Tiny troops are a wonderful way to use your crochet skills to create some very special dolls. Reserved for the family and friends of our troops enduring a trying time, they are a small token of your gratitude that will bring comfort to recipients.
Tips
- The doll is crocheted in continuous rounds.
- Do not join rows.
- Use stitch markers or yarn to mark rows.
- Pattern is worked from top of head down.
If you are new to amigurumi, here are a couple of suggested stitches to learn:
- Use the “Yarn Under” technique to lessen the possibility of holes in fabric.
- Use “Invisible Decrease” and “Invisible Increase” for the same reason.
While not necessary, these techniques can greatly improve the look of the finished product. Search the Internet and Youtube.com for instructional videos for these stitches and other helpful hints. Good luck and most importantly, HAVE FUN making them!
Operation Gratitude in Action
We have a Facebook group called Operation Gratitude in Action for our Handmade With Love donors! Come and meet volunteers from across the country, share pictures of your work, and join our virtual crafting circles!
Every Tuesday evening and Thursday afternoon, we have Zoom meetings that bring together our volunteers for some crafting and chatting. You do not need to be a crafter to join the conversation!
You can find the links to our Zoom meeting in the “events” menu of the group.
Patterns
FAQs
We recommend that you use a 3.5 mm (E) hook.
We recommend that you use a size 4 worsted weight acrylic yarn.
Flesh = color of your choice. For the uniform, we suggest camouflage, Khaki, army green, etc. You can use any color for the scarf, but you may want to use RED to Remember Everyone Deployed.
Approximately 5 to 6 inches tall when done.
Use 9 mm safety eyes, or you can embroider them.
Additional hat patterns can be found on the web by searching for “Gonk Hero Pattern.”
We ask that you use poly-fil or a like product. Doll should be stuffed to be firm enough to keep the body shaped, but not do not overstuff. Overstuffing will cause the stitches to stretch and the filling to show through.
If you wish to attach a small card with your name and email address, you may do so. Please be sure the note is no bigger than a business card. We ask that you use sturdy card stock, not plain paper. Punch a hole in the card and attach it loosely with a piece of yarn tied in a bow. DO NOT use safety pins!
Yes! You can earn three hours of community service for every tiny troop you donate!
Search YouTube.com for instructional videos or search the web for “How to crochet or knit amigurumi.”
A good cost-effective way to ship your items can be a flat rate box from the post office. You can pick up the boxes for free at your local post office or order them online from the post office website and they will be shipped to you at no cost. We have created a special shipping document to walk you through the steps of using the post office website to order supplies and print postage. You can also search the web for “Pirate Ship” for discounted USPS postage.
You are welcome to use any shipper you would like including UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc. based on the best cost you can find.
One suggestion to save you both space in your box and on the cost of shipping is vacuum sealing your items in your shipping box. To do this, place a trash bag (you do not need to purchase special vacuum bags) in your box, put your amigurumi items in the box inside the bag. Vacuum the air out by tightly wrapping the bag around your vacuum hose and turning on your vacuum. Once the air is out, keep your vacuum running and spin the bag so that you can hold the air out as you tie off the bag with a piece of twine or yarn. Be sure to use extra tape on the box!!
Please do not put each item in its own bag. Each bag will hold air and waste space in your box, and it will waste space in our very full care packages. We will remove the bags when they arrive, which can be very time-consuming, and the bag is very likely to be discarded, which is a huge waste of plastic. We hate to waste anything so please don’t use them!
Yes, we will send you a thank you letter within eight weeks of receiving your donation. If you want earlier confirmation of delivery of your shipment(s), please use the tracking system provided by your shipper.