The old addiction comes back...

 

Sometimes when you're in the midst of a busy time in your life, you really do have to get back to things that make you happy and occupy your time in a more meaningful way than work or chores or the usual grown-up stuff. 

I don't really know why I picked up my crochet hook this week, but I found the old addiction came back and I felt the need to finish a couple of pieces of Amigurumi with whatever scraps of yarn I've got left in my stash. I had green, I had beige so it was obvious what I was going to make. 

I've now made three "Baby Yodas / Grogus" and each time I've learned something different, a new trick or a new twist on building Amigurumi figures that are small enough, cute enough and hopefully well made enough to withstand the rigours of a good pummelling from my niece and nephew (who, delightfully, seem to really love my creations even though my daughter has largely grown out of 'em). 

So Grogu began as the usual magic circle. Out of all the skills I've learned while picking up Crochet, the magic circle is - without a doubt - the most important one, and the way that most projects begin. 

This time though I learned a new way to do fingers and toes that was so utterly simple but effective that I'm going to use it for every piece I do from now on. 

These just started out as magic circles, but with a 2 SC gap in between 5 SCs crocheted into the same stitch, before taking the crochet loop off the hook then looping through the next stitch after the 5 in one stitch, and continuing the round. 

This gives you those lovely 'bobble stitch' toes you see in the picture to the right. Cute no? 

Most folk opt not to stuff their limbs on their Amigurumi, but I nearly always do, even if it's just a little bit of stuffing it does give the finished model a lot more shape and a lot better tactile feel. Usually I use Stylecraft chunky or super chunky for my Amigurumi, purely because I've never quite perfected the art of using anything else and partly because it's cheap, and as it's 100% acrylic it has a good stiffness that lends itself well to sculptural stuff like Amigurimi. 

Though I wasn't working from a particular pattern, I find it useful to have a look on Ravelry at various patterns and models to see what or how other people have done theirs. Most Grogu patterns are free but some of the paid ones are actually no better than the free ones, so a quick search on there and you're bound to find one that suits your needs (always pay attention to the yarn requirements and the finished model size, some of those "Amigurumi" are bloody huge and you could end up with a monster!)

After a few hours the little fella began to take shape. 

I know, should've stuck a content warning on here for a naked Grogu but here is how the finished model looked before I started to crochet the robe. 

I did a little bit of a french knot for a nose (just to give him even more character) and used a couple of toy eyes as big as I could possibly find to once again add to the cuteness. 

I sewed the ears on a bit wonkily but I think that actually adds to the character a bit too. 

I literally HATE sewing on limbs and ears, I have never quite perfected the art of pinning those items to a model even though I've got some pretty good and grippy pins but it's something that'll come with practice I guess. I nearly always end up stabbing myself one way or another!

So now to dress the little fella! I think this is the first time I've managed to crochet a proper wearable cloak for my Grogus, most of the time they're just given a few scraps of crocheted fabric as a way of dressing them but this is a proper job with a proper pair of sleeves. 

And there he is, next to my Mac keyboard for size comparison. 

He turned out a little bigger than I was expecting but still looks pretty cute. 

I like the fact that the robe is probably a bit too big for him but still looks OK. 

I finished it off with a belt made from a couple of rows of chain stitch, which helped to cinch it in at the waist but it took me probably about 3 hours in total in between other things, and was a great fun make. 

Now I've been bitten by the bug again and am looking at the last few scraps of yarn to try and figure out what to make.