Originally I saw a post on instagram by Artecrochê Amigurumis and she had made this stunning amigurumi Iron Man. I fell in love the moment I saw him, I loved her version based on Iron Man and those that know me will know I am a big fan. I left a comment and told her how much I loved her design and that if she needed a pattern tester I would love to help her out (and if not that I’d love to make him anyway when the pattern is released!). She responded and said she would love my help to test this pattern and I was super excited. A while later the pattern was ready to test and in the meantime I had tested another pattern for her so it was great to work with her again, and this time on the pattern I had been desperately waiting for .

Pattern is now ready to buy, click here, please note this link takes you to the designers Etsy store where this pattern is listed and available for sale.

I loved every moment of making this fantastic design, it was just a complete joy to work on. I picked out the perfect colours for him with a comparable yarn to the designer and he was actually really easy to make. The pattern was easy to follow and it didn’t take long until I had the finished creation in front of me . I am not a big fan of gluing parts onto amigurumi creations unless it is really needed so I did make a few changes, I sewed the mask in place as well as the round circle on his tummy. In the pattern you will see instructions for both options so it’s completely up to you and what you prefer but I have to say I think mine version looks pretty good with these pieces sewn on!

••• Pattern Testing Notes •••

This pattern is a joy to make and I came across very little issues as I was creating it. I did make some suggestions based on my experience of making him and the pattern has been altered to reflect this. This might mean you see some of my work in progress photos that might be different to how I would make him now the changes have been made. The main difference is originally I left markers for where the eyes would go when I made the head piece but now you do not need to do this as it’s all done during assembly when you add the mask and eyes in place. As I said generally there was very little changes made so most of the photos you see should match up to what you create .

During Assembly I have one helpful tip for you, as you might end up coming across the same issue I did. If you do though there is no need to worry as there is a simple easy fix which I’ll share below. This relates to placing the mask on the head and inserting the toy eyes.

Top Tip: Have you secured the eyes in place through the mask and head but lost the last round of red from the head at the bottom? If this happens don’t worry as it’s easy to fix, just add another round of SC to the head and it’s fixed. No one will notice and it gives you the space you need to sew the head onto the body. By the way I’d suggest doing this before sewing or gluing the mask down as it will make it easier for you.

As I said earlier I choose to sew my pieces rather than glue them as I personally feel this is a more secure method and I don’t like to use glue when making Amigurumi if I can avoid it. I can highly recommend sewing the mask and the round circle on the body in place as it’s easy to do and you do get a lovely finished result. I do have a few tips for you for sewing these pieces in place which I’ll include below;

When Sewing the mask in place do not use the whip stitch, as you want to make sure the mask still has that raised look and you don’t want to see any obvious sewing stitches either. I don’t know what the sewing style I used is called so I’ll just describe what I did. I worked into the sc stitches that you made around the mask edge and when I say loops I mean the loops you get when you make these stitches and it’s what you work into when you are doing more crochet stitches (I hope that makes sense?!). I took my needle through the head to start with and then I need to go into the mask piece to secure down. I take my needle up through the loops of one stitch and then the stitch next to it I take my needle back down through those loops and then I work my needle into the head again. I do this repeatably all the way around to secure the mask to the head and it’s why you need to leave a decent length of yarn tail to do this. Just remember when you do this not to pull your stitches too tight as remember you want to keep that raised look and also when you do it this way you shouldn’t even really see the sewing you have done. I am sure I took some photos of this stage so feel free to look at those to guide you. I promise you this method is quick and easy and gives a great looking result.

When it comes to sewing the round circle on the body I do exactly the same technique that I used to sew the mask in place. Again you want to make sure you keep the raised look to this piece and it will look so good you won’t even know you sewed it on, and that’s what I love about it as you get the same look as gluing them in place but it’s more secure (I feel).

I hope you have found this helpful and if I can be of further help to help you create your own cute Iron Man please ask. I promise you its a quick and easy pattern to make and this character is so cute that everyone is going to want one so be prepared to make a few…lol!

••• How I stuff my Amigurumi •••

I made this amigurumi like I do all my others so when it comes to adding fibre fill I use tights/stockings first. I add some tights that I have cut down to approximately the size I need, I tie one end and turn inside out (so the knot is on the inside) and then I add it inside my crochet piece before adding the stuffing. Once I am happy with the amount of stuffing and I’m near the end of crocheting my piece, I tie a knot in the tights to keep the fibre fill secure and then I fold my excess inside. It’s a simple and quick as this .

Why do I do this? I like to do this to keep all my fibre fill neat and secure inside my amigurumi. This way no stuffing will ever come through my work, even if it loosens with time from being loved. It’s a great tip to use if you are making for babies or children as it makes it safer although I do this to all my amigurumi regardless of who it’s going too.

Top Tip When stuffing the arms and legs make sure you only fill it with fibre fill up to 2/3rds of the piece. You want to do this so that it’s flatter where you’ll be sewing down the arms or legs, not only does it make this part easier but it looks a lot better too. If you don’t do this the arms and legs will stick out a lot and not look as good.

••• Yarn Amounts Notes •••

I’ve added the white yarn but not included an amount that I used. The reason is I used so little that it’s still weighing the same as it started at, so it used less than a gram of yarn. I added it because I still wanted to record that this was the yarn I used.

☆☆ Pattern Feedback ☆☆

This pattern is excellent and I couldn’t recommend it more highly . It’s easy to make, the instructions are nice and clear to follow and it shouldn’t take you too long to make either. This design has simple shapes and not too much sewing involved either, I love how quickly this pattern came to life and I think you will too. I really love this pattern, both the design and the ease of making it.

I am so happy with mine and I can see myself making more as everyone loves him. In fact I can see myself making a bigger version as this pattern will lend itself to being any size you want, all you should have to do is change the yarn and hook size you use (oh and the size of the toy eyes as well). I will add though that keeping him to this size makes him so cute as I love how he sits in my hand or even sits there on my shelf looking so adorable!