Well, I did manage to finish my first amigurumi crochet project! It's a little odd looking, but it's done. I assume a big part of the oddity is because I didn't use the right yarn. It is supposed to be Knit Picks Brava Sport Yarn, but I didn't happen to have any of that on hand, and since it was an experiment, I just grabbed some scraps of worsted weight acrylic I had in my stash. So of course my cupcake is rather large. Not sure why it has such a pointy top, but I have a theory. But first, some notes on the pattern itself. It didn't say whether the terminology was in US or UK terms, but I figured out it was US based on the pictures. The bottom (cake) was pretty straightforward and the instructions were easy to follow. I did have a bit of a hole in the bottom, but that is to be expected with the way it was started. I just tightened it up with the tail. The top (icing) was more of an issue. Not that there was a problem with the pattern, it was more that I seemed to have developed a sudden inability to handle half double crochet stitches. A few months ago a did an entire sweater in HDC's and it went really well. But with the cupcake I kept getting hung up pulling the final loop through and splitting the yarn. Then I had to redo the stitch, which meant I lost count. So I started pulling a bit on the work to make more room, which is probably why my cupcake looks like it had way too much baking powder in it. The only real issue I had with the pattern itself was when it came to sewing the top and bottom together. Somehow my brain couldn't wrap itself around what I was supposed to do. After a couple of false starts I thought I had it figured out until I got almost done and realized the top and bottom didn't fit! If I had paid more attention to the stitch count this would have been obvious, but I didn't bother checking such details. Once I figured that out I did manage to sew it together just fine. I like the somewhat rippled edge that is added to the icing after it is sewn together. This is one of the good things about crochet as opposed to knitting - the crocheted edge doesn't curl up the way knitting does. The edging on my knit cupcake is all rolled up! Crocheting the edging was a bit tricky though, given how the stitches I was working into sat once it was sewn together. Oh, and I should probably mention that I changed the eyes since I didn't have plastic eyes handy. Plus yarn eyes are less dangerous if Salem gets a hold of it. So what did I learn from this experience? Well, I'm better at understanding crochet patterns than I thought, for one. But the main thing I realized is that I need to pay more attention to my tension and hook size. Since I changed the yarn I used the hook recommended on a ball band for worsted weight yarn. This meant that I forgot one of the key lessons I learned from knitting stuffed toys - use smaller than normal needles to knit a tight fabric so the stuffing doesn't show. It's hard to see in the pictures, but the holes in the icing are just too big. If I used a smaller hook the stuffing wouldn't peek through, and maybe it would look more like a cupcake and less like a smiling hut😊. If you want to try the pattern you can find it here: Amigurumi Crochet Cupcake. And the "real" yarn is here: Knit Picks Brava Sport Yarn. (And you can support my work by using my links!) Now time for me to find a new pattern to try... Thanks!
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AuthorYarn fanatic. Cat lover. Dirt digger. Archives
August 2020
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