By Audrey Anderson
Hometown Weekly Reporter
At the Westwood Public Library on January 22, Becca Heyman led a workshop on crocheting a small amigurumi kitty key chain. The term “amigurumi” is a combination of two Japanese words, “ami” which means “crocheted or knitted and “nugurime” which means “stuffed doll.” You may have seen some of these small stuffed animals on social media recently.
Each participant at the workshop received a small plastic bag with everything they needed to make an amigurumi kitty. The bag included cotton thread (for easy cleaning), a small “C” crochet hook, a tapestry needle, stuffing, and place markers.
Heywood started the workshop by demonstrating how to make a “magic ring” to begin the project. The ring was created to allow the first group of stitches to be pulled together in a closed ring to form the end of the kitty’s tail. Heywood demonstrated how to start the magic ring on a video screen, using her cell phone and a small tripod.
The participants had difficulty creating the ring, and soon it was clear that they had less experience with crocheting than needed for the amigurumi project. Heywood deftly switched gears, so students could learn how to get started. With great humor and patience, Heywood demonstrated the magic ring technique several times and then worked with each person individually.
The group still couldn’t get the ring done, so Heyman then made a magic ring for everyone so they could start the next step in the project, a chain of single crochet stitches. She demonstrated the stitch on the screen and again went around to everyone to show them personally. Some of the participants were able to move ahead, but others had trouble.
Thinking on her feet, Heyman concluded that the small amigurumi project was not the best way to learn crocheting skills. The thread and hook were tiny and difficult for some to maneuver. She said that she would schedule a basic crochet class soon that would use a larger hook (at least a G), and thicker yarn to make it easier to learn. The participants were happy with that conclusion.
