So with the Easter holiday  I have pretty much been exclusively making my  ‘Bunny on the Shelf‘ for lovely customers who want the ‘Easter’ version (bunny with a little Easter basket) to grace their shelves.  

I always find it funny that each bunny I’ve made, although ‘constructed’ in exactly the same way to the same pattern, all seem to be individuals with there own personalities.  I think that’s one of the joy’s for me of crocheting something yourself – everything is unique!

To give your amigurumi character it can be as  simple as to how you’ve positioned the eyes, nose or mouth on the face.  Wide-set or big eyes are found on most baby animals and have become associated with innocence and cuteness (note my bunnies all have wide set eyes!).  

Eyebrows are also intimately involved in facial expression so can have a huge impact on the character of your amigurumi. High-arching brows can add to a look of surprise or interest where as a slight slant might lean towards a more mischievous or bad-tempered nature.  

A small nose again can also be associated with babies and cuteness, where as a large nose might be more comical and a big smiley mouth speaks for itself where as a lopsided mouth could suggest a more wry character.

A new character appeared for me when I moved my bunny’s ears from pointing upwards to downwards for a ‘lop-eared’ look as requested by another customer – it just changed everything again!  I think this little guy could get an “awww” (and possibly a quick cuddle) from even the grumpiest of people.

I think if you are making your own amigurumi my top tip would be you should definitely experiment with the features.  There are so many amigurumi’s out there that you can make and some fantastic patterns but for me it’s how you position the features onto the face that breathes life into what you have made; transforming your ‘crocheted object’ into a little character to love!

• 2nd photo courtesy of Creative Kitty Crochet
• 5th photo courtesy of Loopy Hooky Crochet