Photo: Jen Blum
It’s pretty cool what a skilled crocheter can do with a bunch of yarn, some stuffing, and a geeky set of interests. The recent trend of crocheting cute (but still cool) small dolls called amigurumi (which literally means “knitted stuffed toy” in Japanese, where the trend began), has spread to the world of geekdom. Geeky crocheters have been making amigurumi based on all sorts of familiar themes, from Star Wars to Lord of the Rings to Tron to Evil Wil Wheaton, among many others.
I am privileged to be married to such a geeky crochet artist, though she often tries (in vain) to protest the “geeky” label. Jen Blum, my wonderful wife of nearly eleven years, taught herself to crochet in the autumn of 2008, and caught the amigurumi bug not long thereafter. At first she only made them as gifts for friends, but recently she’s been selling lots of them and making custom orders. She’s also been making less-geeky but still cool smiling kidneys to sell as a fundraiser for a good friend of hers who needs a kidney and pancreas transplant but can’t afford the attendant expenses.
The ones pictured above are just a sample of what she’s done. She’s recently created a very cool Darth Vader and Stormtrooper. She’s made an awesome Cthulhu, too, and, just because it’s too good a meme to ignore, a pirate and a ninja. Then there are mermaids, dragons, and “traditional” green aliens. So yes, she’s a geek, even if she’s in denial about it — I mean, really, could a non-geek have made that awesome Chewbacca?.
Obviously I’m biased here, but if you like what you see here, please check out Jen’s web store at Zibbet.com; prices range from $5 to $15, and are based on the item’s complexity. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, let her know and she may be able to do it as a custom order. Or, if you have any suggestions for other fun geeky subjects for amigurumi, please leave a comment or tweet her at @barefootjj.
