May ami-along: revisiting our roots
To all of our dear readers, welcome to a new month of
On this wonderful day let's not only celebrate love and labour, but also start a month of memorandum. Let us remember where we've come from, what our starting point was, inspiring us with the plethorra of amazing yarncraft condensed into one small country. Yes, I'm talking about JAPAN and its wonderful gift to us all, amigurumi.
And that's our monthly theme. First off, how about refreshing our knowledge about the art itself?
Here is a short origin of this phenomenon, but for those short on time, let me paraphrase it.
Amigurumi is basically a chibi figurine usually made via yarn art. Specifically, 'ami' means crochet, knit or braid, and 'nuigurumi' stands for sew and wrap. Note, though, that chibi means "little" or short. Chibi animals are intensely simplified and overexaggerated, creating a small but lovable figurine. So basically it's cuteness galore with a side dish of amazing, as we've seen so many times before. Although the roots of this custom are deeply set in Japanese pictography, the rest of the world picked up on it rather quickly. Adorable is adorable, after all. :D
Using the right kind of techniques are a quintessentiqal part of getting an amigurumi just right. Here's a list of know-hows to get those kinks a-going and to set any questions about what-hows straight. :D
- http://abigailscraftshowto.com/2010/06/how-to-read-japanese-amigurumi-patterns/
- http://www.craftpassion.com/2011/05/how-to-amigurumi.html
-http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/07/diy-definitions-amigurumi-with-tutorial/
Oh, but that's not much of an inspiration so far, now is it? To honour our roots, it'd be great if you could pick an authentic Japanese pattern to finish this month. There are tons of great books out there, but here are a few patterns to give you a lead on the quest you have to take on your own, and here's a plethorra of PDF paterns and a list of books to look up in your local library. And there is always the option to check what's under our japanese patterns tag. :D
Or is a finished pattern not your cup of tea? Well then, how about getting an authentic Japanese object and crochet it? I would LOVE to make a gesiha - like this, for example:
There are some astonishingly cute stuff others made in the Nico Nico Douga forums, too. (assuming you need translation here)
Or check these sites for inspiration:
http://www.japanistic.com/blog/tag/amigurumi-patterns/
http://free-knitting.seesaa.net/category/7046664-1.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/-mia-/2644938761/
http://www.selectyarn.com/web_pages/knitting_books_Amigurumi_smallCraft.html
.. Let's not forget, though, that vintage patterns from the Old Continent and the West have also contributed to the emergence of this art. So in order to be fully aprrciative, let us include some awesome oldies, too.
I hope everyone finds something to their liking this month. But the most important is: have fun!
On this wonderful day let's not only celebrate love and labour, but also start a month of memorandum. Let us remember where we've come from, what our starting point was, inspiring us with the plethorra of amazing yarncraft condensed into one small country. Yes, I'm talking about JAPAN and its wonderful gift to us all, amigurumi.
And that's our monthly theme. First off, how about refreshing our knowledge about the art itself?
Here is a short origin of this phenomenon, but for those short on time, let me paraphrase it.
Amigurumi is basically a chibi figurine usually made via yarn art. Specifically, 'ami' means crochet, knit or braid, and 'nuigurumi' stands for sew and wrap. Note, though, that chibi means "little" or short. Chibi animals are intensely simplified and overexaggerated, creating a small but lovable figurine. So basically it's cuteness galore with a side dish of amazing, as we've seen so many times before. Although the roots of this custom are deeply set in Japanese pictography, the rest of the world picked up on it rather quickly. Adorable is adorable, after all. :D
Using the right kind of techniques are a quintessentiqal part of getting an amigurumi just right. Here's a list of know-hows to get those kinks a-going and to set any questions about what-hows straight. :D
- http://abigailscraftshowto.com/2010/06/how-to-read-japanese-amigurumi-patterns/
- http://www.craftpassion.com/2011/05/how-to-amigurumi.html
-http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/07/diy-definitions-amigurumi-with-tutorial/
Oh, but that's not much of an inspiration so far, now is it? To honour our roots, it'd be great if you could pick an authentic Japanese pattern to finish this month. There are tons of great books out there, but here are a few patterns to give you a lead on the quest you have to take on your own, and here's a plethorra of PDF paterns and a list of books to look up in your local library. And there is always the option to check what's under our japanese patterns tag. :D
Or is a finished pattern not your cup of tea? Well then, how about getting an authentic Japanese object and crochet it? I would LOVE to make a gesiha - like this, for example:
There are some astonishingly cute stuff others made in the Nico Nico Douga forums, too. (assuming you need translation here)
Or check these sites for inspiration:
http://www.japanistic.com/blog/tag/amigurumi-patterns/
http://free-knitting.seesaa.net/category/7046664-1.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/-mia-/2644938761/
http://www.selectyarn.com/web_pages/knitting_books_Amigurumi_smallCraft.html
.. Let's not forget, though, that vintage patterns from the Old Continent and the West have also contributed to the emergence of this art. So in order to be fully aprrciative, let us include some awesome oldies, too.
I hope everyone finds something to their liking this month. But the most important is: have fun!