Pattern: Siu Mai

Here is the pattern I made to crochet these popular dim sum staples: siu mai :)

Materials:

• Yellow yarn, tan yarn and orange yarn
• 2.00 mm crochet hook
• Yarn needle
• Fiberfill
• 6 mm safety eyes
• Yellow sewing thread

Note: I worked in continuous rounds (vs. joined rounds). Feel free to follow along with my blog post to see step-by-step photos.

WRAPPER

Using yellow yarn,

R1: Ch 2, 6 sc in second ch from hook. (6 sts)

R2: Sc 2 in each sc around. (12 sts)

R3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times. (18 sts)

R4: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times. (24 sts)

R5: *Sc 3, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (30 sts)

R6: *Sc 4, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (36 sts)

R7-11: Sc 36

Fasten off. Using yellow yarn, run a needle through every two stitches (do this one row below the edge, or between row 10 and 11). Once you’ve gone all the way around, pull the edges gently (not too tight) and tie a knot. Hide the ends of the knot on the inside of the wrapper.

FILLING

Using tan yarn,

R1: Ch 2, 6 sc in second ch from hook. (6 sts)

R2: Sc 2 in each sc around. (12 sts)

R3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times. (18 sts)

Fasten off.

Note: The tan yarn I used was of a heavier weight (thicker) than the yellow yarn, so you may need to crochet more rows to make the filling an appropriate size [e.g. R4: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times. (24 sts)]

Work on the face: attach 6 mm eyes and use orange yarn to sew mouth onto center of filling.

Stuff wrapper with fiberfill and place filling ontop (but below crinkled edge of wrapper). Sew filling onto wrapper using yellow thread. Hide ends of thread into wrapper.

Place siu mai’s in bamboo steamer, and voilà! You’ve made yourself some gourmet cuties :D

This pattern is an original pattern by Stephanie of All About Ami (March 2011). Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but you may not sell or distribute it, or sell items made from this pattern.

Pattern: Despicable Me Minion

Who doesn’t love the minions from “Despicable Me”? Make your very own detailed minion with removable goggles and removable overalls with my free crochet pattern!

Materials:

• yellow yarn (for head, body, arms and embroidering overalls), blue yarn (for overalls), black yarn (for hair, goggle straps, gloves and boots), grey yarn (for goggles)
• 2.00 mm crochet hook
• yarn needle
• fiberfill
• white felt (for teeth and eyes), tan felt (for eyes), red felt (for tongue), black felt (for eyes, mouth adn logo), blue felt (for “G” on pocket)
• small black buttons (2)
• glue gun

Note: I worked in continuous rounds (vs. joined rounds). I strongly recommend checking out my blog post here to see step-by-step photos and accompanying descriptions if you are attempting to make this minion. This pattern is quite intricate and is recommended for those with some amigurumi experience (not a beginner’s project). It takes some time to crochet all the different parts, but it’s well worth it in the end!

HEAD/BODY

Using yellow yarn,

R1: 7 sc in magic ring. (7 sts)

R2: Sc 2 in each sc around. (14 sts)

R3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (21 sts)

R4: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (28 sts)

R5: *Sc 3, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (35 sts)

R6: *Sc 4, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (42 sts)

R7: *Sc 5, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (49 sts)

R8: *Sc 6, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (56 sts)

R9: *Sc 7, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (63 sts)

R10-55: Sc 63

***Work on hair. Cut strands of yarn measuring about 2”. Tie knots on one end. Pull yarn through head so knot remains on underside. When finished adding hair, trim as needed. Rub ends with glue to prevent fraying.

R56: *Sc 7, dec 1*, rep 7 times. (56 sts)

R57: *Sc 6, dec 1*, rep 7 times. (49 sts)

R58: *Sc 5, dec 1*, rep 7 times. (42 sts)

R59: *Sc 4, dec 1*, rep 7 times. (35 sts)

R60: *Sc 3, dec 1*, rep 7 times. (28 sts)

Begin stuffing body.

R61: *Sc 2, dec 1*, rep 7 times. (21 sts)

R62: *Sc 1, dec 1*, rep 7 times. (14 sts)

Finish stuffing.

R63: *Dec 1*, rep 7 times. (7 sts)

Fasten off and weave in end.

OVERALLS

Using blue yarn,

R1: 7 sc in magic ring. (7 sts)

R2: Sc 2 in each sc around. (14 sts)

R3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (21 sts)

R4: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (28 sts)

R5: *Sc 3, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (35 sts).

R6: *Sc 4, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (42 sts)

R7: *Sc 5, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (49 sts)

R8: *Sc 6, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (56 sts).

R9: *Sc 7, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 7 times. (63 sts)

R10-22: Sc 63

Working in rows (vs. continuously around in a circle):

Row1: Sc 17, ch 1, turn. (17 sts)

Row2-7: Sc 17, ch 1, turn. (17 sts).

Fasten off and weave in end. Now make same panel on opposite side of overalls. Count 14 or 15 stitches across left side of panel (when panel facing you). Attach yarn with slilp stitch.

Row1: Ch 1, sc 16, ch 1, turn. (17 sts)

Row2-7: Sc 17, ch 1, turn. (17 sts)

STRAPS (make 2)

Using blue yarn,

Ch 3

R1-28: Sc 2, ch 1, turn.

Once measures about 6.5”, strap splits to form hole for button:

Ch 2 on one side. Fasten off. Attach yarn on other side. Chain 3, sc 1 to join to other side. Ch 1, turn, sc 2. Fasten off and weave in eneds. Strap measures about 7” in total.

FRONT POCKET:

Using blue yarn,

Ch 9

R1-4: Sc 8, ch 1, turn. (8 sts)

R5: Dec 1, sc 4, dec 1. (6 sts)

Fasten off and weave in ends.

SIDE POCKETS (make 2):

Using blue yarn,

Ch 9

R1: Sc 8

Fasten off and weave in ends.

Assembly of Overalls:

• Sew two black buttons onto front of overalls.
• Sew straps onto back of overalls. Place buttons in holes.
• Using yellow yarn, embroider overalls, front and side pockets.
• Cut “Gru” logo out of black and yello yarn. Glue it onto front pocket.
• Glue/sew pockets onto overalls.

ARMS (make 2)

Using yellow yarn,

R1: 7 sc in magic ring.

R2-24: Sc 7

Fasten off and leave long end for sewing.

GLOVE BASE (make 2)

Using black yarn,

R1: 5 sc in magic ring. (5 sts)

R2: Sc 2 in each sc around. (10 sts)

R3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 5 times. (15 sts)

R4-5: Sc 15

R6: *Sc 1, dec 1*, rep 5 times. (10 sts)

R7: Sc 10

Fasten off and weave in ends.

FINGERS (make 4)

Using black yarn,

R1: 6 sc in magic ring. (6 sts)

R2: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 2 times. (8 sts)

R3-4: Sc 8

Fasten off and leave long end for sewing.

THUMBS (make 2)

Using black yarn,

R1: 6 sc in magic ring. (6 sts)

R2-3: Sc 6

Fasten off and leave long end for sewing.

Assembly of gloves:

• Attach two fingers and one thumb to glove base as shown in pictures (spread out and curved).
• Attach/glue arm into glove.
• Attach arms onto sides of body.

BOOTS/LEGS (make 2)

Using black yarn,

Ch 7

R1: Sc 6 starting in second chain from hook (choose one side), then work 6 sc on opposite side of chain. (12 sts)

R2: Sc 12

R3: Sc 2 in each sc around. (24 sts)

R4: Sc 24

R5: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next sc*, rep around. (36 sts)

R6-7: Sc 36

R8: Through back loops only, sc 36.

R9: Sc 14, *dec 1* 4 times, sc 14. (32 sts)

R10: Sc 12, *dec 1* 4 times, sc 12. (28 sts)

R11: Sc 10, *dec 1* 4 times, sc 10. (24 sts)

R12: Sc 24

Switch to blue yarn,

R13-15: Sc 24

Fasten off and stuff. Attach to body.

FACE DETAILS:

• Cut 2 big circles of white felt and 2 smaller circles of tan and black felt for eyes. Glue onto face.
• Use black felt to cut out shape for mouth.
• Use white felt to cut out individual teeth. Glue on upper part of mouth.
• Use red felt to cut out tongue. Glue on bottom part of mouth.
• Glue whole mouth onto face.

EYELIDS (make 2 upper and 2 lower)

Upper (longer)

Using yellow yarn,

Ch 11

R1: Sl stitch to first ch from hook, sc 9, sl st 1.

Fasten off. Glue/sew onto top of eye.

Lower (shorter)

Using yellow yarn,

Ch 10

R1: In second ch from hook, sc 9.

Fasten off. Glue/sew onto bottom of eye.

GOGGLES (make 2)

Using gray yarn,

Ch 31

R1-2: Sc 30, ch 1, turn. (30 sts)

R3: Sc 30

Fasten off.

R4: Join yarn in third ch from hook with slip stitch. Chain 1, sc 25 (26 sts with two extra stitches on each side from previous rows). Ch 1, turn.

R5-7: Sc 26, ch 1, turn. (26 sts)

R8: Sc 26

Fasten off. Leave long end for sewing. Fold strip lengthwise and sew ends together. Bend ends together and sew to form a circle. Sew two goggles together (see pictures to see where).

GOGGLE STRAP

Using black yarn,

Ch 5,

R1-63: Sc 4, ch 1, turn.

R64: Ch 4

Fasten off and leave long end for sewing. Strap should measure about 11” (check to see if it fits snugly around head when attached to goggles). Sew straps to goggles.

GOGGLE SIDE DETAIL (make 2)

Using gray yarn,

Ch 5,

R1: Sc 4, ch 1, turn.

R2: Sc 4

Fasten off. Fold lengthwise and sew together. Attach to sides of goggle.

Now you have a minion to do your bidding and accompany you everywhere you go! Try out different facial expressions (surprised, suspicious, scared) or make them cyclopses :) Each minion has their own personality! The sky’s the limit!

The minions from “Despicable Me” are copyright of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment. This pattern is copyright of Stephanie of All About Ami (October 2011). Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but you may not sell or distribute it, or sell items made from this pattern.

Despicable Me Minion

When we first saw “Despicable Me” back in July 2010, we absolutely fell in love with the movie. We didn’t really know what to expect going in to see it, but we were delightfully surprised with how heart-warming and thoughtful the movie turned out to be. We found ourselves laughing out loud all throughout, usually because of the antics of the hilarious minions.

Fast forward more than a year later, some good friends asked if I could crochet a minion for them. I took on the challenge as it was somewhat of a departure for me: I was so used to making my teddy bears and bunnies, and the only other major “character” that I had previously made was Link.

Ryan and I searched on-line for pictures and patterns of crocheted minions and found numerous ones as they are indeed very popular (see Wolfdreamer’s version here and Sweet N’ Cute Creation’s version here). It’s wonderful to see that everyone has a different take on these little guys. We decided to make our own pattern and to make him quite large so that we could include plenty of detail.

Warning: this is a very picture-heavy post, but bear with me if you want to see the detailed step-by-step making of one of Gru’s minions :)

I started off by crocheting his head/body. It looked like I was crocheting a giant yellow pill!

Before closing him up, we added hair by cutting strands of black yarn and tying knots on one end. We threaded the yarn from underneath so the ends stuck out. We trimmed the strands to our desired length, and it felt like we were giving him a hair cut!

To prevent the ends from fraying and to ensure that each hair was more defined, we rubbed each strand with white glue.

Next we stuffed him and closed up his body.

Ryan cut out circular pieces of white, brown and black felt for the eyes…

And glued them to his face!

Ryan noticed that in many pictures, the minion’s upper and lower eyelids are visible under the goggles they wear. So, we crocheted some narrow strips to add above and below the eyes!

I really like this series of pictures that shows us adding the eyelids, one by one!

Next, we worked on the goggles. This turned out to be quite the ordeal as we tried to figure out how to make them look realistic and more three-dimensional. It took us a while to get the right size, but in the end we figured it out. I crocheted a long strip (longer on the bottom and shorter on the top) and sewed the ends together lengthwise to form a tube.

We were left with these tubes with flat ends on either side:

We bent the tubes to form a circle by sewing the flat ends together.

Then, we sewed the two circles together, with the junction being where the flat ends were sewn together. This ensured that the thickness of the goggles was consistent throughout (if we had just sewn two regular circles together, the junction would have been twice the thickness).

Then I attached a long black crocheted strap..

And added some side detailing to the goggles as well!

His goggles are looking pretty intricate!

Next I worked on his blue overalls. I started off as though I was crocheting a blue body (same pattern when making yellow body/head). Then I started working in rows (vs. in a circle) to create the front and back parts of the overalls. Ryan used yellow yarn to add stitching to the edges :)

Next came the minion’s boots! I decreased unevenly around the oval to create the front foot part and then switched to blue yarn for his pant legs.

We added some more detailing to his overalls by adding front and side pockets, also embroidering them with yellow yarn.

He’s looking good!

We decided to make this little guy really expressive with a wide open smile! Ryan cut out the mouth, teeth and tongue using black, white and red felt.

He looks pretty happy even though he’s still missing limbs! We also added little black buttons to the front of the overalls for the straps to loop through.

Here we have the skinny blue overall straps with a hole on the end for the button!

The last part to make were the arms and gloves. I crocheted a skinny yellow tube for the arm, a black ball for the glove base and three black tubes for the fingers. Betcha didn’t know that minions only had three fingers!

Ryan did a fantastic job with the gloves as he positioned and sewed each finger onto the glove base. It looks like he’s ready to grab something or do some of Gru’s bidding!

We then inserted the yellow arm into the glove.

Finally, after hours upon hours of hard work, the finished product!

Here you can see what he looks like from either side and from the back. We positioned his arms higher so that the straps of the overalls curved upwards and then downwards.

We were so happy with how he turned out!

What’s amazing is that he can also stand by himself! His boots have a wide enough base to give him support :) Wouldn’t you be surprised if you walked into a room and were greeted by this minion?

And, of course, his goggles can come off! This is probably what minions look like after a hard day’s work, for example after stealing the Statue of Liberty (the small one from Las Vegas), finding unicorns for little girls, you know…the usual ;)

His overalls can be removed too! Scandalous :P

Here is Minion with all his removable parts :)

Don’t his overalls look awesome? Ryan did such a great job adding all the detail!

I love that his straps are functional too…

Here is Gru’s logo: a blue “G” ontop of a black circle.

Here is Minion displayed in my room…

Up till this point, Valentine Teddy was the biggest amigurumi I ever made. However, as you can see, Minion is much bigger!

Before we had to give him away, we took some quick photos with him. Here he is chilling next to Ryan. Minions make great company :D

I was sad to see him go, so I had to snap a picture with him! P.S. I did not intentionally try to match with Minion…it just so happened I chose to wear grey and blue that day :)

Haha, love how Ryan is mimicking Minion’s friendly wave :D

It’s awesome that there are so many different minions, each with a different personality and different facial expressions. You can totally customize your own minions and make them personalized! See all the different minions depicted in this picture below? On our honeymoon, Ryan and I went to Disney World and Universal Studios. As soon as we saw this minion, we made a beeline to take a picture with him!

Thanks for journeying with us to see how we made this minion! It was definitely a challenge trying to figure out how to make each part, but Ryan and I had a lot of fun working on this together. He is the biggest and one of the most intricate projects we’ve worked on, and we are so proud of how he turned out. I tried to take as many photos as I could and be diligent in writing out the pattern I made so I could share it with you all. It’s quite a detailed pattern (given all the little parts), and it can be found here. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below! Thanks :)

Spring Bunnies

When Craftzine asked me to make a Spring amigurumi pattern for them, I excitedly jumped at the opportunity. Several months ago, I was inspired by a photo I saw on tumblr (there was no source at the time) of a floppy-eared bunny with big feet adorned with a pretty flower. As soon as I saw that photo, I knew I wanted to try making something similar. I recently found out that the bunny was made by Lue and Sue who does absolutely beautiful work. Ryan and I had an idea to use the same pattern to make two bunnies: a boy bunny with ears sticking straight up, and a girl bunny with floppy ears. The boy bunny could be holding a carrot in hopes of wooing the girl bunny! Here is the sketch that Ryan drew up:

I first worked on crocheting a wide head with big eyes positioned towards the bottom of the face.

Instead of doing the typical nose I’ve done previously for other bears and bunnies (sewing a small nose on a piece of round felt), we were inspired by the cute noses found on the adorable stuffed animals by Jennylovesbenny where many of the noses extend all the way down the bottom of the head. Here is a close-up of the nose (detailed step-by-step sewing instructions drawn by Ryan can be found on the Craft blog post).

Instead of using felt for the lining of the ears, I decided to try using a pretty fabric as other amigurumi crafters have used. It was fun going to my local fabric store in search of the perfect fabric. I had to find one with a small enough pattern that would show up (fabric with big patterns would not work very well!). It was funny as I asked the sales associate to cut me the smallest amount of fabric possible. She asked me what I was using this for. I answered, “the lining of a bunny’s ears”. She laughed. Most people in there were buying yards and yards of fabric for clothing and and curtains!

For the feet, I decided to still use felt to contrast the fabric.

Once all the pieces had been crocheted, I was ready for assembly!

I attached the body to the head, the ears to the head (and bent one ear to give him an extra cute look), and then the legs to the body.

And here he is all complete!

I then crocheted a little carrot for him.

He’s all ready to court the girl bunny! Now it’s time to make her…

I used the exact same pattern to make this girl bunny, except I positioned her ears pointing down. I think it’s sweet how they have matching fabric for their ears!

You can see where I positioned the ears better in this photo…

Now it was time to make her decorative flower! I absolutely love crocheting flowers, and I can’t wait to use them in other ways (I want one in my hair too!). I crocheted this round pattern and then rolled it up inwards in a clockwise direction. I then secured the layers by running a sewing needle through them. The result is a beautifully layered flower!

And now to attach the flower to the side of her head. This decorative piece reminded me of trendy birdcage veils or flowers on floppy derby hats that are found on the side of the head too!

They’re both done! I was so excited to place them side by side!

Here they are from the back with their cute little tails to give them balance, enabling them to sit more easily…

And here they are from the side. I think they look so adorable from this angle! You can see the flower so well.

Here’s another photo of them back to back. I love this photo :)

And this is where they now sit happily at the corner of my desk. I like how you can see their reflections in this photo. They keep me motivated!

The pattern for these Spring Bunnies can be found here. Do give them a try! They’re fairly quick to make, and the sky’s the limit with how you can customize your own spring bunnies with all the patterned fabric and colour combos out there for the yarn and felt. Thank you for all your kind words and encouragement, and it’s great to hear how many of you who have never tried to make amigurumi before have been inspired to give it a try! Thank you also to Craftzine who have been very supportive of my work, and for giving me this opportunity!