Crochet Amigurumi – Zombie Apocalypse

Zombie BBQ Yarn Meets Beastly Crochet’s Hubert and Cletus – the Crochet Amigurumi Monsters

Zombies are mindless, discolored, and non-communicative, but no one warned me that they like office supplies! I whipped up Hubert (or is it Cletus?), the crochet amigurumi monster from Beastly Crochet by Brenda K.B. Anderson in Lorna’s Laces Haystack yarn in the colorway Zombie BBQ and brought him to work. Then, all my office supplies started to disappear or were commandeered. Hubert is quite possessive. Sticky notes are now off limits. And phone calls? Forget it. He has been scarfing down paperclips as if they taste sweeter than the neighbor next door.

I’m hoping this isn’t the start of a crochet zombie apocalypse. Hubert has swiped my #2 pencil and favorite purple pen. I hope he doesn’t find my tape dispenser! That has disaster written all over it! For all his idiosyncrasies, this fuzzy little monster has stolen my heart.

Felting Wool – Options for Crochet Amigurumi

Though crochet amigurumi is not new to me, felting crocheted toys is. And I think this may be my new favorite technique! As I mentioned above, this version of Hubert is crocheted in Lorna’s Laces Haystack, a single ply worsted weight yarn. I raided my stash for a bit of white yarn for the teeth. Pictured is Cascade 220. Hubert and Cletus pictured in the book are made with Patons Classic Wool Worsted.

You can felt with a single ply or multi ply wool yarn, as my Hubert Zombie clearly shows. But if you’re felting wool, you’ll want to avoid any yarn that has been treated so that it won’t shrink. So avoid anything that says “superwash”. Blends are also tricky. If the blend is animal fiber, then it might be ok. But avoid blends with plant or man made fibers. So avoid yarns like wool / acrylic blends.

Make Your Own Zombie or Monster Amigurumi

I confess that I have been in love with Hubert and Cletus since they first came out in 2013. Why it has taken me this long to make a little crochet amigurumi monster of my own, I’ll never know. But when the Zombie BBQ yarn was featured in Love of Crochet Fall 2016, my boss, Marcy Smith, suggested that Hubert and Cletus would be the perfect project for it. I whole heartedly agreed and set my hook to stitching. At long last, I now have a Hubert for my very own.

As far as crochet toys go, this project is surprisingly quick and easy to make. The only stitches you need to know are single crochet and half double crochet. And as far as techniques go, you just need to know how to crochet in the round and increase and decrease! You don’t even have to weave in your ends thanks to the felting process. The only hand sewing is attaching the arms. And when it comes time to cut out the mouth, you’ll be chomping at the bit to give your monster his goofy grin.

After I finished crocheting Zombie Hubert and before I washed him, I really wondered if he would be as cute as the monsters in the book. He looked like a deflated gourd with white splotches. But, wow. What a transformation he made when the finishing touches were added! I’m super happy with my new office mate.

Hubert and Cletus have stolen not only my heart, but lots of other people’s hearts, too. Check out more crochet amigurumi monsters on Ravelry.

Ready to create your own Zombie Apacolypse or just a crochet monster? Hubert and Cletus Crochet Pattern  is available at the Interweave Store. Or get the book Beastly Crochet with 23 Critters to Wear and Love.