Christmas Madness

Well surprisingly I've been inundated with Christmas orders so I've been furiously working away in my spare time trying to get all the bits crocheted up and ready to put together.  I've got some REAL cats to try and match this time, so again, am being challenged to see what I can come up with....love it!

From left to right:
Princess (charcoal cat), Jellicle (tortoiseshell), Megsy (orange and white tabby)

Closer detail of Jellicle.  I predominantly used black wool flecked with brown and white, with random patches of white, orange, black nd brown wools.  Apologies for the dark pic, I'll post a better one when they're finished!

Some of my Christmas orders...amongst this mess are bits of Jimmy Monkey (Amisaru being made to match the photo of Jimmy Monkey), Batman Amineko, Princess, Jellicle and Megsy...I have more than 10 on the go all at the same time!!

A Gorilla Amigurumi I made a few months back as a one-off.

Check out these cuties

Here are more pics of Amineko/Aminekos/Amineki (just exactly what IS the plural of Amineko??) enjoying the sunshine...



Trio of ballerinas

 

Sisters




Melbourne Demons Amineko (an Aussie Rules football team.  AFL is extremely popular in Melbourne and one of the first question's recent migrants to Melbourne receive is, "Which team do you go for?"  It doesn't matter what reason you have for choosing a team, you absolutely MUST choose one before Melburnians accept you into their fold!!  Strange but true!



Oooops, maybe had one beer too many at the footy



Bathing beauty





Just hangin' around



Amisaru family!



Amineko family!



All together now!

Goodness Gracious!

Why goodness gracious!!  My pile of yarn is ever-expanding...it has taken on a life of it's own!  Each weekend I tell myself, don't go down to the local craft store, but another voice inside always protests...but there's a yarn sale, but you need this colour, but you need that colour, but, but, but, but, BUT!


From this photo, you can tell which voice usually wins the battle!  I now have 4 storage boxes stuffed full of yarn waiting patiently to be crocheted into delightful creatures.

My birthday was a couple of months ago and my very thoughtful brother bought me these 2 amigurumi books.  I've flipped through the pages many a time pondering my next project, but must fill some orders I've got for cats and monkeys first (13 on the go at the moment! Wowsers!).  Who knew that deciding to re-take up an old hobby would lead to obsession and complete control over my spare time!  I must say though, I'm glad I've got something to do other than while away my hours on the couch in front of the tv or computer. 

Custom details

Here are some close-up pics of individual details I've used in my custom cats. 

 Princess Leia's hair buns

Superman's chest logo

 

Julia's ice skate was made by modifying a simple baby bootie pattern.  The blade was made by bending a paper clip and single crocheting over it to cover the metal. 

 

Ballerina's tutu frill. 

Bride and Groom details.   Bride's veil was made using picot stitch and skirt was made using scallop stitch, just to add different textures to the cat.  Bowtie for the groom with red fabric rose, shirt cuffs and placket with buttons. 

More photos

Well it has been several months since I last posted, but I have not been idle!  In this time, I've made more monkeys, Julia (pronounced "Hulia") the ice skater, and a Bride and Groom.  More challenges!  And more satisfaction!  I love taking people's ideas and turning them into a reality.  Sometimes it takes many false starts before I complete a project, but I don't give up until I'm happy with the result.  Words can't describe the sense of pride and satisfaction that occur when I've completed a project and am ready to send it out to its new owner.  I also love hearing feedback from happy owners and was pleasantly surprised to hear that most poeple name their cats and monkeys.  So far we've got Julia the ice skater, Plushenko her turquoise monkey friend, Mr Pickle (who seems to love his wine!) and Olive and Toothpick (cat and monkey besties).

My facebook page now has 148 likes from all around the world and I have been inundated with orders leading up to Christmas.  Life is great! 

Introducing........AMISARU!!!

Say hello to Amisaru the crochet monkey.  How cute is his little pot belly!

Amigurumi are stuffed crochet dolls/characters/animals.  The term comes from the Japanese words Ami (crochet) and Nuigurumi (stuffed doll).  Amineko = Ami (crochet) and Neko (cat), hence Amisaru is Ami + Saru (monkey).  Usually amigurumi are small and not really used as toys, they're just aesthetic, that is,  unbelievably cute.  Here is an excerpt from the Wikipedia site for amigurumi:

"Amigurumi have no practical use; they are created and collected for aesthetic reasons.  The pervading aesthetic of amigurumi is cuteness. To this end, typical amigurumi animals have an over-sized spherical head on a cylindrical body with undersized extremities, usually termed a chibi style outside of Japan. Amigurumi may be used as children's toys but are generally purchased or made solely for aesthetic purposes.
An online fad for creating and collecting amigurumi began in 2003.  By 2006, amigurumi were reported to be the most popular items on Etsy, an online craft marketplace, where they typically sold for $10 to $100."

By the way, just letting you know I have a facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Amineko-The-Crochet-Cat/321785934536162

I also have an Etsy store and a Hand-Made store, but at the moment I have nothing listed in them.  I had 10 gorgeous cats made up and ready to go on sale, but I have a lovely old friend from high-school days who runs a little childrens' boutique.  I brought them in for her to have a look at, and lo-and-behold, she bought them ALL.  I was so very pleasantly and heart-warmingly surprised, I didn't even remember to take a photo of them all.

So back to square one for my market dreams...

My many bright balls of yarn, ready to be crocheted into adorable cats and monkeys (oh how I wish there were hundreds of hours in each day!)