Free Pattern Friday: Katamari Edition

Last year I made my 19 year old brother a Katamari set for his birthday. Lucky for me, my brother is awesome and totally appreciates hand crafted items. Now he is picky, so I only make things he specifically asks for (or otherwise obviously implies) he wants. I had shown him the magnetic Katamari ball, because this is one of his favorite games, and he thought it was very cool and practically demanded one. The Prince not so much, but he's like me in some regards so I knew he would appreciate the set (and he did! They now have pride of place on his speakers).

Now the patterns came from two different sources, so you get a twofer today n_~

Amy Shimel's Magnetic Katamari pattern is posted on her blog and very easy to follow. You only need to know single crochet and increases (and how to start working in the round, Amy recommends the magic circle), as the ball itself is made in two halves.

She does recommend a certain type of magnet (Darice 3/4" which come in a pack of 8 for $2.50, but you will need 28 magnets so that is 4 packs). This is because she had come across other magnets for better prices (50 for $5), but they were not strong enough. Now I couldn't find the Darice magnets, and Hobby Lobby is the most convenient craft store for me to get to (it's just 2 blocks away from my work...also I am lazy and don't like to drive out to Michael's or JoAnn's unless I have another purpose). They carry a generic (Tree House Studio) brand of ceramic magnets with a magnet strength of 6, and they worked just fine. You can get 8 for $2.50 or 50 for $7.99, so this is another option for you or just some info on the kind of magnet that works.

Check out Amy's pattern and make your own magnetic Katamari. Then have tons of fun playing with it!

Keiko Kikuno's Katamari Damacy Prince pattern is also free. I found it on Ravelry, but it is hosted on Google Docs so anyone can access it. I found it pretty easy to follow and only changed one thing. Most amigurumi worked in rounds is worked in spirals, which is fine for solid colors, but color changes can lead to not quite perfect shapes. In the pattern the face is worked into the head, so the peach patch becomes more of a rhombus. The edging can probably correct this, but I opted to make the head solid green and make a flat rectangular patch to sew on for the face (12 stitches by 12 rows).

Check out the patterns, and the games! They are generally goofy, but a lot of fun (for beginner and advanced gamers). If you make your own toys, please share and make sure to tell the designers you liked their work!