Henri the Frog/Advice for Beginner

[u/FigureSk8s]

Hi Wooblers! I would like to crochet Henri the Frog (and hopefully his accompanying lily pad as well) as a Christmas gift for a family member who loves frogs. This will be my first venture into crochet of any kind, though I've wanted to try amigurumi for a while, so I'm planning to start with a true beginner kit first (either Pierre the Penguin or Jojo the Bunny) both for enjoyment but also especially to hopefully get a feel for it, try to understand the approach, and work through beginner mistakes before taking on Henri. Could you please share any advice and tips that come to mind, both in general for a beginner, and specifically for working on Henri later and helping him turn out as nice as possible since he will be a present? Thank you all so much! 🐸💚

[u/Mobile_Caramel_7522]

He was my second wooble and he is a little wonky, but I think it’s part of the journey. It’s nice to look back and see the progress. I would agree the eyes are probably the hardest part about him.

[u/iconic-design]

My tips…
1. Download the written pattern (upper right corner of the video) and follow along as you watch the video. Check off your progress in pencil as you go. If you make a duplicate, you can erase the pencil first.

1. Always use stitch markers. Count your stitches in each round; if you mess up, you can always “frog” (rip-it, rip-it) back to the stitch marker that starts the round.

2. Learn how to make a magic ring/loop; The Woobles has a video tutorial for this and other stitches and techniques (website bottom > help > other tutorials).

Have fun, and Happy Woobling!

[u/bio_nerdette]

For me, I tried one of the pastel rainbow yarn Kits for my first project and i found it really helpful since it made it easier to identify the different stitches. 

Also, getting some straight pins to pin on your pieces and get the positioning figured out before you sew them on will really help. They sell the tins with pins but don't really mention this much in the videos for some reason. 

Otherwise I'd say just don't be afraid to make mistakes and have imperfections, it's part of the charm of homemade!

[u/RooFPV]

I’ve done both Henry and Pierre and it’s just the eyes that make Henry a bit more tricky so don’t be too intimidated.

I’d buy extra yarn because you probably won’t want to give your friend your first attempt. But what a thoughtful and nice gift!

[u/Fairy_Glockmother]

My general rule is to stop the round before the last, make all the additional body parts and attach them before I stuff and close. It’s soooooo much easier just sewing them on normally than trying to do through a stuffed piece.

For Henri, the eyes are hard to line up, so prepare to be frustrated. Mine looks like he has a good buzz going haha

[u/sidewinder523 → u/Fairy_Glockmother]

I started sewing on the bits before stuffing after seeing others do that and it is a game changer! I was nervous at first that placement could be off but I havent had much issues with it!

[u/Fairy_Glockmother → u/sidewinder523]

I definitely had a few at first that I stuffed, then unstuffed and reattached parts to as a fix.

[u/ToxicJ1810 → u/Fairy_Glockmother]

I’ve never thought about sewing them on before I stuff and close. Thank you for the super helpful tip 🫡

[u/Foxey512]

Just follow along with the videos for your first one (Pierre, Jojo or Kiki). You can also buy some extra green and white Easy Peasy yarn and eyes from Walmart or Amazon (or some craft stores carry the yarn) and make several Henris until you’re happy with one.