Happy 1st ever International Amigurumi Day!

Happy 1st ever International Amigurumi Day!

Who would’ve thought, after all this time, that amigurumi had yet to have its very own special day?

The thought never even crossed my mind until I saw a message in my Facebook inbox from fellow crafters Marcia Scarpelli of Ami Arts and Bianca of Two Bee, inviting me to join them on this special adventure to mark April 25th as International Amigurumi Day! How wonderful and so, so exciting!

I immediately went on to pass the message on to some of my favourite crochet friends, (Annie of @anniegurumi, being the first), and I think we have more than enough people to be seriously excited about this event!

I hope you can celebrate this day with me too as the word “amigurumi” brings together so many memories and emotions — it has really changed my life ever since I started, I think almost 8 years ago!

And of course, I have to have a free pattern for you!

Please meet Strawberry-san, the berry-special girl with a surprise center that belies her squishiness!

The pattern will be shared for FREE on the Hobium blog, so please head over HERE to taste the cuteness!

The anthropomorphism feature in amigurumi has always kept me enthralled with the art and so I had to make my favourite fruit complete with a cute face!

I can’t quite remember now, but I’m pretty sure one of the main reasons I stuck with learning how to crochet and making amigurumi because I wanted to make a bunch of happy food plushies with cute faces and have them all sit on my desk. That, and a bunch of other Ghibli characters, of course (which I still haven’t gotten around to making, apart from Totoro and Kaonashi).

One of my favourite parts of making amigurumi is actually the “adrenaline-rush” I always feel whenever I get inspired and am about to start on a project. The yarn-choosing, the colour-picking — those give me the fuzziest feelings and it’s so, so addictive!

I wish to give a shout out also to all my fellow crafters and friends who have supported me so much over the years with your sweet words and encouragement, without you guys, I wouldn’t even dream of writing patterns and curating an instagram account dedicated just to the amigurumi craft!

Indeed, this is a very special day for me and I hope it is for you too! Happy 1st ever International Amigurumi Day!

And don’t forget to adopt little Miss Strawberry-san into your home to meet your other amazing amigurumi!

GET THE FREE PATTERN HERE.

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Little Twin Stars: Lala’s Hair Tutorial

Little Twin Stars: Lala’s Hair Tutorial

Hello my dear friends!

If you’ve been following along my adventures on Instagram via @amigurumei, you’ll remember that I promised to make a quick post on some tips for making the Little Twin Stars. And so here it is!

I must apologise that there seems to be a mistake printed for Lala’s Hair. You can find the rest of the pattern for Kiki and Lala in my book, Hello Kitty Crochet, but I will share the corrected Hair pattern for Lala here. I’m so sorry it took me this long to make this post!

Lala’s Hair

Use pink yarn.

Round 1: Sc 6 in magic ring {6}.

Round 2: [Inc] around {12}.

Round 3: [Inc, sc 1] around {18}.

Round 4: [Inc, sc 2] around {24}.

Round 5: [Inc, sc 3] around {30}.

Round 6: [Inc, sc 4] around {36}.

Round 7: [Inc, sc 5] around {42}.

Round 8-12: Sc around {42}.

Round 13: *5hdc, skip 1, sl st in next st, repeat from * 3 more times (total of 4 “waves”), sc 30 to end.

From here onwards, you will be working in rows.

Rows 14-16: Ch 1, turn work. Sc across {30}.

Rows 17: Ch 1, turn work. *5hdc, skip 1, sl st in next st, repeat from * 9 more times (total of 10 “waves”), sl st in last st.

Fasten off and secure hair to head with backstitches all around.

And I just realised that I may have used the wrong crochet terms for the Star Wands! Instead of triple crochet, I used dtr, and wasn’t clear that the sl st should be made in the same st. Here’s the correct one!

Star Wands

Make 2 with lemon yarn.

Round 1: Sc 5 in magic ring {5}.

Round 2: Triple crochet in the first st, ch 1, sl st in the same st.

Repeat 4 more times.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

For making the dresses, here’s a photo tutorial to show you how it should look before you flip the finished dress over the body piece.

Here’s a closer look at Kiki’s Hair. I like using the colour mint, but baby blue would look just as good 🙂

I hope you enjoyed this quick post! I post more often on Instagram so be sure to find me there @amigurumei 🙂

Here are the links to my other Hello Kitty Crochet tutorials:

Hello Kitty Crochet Tip#1: Head-molding exercise

Hello Kitty Crochet: Tuxedosam and his tiny hat

Hello Kitty Crochet: It’s in the eyes, nose and whiskers

Hello Kitty Crochet: Bow tutorial

You can find some of my latest patterns in my new Etsy shop and also at Amigurumipatterns.net!

The one you’ve been waiting for: Free Cinnamoroll amigurumi pattern

The one you’ve been waiting for: Free Cinnamoroll amigurumi pattern

The long-awaited Cinnamoroll pattern is here!

Many of you have asked about this character, which made an appearance in the Welcome to Sanrio Land! page in the Hello Kitty Crochet book.

Cinnamoroll was originally cast as one of the many stars of the book, but was later left out so that we could make space for his other friends. Poor pup! But everything is better now as you can finally make your own crochet Cinnamoroll!

I first created this pattern when I was writing the Hello Kitty Crochet book in 2013. If I remember correctly, it was one of the first few designs that turned out looking ok! Sharing this pattern brings back loads of memories. I remember taking one whole month off work just to design all the patterns for the book. I had to organize my time well so I only had about one day to finish up on each character. Which wasn’t a whole lot since I had to design from scratch. I remember having Naoki Urasawa’s Monster anime to keep me company while I crocheted. Not a cutesy anime at all but it kept me going! It has been a great honour working with Quirk Books and also with Sanrio and I really hope you can make the complete set of characters now with the inclusion of Cinnamoroll 🙂

I have been wanting to share this pattern since a long time ago but so many things happened I never got around to it. I hope you will enjoy Cinnamoroll as it’s the sweetest character ever. You can also try giving him a more kawaii floppy head by using thicker yarn and a larger hook size.

Now let’s make Cinnamoroll!


Cinnamoroll amigurumi pattern 
by amiguruMEI
Skill level: Easy
Duration: About 4 hours

Abbreviations

• Ch: chain
• Sc: single crochet
• Dc: double crochet
• Inv dec: invisible decrease

Materials & Tools

2.3mm hook
Acrylic yarn in white
Light blue embroidery floss
Dark brown embroidery floss
Pink felt
Darning needle
Polyester fiberfill
Craft glue


Head
With white yarn:
Round 1: Sc 6 in magic ring {6}.
Round 2: [Inc] around {12}.
Round 3: [Inc, sc 1] around {18}.
Round 4: [Inc, sc 2] around {24}.
Round 5: [Inc, sc 3] around {30}.
Round 6: [Inc, sc 4] around {36}.
Round 7: [Inc, sc 5] around {42}.
Rounds 8-11 (4 rounds altogether): Sc around {42}.
Round 12: [Inv dec, sc 5] around {36}.
Round 13: [Inv dec, sc 4] around {30}.
Round 14: [Inv dec, sc 3] around {24}.
Round 15: [Inv dec, sc 2] around {18}.
Stuff head.
Round 16: [Inv dec, sc 1] around {12}.
Round 17: [Inv dec] around {6}.
Fasten off and weave in ends.

Body
With white yarn:
Round 1: Sc 6 in magic ring {6}.
Round 2: [Inc] around {12}.
Round 3: [Inc, sc 1] around {18}.
Round 4: [Inc, sc 2] around {24}.
Rounds 5-8 (4 rounds altogether): Sc around {24}.
Round 9: [Inv dec, sc 2] around {18}.
Fasten off and leave a long end for sewing.
Stuff body.

Ears
Make 2 with white yarn.
Round 1: Sc 6 in magic ring {6}.
Round 2: [Inc] around {12}.
Round 3: [Inc, sc 1] around {18}.
Rounds 4-5: Sc around {18}.
Round 6: [Inv dec, sc 1] around {12}.
Rounds 7-14 (8 rounds altogether): Sc around {12}.
Fasten off and leave a long end for sewing. Flatten piece.

Arms
Make 2 with white yarn.
Round 1: Sc 5 in magic ring {5}.
Rounds 2-4: Sc around {5}.

Feet
Make 2 with white yarn.
Round 1: Sc 8 in magic ring {8}.
Rounds 2-3: Sc around {8}.
Fasten off and weave in ends but leave a long tail for sewing.
Flatten piece and thread the long tail through the centre of the foot.


Tail
With white yarn:
Round 1: Sc 5 in magic ring {5}.
Rounds 2-12 (11 rounds altogether): Sc around {5}.
Fasten off and leave a long end for sewing.

Designing the face
1. With blue embroidery floss: Sew eyes below Round 9, by making 12 vertical backstitches (going back and forth in the same two stitches from Round 9 to Round 10). There should be six stitches between the eyes.
2. With dark brown embroidery floss: Sew lips below Round 10, between the eyes. Make a loose backstitch four stitches long. Bring your needle back to the centre of this stitch and make a small backstitch to hold the lips in a “W” shape. Add two more small backstitches (near Round 11) to hold the left and right curves together.

Assembly
1. Stitch head and body together.
2. Stitch arms onto the sides of the body.
3. Stitch feet onto the bottom front of the body.
4. Stitch ears in place. They should fall below Round 5 of the head.
5. Stitch tail on at the back. Roll up the tip of the tail until the midway point and stitch it in place.
6. Cut two pink felt ovals and glue onto the cheeks.

P/S At the moment, I’ve been using my iPhone 6 to capture the photos as I only have a makeshift ‘studio’ (which consists of the top of a diaper table, a few planks of wood and a reflector) and 10 minutes a day to come up with the pictures you see here (before I have to bathe my boys, feed them etc etc). I promise that I’ll take better photos soon and go back to my beloved Nikon D5100 DSLR 🙂

Free Pan-san the Panda amigurumi pattern

Free Pan-san the Panda amigurumi pattern

Who would’ve thought?

I’ve been baking bread.

Loads of it.

Bread is パン (pan) in Japanese. Which brings me to my brand new free amigurumi pattern:

Pan-san the cho-kawaii Panda! Tada!

He’s not your usual Panda of course, since he loves bread and butter and buns and brioche…

…and also anything remotely sweet and scrumptious.

He also has a secret love for unicorns.

And selfies.

Zen = Matcha = Pan-san.

Empty pantry = Not-so-zen Pan-san.

“Bake me something, okaasan!”

Find the FREE PATTERN designed in collaboration with Craft Passion here!

A glimpse of the tool I used:

I love this Marvel 8ply yarn from Spotlight!

Daiso has a great range of fluffy yarns!

Please enjoy making Pan-san as much as I enjoyed designing him for you 🙂

FREE PAN-SAN AMIGURUMI PATTERN BY AMIGURUMEI FOR CRAFT PASSION

 

 

 

FREE HEN & CHICKS AMIGURUMI PATTERN: TORI & TAMA-GO

FREE HEN & CHICKS AMIGURUMI PATTERN: TORI & TAMA-GO

Hello!

It’s been too long, too long! A big hug to everyone who’s been following my posts and waiting for more amiguruMEI adventures to come.

Being a first-time mom and to twins has been a roller coaster ride…sweet, exciting, frightful with a tang of adrenaline rush. My boys have finally turned a year old! So mommy thinks it’s time that she gave some loving back to her blog as well…

Chinese New Year has just begun and to celebrate this special occasion, I’d like to share an absolutely free, super-kawaii amigurumi pattern right here, right now!

Please meet Tori:

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Yes, the two little cuties behind are her twin boys, Tama and Go.

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Who absolutely love following Mama wherever she goes.

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There are times when Tori feels overstretched.

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And then there are times she wished she had a few more tako hands to get the boys out of (more) mischief.

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And more mischief.

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But Tori knows to take things slow. And to enjoy every moment before the boys are grown up all too fast!

That being said, if she ever needs a break…

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She knows there’s always another Mama willing to take over, if only for just a little while.

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Bet the boys would behave after that.

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I hope you’ll enjoy the pattern! Tori and Tama-Go were designed in collaboration with Craft Passion, who spent the past year knitting awesome Fair Isle beanies, pullovers, leg warmers–the whole works!

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE HEN & CHICKS AMIGURUMI PATTERN: TORI AND TAMA-GO

Send me a picture of your finished Tori and Tama-Go. Don’t forget to hashtag #amigurumei!

Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone!

XOXO

Mei

Happy Mother’s Day: Free Amigurumi Pattern for Risa-chan the bunny mommy

Happy Mother’s Day: Free Amigurumi Pattern for Risa-chan the bunny mommy

Oh gosh, hello everyone!

It’s been such a long, long time! I must apologise for the long absence!

If you’ve been following my Instagram, you would know why I’ve been missing from the amigurumi scene: I just became a mom to two lovely twin boys (and boy, do they keep my two hands full!)

Jacob and Joshua are now almost four months old and till this day, it still seems surreal that I have two babies to call my own 🙂

And since it’s Mother’s Day today, which of course is an extra-special event for me this year as a first-time mom, I’d like to share a free amigurumi pattern with all my favourite crafters…yes you, whom I have not been in touch with for aeons!

Oh and please do head on over to @simplycrochetmag as I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to work on an Instagram takeover for the magazine, just for this weekend. The free pattern for Risa-chan is an added bonus to mark this amazing collaboration 🙂

IMG_0192

Please meet Risa-chan, the bunny mommy I made over a year ago when I first found out that I was going to be a mom 🙂 She’s this sweet little thing who has stuck by me through my morning sickness and stayed quiet and calm when I was hospitalised for preterm labour, on Christmas! Thankfully, her presence kept my jitters at bay and my boys managed to hang on for three more weeks before their scheduled due dates 😉

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I must say that I never imagined that it would be this though to be a mother, and to this I would like to send my love and a great big hug to all mothers on this special day. Please enjoy the free amigurumi pattern for Risa-chan, which I hurriedly wrote with one hand rocking my two boys in their bouncers (they can only nap with constant rocking, sigh!)

Here’s a first look at my boys! Jacob was born two minutes earlier than lil’ Joshua.

RIsa-chan amigurumi free pattern

RIsa-chan amigurumi free pattern

Yep, they sure do seem to love mama’s Risa-chan! Well, at least they didn’t complain! (By the way, I made a bunch of baby-friendly amigurumi that I’d love to show you guys soon! Like the two little rattle piglets that Risa-chan is seen cosying up to below)

I hope to be able to share more of my work and also some free patterns in the coming months; I’m still trying to find a balance between getting enough sleep and pumping for milk for now, so please do bear with me! I hope everyone has been well! Please do drop me a line and continue sending me wonderful pictures of your work! (don’t mind me if I reply your mail in the wee hours of the morning; my boys still wake up to nurse 2 to 3 times throughout the night and that’s when you’d find me fiddling with my iPhone in the dark 🙂

XOXO

Mei

RIsa-chan amigurumi free pattern

FREE AMIGURUMI PATTERN: RISA-CHAN THE BUNNY MOMMY

Abbreviations

  • Ch: chain
  • Sc: single crochet
  • Dc: double crochet
  • Inv dec: invisible decrease

Materials

  • 2.5 mm hook
  • 2mm hook
  • Yarn in taupe (greyish-brown) and pink
  • Embroidery floss in black (I used black crochet thread, which gives a neater finish)
  • Darning needle
  • Polyester fiberfill

Head

With taupe yarn:

Round 1: Sc 6 in magic ring {6}.

Round 2: [Inc] around {12}.

Round 3: [Inc, sc 1] around {18}.

Round 4: [Inc, sc 2] around {24}.

Round 5: [Inc, sc 3] around {30}.

Round 6: [Inc, sc 4] around {36}.

Round 7: [Inc, sc 5] around {42}.

Round 8: [Inc, sc 6] around {48}.

Round 9-16: Sc around {48}.

Round 17: [Inv dec, sc 6] around {42}.

Round 18: [Inv dec, sc 5] around {36}.

Round 19: [Inv dec, sc 4] around {30}.

Round 20: [Inv dec, sc 3] around {24}.

Round 21: [Inv dec, sc 2] around {18}.

Stuff head. Mould head with your hands — flatten the front where you intend the face to be.

Round 22: [Inv dec, sc 1] around {12}.

Round 23: [Inv dec] around {6}.

Fasten off and weave in ends.

 

Leg A

With taupe yarn:

Round 1: Sc 6 in magic ring {6}.

Round 2: [Inc] around {12}.

Round 3-9: Sc around {12}.

Fasten off and leave a long end for sewing.

 

Leg B (joins with Leg A and continues onto body)

With taupe yarn:

Round 1: Sc 6 in magic ring {6}.

Round 2: [Inc] around {12}.

Round 3-9: Sc around {12}.

Round 10: Sc in the next 6 sts. Join to Leg A by making the next sc in Leg A. Continue for 11 more sts. Make the next 6 sc in Leg B {24}.

Round 11: [Inc, sc 2] around {30}.

Round 12: [Inc, sc 3] around {36}.

Round 13-18: Sc around {36}.

Round 19: [Inv dec, sc 3] around { 30}.

Round 20: [Inv dec, sc 2] around {24}.

Stuff body.

Round 21: [Inv dec, sc 1] around {18}.

Fasten off and leave a long end for sewing.

 

Ears (make 2)

With taupe yarn:

Round 1: Sc 6 in magic ring {6}.

Round 2: [Inc] around {12}.

Round 3-17: Sc around {12}.

Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Do not stuff with polyfill so it will have a floppy look.

 

Arms (make 2)

With taupe yarn:

Round 1: Sc 5 in magic ring {5}.

Round 2: [Inc] around {10}.

Round 3-10: Sc around {10}.

Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Optional to stuff with polyfill. I left mine without any 🙂

 

Cheeks (make 2)

With pink yarn:

Round 1: Sc 5 in magic ring {5}.

Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.

 

Bow

With black embroidery floss and 2mm hook:

Row 1: Ch 5, sc 3, inc in last st. Rotate work.

Row 2: inc, sc 6, inc. Rotate work.

Row 3. inc, sc 8, inc. Fasten off. thread tail end through to the centre of the bow. use the same tail end to make 3 loops over the bow and secure at the back by knotting it with the starting tail.

 

Facial Details

1. With black embroidery thread, sew eyes below Round 13. For each eye, you will be making a diagonal backstitch that is 3 sts long. There should be 6 sts in between each eye.

2. For the nose and lips, you will be sewing on an upside-down “Y”, starting from below Round 11 straight on till below Round 15 and branching out to two points below Round 16.

 

Assembly

1. Sew cheeks onto face.
2. Sew body onto head.
3. Sew on ears.
4. Sew on arms.
5. Sew on bow tie.
6. Sew an “X” on the belly.

RIsa-chan amigurumi pattern

As this is an original amiguruMEI pattern, kindly do not claim it as your own. You may place a link to this pattern from your site, but please do not repost it onto your page. Remember to share a picture of your own kawaii Risa-chan with us!

Happy New Year + Free Daikichi the fortune monkey amigurumi pattern

Happy New Year + Free Daikichi the fortune monkey amigurumi pattern

Hello 2016!

A Happy New Year to all my fellow crafters!

I know it’s been forever since I updated…if you’ve been following my Instagram…you’d probably know what I’ve been busy with for the most part of the year…

I’m currently just four days away from delivering my twin baby boys! Things have been hectic what with organising work and my pregnancy symptoms (which was OK, right up until about a month ago!). These past few weeks I’ve barely been able to move because of the extra weight I’ve been lugging around…but all good things come to those who wait!

I was planning to share a Christmas post on all the cute little things I made for my family…but I suddenly had to be hospitalised for preterm labour! I promise I’ll definitely share when everything’s back to normal..which may be a while!

To usher in the brand new year though, I’ve teamed up with Craft Passion once again to share a free amigurumi pattern…and it happens to be a monkey to usher in the Lunar New Year!

Please meet Daikichi the fortune monkey!

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A little cheeky…a little innocent…that’s who Daikichi is on most days. His name means “big fortune” in Japanese…and I expect him to bring everyone prosperity and wellbeing in 2016!

Check out the Daikichi free amigurumi pattern here.

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I may not be able to update my blog for a while but please do hang in there! Do follow my continued amigurumi adventures on my Instagram @amigurumei as I will surely be updating more through that channel. I’ve made some cute baby rattles and baby hats that I can’t wait to bestow upon my boys!

I’m currently working on a sleeping baby dinosaur amigurumi…I guess it’ll probably be my last amigurumi project before I become a mommy!

Wish me luck! 🙂

I hope you’ll enjoy the free Daikichi monkey amigurumi pattern. May 2016 be a year full of happy monkey businesses and quirkiness for all those who believe in the energy of the cheeky creature! 🙂

XOXO

Mei

Here’s another link to help you find the Daikichi free amigurumi pattern.

Hello Kitty Crochet Showcase and Signing appearance at Kinokuniya, Suria KLCC

Hello Kitty Crochet Showcase and Signing appearance at Kinokuniya, Suria KLCC

Konnichiwa!

My Hello Kitty Crochet Showcase and Signing appearance will be happening tomorrow!

Venue: Main Entrance, Kinokuniya Bookstores, Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur

Date: Sunday, Nov 9

Time: 2pm

Description: I’ll be sharing an amigurumi demo at 2pm, and then proceed on with the book signing and some photo opportunities if time permits!

Psst: Come in your Hello Kitty gear or bring along your amigurumi softies and we’ll take a few selfies together!

It’s been a fun and at times, crazy, adventure prepping for this day. I spent a lot of time remaking some of the Sanrio pals and also a 7-inch tall Hello Kitty so that everyone can take a selfie with it! 🙂

Hello Kitty by amigurumei

So many people have been asking about where they can buy my book, so I’ll be addressing that here:

WHERE TO BUY MY BOOK:

1) In the US & European regions, my book can be found in all major bookstores.

2) For the rest of the world, you can purchase via Amazon.com, or at any Kinokuniya bookstore in your country (and yes, that includes Malaysia).

Here’s a glimpse of my book and amigurumi on display at Kinokuniya, Suria KLCC, for those who haven’t been to visit yet 🙂 It was a hurried picture taken after the guard (not a Hello Kitty fan for sure!) said “No photos! And no moving the books!”, after my husband attempted to “organise” some books that were blocking my dolls, haha!

amigurumei at kinokuniya

And here’s a closer look:

amigurumei at kinokuniya

 

My kind editor also did a full-page write-up of my amigurumi adventures in our national newspaper (I work there as a features journalist). You can read the full article here: Malaysian crafter crochets her way into the pages of Hello Kitty

lee mei li hello kitty crochet

 

And then there’s the super-sweet feature in SuperCuteKawaii.com! Now I’m officially a Super Cute Creator! Read more here.

amigurumei on super cute kawaii

 

Come find me tomorrow at Kinokuniya, Suria KLCC (2pm) and we’ll chat more! I can’t wait!

 

 

Exclusive Hello Kitty Crochet Tip#2: It’s in the eyes, nose and whiskers

Exclusive Hello Kitty Crochet Tip#2: It’s in the eyes, nose and whiskers

Hello again!

I hope you found the last post, where we talked about the unique Sanrio head-molding exercise, helpful!

Today, we’ll be bringing out the sewing kit, for we will be learning how to sew, or much rather, embroider on the face of sweet Miss Kitty White!

You will find that this technique is used for some other Sanrio characters as well, like the Little Twin Stars, Tuxedosam, The Sugarbunnies and of course My Melody and her goth but cherry-loving rival, Kuromi.

Let’s get started!

Exclusive Hello Kitty Crochet Tip#2: It’s in the eyes, nose and whiskers

Hello Kitty Crochet by amigurumei

As mentioned in “Basic Body Parts” (pg 93), you simply have to sew on the facial details using embroidery floss and a series of vertical or horizontal backstitches. Some of the patterns include specific instructions on where to sew the nose/eyes, and also how many stitches are needed.

Hello Kitty and her daffodil-coloured nose:

Step 1: Hold the head piece so that the flattened part of the face faces you.

Step 2: Count to Round 12.

Step 3: Start sewing directly below this round. The idea is for the nose to run from the start of Round 13. You can add on more or less stitches — mine usually consists of about six to eight horizontal backstitches.

Psst: You will find that the positioning of the nose/eyes can drastically change the look of your Hello Kitty. The best way to go about it is to ensure that the line of the nose falls directly below the eyes 🙂

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Back and forth…back and forth…

Hello Kitty and her brownie fudge eyes:

Step 1: Visually zone in on the third stitch away from the left/right hand side of the nose.

Step 2: Move this point two rows above to Round 11. This is where you should start sewing on the eyes.

Step 3: Simply embroider from Round 11 to Round 12 using vertical backstitches. I used 12 backstitches for each eye.

Step 4. After knotting off the ends at the bottom of the head, give the embroidered eyes a light pinch to make them slimmer and more oval-shaped.

Step 5: You can also gently press the eyes in to create a 3-dimensional kawaii look.

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Up and down…
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Just a pinch…
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It’s a pressing matter I tell you…

Do note that My Melody, and also Kuromi, have bigger winks than the rest of the gang 🙂

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My…what big eyes you have!

Hello Kitty and her chocolate-straw whiskers:

Step 1: Zone in on Round 11, on the third stitch away from each eye.

Step 2: Make a horizontal backstitch, which is two-stitches long.

Step 3: Repeat process to make the top and bottom whiskers, which should fall below Round 10 and Round 12.

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Easy…
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…peasy!

And there you have it. Enjoy!

P/S Up next, we’ll talk about jazzing up the basic hood 🙂