Here Kitty Kitty

I suppose I am going through a cat phase. Here are some more softies. This one is from the pattern by wee wonderfuls. I think he is so cute! We have named him Eddie.

I found another free cat pattern with diagram (amineko) . This pattern calls for crocheting the cat in true Japanese fashion. I am new to crocheting, but could figure out the pattern easily with the diagram that was included for each piece of the cat.

When it came to sewing the pieces together, I had to fake it using my knitting finishing skills. I have never crocheted anything besides a wash cloth, so, actually, the entire animal was "faked". Those are pebbles on the paper towel beside the pieces. The pattern calls for plastic pellets or pebbles in the bottom of the torso, legs and hands. All I could put by hand on were little pebbles from the driveway. TIP: I put a tiny bit of stuffing in first to line the bottom and sides of the cat before dropping in a small amount of pebbles.

Since then I have done some research on Amigurumi which is Japanese for knitted or crocheted animal. There are lots of free patterns for crocheted creatures. The website, Crochet Me, is full of great tips for Amigurumi. My cat came together just fine, but I was happy to find a tutorial on assembling your project in the correct manner at this site as well.

I used Plymouth Encore Yarn for the body and an H crochet hook. Once I was done, I decided that I probably should have used a smaller hook. So, in order to try out my new skills, I have started another feline.

On another note, as soon as that kitty above was complete, my stuffed toy loving son had absconded with it. And, luckily, it has held up well to karate fights, back flips and bedtime naps. I would definitely recommend this pattern!