Do you like to make quick, near-instant gratification crochet projects? Do you love adorable amigurumi? Then you’ll want to check out my review of a crochet pattern collection by Lauren Bergstrom, along with the excerpted crochet Sloth pattern!
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Book Review
Mini Crochet Creatures: 30 Amigurumi Animals to Make by Lauren Bergstrom is a crochet pattern collection of 30 simple animals. Each project uses a simple base with embroidered, crocheted, and sewn felt details to add character. Most of the projects are about 2” (5 cm) tall, though a few are a little bit shorter. In her introduction, Lauren explains that besides the cuteness factor, you can also find practical purposes for these little crochet animals as pin cushions, garlands, or on a baby mobile.
The patterns are arranged into 6 groups, each with 5 patterns: Farm, Pet, Sea, Little, Woodland, and Zoo. Each pattern includes the size (along with an “actual size” image to show the correct scale), a list of yarn and supplies, and the pattern in both international stitch symbols and U.K. pattern abbreviations.
After the patterns, there are several learning sections. Tools and Materials shares information about all the different materials you would need to crochet these little critters and also includes a photograph of all the supplies for crochet newbies. Techniques includes written and illustrated instructions for holding the hook and the yarn, making a yarn over, magic adjustable ring, slip knot, foundation chain, crocheting in the front and back loop, and determining which is the right (outside) and wrong (inside) side of your project when crocheting in the round. There are also instructions for 3 basic crochet stitches (U.K. slip stitch, double crochet, half treble crochet) and a decrease (U.K. dc2tog). This section also includes lots of finishing tips, such as how to join, make embellishments, and more. The book ends with a key to the U.K. pattern abbreviations used in this book, along with a U.K. to U.S. conversion chart, and a hook size and yarn weight chart.
The book is filled with absurdly cute full page pictures. Since each project is so small, there are several versions of each with slightly different colors and embellishments. Mini Crochet Creatures: 30 Amigurumi Animals to Make has some great eye candy! Flipping through the pages, I was inspired to dig through my yarn scraps and get started. Every project is small enough to be finished quickly, even by a relative beginner. If you like to make cute projects, or fast projects, or stash buster projects, I think you will really enjoy this book. And, of course, if you know a child or teen who would be delighted by these little characters, you’ll be even more inspired to get crocheting.
Sloth
Crochet Pattern by Lauren Bergstrom
Published in Mini Crochet Creatures: 30 Amigurumi Animals to Make
Pattern Text, Charts, and Photos © 2018 Lauren Bergstrom and © 2018 GMC Publications Ltd. Shared with permission from GMC Publications Ltd.
Notes from Underground Crafter:
- This pattern uses U.K. pattern abbreviations. The Craft Yarn Council has a full list of abbreviations here, including a conversion from U.S. terms.
- This pattern uses U.K. dc2tog (U.S. sc2tog) as the decrease. New Stitch a Day has a helpful video tutorial for this stitch here.
- You can find helpful magic adjustable ring tutorials by Oombawka Design here (photo tutorial) and here (video tutorial).
- This pattern is featured in 61 Mini Crochet Animals [Free Patterns] from AllFreeCrochet.
An amigurumi sloth has a plump body and long crocheted limbs. The position of the arms and legs can be changed to give it different poses. A sloth face is made by sewing felt shapes onto the body, with an embroidered nose and mouth. This sloth is one of the calmest amigurumi creatures.
You will need
- Medium-weight yarn in brown – approx 22yd (20m)
- Crochet hook – 3.5mm (UK9:USE/4)
- Toy stuffing
- Yarn needle
- Craft felt in off-white and dark brown
- Embroidery needle
- Embroidery thread in off-white, dark brown and black
Size
- Using the suggested yarn and hook, your sloth’s body will be about 2in (5cm) tall.
Body
- The sloth’s body is crocheted from top to bottom. Work in the round, without joining rounds. Using brown yarn, start with an adjustable ring.
- 1 6 dc into ring.
- 2 2 dc in each st around (12 dc).
- 3 (2 dc in next st, dc in next st) 6 times (18 dc).
- 4 (2 dc in next st, dc in next 5 sts) 3 times (21 dc).
- 5–6 Dc in each st around, for 2 rounds (21 dc per round).
- 7 (2 dc in next st, dc in next 6 sts) 3 times (24 dc).
- 8–12 Dc in each st around, for 5 rounds (24 dc per round).
- 13 (Dc2tog) 12 times (12 sts).
- Stuff the body, making it nice and puffy.
- 14 (Dc2tog) 6 times (6 sts).
- Cut yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing, and finish off. Add a little more stuffing if necessary, then sew the hole closed.
Arms and legs
- (make 4)
- Using brown yarn, ch 7.
- 1 Htr in 2nd ch from hook, htr in next 5 ch (6 htr).
- Cut yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing, and finish off.
- Using the templates, cut one off-white face and two dark brown eye shapes out of felt.
- With off-white thread, sew the face shape onto your sloth’s head, in line with rounds 4 to 7 of the body. Use dark brown thread to sew the eye shapes onto the face.
- With black thread, embroider a mouth and nose, using small, straight sts. Embroider some eyes onto the felt eye shapes. Sew the two arms in place, in line with rounds 8 and 9 of the body. Sew the two legs in line with rounds 11 and 12 of the body.
OMG💕love them🎶