Playing with Magnets in Amigurumi
Adding magnets to my amigurumi in a new refreshing way! I figured it was a safer and cleaner way of being able to match different amigurumi components as compared to say velcro or other methods! Read on to see what I did for my Woodland set and all the individual animals.
Inspiration
Fresh off one of my old silly ideas back then to make a headless Ned Stark which I used 2 magnets to connect and separate the body, this time I decided to try making an interactive magnetic set.
Of course, the magnet would be housed within the crocheted yarn so there should be no direct contact for the child playing. But I had a whole set of ideas about making animals pop up out of pumpkins and/ or make them look like they fell into the pumpkin with their upturned legs.
Then I figured I could make both! Meaning a head and top body half peeking out of a pumpkin and then the bottom body half that looks like they have fallen in. At the end of that, I could make both body parts come together like a complete piece too!
Alas I did not really think it through, because magnetism didn’t quite work the way I intended it to. For example, assuming the base of the Hedgehog’s head has a North Pole pointing downwards, naturally you would need a South Pole over the top of the pumpkin to attract it. But, for the Hedgehog’s bottom body half to attract the pumpkin, it would also need to be a North Pole. Then how would you get the top head half and the bottom body half to attract if they are both North Poles?!?!
Haha, I know it all sounds very silly but I was determined to find a way to make them all attract appropriately. So I decided to add in 2 magnets, 1 at the top of the pumpkin and 1 at the bottom of the pumpkin. Hence, the reason why I said the pumpkin must have a reversible look. This was the best solution I could come up with haha!
See the stop motion animation below to see what I mean about the different polarities of the magnets->
This was my little one playing with the set while I was attempting to teach her a chapter on magnets, I even got a small magnetic set with bar magnets and U-shaped magnets inside. I’m not sure she has got the hang of North or South poles yet :). But she definitely gets the idea of attraction and repulsion!
You can check out the full Woodland set with all its interactive magnetic components below!
Note: This is for the PDF PATTERN to make the amigurumi, NOT the finished product.
Included
- 5 PDF patterns, total 50 pages, 240+ images
- For Wolf, Rabbit, Hedgehog, Fox and the Loghouse
- The free pattern for Hedgehog is available on my blog!
- Final animals measuring about 8cm tall (3 inches) using sport yarn (weight 2) and crochet hook size 2.0mm. They can be made bigger with bulkier yarn and bigger hook.
- Final Loghouse measuring about 14cm length (5.5 inches), 8cm height (3 inches), 8cm width (3 inches).
Crochet skill level
- Intermediate level
- Some basic crochet skills are needed, such as the following: single crochet, slip stitch, half double crochet, double crochet, invisible decrease, changing colours.
- Check out freebie vault for more free resources on how to get started.
Crochet equipment
- Sport size yarn (weight 2)
- Crochet hook size 2.0mm
- Others - darning needles, stitch markers, glass eyes
- For ideas where to get the equipment or how they look like, check out my blog post:
https://www.pocketyarnlings.com/blog/my-crochet-tools
Features
- Each pattern features various views and angles of finished amigurumi for easier reference on assembly.
- No limb attachments for animals, mainly attachments for detailing, though loghouse does have some amount of assembling work.
- Animals work up pretty quickly, loghouse longer, can be completed in 2 weeks or less.
- Final piece is mini-sized but adaptable, great for gifting.
Benefits
- Perfect as a gift, even if relatively last minute!
- Interactive toy for preschoolers, truck is great for housing other little mini toys as well!
- Stimulate your child’s imagination with pretend play!
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After payment has been processed, you can download your PDF file immediately.
If you have any enquiry, please don’t hesitate to contact me here. I will do my best to answer your question within 12 working hours.
