue get to close to out edge , it will be to hard to sew. Throughout
oh wow! That is a great idea! How does the fabric glue hold up?
I found that using sewing straight pins and pinning them in place helps, but it is hard when the pieces are small. Sewing the pieces on is the worst part of amigurumi!
Good idea! I need to start pinning it!