R.A.T

Crochet rat - wired rat I have made some time ago. He is super cute and is now sitting in an honorable place above the tv in my living room.

I made his eyes, nose and teeth from modeling clay, which I have painted later on. This topic actually deserve the separate post which I am planning to make someday. I wonder if You think it's better to make the custom parts or to use the ones available in shops. As You can deduce I am for making them Yourself but the fact is they are not perfect and even after some practice I can't achieve the perfect effect especially for the circular and/or bright elements, which meant every clay element in this project :).

The rat's fur is very realistic. I made and then brushed each gray, furry part of the rat. If You would like to know more about brushing amigurumi see my previous post here:

http://krawka.blogspot.com/2015/03/brush-brushbrush-your-amigurumi.html

He is fully wired inside so he is posing perfectly for the photos.

I especially love this next photo from the back. He is much more serious here when You don't see the cartoon eyes.

Brush.... Brush.....Brush.... your amigurumi....

Did You ever wonder what happens when You will brush Your amigurumi with dog brush?.... Yes, I didn't too until few days ago when I came across this wonderful post:

http://tamiesnow.typepad.com/roxycraft/2009/06/tutorial-making-brushed-amigurumi.html


I bought my brush right away. Actually I lied few lines above when I said "dog brush", because I bought a brush which was ideal for bunnys :) So I knew right away what I am going to make. You can see exactly how the brush looks like on the pictures , I am sure You can get it in every at store and even supermarket. The effects are different for different kind of yarn or even different colors of the same one. In the tutorial I mentioned few lines below I red You can use any natural fiber yarn except cotton, my yarn was cotton and I am still pleased with the effect. You can always make a little piece to try it on. One thing that I noticed I had to brush the cotton yarn for a long time and when I used the different one later the effect was pretty much the same for a shorter time.

Anyway it all depend on the effect You want to achieve I have to tell You the photos from this tutorial do not reflect exactly how cute and cuddly and soft and furry this bunny is. So I highly recommend to try this technique and experimenting on different yarns.

Happy crocheting!

Few things You need to remember when using dog brush on Your amigurumi projects:

• Brush parts individually before sewing them together.
• Depending on the effect You want to achieve You may want to brush in different or only in one direction
• If it's possible You may want to brush the back side - it make the front one more furry too.
• Before brushing Your amigurumi You may want to try on small test part.
• If You are using not cotton yarn and making a long fur You may want to brush it with the regular brush or the brush for infants to form the exact hairstyle You want.
• If You are using a cotton yarn it may take a while to see any effect

If You have any other tips please share in comments and I will write them here..

My son brushing the bunny :) You can see now who is really doing my projects :) In all seriousness please remember to use the brush on each part separably and before assembly.

Bunny pattern: