Carolina Guzman Benitez - Snuggle and Play Crochet: 40 Amigurumi Patterns for Lovey Security Blankets and Matching Toys

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This book is just the beginning of a wonderful story of friendship. These cute characters are destined to be carried around endlessly in the tight little hand of a small person you know. The 20 fun and colorful crochet designs, from a dog and cat to a zebra, monkey and reindeer, will become adorable characters that are sure to accompany your little one on their journey through childhood and to share their adventures along the way.

By using your imagination with colors and yarns, expressions and accessories, and choosing from the different blanket patterns in the book, you can combine the patterns in dozens of ways to create your very own versions.

These patterns will last for years. You can use them for children from the earliest age, who love to carry a little blanket wherever they go, and for older children who will enjoy playing with the fun amigurumi toys. These toys and loveys also make perfect gifts. Everyone is sure to have a different favorite character!

Most of the characters and loveys in this book are made out of worsted weight yarn using a 4mm (US 6/G) crochet hook. Where a larger hook is required this will be specified in the pattern. If no hook size is specified, use your 4mm (US 6/G) hook. All blankets are made with a 5mm (US 8/H) hook. I recommend using a soft yarn, like merino.

Take care when attaching safety eyes, as you will not be able to remove them once they have been secured in place. If you are making the toys for young children, I recommend embroidering the eyes instead.

You will need the same equipment for most of the toys as listed below:

• 4mm (US 6/G) crochet hook
• 5mm (US 8/H) crochet hook
• Stitch markers
• Yarn needle
• Toy stuffing
• 12mm amigurumi safety eyes two for each character
• Scissors

You can use up odd balls of yarn for the toys and feel free to use different colors to those specified in the patterns! Who says a zebra has to be black and white?

Stuff your toys with polyester fiberfill, which is inexpensive, washable and non-allergenic. Avoid overstuffing, because the stitches will stretch and the stuffing will show through.

A lovey is a small comfort blanket, designed to be carried around by a young child.

This book contains five patterns for small blankets, or loveys, and patterns for 20 cute characters.

You can make the characters on their own, or you can use the patterns to make a lovey from each of the characters. To do this you will need to crochet most of the character, without its body and legs - and its tail if it has one!

Then you will make a blanket and, following the instructions in the pattern, attach the character to the blanket. By stitching the two together you can make an adorable comfort blanket or lovey that your little one will enjoy carrying around with them.

Either follow the patterns as we have suggested, which have paired up the blankets and the characters, or make any combination you wish. You can change the colors or swap the suggested blanket for another one in the book to create your own unique toys and loveys.

Use your own imagination to make any number of toys that are completely unique to you!

The Granny Blanket is the easiest of the five blankets and suitable for new crocheters. The character patterns are all labelled as intermediatethey involve some counting and perhaps some skills that you might not have learnt before, such as surface slip stitch or using a magic ring.

We have explained these stitches at the end of the book, so you can look up anything you are unfamiliar with.

Each pattern includes a table that tells you which body parts are required and where youll find the pattern. Most of the heads and bodies are the same as Theo the Teddy Bear. For every part there is a chart to accompany the pattern, which you can refer to if you prefer working from a chart.

I recommend assembling the features on the head of the loveys before finishing off the head.

The charts in this book are drawn in different colors to make them easy to read. Start in the center of the chart where you see the little white arrow head.

Follow each round anti-clockwise, working your way out from the center. The symbols used in the charts are standard crochet symbols, and are listed at the end of the book. The chart should give you an idea of the shape of the piece you are making and can be used together with the written pattern.

Easy

• Worsted weight yarn in chosen colors
• 5mm (US 8/H) crochet hook
• Yarn needle
• Scissors

ch, dc, sl st

Approximately 13in x 13in (33cm x 33cm)

Foundation ring: using 5mm (US 8/H) crochet hook, make a magic ring.

Round 1: ch3 (counts as first dc), then working into the ring, work 2dc, ch2, (3dc, ch2) three times. Join with a sl st in the top of initial ch3.

Round 2: sl st in next 2 dc, sl st in next ch2 corner space, ch3 (counts as first dc), 2dc, ch2, 3dc in the same space, (ch1, 3dc, ch2, 3dc in next ch2 corner space) three times, ch1. Join with sl st in top of initial ch3.

Round 3: sl st in next 2 dc, sl st in next ch2 corner space, ch3 (counts as first dc), 2dc, ch2, 3dc in the same space, (ch1, 3dc in next ch space, ch1, 3dc, ch2, 3dc in next corner space) three times, ch1, 3dc in next ch space, ch1. Join with sl st in top of initial ch3.