Wow, it’s Friday already and I’ve had a great week. I posted about my #lockdownamichallenge in the Crochet UK FB group and the “YARN and CRAFTS FROM ALDI & LIDL - chatter group” on FB and I received so much love and encouragement from the lovely people who hang out there. Several have ordered there own Aldi Amigurumi Box of yarn - I think the selection of bright colours really appeals on these dreary November lockdown days. If you’re a crochet addict there’s lots of inspiration, encouragement and support to be found in both of  these FB Groups.
So - with so many lovely suggestions for creatures to create I’ve cracked on with #mycrochetchums and got my second design done  - a cheery little Lion - you can find the pattern here.

Several people have asked me what the Aldi Amigurumi Yarn is like to work with. Well to be honest it’s better quality than I expected having never bought Aldi yarn before and given the price. It is very matt - I usually use Scheepjes Catona which is smoother as it has a sheen - but I like that for a change. It’s described as “Light” on the box - pretty much equivalent to DK  I think, so the stitches are plumper than I’m used to (Catona is 4ply) but I like the finished effect a lot. 

One thing a few people have mentioned is that the yarn splits a lot - I found it did so with a 2mm hook but was a lot better behaved when I moved up to a 3mm hook so it’s worth playing around with and finding what works for you. The main thing is to make sure the stitches sit snuggly enough together to stop the stuffing showing through

Of course - if you want to have a go at the Lion (or Frog!) pattern, you don’t have to use the Aldi yarn - the patterns will work ok with something different. If I used Scheepjes Catona I’d still use a 3mm hook but the finished character would come out slightly smaller. When I get a chance I’ll make one of them up in several different yarns and post about how they compare.

If any one does use one of the patterns I’d LOVE to see the finished results - you can post a pic on the “mycrochetchums” FB page.

I’m starting on design No 3 tonight - I think I have an idea of what the next character’s going to be but sometimes something completely different will come out of the end of my hook!
Wishing everyone a great weekend and Happy Crocheting whatever you’re making!

Sooooooooo… this is my first ever bog post…..what to write, what not to write? For now I’ll go with the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid!) and tell you why I’ve started a blog.
For 20 years I was a Greetings Card Designer - a good one, sold thousands of designs - but I got VERY bored with sitting in front of a computer drawing Santas every day.
As a hobby, I taught myself to crochet - I started with Granny Squares, and once every room in the house had a blanket (and I was completely broke from buying so much yarn) I started having a go at Amigurumi and….. excuse the pun… I was HOOKED.
After all those years drawing cute characters on paper I LOVE being able to bring them to life in 3D with yarn.
Let me tell you, my first attempts at Ami were dreadful! So if you’re only just starting, keep going - they’ll get better! I’m planning on putting some hints and tips for getting great results on the site soon.
I started writing my own patterns about 4 years ago - I really like the process of working out how to create the shapes and the technical writing aspect of creating my own patterns.

Earlier this year I had my first ever pattern published - Frankie the Flamingo appeared in issue 60 of Crochet Now magazine in September. I am indebted to the lovely Jenny Conduit - the magazine Editor - for taking a chance on a completely unproven designer. Fortunately, she liked what I did and I’m now working on some other projects for her. 

I’ve wanted to start an Amigurumi website for some time but didn’t really know where to begin. Inspiration came with an impulse buy of an Aldi So Crafty Knit & Purl Amigurumi Yarn box - 50g each of 36 gorgeous colours.

Rather than the box just adding to my ever growing yarn stash, (we’ve all got on of those, right?) , I’ve set myself a #lockdownamichallenge - I’m going to see how many different little Ami - or mycrochetchums - I can design and make from it.
To make sure I stick to the challenge, I’ve started this site and I’ll be posting the Free Amigurumi Patterns on the Free Patterns page.

I’ll do a Blog post each time I get a new pattern up on the site - you can also follow my progress on Instagram and Facebook.
The first #lockdownamichallenge chum off the hook is mycrochetchums Frog

You can the Free Amigurumi Pattern here - Happy Crocheting!