Simplify, simplify

Tonight I teach an amigurumi class at the Sew-op, and unlike last time (when three students signed up and none appeared) I am optimistic it will actually happen. Since I can’t leave well enough alone, I redesigned the class. I had decided the dachshund was probably too ambitious for one class, and also had been considering providing a handout with pieces that could be recombined into other animals. I’m not quite there yet; the intermediate plan involves these little guys:

If we can get through Aviator Owl and the first few rounds of Baby Grump I’ll be ecstatic. The handout will help them through the rest of Baby Grump (you’ll note that unlike the big one, he hasn’t learned how to be grumpy yet).

The bottom of the owl is an open-topped sphere. In that piece we’ll learn how to make the magic ring, how to use stitch markers in the round, which side is the outside, the invisible decrease, consequences of working in a spiral, and how to stuff neatly.

The top of the owl, a closed sphere, will add working around stuffing, sewing round openings closed, and securing and hiding yarn ends.

To complete the owl we’ll have to learn how to pin and sew stuffed items, sewing on the buttons, and a bit of embroidery. The handout will show some embroidery stitches that might come in handy, like the French knot.

Baby Grump begins by stitching around both sides of a chain. The back legs are my beloved bobble stitch, and the front legs are made with separate yarn slip stitched onto the body. We certainly won’t get to the front legs, but I think they are a bit easier to figure out from the handout than, say, the magic ring. Baby Grump also gives the students more practice counting their stitches, because his increases and decreases are not all uniform like the owl. I’ve begun upgrading the Ami Elements page of the Learn Crochet series with additional helpful links and information, and though I may not get to it again before tonight, more is in store.