Handmade by Ani

It's been a while since I last posted on this blog hasn't it? I've been busy working on a few projects, including one with Clover - a Japanese company that specialises in making high quality tools for crochet, knitting, sewing, quilting and more. The inspiration for these projects is my love of Australia, Hong Kong and Japan - and what better way to show it than through crocheting mini food! These projects use some of my favourite tools from Clover, including their Amour crochet hooks, bent tip tapestry needles and mini patchwork scissors. You can find the crochet patterns for these projects on the Clover website for free: Mini Japanese Sweets Mini Australian Sweets Mini Hong Kong Food I've created some short videos on my Instagram with some helpful tips to make these - feel free to leave a comment below if there's a video you'd like to see. Make an invisible finish Make the edging of the dorayaki Close up an amigurumi Weave in an end Dorayaki (Mini Japanese Swe...

It's been a few years since I posted my Sleepy Cat free pattern and since then, I've learnt a few new things. I thought it was time to give this cat a bit of a refresh - updating it to US terminology and taking some new photos. You can find the original pattern in UK terminology  here .  If you're sharing it on Instagram, please tag me  @handmade__byani  or use the hashtag #handmadebyani! If you have any questions about the pattern, please leave a comment below. Anika x Sleepy Cat Pattern Note:  Please do not sell or claim this pattern (whole or in part) as your own. You may sell finished items from this pattern - if you do, please credit Handmade by Ani as the designer. You may share this pattern via a link to this post.  If you would like to translate this pattern into other languages, I would appreciate if you could please send an email to  handmadebyani2017@gmail.com This pattern uses US terminology and is worked in continuous rounds unless otherwi...

Mei from amiguruMEI has released her new book Amigurumi People and to celebrate, she is having a Virtual Book Tour. I was extremely honoured to be asked by Mei to participate in her Amigurumi People Virtual Book Tour, and of course I said yes! Mei has designed 16 adorable characters, each with their own story to share. The book, published by Tuva Publishing, is packed with lots of step-by-step photos to help you re-create each of these characters as well as information on the tools and techniques that Mei likes to use. It was very hard choosing which character to make first as they are all super cute! I ended up choosing two - Sleepy Time Sophie and Megan the Exchange Student. I absolutely love how they turned out!  Sleepy Time Sophie from Amigurumi People by Mei Li Lee I loved the colours Mei chose for her Sophie and Megan, however I decided to switch them up as well as embroider the eyes and nose. I also used blush instead of crocheted cheeks. Mei puts a lot of adorable details ...

It's been almost a year since I last posted on my blog, so I thought it was about time for another post 😆. I made this little chick 🐣 last year and thought it was time to (finally) share this pattern. If you make a baby chick and share it on Instagram, please tag me  @handmade__byani  or use the hashtag #handmadebyani! If you have any questions about the pattern, please leave a comment below. Happy crocheting! Anika x Baby Chick Pattern Note:  Please do not sell or claim this pattern (whole or in part) as your own. You may sell finished items from this pattern - if you do, please credit Handmade by Ani as the designer. You may share this pattern via a link to this post.  If you would like to translate this pattern into other languages, I would appreciate if you could please send an email to  handmadebyani2017@gmail.com This pattern uses US terminology and is worked in continuous rounds unless otherwise specified. I recommend using a stitch marker or a scrap pi...

Mangosteens are one of my favourite fruits. It's hard to find them where I live, and if I do, they're usually quite expensive! They are super juicy and sweet, and are easily found in South East Asian countries. Whenever I travel to Indonesia, it's the first thing I look for! The only negative is that the rind can stain your clothes - so make sure you don't wear your favourite t-shirt 😉 Since I can't eat them that often, I figured, why not crochet one?! Let me know in the comments below if you've had mangosteen before. If you make a mangosteen and share it on Instagram, please tag me  @handmade__byani  or use the hashtag #handmadebyani! If you have any questions about the pattern, please leave a comment below. Happy crocheting! Anika x Mangosteen Pattern Note:  Please do not sell or claim this pattern (whole or in part) as your own. You may sell finished items from this pattern - if you do, please credit Handmade by Ani as the designer. You may share this patter...

Almost 5 years ago, I learnt how to crochet after seeing a cute amigurumi bear, and I've been hooked ever since! 😉 Fast forward, I am by no means an expert, however I have learnt a few things that I'd love to share. If you're new to amigurumi, or keen to learn a new trick or two, hopefully this helps! 1. Always use a smaller sized yarn hook than what's specified on the yarn label With amigurumi, you want tight stitches so that the stuffing does not show through. You can try and tighten your tension, however this may put a strain on your hands. An easy way is to use a smaller hook size - normally 1 or 2 hook sizes smaller than what is specified on the yarn label. For example, for 8 ply yarn (also known as DK / light worsted), I like to use a 3mm hook. My collection of hooks! P.S. you can find the free pattern for this dinosaur on my blog  here . 2. Right side vs. wrong side For amigurumi, there is typically a right side and a wrong side. Noting that there may be some de...

This month has flown by so quick that I almost  didn't meet my goal of posting on my blog at least once a month. It's been a busy month of pattern testing, working on a new design, and getting ready for a CAL (crochet along) that I'm hosting with some crochet friends - an Eggciting Easter CAL starting on 1 March! You can find out more about the CAL on my Instagram  😉 In between breaks, I was looking at my amigurumi book collection. I've always loved collecting fiction books, and it's no different for crochet! I can't believe how much it's grown since I last posted about my favourite amigurumi books. You can read my earlier blog post  here . These are some books that I've added to my collection since then: Amigurumi Treasures 1 by Erinna Lee The lovely Erinna from @littleaquagirl  has designed 15 crochet projects to cherish with this sweet book. It is suitable for all crochet levels, and whichever design you choose to make, you're guaranteed to end u...

Happy New Year! A new year means new goals - and nothing like posting them on a blog to keep you accountable 😅 I don't normally set goals, but this year I have a few for Handmade by Ani: Post at least once a month on this blog, whether it be a free pattern, tips, or sharing my crafty thoughts (and I can tick off January with this post 😉) Design and publish more patterns - see below for my first pattern for 2022, which is currently being tested by my lovely group of testers Organise a Crochet Along (aka CAL) on Instagram  My first pattern for 2022 - Joey the Firefighter Koala I've kept these goals achievable, but if I don't reach them this year, I'll keep the following quote by Bruce Lee in mind A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at. If you'd like to stay up to date on what I'm working on, please check out my Instagram @handmade__byani If there's anything you'd like to see in this blog, or if you want to...

I can't believe how fast this year has flown by! It's almost Halloween and before we know it, it'll be Christmas! I wanted to design something for Halloween, and when I saw my sister's bear ghost drawing, I couldn't resist making a crochet version! 👻🐻 If you're sharing it on Instagram, please tag me  @handmade__byani  or use the hashtags #boothebearycuteghost and #handmadebyani! If you have any questions about the pattern, please leave a comment below. Happy crocheting! Anika x P.S. if you love cute stickers, check out my sister's Etsy shop or Instagram  (note: these are not affiliate links) Boo the Beary Cute Ghost Pattern Here's my inspiration: Credit: @thehappystickerco Note:  Please do not sell or claim this pattern (whole or in part) as your own. You may sell finished items from this pattern - if you do, please credit Handmade by Ani as the designer. You may share this pattern via a link to this post.  If you would like to translate this pattern ...

This month I joined my first Ami-Along with  Amigurumi.com  after seeing this month's make on Instagram - Sunny Farm designed by the talented Olka from  Aradiya Toys . It was so adorable, I couldn't resist! 😍 Each month Amigurmi.com hosts an Ami-Along with a different designer. You can sign up for just one, or you can become a member. What I love about the Ami-Along is that you get to meet other crocheters from around the world in the forums, and if you get stuck along the way, there's plenty of people to ask for help! And even better, you have a chance to win prizes (who can say no to that?).  For this month's Ami-Along, we made an adorable farmer girl, a beautiful sunflower, and a cute hen and chick! I fell in love with each of the designs and I was amazed by all the detail that Olka puts into her designs. This was actually the first time I've made something from her patterns and I definitely want to make more! Ami-Alongs are great for both new crocheters and exp...

When I first started crocheting, I had no idea that stitches had different names depending on whether the pattern was written in UK terminology or US terminology.  I first started trying to learn crochet from my grandma's old pattern books, which were written using UK terminology. However, when I couldn't figure out some of the stitches from the pictures, I turned to YouTube for video tutorials. At first I thought there were even more basic stitches I needed to learn. However, to my surprise, the basic stitches were the same - they just had different names! The following table converts UK terminology to US terminology (and if you're logical like me, you can kind of see pattern 😉). This will come in handy if you're following the patterns in my blog as they are written in UK terminology (I recently found out that most people actually prefer US terminology, so I've slowly been making my paid patterns available in US terminology). If there are any tips or tricks you...

Wow! Time has flown by since my last blog post in December - I can't believe it's almost Easter. There are already so many cute Easter creations popping up on my Instagram, but I couldn't resist designing my own one. This free pattern also coincides with me reaching 3k followers on Instagram - a BIG thank you to everyone who has supported me 💖 Meet Cooper the Baby Chick - a newly hatched baby chick who loves to play! His design was inspired by the little chick emoji 🐣 If you're sharing it on Instagram, please tag me @handmade__byani or use the hashtags #cooperthebabychick and #handmadebyani! If you have any questions about the pattern, please leave a comment below. Anika x Cooper the Baby Chick Pattern Note:  Please do not sell or claim this pattern (whole or in part) as your own. You may sell finished items from this pattern - if you do, please credit Handmade by Ani as the designer. You may share this pattern via a link to this post.  If you would like to translate...