Another year has rushed by and another edition of the Zoomigurumi series of amigurumi-packed books has bloomed into a reality. We’re on to number six now and this one is just as full as ever of cute crocheted characters.
I made an owl pattern back in the summer at the same time that I was designing my chameleon. That was a great riot of colour for sure and the theme seemed to be lots of stripes and big staring eyes!
Oswald the Owl was put forward as a potential for the new book and, happily for me, he passed the audition!
After being accepted, all the pattern writing and testing had to be done which involved a number of duplicate Oswalds being made.
Sometimes they were crocheted at my desk or in the lounge…
…and sometimes they were crocheted outdoors, enjoying the warmth of the sun – sadly missed at this time of year.
Doesn’t that look idyllic? Roll on next summer, it will soon be Pimms O’clock again!
I can’t wait to be setting up the day bed in the yard again for some serious crochet al fresco.
As work progressed with the book I volunteered to proofread another contributor’s pattern and was given Little Muggle’s Rudy the Red Panda.
All the individual pieces looked sweet enough but the cute factor just soared sky high when I sewed them together and embroidered the nose.
This is my finished attempt, strutting his stuff on my desk.
Of course if you are going to be bookfellows then it’s very important that you learn to get along. Oswald is not too sure the first time that Rudy tries to climb into his nest.
But Oswald soon finds out that Rudy means no harm and he relaxes a little bit.
Before you know it Rudy has wriggled his way into Oswald’s nest – and into his heart.
It’s a snug fit but they’ll certainly keep each other warm that way!
Oswald also gets along fine with the Nesting Rainbow Owls. Just as well really, as that nest did belong to them first.
(My free Rainbow Nesting Owls pattern can be downloaded from here if you worry that your Oswald might get a bit lonely, or if you feel he needs a nice snuggly nest to keep him safe!).
It’s not long before all the owls are one big happy family – with a friendly red panda for company.
Here’s another look at all the lovely characters in the book, just in case you weren’t tempted enough already!
A special presale price of £15.95, including worldwide shipping, is available until 25th February 2017 and you’ll be sent a downloadable PDF version as soon as your order is complete so you can start crocheting straight away – if you can actually choose which one to start with that is!
The website at amigurumipatterns.net has more information on Zoomigurumi 6 if you want to know more.
It’s been another fun adventure with Meteoor Books. There’s a new book dedicated entirely to cute and cuddlesome monsters coming out next which will feature my Jeepers and Creepers pattern so be sure to check back from time to time for more about that 🙂
I had great fun being involved in Zoomigurumi 5. My fluffy alpaca, also known as Alicia, has gone off to Belgium to join her fellow bookmates. If you feel inspired to have a go at any, or all, of these crocheted characters you can get hold of a copy of the book 
He was a pleasure to make, of course, and now I have another character to keep me company at my desk.
He soon became best friends with Alicia’s grey fleeced cousin, Althea, and they’re now inseparable. They were both very good at helping me spot any last minute tweaks to the patterns and text. Alicia has been blessed with patience and is very calm and focused while Kaan’s beady eyes never miss a thing. A dream team!
Though I’ve never heard of a crocodile and an alpaca hitting it off before, there’s always a first time…
He is a fine looking fellow, I’m sure everyone would want to be best buddies with him if they met him!
And in case Alicia should get jealous here’s a little triptych of her own, taken by Joost De Wolf, the book’s official photographer.
I hope that’s whet your whistle and got you all excited about the brand new characters! Alicia has had a couple of new reincarnations already, again, from the pattern testing phase. There’s this chubby, cuddly looking fella made by Bregje Zeijen.
And this cute pink version made by Natalie Van Dalen. I love how Natalie changed the look with furry eyelash yarn. She’s like a big ball of gorgeous candy floss!
One of the things I love about amigurumi patterns is that it’s so easy to put your own spin on things by changing a colour, or a yarn type. You can upsize or downsize by experimenting with different hook sizes and yarn weights. It’s always exciting to see other peoples interpretations. Thanks to all who send me photos or post them on my 
I can’t wait to find out what you’ll be making once you get your copy. Do tell, I’m all ears!