We love DIY projects. As many of you know, we love them so much that we opened our Innovation Station as a means of fueling personal creativity and imagination. LPL staff members have caught the DIY bug and some are using their skills to benefit library programs.
Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting small stuffed dolls. It’s become a popular trend in America, branching out from the typical anthropomorphic animals to include pop culture characters. To my absolute delight, a photo showcasing a set of Golden Girls amigurumi made the Facebook rounds several weeks ago. It seems that just about any character can be translated into an amigurumi with astounding likeness…assuming the crotchetier or knitter is skilled at following the pattern and is handy with their hooks or needles. I’m guessing at this, since the crocheting gene seems to have skipped a generation in my family. My mother, and especially my aunt, are skilled crotchetiers. Over the years, my aunt has made me the most beautiful full-size blankets, with unicorns and multi-colored flowers that pop off the surface.
Unlike me, several of my coworkers are very handy with their crochet hooks and have spent the past months working hard to make the amigurumi you see in the accompanying photograph. These beautiful dolls will be donated to the Teen Lounge for use during the Summer Reading programs and will likely serve as prizes for lucky participants. As you can see, the collection includes many well-known characters that are in keeping with the summer reading themes Unmasked and Every Hero Has A Story: the Joker, Michelangelo, Batman, two masked raccoon bandits, Jack and Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas, a superhero, and a pirate.
The amigurumi are just one example of the many ways in which our staff use their talents and personal time to help make library programs as fun and engaging as possible. Whether it’s contributions of paper towel tubes, empty baby food jars, or intricately made stuffed dolls, the LPL staff will always pitch in when a department needs a few extra helping hands.
The Internet is a treasure trove of Amigurumi patterns and examples. You can always stop by the library or give us a call if you’re interested in how-to books on this topic. Maybe if you become proficient enough, you can also speak with a librarian about locating a children’s hospital or charity that could use your handiwork. What starts as a hobby, can ultimately do some good for others.
Happy Crocheting and Knitting,
Jess
