If my last post about the Downtown Blanket was at one end of my crochet scale, it’s time to go right to the other.
Because while Manjri’s Place was quiet, I developed a bit of an obsession.
Amigurumi.
Lots and lots of amigurumi.
Over the past few years, I’ve found myself making more and more of these little crocheted creatures and characters – animals, fantasy creatures, characters inspired by games, films and television, and occasionally things that are simply… odd.
And I absolutely love making them!
But one of the things I’ve discovered is that when it comes to crochet, small definitely doesn’t mean simple.
In fact, sometimes it’s quite the opposite.
Then my daughter introduced me to the Malta Comic Con…
Three years ago, my daughter encouraged me to take part in my first Comic Con. She’d been attending for years and knew the world well.
I’d already had little glimpses of it through her. Every time she came home from Comic Con, she’d bring back some fantastic artwork she’d discovered, along with quirky accessories and other treasures she’d picked up from the artists and creators there. I always loved seeing what she’d found.
But actually being part of Comic Con myself?
That was completely new territory. I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d got myself into.
And then I went.
I absolutely loved it!
The people. The atmosphere. The costumes. The other artists and creators. The stalls full of things people had designed, drawn, built, sewn, painted and made.
It felt like stepping into another world for a couple of days.
And I have to stop here and give some serious RESPECT to the cosplayers.
Some of the costumes are absolutely incredible. I’m not talking about simply putting on an outfit that looks vaguely like a character – some are accurate down to the tiniest detail. The clothes, armour, props, wigs, makeup… everything.
And they don’t always just dress as the character either. Some of them become the character. The poses, the mannerisms, the expressions – they’ll happily stop for a photograph and suddenly you’re no longer standing in a convention hall in Malta. 😄
I can only imagine how many hours of work go into making some of those costumes, never mind how long it must take to actually get dressed and do all that hair and makeup on the day.
And then they come back and do it all over again the next day.
Even more impressive when you consider that some of those costumes look decidedly uncomfortable! Heavy armour, enormous props, elaborate wigs, layers of clothing… while I’m standing (or sitting) comfortably behind my table with a crochet hook wondering how they’re still going.
Honestly – respect. ❤️
I think that’s one of the things I love most about Comic Con: everybody is allowed to be enthusiastic there. Really enthusiastic.
Games. Comics. Anime. Films. Fantasy. Sci-fi. Webcomics and webtoons – which, I have since discovered, are a whole world of their own! There are independent artists creating and publishing their own characters and stories online, building entire worlds and communities around them.
And then there are characters you’ve loved since childhood as well as characters that I’ve never heard of, but someone else can apparently tell me the entire life history of. 😄
There’s something magical about being surrounded by people who are completely unapologetic about loving the things they love.
And everywhere you look, someone is creating something – drawing, writing, designing, illustrating comics, creating characters, and bringing to life what they have in their imagination.
I think that’s the part of Comic Con that surprised me most when I first took part. It isn’t only about popular culture, but it’s all about creativity. And, of course, for a crocheter who likes making little characters…Comic Con is dangerous territory.
Amigurumi belongs at Comic Con
Characters inspired by games, comics, anime, films and television lend themselves beautifully to amigurumi. All it takes is a particular colour….a pair of ears….a hairstyle….a strange expression….sometimes just a few tiny details – this is enough to make someone walking past your table suddenly stop and say:
“Oh! I know who that is!”
I absolutely love that moment!
There are other crochet makers at Comic Con too, and you’ll often see the big, wonderfully squishy plushies made with chenille or very thick acrylic yarn. I make some chenille pieces myself – and I completely understand the appeal. They’re ridiculously soft and cuddly. But most of my amigurumi is rather different. I tend to work in cotton. And usually on a much smaller scale.
Why cotton?
Cotton gives me something I particularly enjoy with amigurumi: detail.
The stitches are crisp and clearly defined. Small changes in shaping show. Tiny features remain visible. I can play with little pieces, embroidery and colour changes without everything disappearing into fluffy yarn. The result is very different from a big chenille plushie. It’s firmer. Smaller. More detailed. And often rather fiddly.
Which brings me to something people don’t always realise…
Small does NOT mean quick
I think there’s an understandable assumption that a little crochet character must take less time to make than a large one. After all, there’s less of it. Right?
Unfortunately, crochet doesn’t quite work like that.
When I’m working with cotton, I’m using a much finer yarn and a smaller hook.
That means more individual stitches are needed to create the same amount of fabric.
Then there are all the little pieces. An arm. Another arm. A leg. Another leg. Ears. Eyes. Horns. Wings. A tail. Hair. Clothes. And so on.. whatever peculiar anatomy that particular little creature has decided it requires, each piece has to be crocheted.
Then there are ends to deal with, pieces to position, features to embroider and everything to sew together. And when something is only a few centimetres across, being one stitch out can actually matter.
Sometimes a tiny cotton amigurumi can take considerably longer than somebody looking at the finished piece would ever imagine. It’s one of the strange things about handmade work. We tend to judge objects by their physical size. But what you’re really looking at is time.
As an example, a detailed 10cm character can take anything between 8 to 16 hours to make – and that’s not including frogging! It depends on the amount of details. Whereas a 10cm character done in chenille may only take 2-3 hours.
The details are the fun part
Having said all that…the fiddly bits are probably exactly why I enjoy it. 😂
I love watching the personality appear.
There is usually a slightly alarming stage where I’ve made a head and several unidentified body parts and they’re all sitting on the table looking vaguely disturbing.
Then the pieces start coming together. The eyes go on. Perhaps a little embroidered expression. An ear sits at just the right angle.
And suddenly…
There it is. A character.
That’s probably the bit that keeps me making them.
And I’m doing it all again
Because Comic Con has now become something I look forward to, at the moment, my worktable has been taken over as I prepare for this year’s Comic Con on 10–11 October. There are hooks, there is cotton, there is chenille, there are partially constructed creatures…. There are probably several pairs of unattached eyes staring at me from somewhere….
At times my workspace looks less like a crochet studio and more like Frankenstein’s laboratory – assorted body parts everywhere, creatures in various stages of assembly, and me hunched over them muttering, “No, that arm definitely doesn’t go there…”
Thankfully, so far none of them has risen from the table shouting “It’s alive!”
Although with Comic Con approaching, I’m not ruling anything out. 😄
I’m building up my stock and deciding which characters and creatures should come along this year.
Some will be familiar, some new, and undoubtedly a few that haven’t occurred to me yet. There is still time …
There’s just one thing I haven’t done…
Cosplay.
At least, not yet.
I’ve admired some absolutely incredible costumes over the years. The amount of work, imagination and craftsmanship that goes into some of them is astonishing.
I haven’t quite mustered up the courage to join in myself. Although…
I do have a pretty good idea of what I’d wear.
I’m not telling you yet. 😉 Perhaps next year.
For now, I’ll remain safely behind my table surrounded by small crocheted creatures….which, to be fair, is a pretty good place to be.
From enormous blankets to tiny creatures
It’s funny looking at the Downtown Blanket from my last post and then looking at the little characters currently appearing on my crochet hook.
They couldn’t seem more different. One took four months and eventually occupied most of my sofa. The others can sometimes sit comfortably in the palm of my hand. But they’re both part of what I love about crochet.
There are so few limits on what you can make with what is, fundamentally, a hook and some yarn.
You can make a blanket. You can make clothes. You can make jewellery. Or you can spend several hours making a tiny dragon with an attitude problem.
And I’m quite happy doing all of the above. ❤️
