Orangekin

I've been learning how to create amigurumi for the past two months, and I admire the fun and challenge of this crochet artform.

Like many people, I work in front of a flat computer screen everyday, so it is refreshing to crochet something that exists in non-digital 3D space!

I was inspired to try amigurumi by many talented artists on the internet (especially Yummy Pancake). And I was encouraged to continue the craft by my supportive girlfriend (who can crochet a mean scarf) and family (who are used to my artsy, non-sporty pursuits).

My first crochet creation was an orange. But most people thought it was a pumpkin. I went with the flow and now describe my first amigurumi as a "genetically-modified pumpkin-orange hybrid". Or an "orangekin".

I'm hoping my amigurumi skills will improve, and I hope you'll enjoy viewing my future crochet creations on woowork.com!

Cone Critters

When I'm not working on WooWork.com, I'm saying yes to YES Mag: The Science Magazine for Adventurous Minds. Since 2006, the YES Mag team has kindly invited me to draw for each educational issue.

In the Nov/Dec 09 issue, I drew a piece titled "Urban Dining", about the eating habits of city animals:


An urban duo included a fox and a kitty-in-a-cone:


Last month, I crocheted an amigurumi version of this edible cat:


Another piece I drew (in the Mar/Apr 09 issue) was titled "Lost", which detailed the body language of dogs:


Jim the dog was the star:


I crocheted Jim too. He'll have to express his body language through a cone body:


Over the holidays, I mailed both Cone Critters to the YES Mag team as gifts. Everyone seemed to enjoy the fuzzy treats.

I hope you enjoy ice-cream in the winter too!

Ruff Ruff! Meow Meow!*
(*translation: Yes to YES!)

Little Green Lumps

Along with helpful youtube videos, my first crochet creations were guided by a good book for beginners: Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts: Amigurumi by Tomoko Takamori. I followed her pattern for a tiny bear, and chose green yarn because I only had three yarn colours at the time.

I struggled to complete the bear's separate pieces (body, head, arms, legs and ears), and was discouraged when I ended up with green lumps of yarn. But as I stitched those little limbs together (using a tapestry needle), the thrill of seeing a smiling bear come to life was memorable and addictive.

I still have my stuffed bear from when I was 5 years old, and took a photo of "Fuzz" and my new green bear:

It's amazing how much personality we can lend to these little lumps and amazing how much personality they can hold.

Woomi Wins

Woomi was brought to yarn life in 2008 as my alter-ego, but he grew his own feisty personality over the years.

Today, Woomi is brought to interactive life in Woomi Wins, a new app that's available in the App Store and Google Play.

Here's the official description of the app, also found at WoomiWins.com:

Play the role of a yarn-made boy who creates 

cloning machines to launch a world invasion from space!

STORY:

Woomi was made from yarn, but wants to build new friends from yarn and steel. Armed with clone-making machines and a UFO, join Woomi as he slam-dunks Earth in this comic, cosmic adventure! Presenting hand-drawn graphics and an interactive story that encourages discovery, Woomi Wins will delight crafty mischief-makers of all ages!

FEATURES:

• 14 ACTION-PACKED SCENES of button-pushing, switch-flipping, yarnball-tossing, paint-scratching, planet-twirling, star-drawing fun!

• a FUNNY, ALL-AGES STORY that inspires a build-it-yourself spirit and an appreciation for inventiveness and friendship.

• HAND-DRAWN illustrations and charming animation!

• PHYSICS-BASED ENVIRONMENTS where wacky objects can be thrown, dragged, stacked and bounced.

• a PHOTO GALLERY of 3D YARN CREATIONS (aka "amigurumi") from WooWork.com, the crochet blog that tells whimsical stories with yarncraft.

• OPTIMIZED beautifully for phones and tablets.

*****

* Like Woomi Wins on Facebook at facebook.com/WooWork
* Follow Woomi on Twitter at twitter.com/WooWork
* Catch up with Woomi's blog at WooWork.com
* Get Woomi merchandise at WooWork.spreadshirt.com
* Get the Woomi Wins soundtrack at WooWork.bandcamp.com
◦ Full list of soundFX credits here
◦ Contact via email at woowork@gmail.com
◦ Share the official Woomi Wins page: WoomiWins.com

Both Woomi and Woomi Wins were handcrafted with love. To make Woomi, I learned to crochet. To make Woomi Wins, I learned to code; a process I'll detail in a future blog post. Until then, I hope you pick up the app and enjoy interacting with Woomi's action-packed plot to win the world!

1.5 years later, Woomi approves.

Woomi at the controls.

Me and Woomi with the "Woomi Wins" app.

Dynamite Danger

Dynamite! Danger! Do not enter!


An explosives expert is mandatory on this demolition site. If an expert can't be found, a beginner crocheter will have to do.


The remote detonator was low on batteries this day, so the dynamite had to be lit manually.


Tragically, the dynamite sticks were rigged with ultra-rapid fuses.


We hope to rebuild Howie soon. Until then, beware of the dangers of dynamite!


UPDATE: Howie here, freshly cloned from my nasal remains.

My explosives expertise was trivialized. After all, I did reinforce each dynamite stick with cardboard tubes and polyfill, then made each wire from slinky coils. The fuses were twinned with twine and sparklers.

No amigurumi were harmed in the making of the following video. The same can't be said of my left shoe.

Blue for Two

My mom and MJ's mom celebrated their birthdays this summer, separated only by a month.

I crocheted blue flowers for both of them, and here are videos (of my mom and of MJ's mom) that show their sweet reactions to the bouquets.

Though I didn't follow a pattern, I based my mom's blue flower on photos of Diana Prince's free flower pot pattern at MyGurumi. Diana makes the most elegantly-shaped amigurumi.

For my girlfriend's mom's blue flower, I followed a rosette pattern from Lion Brand yarn. It was gratifying to make the same coiled flowers my grandma made decades ago.

Martha Stewart said she once knitted a scarf for her father, who wore it for a day before losing it. Similarly, my mom's blue flower has recently gone missing. We looked everywhere. Ah well, flowers are best enjoyed for a moment, right?

Happy birthday, Moms! Two blue flowers for two beautiful people!

Fridge Critter: Squire the Squirrel

Each time I visit my fridge, I'm greeted by critters.


I drew these animals when I was learning to use a pen tablet, and digitally-coloured this scanned pencil sketch. I printed the drawing and—because I wasn't blogging in 2001—posted these critters on my fridge eight years ago.

One year ago, I was learning to use a crochet hook. The thrill of learning to make amigurumi was like the thrill of learning to draw digitally. To marry these twin thrills, I'm remaking this 2D cartoon into 3D crochet.

The first of eight Fridge Critters is a squirrel. His name is Squire.


Here's some trivia to add more dimension to Squire the Squirrel: Did you know he's mildly allergic to acorns? He eats popcorn from the park's concession stand instead. He does collect and mash acorns into a paste for his ailing grandmother's toothless consumption. He also donates food to neighbourhood squirrels:



The remaining seven Fridge Critters will thaw as the new season approaches; a summer that is rich with the smell of acorn paste and the thrill of learning new things.

UPDATE: Here's a video that my gf recorded of Squire's squirrel encounter: