Note: This is the step-by-step blog post for these amigurumi Siu Mai! The free crochet pattern can be found HERE. You can also purchase an INEXPENSIVE AD-FREE PDF of this pattern on Etsy HERE. The printable PDF with step-by-step pictures has been condensed into a total of 3 pages including the cover page!
Over the weekend, our church held a benefit event for the “Girls at Risk” program in Niger, Africa. This program is a 2 year apprenticeship that teaches girls aged 12-18 various life skills, such as nutrition, reading, sewing, and yes…crocheting! Through this program, the girls’ risk of early marriage, childbirth complications and poverty are reduced. You can read about this wonderful program on their blog here. I was inspired that three young girls at our church organized this whole benefit event including a silent auction, a luncheon, a presentation and various performances, to help girls around the same age as them all the way in Niger. I really wanted to help in some way, so I offered to crochet something for the silent auction.
It was Ryan’s idea to make the siu mai for this event. Siu mai are pork dumplings that are served during dim sum. In case you’ve never seen them in real life, here’s a quick pic we snapped on our most recent dim sum trip:
We first had the idea to crochet siu mai as we flipped through “Yummi ‘Gurumi”. I made up my own pattern (which can be found here) and decided to personify them as well. Doesn’t everything look cuter when you give it an expressive face? These were pretty simple and easy to make (I’m sure you could easily figure out the pattern, but I will post the one I made up soon), particularly since they’re so small. I crocheted a yellow wrapper and tan filling for each siu mai.
To give the edge of the wrapper a crinkled look, I ran a tapestry needle through every two stitches near the top. I then pulled the ends like a drawstring bag.
Ryan helped me out with the various facial expressions. We used orange yarn for the mouth and sewed it right in the centre of each face to represent the “roe” (fish eggs) commonly found on siu mai.
Then we sewed the filling to the wrapper! I love how each siu mai has a different expression, from being happy to being scared silly of being eaten…
We ventured out to Chinatown to search for a bamboo steamer to make the siu mai look as authentic as possible! Here is a bamboo steamer that we purchased, complete with a cover!
And once you remove the cover…
Ta da! Aren’t they so cute?
It was funny watching people’s expressions as they neared the silent auction table. You don’t come across amigurumi siu mai’s everyday 🙂 Once again, the pattern to make these crocheted siu mai can be found HERE.
I feel very strongly about using your God-given skills and passions to help and love those in your life and around the world. If you would like to help the “Girls at Risk” program, please click here to donate. Scroll down and click “Donate Now”. Under the “Fund/Designation” drop-down menu, choose “Other” and type in ”Niger Vocational Training“ in the message area. I am trying to support this organization with any proceeds that may come from this blog, and I know it’s really making a diference in these girls’ lives in Niger!
