This is the latest creation from the Sackboys i have been making.
This was a request from a lovely lady who purchased this as a gift.
I have uploaded images of this little creation, and im quite happy with how it turned out!
I crafted his hat from grey felt and super glued a red star to it.

































Above: front view of the cute hat
Below: side view

















Below: Back view of the hat


















More creations soon (when i have the spare time)

I had some left over green felt from a recent sackboy order i completed and got a funny idea in mind.
I wondered how sackboy would look as Adam from Adam and Eve..afterall-sackboy life has to be traced back somewhere right?

See pictures below:

It would be no surprise to my mother to see these adorable dust bunnies lying around my room!

However unlike the usual dust bunnies, these little guys arent here just because you didnt clean your room!
I made these dust bunnies from Jazz yarn, hobby fill and safety eyes. They measure 2 x 2 Inch. They have tails also which are a measure of wisdom-the longer the tail the wiser the bunnie! (bet ya didn't know that!)


These were fun to make, however this type of yarn is somewhat challenging to deal with, and i probably wouldnt attempt to make a large amigurumi at this stage with this particular yarn..unless i didnt mind my stitches not being even and correctly counted etc.

However i will post the pattern for these little guys shortly. Its really just a basic circle and can be done very easily.
I will be making more variations with tiny fuzzy ears!

Well seeing as though i am forever crocheting and selling my sackboys and lovely creations, its vital for me (i believe) to post these adorable creations in a way which will hopefully surprise the recipient! (in a nice way!)

I have taken some photos of how i generally pack my little sackboys before i pop them into the tough bags ready for post. These tough bags are extremely durable. I generally pop them into clear plastic self adhesive bags which i bought from ebay in a bulk auction of 50 for about $6.99.

Below are the images of my little creations before being put into the bags:

Well today was a pretty awesome day!

My pre-ordered DS Lite game came this afternoon from gamestop (after me eagerly awaiting for it all day), and with it came the special plush pig that ships will all pre-orders!
Very glad i pre-ordered to get the plush pig as it is simply adorable<3 ! And also the fact that the game hasnt even been released here in Australia yet....
I haven't had much time to play it due to my uni exams this week (one tomorrow) so i will be setting time aside tomorrow afternoon after my exam to play it. It seems quite similar to Island of Happiness in that it has the same characters and they are runnign the same businesses and whatnot. I know there are perks like races and other mini games which i have yet to encounter in IOH. Then again..i have yet to get any animals in IOH due to the fact that i constantly run out of stamina in the game (i sure do miss the Nes version "Friends of Mineral Town" where you could relax in the hot springs to completely rejuvenate!) this may appear later in the game who knows! But for now it seems I'm doing a daily routine of watering half my crops and trying to scavenge grass roots and such to keep my stamina up. Farming is never easy!

Apart from being overly excited about my new HM game, i have been extremely busy with sackboy orders! I have had 4 in the last few days with about 5 more to come! Its a good thing i love crocheting, and with my new job and more flexible hours, i will surely have alot more time to make new amigurumi's!

I am just itching to create my sackboy in bunny suit!

Yay! Amigurumi Zoo is now on twitter!
Follow us to see all new creations, updates and more! Click the cute button below to visit me on twitter!












As promised, here are the new photos for the CAstle Crashers pouch i had just recently made:

I don't think i ever posted pictures of the adorable cloud pouch i created. I made this guy back in September i think.
It features a white cloud with blue eyes and a blue cloud button on one side, and a blue cloud with white eyes and a white cloud button on the other.
The pouch is lined with white felt for maximum scratch protection.

Unfortunately i dont seem to have the sam colour embroidery thread as the colour of the blue felt i have, which just means the stitching looks a little darker then the actual felt. This doesn't matter to me a whole lot and it kind of gives it character!

This pouch isnt quite as big as the last two i have made ((Luma & Castle Crashers case(see posts below)), however this would still fit an iphone, an ipod and of course my Blackberry cell phone.

I have taken much better photos than i previously took and i have posted them below:

A castle Crasher's themed item was never too far away! And here it is!
My fav castle Crasher playable character is the blue guy, and so i cut him out of felt, each and every pice..and then hand sewn each piece together onto the felt background.
There is a double layer of felt for the top side of the pouch to hide all the loose thread ends and such, this also protectes the screen if an ipod is going into it.
A DS Lite also fits into this pouch quite snuggly. See images below!













Blow: The back of the pouch. I chose a plain black because it would probably get dirty sitting on bench tops and whatnot. So at least a black backing wont show dirt (and less washing!)













Below: My blackberry curve has plenty of room  in this pouch. Its almost too big to just put a blackberry in, but with hands free and accessories etc , it would make a great fit.

Whee! Another creation!
This time it's another iphone/cell phone/camera case featuring a lovely pink Luma from the Super Mario Bros video games!
This pouch is made from felt, and is completely hand sewn! It took me a good 2-3 hrs to complete. I love sewing on all the details to make it come alive, and it makes it a lot more interesting to look at!

Below are some photos of my latest creation:


















And as usual i take photos of my creations againt the same ornaments in my house!













Above: With my Blackberry Curve sitting inside, there is still plenty of room. I thought i would make it bigger as i don't own an iphone and i know they are a bit bigger-but also this way it can fit cameras and small items in too.To give you a better idea on size, it can just fit a Nintendo DS lite in it!

Ok, so the images i posted last time were taken at around 3am with poor lighting (no sun whatsoever and a desk lamp) so i thought i would repost the nicer sunlight photos i have taken to showcase my sackboy on ebay and etsy.
See below!
Ahh how much better photos are in the sun light!














Below: Candy Pink Sackboy ! Nothing beats a patchwork sackboy covered in pink!













Below:  Lucky last photo! I have used more on my ebay & Etsy pages, but they are basically the same as here :)

Well thats it for now!
And if you havent noticed, i have finally updated my blog layout to match my lovely new website Amigurumi-zoo.com!

As promised!
Tada~ Patchwork Sackboy!
This little guy is absolutely adorable-and super pink! He has a pink button for an eye plus a normal safety eye. He has pink stitches around his head and arms, and of course he is absolutely covered in pink-goodyness!

This little guy will be making an appearance in my Etsy shop HERE And my Ebay shop HERE
See the photos below! Better photos will be added once i am able to take some in the sunlight (rather than 3am in the morning!)
Left: My messy desk with Patchwork Sackboy!






Below: Frog Sackboy & Patchwork sackboy in the works!
















Below: Details of patchwork sackboy up close

More images and new products soon!

Yay!
Amigurumi-Zoo now has its own .com website!
Our new website is: www.amigurumi-zoo.com
This blog will still be updated a couple times a week and will be side by side with the website.
The website is still under construction and it should be up very soon!

New sackboys designs will be posted within 24 hrs!

Oh yes!
The best of the best combined to make an adorable 4 piece keyrings set featuring: Domo Kun, Sackboy, Patchwork Sackboy and the adorable Luma from Super Mario Galaxy!

These little guys are made from felt, stuffed with hobby fill and blanket stitched around the outside.
The patchwork sackboy has a button for an eye and they all include their own tiny key rings, to make it easy to add to key sets!

These little dudes are available in my ebay HERE, and also in my Etsy store HERE.
My fav has to be patchwork Sackboy- I am actually making an amigurumi version of this guy, so he should be in my Ebay store within 3 days! 
Heres a close up, just after i finished making this little guy:
As you can see i have plenty of buttons for future projects!
Click the images for a bigger, better view of them.

I am also taking custom orders for these guys, eg. different colours and sizes, different characters etc.

So if your interested just comment/email!

-Amigurumi Zoo.

Making handmade crafts can be an enjoyable experience, a fun time waster and can end all gift idea dilemmas!
However, not many people are aware that they can make a little extra income from doing something they love!
You might think making scarfs and crochet toys and such are simply figt ideas or for yourself-oh how wrong you are!
Many people buy handmade crafts because its handmade! Many people these days don't want to spend money on something that wont put any money back into the economy, or something that is made by a machine and the company ears 90% profit from the item!
Many people don't mind forking out a bit more cash for something made by hand with more care and quality than that of a production line.
Etsy is the major website for buying and selling all things handmade. This can be furniture, books, art, crochet toy and clothes, knitted garments, patterns, pottery and much more.
The website traffic that Etsy brings in is considerably smaller then Ebay, simply because it only sells handmade goods.
If your having a hard time starting out on Etsy-don't panic! You just need a couple more items in your shop for exposure. Also, make sure your tags (which i will explain in the next paragraph) have no spelling mistakes, and are suited to what you are selling.
Tags are used to explain an item in one word. You may choose as many tags as you wish to help those who are searching for your item.
If you were to list a jacket, you would probably want the following tags- jacket, sweater, jumper, cotton (if made from cotton) clothing.
etc, theres many more that you can ass including the size, colour and other details that make the jacket unique.
Make sure when writing your description for the item that it is accurate! People do not want to be misled by short descriptions or hidden information!

Once you have your information on your listing correct and enough items in your shop you will notice people buying or putting your items into their favorites, (this is an Etsy feature).

Ebay is somewhat similar, however you wont need to work as hard to market your product as there are millions of ebay users searching for items every day.

Take clear photos of all your crafts, write interesting descriptions and you will be on your way to selling your own handmade goods!
This can be a great way to earn a casual second income and work from home!

Ok so i have posted images of my amigurumi crafts in the works and completed, so now its time to give a bit more explanation about the process and maybe an insider view for those who are thinking of taking it up.
You don't need to know how to crochet to start-I certainly had no clue, and all i had was vague memories of my nana teaching me to knit when i was about 10 years old.
Dont be discouraged by any technical terms i might use-you will pick up these terms in no time at all and will be using them like a second language yourself soon enough!

The first thing you should do before you dive into the world of amigurumi, is to browse the internet for patterns of toys, accessories, or other things you would be interested in creating.
This can be anything from scarfs, tea coseys, toys and lots more!

Amigurumi is a fantastic gift idea with a personal touch. You can customize the gift to your own liking. Just as you can customize any pattern you find (by making it bigger/smaller, etc).

Theres a fantastic web site that acts as a directory for patterns of crochet toys. Its called Crochet Pattern Central.
This website has an array of different types of patterns and many skill levels.

You should pick an easy one to begin with so you don't get discouraged right from the start!

Once you find a pattern that is labelled 'easy' or does not have too many steps you can begin.

A tip is to print your pattern out and take it into a crochet/arts & crafts shop. This way you can find what you need for the pattern (as most wil have a list of materials needed at the top of the page).

Most patterns will state a particular sized crochet hook. This will determine the size of your amigurumi and how tight the stitches will look. If you dont mind how much it will differ from the pattern then you can pick any sized hook, but try not to stray too far from the sized mentioned.
After you have your hook you will need to find yarn. Choose the appropriate colour yarn for the pattern (or make it your own and choose somethign completely dfferent!) However, depending on the sized hook you chose, you will need to buy the size appropriate yarn. Some yarn may be too thick for smaller hooks and visa versa. If your following the pattern material guidelines you wont have any problems, just buy what they used and it will (should) work out.

Once you have your materials and your home with your coffee and your pattern infront of you, the best thing to remember is dont freak out! The pattern may look like a mixture of letters and numbers; see below for the most common phrases used:

SC= single crochet. This is simply one crochet
Magic Circle= This is the circle created when first starting an amigurumi, its a circle which you will stitch a certain amount of single crochet stitches in it to get started (and this determines the starting size of the project).
INC= This is an increase, its simply two single crochet stitches in one crochet stitch.
DEC= Decrease stitch. This is one crochet stitch made in two crochet stitches.
Chain= This is a series of single crochets in each other that are connected to the amigurumi by the first stitch only (to make ties and strings from your amigurumi)

Theres plenty of awesome videos on youtube which demonstrate each individual stitch and this is a huge help when first starting out (and even learning new stitches for those who have been doing this for years!)
Goodluck!

With an array of felt laying around i figured it was about time to do something with it!
So, i have seen plenty od phone cases and pouches with ordinary designs and thought it would be cute to have more softer and interesting designs.
So i decided to make a Domo Kun phone pouch! This can be bought in my etsy shop HERE

I made this pouch from a double layer of felt to protect the phone from scratches. One layer could probably suffice but two would be best. (see below)


I hand designed and cut my own patterns into paper and pinned them to my felt and cut out my shapes. After much trimming and fiddling with the pieces i managed to make them match up! I blanket stitched the teeth to the red felt and did a normal stitch inside. I also blanket stitched the outside with acrylic yarn to give it a more homestyled appearance.

Below:My blackberry curve fits inside perfectly and im sure an iphone would probably fit too.


More phone cases coming soon!

Its almost that time of year again where kids eat candy and scare the neighbors! - Halloween!
Although its not celebrated here in Australia-it is still a popular holiday theme.
I thought Sackboy would look cute dressed as a jack o lantern and so here he is!
This little guy can be purchased in my etsy store HERE or my ebay auction HERE
Pics below!:

Above: His cap is fully removable (as with all of my amigurumi dolls)
Below: behind view

Below: great for decoration!


All my amigurumi dolls are available in my etsy and ebay shops!