So what is an ‘Amigurumi’???

According to Wikipedia, the word “amigurumi” is derived from a combination of the Japanese words; "ami", meaning crocheted or knitted, and "nuigurumi", meaning stuffed doll.


Amigurumi are usually crocheted in the round, using a single crochet stitch, although they can be knitted as well. Typically, they are crocheted very tightly, often with a smaller than usual hook for the yarn, so that they can be firmly stuffed. A popular style of amigurumi features a large head with a much smaller body and limbs.


I must admit I had never heard of this term before we started selling on Etsy. Sue has been making crocheted, stuffed critters for many years. But as we learned about them, we realized that Whosits fit the amigurumi definition, so we started using the term to describe and tag our creations.


Per Wikipedia, by 2006 amigurumi were the most popular item sold on Etsy!

Eileen...

Whosit in the Making - Part 5 - What's in a Name?

One more thing to do for the little dog - she needs a name!  Her greeness is her most striking feature to me, so I was playing around with things related to "forest" or "tree" or "green" itself.  One very fun place to play with names is babynames.com (if you use the advanced search, you can look for names by meaning).  Some girly green names I liked were:

• Midori - Japanese for green
• Silvana - Latin for forest
• Ilana - Hebrew origin, meaning tree

But I think I'm going to call her Emerald (or Em for short).  She seems to be in agreement with me on that one!

Whosit in the Making - Part 4 - She's Here!

The little puppy is finally done!  I love making the faces best, because that's when the little critters seem to come to life!  I like to use a lot of heavy satin stitching for the eyes to really build them up.  I usually prefer to embroider yarn eyes, rather than using plastic safety eyes or beads, but I've seen some really engaging faces made on crochet animals with both of these.   I also use a little bit of "needle sculpting" -- moving the yarn back and forth through the crochet and stuffing and pulling it tight to shape the face.  I like to "ident" between the eyes, underneath the bridge of the nose to help create eye sockets.  Another tip -- I stuff the nose with black yarn instead of stuffing, so no white shows through.  :)

Picasa and her new cousin finally get to meet, nose to nose!

Whosit in the Making - Part 3 - Parts is Parts

The little dog's body parts are now all crocheted (from her nose and blaze to her little popcorn stitch toes).  So far, assembled, she looks like this -- we're getting there!

The next step is choosing a contrast color for the ears and tail.   Since the brown was toned down a bit, and the green predominates due to the additional heathering of the multi-tonal green yarn, I'm picking up the aqua accents from the sock yarn with this super soft wool found at my local Yarn Shop (LYS).

Let you know when the little mite is assembled and ready for naming!

Whosit in the Making - Part 2 - And the winner is...

We have a winner!  Working two strands together provided a much better "fabric" that was tighter and much easier to shape.  Plus I love the way the colors blended.  On top is the first attempt of making Picasa 2's body with just the sock yarn and the the bottom is the two strand results.  On to the rest of the body parts!

Whosit in the Making - Part 1B - Whoops!

Hm...experiment using stretchy sock yarn (superwash wool/nylon) with B hook for body... fail.   Stretches TOO much and very difficult to stuff evenly.  Also, stuffing firmly causes the polyfil to show through.  Either this type of yarn has too much give, or I need to use a smaller hook (now we're talking STEEL crochet hooks - the kind you use for doilies!), or maybe I was just having a loosey goosey crochet day. 

So let's try a different tack and use double yarn with that B hook.  Since brown is so predominant in the sock yarn, I'm going to try adding a very subtley variegated aqua/green fine weight wool I found on ebay.    Let's see how this works out!

Whosit in the Making - Part 1

I found this really cool hand-painted fingering yarn at http://knitpicks.com/ and I think it's the perfect candidate for my first Picasa dog in wool sock yarn.  So far, I've made a few Picasas in wildly patterned acrylic worsted weight yarn with an F hook.  Sock yarn will require a B hook to keep the stitching tight and prevent stuffing from showing through.  The fun thing about amigurumi, is, as long as you keep the yarn and crochet hook in proportion so you get a tight "fabric", you can make the same cute critter out of any weight yarn.   So we'll see how this mini-version of the Picasa comes out! 

See the original Picasa story here:  Picasa is Born...

"Tree Fort" Stroll Yarn - Superwash Merino Wool/Nylon

The original Picasa

Back after a long hiatus

It’s been awhile. . .



The HappyWhosits blog has been neglected, as has our Etsy shop. Eileen and Sue have been busy with work, a new job, an aging parent, a new home, getting a home ready to sell – well, you name it, it’s been happening in the past year.

Luckily, we are both in a creative mode right now, and new ideas are taking form. Sue has been having a ball with some wonderful new yarns in merino, alpaca and bamboo. She has started a new line of “collectibles”; critters geared to adults, and those who cherish them as collectables. Many of them are eco-friendly as well,  stuffed using filling made from bamboo and corn. Here are a few examples:

Isn't he adorable?  He went to a collector at the Big Crafty in Asheville, NC in July

This is Sunshine Marigold - a cute little hedgehog,  and below are a few more.  All those spines are individually added to each hedgie. 

Eileen has been churning out octopi, turtles and snails. The idea for a simple, egg-shaped birdie has been floating around in her head for awhile, and one was born last weekend. Several more are in the works. Look for more info in the next post.

Dachsie + Uniquely Patterned Yarn = Picasa Pup

What to do? The dachshund next door was out in the backyard running up & down the fence line barking at my dogs again (he actually has a path worn in the grass). Meanwhile I'd unearthed some wildly patterned worsted weight yarn while excavating through boxes (fuschia, copper, white, navy, aqua, red and self-striping) -- what the heck was I gonna make out of that?



Z-z-z-z-ing!!! Hit by INSPIRATION, out came Picasa the Puppy. I couldn't wait to finish and post her. So what do you think?





Find her in our etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25576676

And to enjoy more fiber art, please check out Alpaca Farm Girl's blog: http://www.alpacafarmgirl.com

Bunnies are Hopping Everywhere in Whosits Land

We have had an explosion of bunnies at Happy Whosits! Sue was playing with a new design, and once she got it worked out, she just couldn’t stop creating bunnies!

These bunnies all sit very nicely, with their big hind feet to balance them. Some have solid, coordinating pads on their feet. Some bunnies have ears that stand up straight, some have floppy ears. All the bunnies are holding something between their front paws – sometimes a flower, sometimes a carrot.















Here a just a few! They are all available via our website HappyWhosits.com

Iggy's Here!

Finally, my Iggy the Iguana hand puppet has been born! He's kind of squirmy and cute! :)

Hand Puppet Mania

Puppet mania has arrived at my doorstep. I got on a roll, using funky yarn colors to make a big batch of hand puppets based on my own design, and I couldn't stop! That's how a poodle, a duck, a gray/black striped cat, two wildly striped giraffes (I know, I know - they're supposed to be spotted - welcome to MY fantasy world!), a speckled pig, a trendly aqua/brown dog, and a cute little baby blue bear were all born! Oh, and I almost forgot about Chester the Chicken!

It's amazing how many critters can evolve from one basic body pattern. I've built a finger tube into the stuffed head to make it easy to manipulate. The size of the puppet body seems to work well for both adults and children - little kids just use more fingers or even two hands to work the puppet! More puppet critters are banging around in my head, itching to be born - can't wait until the Easter bunny and the iguana are appear next! Feel free to check out these guys in our shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=13850&section_id=5003907

Happy Puppeting!


Sue...

Snippy Snail is Born!

I am so excited! My first ever, 100%, totally created from MY brain by MY fingers, amigurumi crocheted critter – Snippy the Snail!

As those who are familiar with Happy Whosits may already know, Sue originated Happy Whosits and I joined her about 12 years ago. My forte was Christmas ornaments and other holiday decorations. Then I added baby blankets and crocheted dishcloths. I started making some of the simpler stuffed animals a few years ago, with Sue providing the instructions. She encouraged me to try creating some of my own critters.

I’ve had the idea for a snail in my head for awhile (actually, since Acorngirl told us the story of her pet snail saving her life at one of our monthly etsy street team meetings – but that’s another story). I did a search on etsy to make sure the idea I had wasn’t something I had seen someone else do that had gotten stored in my subconscious. It wasn’t, so I started the design process.

I wanted the snail to be somewhat realistic, so I looked at a lot of pictures of real snails. I can’t draw worth a darn, so my design process is to pick up some yarn, and a crochet hook and start crocheting. It also involves a lot of ripping out and trying again, as well as discarded pieces and parts, and scraps of paper where I write down the pattern as I go.

I determined that the shell should have the look of circular ridges, and I wanted it to be perpendicular to the snail itself. So I played with several different crochet stitch combinations until I found one that produced the look I wanted. Once I had a shell I was satisfied with, I turned to the snail itself.

I decided I definitely wanted the snail to have antenna rather than the trademark Whosits hair. The next hurdle was stuffing him, but also making him stable enough to stand up. So, after playing around with him some more, he was flat enough on the bottom to stand on his own when his shell was attached.. But then, his head being bigger and heavier than his tail, he kept falling on his face! So I made a few more adjustments, and behold, Snippy was born!

As if you can’t tell, I must say I asm very proud of Snippy. He is cute and he is unique. Now I am off to try creating a sister for Snippy!

Eileen

Here Come the Bride & Groom! Octopi, that is!

My latest innovation - a bridal octopi couple! I call then Jen & Ben after a nice etsyian I met & her boyfriend (see http://juror2.etsy.com). She said they get teased alot with the Bennifer & Jenjiman stuff (like Brangelina), so I thought that would be a nice touch for these two!

Ben has a sophisticated white top hat, adorned with a white/gold band & a pink flower to match Jen's bouquet. Jen has a lacy white/gold veil & pink floral bouquet (removable so that she can toss it to her single friends!).

They should be great for any wedding or shower! Please take a closer look at: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6063948

Sue...

Lions & Lions & Lions, Oh My!

Okay, so I love the Wizard of Oz, I must admit! :) I just got on a roll making some lions, so I thought I'd share!

Fleur & Wild Thing are "brothers", both made out of different shades of Red Heart Strata yarn. Fleur's mane & tail are crocheted flowers that were sewn on. Wild Thing's mane & tail are individual yarn strands that were hand "rug-hooked" onto him. Both little guys are available for sale on the website.

WILD Thing
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5331036



FLEUR de LION
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5225644



Until next time!

Sue...

Holy Pterydactyl, Batman!

Hello again! Well, I received a very special finger puppet order for a cute couple that wanted a pair of dinosaurs. And I'm very tickled with how they came out. I think I will add them to my finger puppet list. Let me know what you think! Back to crocheting!

Sue...

SPECIAL SPECIAL SPECIAL !!!!

Hurry! We're running a limited time offer on our website -- receive a free Finger Puppet of your choice for each purchase, now through August 18th!

You can choose from a wide variety of cute little critters:

• bird with feather (recommended for older puppeteers)
• duck
• bunny
• teddy bear
• panda
• polar bear
• lion
• tiger
• elephant
• giraffe
• pony
• dog
• cat
• mouse
• bat
• spider
• octopus
• pig
• dinosaur
• kangaroo
• penguin

Please stop by and take advantage of this limited time promotion!

Lion Brand Boutique and Raining Turtles!

A while back I uploaded one of my turtles to a new venue on the Lion Brand Yarn website called the Boutique. Here's the url: http://www.lionboutique.com/. Lion Brand publishes a weekly email newsletter, and last week's edition included the turtle. Now orders are coming in for my little guys in special colors and I'm crocheting a whole pond full this weekend! The camo turtles are the most popular.

Remember, if you are interested in your own special turtle, just email us or go to our etsy site and click on "request alchemy from this seller". Special orders/color combinations are always exciting because folks tend to come up with color combos I've never thought of! Like the colors I did to match a crocheted head scarf for a young lady or the email I just received today asking about a turtle in NY Mets colors (orange & blue)!

Back to crocheting...

Sue....