Moj izlet u Amigurumi - My trip into Amigurumi Land

Kao što sam već napomenula, ja sam po opredeljenju pletilja, ali sam i povremena heklica. Ovo je ta povremena faza. 

U želji da ovaj post bude i informativan, a ne samo izložba malih amigurumija, skoknula sam do Vikipedije da pronađem zvaničnu definiciju amigurumija. Dakle, amigumi (ili u originalu "編みぐるみ") je japanska umetnost pletenja ili heklanja malih punjenih lutaka. Ime mu potiče od spoja japanskih reči ami (pleten ili heklan) i nuigurumi (punjena lutka). Amigurumi su obično životinje, mada se izrađuju i tako da predstavljaju razne predmete kojima se dodeljuju ljudske karakteristike. Po Vikipediji, amigurumi nema nikakvu upotrebnu vrednost, već čisto estetsku. On se izrađuje i skuplja zbog svoje osnovne estetske vrednosti, a to je dražesnost. Iz tog razloga amigurumi životinjice obično imaju veliku glavu i umanjene ekstremitete. Za njihovu izradu se koriste igle za heklanje ili pletenje, nešto manje od onih koje biste inače koristili, kako se pletivo ne bi rasteglo prilikom njihovog punjenja. Osim prediva i igala, potrebno vam je i punjenje (preporučujem koflin), plastične granule koje se stavljaju pri dnu figurice kako se ona ne bi prevrtala, zatim plastične oči ili prigodni dugmići, filc i šta vam mašta poželi. Interesovanje za amigurumi putem Interneta je počelo 2003. godine, a već 2006. godine je amigurumi bio najtraženiji artikal na Etsy-ju. Te se godine prodavao za sume od 10 do 100 dolara.

Na Internetu, a naročito na Raverly-ju možete pronaći mnoštvo besplatnih mustri za izradu amigurumija. Mustra za oktopode i Nema je sa Interneta, dok je Štuka moje idejno rešenje.

Jeste li i vi imali ekskurziju u amigurumi svet? Da li biste želeli da podelite to iskustvo sa drugim čitateljima? Ostavite komentar sa linkom do vašeg amigurumija, žarko bih želela da vidim vaš rad.

As I have already mentioned, I am a knitter at heart, but I am also an occasional crocheter. This is the aforementioned occasional stage.

In my attempt to make this post more informative than just an expo of my amigurumi animals, I took a stroll down to Wikipedia to find the official definition of what an amigurumi is. Hence, amigurumi (or in its original form "編みぐるみ") is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed dolls. Its name is derived from the combination of Japanese words ami (meaning knitted or crocheted) and nuigurumi (meaning a stuffed doll). Amigurumi are usually animals, but are also created to be inanimate objects with human like characteristics. According to Wikipedia, they have no practical use, but purely an aesthetic appeal.  They are created and collected solely on the basis of their aesthetic value, and that is cuteness. For that reason amigurumi animals usually have a large head and smaller sized extremities. They are made using a crochet hook or knitting needles of a smaller size that you would normally use, so that the gauge would not stretch too much after stuffing. Apart from yarn and hook/needles, you will need stuffing (I recommend polyester craft stuffing), plastic pellets to be inserted under the stuffing to prevent the amigurumi from toppling over, plastic eyes or appropriate buttons, and whatever your heart desires. The Internet fad for amigurumi started in 2003, and by 2006 they were the best selling item on Etsy. That year they were sold for from 10 to as much as 100 dollars.

You can find an abundance of free amigurumi patterns on the Internet, especially on Ravelry. The patterns for my octopuses and Nemo were found online, but the pike fish is my own design.

Have you embarked on an amigurmi journey yet? Would you like to share your work with the readers? Please leave a comment with a link to your amigurumi. I would so much like to see it.