A wee cup o' cocoa

This tiny cup of hot cocoa may not look very important, but she actually represents something much bigger, at least much bigger to me. She is the very first Amigurumi(tiny crocheted creature) that I've made entirely on my own and been perfectly happy with the end result.



Like baking homemade bread, making Amigurumi was one of those life goals that I simply never thought I'd be able to achieve, but, once again, my mother came to the rescue. This year, she gave me a book on making Amigurumi for Christmas, and after my initial reaction of deep despair and sighing over the fact that I'd never be able to create such adorable, sweet creatures, she showed me just how very easy it is to crochet these tiny friends.


Thomas Keller's ultra chocolately, but ever so slightly salty cookies. Just perfect to eat with a wee cup of hot cocoa.

The truth is that, unbeknownst to my mother, I've had Amigurumi on my mind for several years now. My initial introduction to the concept came from one of my all time favorite food blogs (odd, I know), Chocolate and Zucchini. Some time after that, Matthew gave me two darling books on the subject as Christmas gifts, but I quietly put them aside after drooling through them. They were just too hard for me to tackle and, honestly, I had completely forgotten how to properly crochet and certainly wasn't going to begin to learn knitting.



In the end, my mother sat me down and helped me make my first little friend, a cheerful snake(I knew Matthew would love a wee snake for his friend). Once I finished the snake, I felt brave enough to try making a little mouse on my very own, alas, but I needed her assistance for my second little project.


yum, a carrot!

It doesn't seem as though it will hurt me?

Oh, yes! This was a delicious idea!

Once I came home after the holidays, my mother wasn't around to help me through the more difficult parts of crocheting these little cuties, but she had already given me the confidence that I needed to continue on my own.



At last! I succeeded. Maybe my baby Elephant wasn't the best that I felt I could do, but she was my very first on-my-own Amigurumi. Finally, with the little Cocoa Cup, I happily finished crocheting her and felt that at last I'd overcome another of those insurmountable accomplishments that those of us with small, quiet lives tend to aspire to. So, I've tucked bread baking and Amigurumi under my little pink belt; who knows what else I may learn to do next year!