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...

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...

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 ...

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...

With the festive season fast approaching, some of you may be looking for some last-minute stocking stuffers. I think these sleepy little cats would be perfect for your cat-loving loved ones! 🐈 And if you're feeling a bit adventurous, you can change the embroidered eyes to turn them into happy cats or laughing cats! 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 UK terminology and is worked in continuous rounds unless...