Want to start working in the round to make amigurumi but completely put off by that “impossible” magic ring?

Don’t panic - I’ve got you.

First off, if you’re a newbie crocheter you don’t HAVE to do a magic ring - you can simply create a starting ring by making a chain of 4 stitches, slip stitching into the first chain to make a closed circle and then working the first round of stitches into the centre of that circle.
Easy huh? So, why not just do that? Why bother with that pesky Magic Ring at all?

Well the problem is, if you start with a chained circle, you always end up with a hole in the middle - there’s no way to tighten it up - and that spoils the look of your ami, you might not mind it at first but the more you get into making ami, I promise you, that hole will really start to bug you!

The big benefit of mastering a Magic Ring is that you can pull it up super tight and VOILA! ….no hole! Have a look at the images below to see the difference…

So how do you make one? Well there are actually lots of different methods out there - check out You Tube, Pinterest, Insta - there’s loads of different ways, you just have to find the one that works for you.

If you’d like to see a photo tutorial of the way that works for me, click HERE. There’s lots of photos and a detailed description talking you through every step, which will look a bit daunting at first but it’s just a slow motion description of a technique that in the end will only take a couple of seconds to do and will be satisfying every time you do it!

I think it’s easier to pick up from a photo tutorial than a video - I find with a video by the time I’ve managed to copy the first bit, I’ve missed the next bit and spend half my time putting the crochet down, scrolling the video back then having to get yarn, hook and hands back into the position they were when I left off - it just doesn’t work for me. A series of photos can’t race ahead of my hands like a video so I find them much easier to follow.

Even with photos to follow it can take a bit of practice to get the knack but you will get there. Try to think of it like when you learnt to ride a bike as a kid…..you couldn’t get it, kept wobbling, couldn’t steer, couldn’t get both feet off the ground, then suddenly…. you got it and were flying along, no looking back! 

Same with a Magic Ring, once you’ve got it, you’ve got it and in no time you’ll be doing it with your eyes closed!
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Find my Magic Ring Photo Tutorial HERE.

Hello again from the Isle of Wight. Real life and Christmas preparations got in the way of crocheting for a week or so but I’ve managed to find the time to write up another pattern in my #lockdownamichallenge …..may I introduce to you my flamboyant Flamingo!

He’s made with yarn from the Aldi Amigurumi Yarn Box that is the basis of my challenge to see how many different #mycrochetchums I can design and create from the whole box. If you’d like to have a go at making my Flamingo, you can find the free amigurumi pattern here.

The yarn is DK weight - so you can use up yarn already in your stash on any of the #lockdownamichallenge patterns - I do recommend Cotton though as it's usually firm enough to give  your ami a good structure and stop them being floppy!
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This is the second Flamingo I’ve designed - I was lucky enough to have a different, larger one called Frankie commissioned by Crochet Now magazine - he appeared in the September issue (Issue 60) of the magazine. The Crochet Now Editor, Jenny, was kind enough to take a chance on me as a newbie, unpublished designer and I’m so grateful to her for doing so as it gave me the confidence to start letting #mycrochetchums loose on the world! 
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The Crochet Now magazine and website are packed with great patterns and inspiration not to mention some lovely giveaways - I recommend you check them out.
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Flamingo is the fourth of the #mycrochetchums I’ve come up with so far - here he is with the rest of the gang - you can find the free amigurumi patterns for all of them here.

The next of #mycrochetchums off the hook will be making their entrance in the New Year - I hope you all have a Happy, Hooky (and Safe) Christmas and get lots of time to crochet!
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Greetings from the Isle of Wight on a thankfully bright and sunny Sunday morning!
Today’s the day I’m letting loose into the world the third of #mycrochetchums in my #lockdownamichallenge  - here he is, the cheeky monkey…….

If you’d like to make him, you can find the free amigurumi pattern here.

The Teal he’s made with is one of my favourite colours - as the Aldi Amigurumi Yarn Box has so many gorgeous bright colours in I’ve decided my crochet chums can be whatever colour I fancy - this is my own rainbow world I’m creating…and if a monkey wants to wear a party hat, in my world he can!
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Thank you to everyone in the various FB groups and on Instagram who have liked and commented on the characters so far - I really do appreciate your support and encouragement. 
If you’d like to follow me on Social Media, I have a FB Page and an Instagram one both called “mycrochetchums”. I’m new to Instagram and slowly getting my head round how it works - I’ll get there in the end…. 4 weeks ago I wouldn’t have thought I’d be creating my own website but I’ve managed to do that so anything’s possible!
Happy Crocheting!

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!