Every fall, my husband and our friends raise money for charity by playing video games for 24 hours through ExtraLife. I’ve joined in the fun for the past couple years (though I’m never able to stay awake) by contributing whatever I can to the fundraising effort. In the past, it’s been buying doughnuts and coffee for the sleepy gamers, but this year I decided to sell my skills for the cause. I offered to crochet an animal (or amigurumi) for people that donated more than $50 to our cause. I ended up with a long list of people that wanted me to crochet their cats, a task which I was a big fan of.
I have never purchased a crochet pattern before, but because people were paying for it (how crazy is that?!) I dished out a whole $5 for the AmiCat pattern from PlanetJune. I can honestly say this is the best crochet pattern I’ve ever read! The pattern itself is well written and easy to understand, but there are loads of pictures and clarifications on confusing techniques to help the crocheter understand. It also helps with sewing the pieces together in the appropriate positions, which is always a huge concern of mine. You never want your animal lovingly made and have crooked eyes or uneven feet.
Since making the three for ExtraLife, I’ve also made two more for other friends that wanted cats for their kiddos. The pattern is a breeze to stitch together, and being a cat person I love to see these little critters come together. If you need a fun, satisfying toy to crochet, I highly recommend this pattern!