Hey Cre8v-Fam!
Journeying into the world of amigurumi (crochet or knit toys/dolls) can be intimidating even for the most advanced crocheters.
I know a few people who have steered away making crochet toys and it always amazes me. It could be my love of all things animated, but I find amigurumi to be freeing.
At any given time, there are a thousand thoughts running through my head. A lot of them have absolutely nothing to do with crocheting, BUT lately all these little characters have been flooding my mind. Now, I think it's important to point out that I have never been able to draw and to create amigurumi, it's important to sketch out your idea so...... Needless to say it was really tough in the beginning. I would look at a bunch of other people's ideas and try to come up with something that fit what I wanted to do. It was tough.
Then one day, I was sitting on the couch crocheting, watching Family Guy (binge watching the series) and something caught my eye. In the background on, sitting on a shelf at some random toy store, there was a bear head and I thought to myself, can I make something like that? I don't know why I became so obsessed with it. But I literally took out my phone and took a pic and got to work. Now, as I mentioned earlier, I cannot draw, but luckily, I have this amazing husband who happened to go to the store a few days earlier and pick me up a compass and protractor set (EEK!!) and so I was off to the races.
From that spark of inspiration, a new Cre8-Pal was born, and my confidence grew a little. Am I ready to start releasing patterns? Not quite, but I am on the right path. Here are some tips for designing your own amigurumi friends:
TIP 1
Be patient with yourself. Rome wasn't built in a day and designing amigurumi products can be challenging.
TIP 2
Start with a basic
idea. Nothing too crazy or you might get discouraged.
TIP 3
Invest in a ruler, graph paper, a compass and protractor kit, some pink erasers, and pencils.
This will make drawing out your idea a cinch and give you clear shapes to work with.
TIP 4
TAKE NOTES PEOPLE!!! It's easy to forget to take notes. You might even say to yourself, "I don't need to take notes. I'll remember what I did." YOU WON'T! YOU WON'T REMEMBER! This is not just the ADHD speaking, this is real life. You will not remember, so write it down! Also, taking notes is key to making adjustments later on. Or it could be helpful in your next project.
TIP 5
Have fun! Let your imagination run wild and don't give up. YOU GOT THIS :)
I hope this post helps put your mind at ease and reduces some of the reluctancy you may be feeling about trying amigurumi out for yourself. Whether you decide to pick up a hook or have someone else cre8 your vision for you, keep it fun and above all else STAY CRE8V!!!!