Amigurumi Girl

ZOE LILY BELLE PATTERN CORRECTION PART 2

2010-07-31T21:56:00.001-07:00

I warned you I suck at writing patterns. Thank you so much for all your patience and feedback. Recently I was contacted by Laurel who kindly pointed out a mistake in Rnd 18 (of the head) in THIS pattern. After much thought, I THINK the problem is only in the final count of the stitches for that row. It should read (9) and not (12) - I have corrected this in the original pattern. And as I told her, luckily since it's only a doll, we don't need to be precise anyway. The idea is that the head tapered down to a neck. So I leave it up to the maker's discretion on how to handle that row. Just follow your instincts and make it neat. That's what's so great about making amigurumi. There's really no right or wrong - only what you create with your own feeling.

BY THE WAY... you can visit the wonderful blog House Full of Monkeys for some great insight, notes, and suggestions to the Zoe-Belle pattern. I'd take her word over mine. ;)

Thank you everyone for visiting my sad sad blog. And I wish you the best with your hook!

(^_^)

Ami-G

Craftzine's Very First Crochet-Along!

2009-09-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone... I know I've been horribly irresponsible with this site lately. I hope you didn't abandon me thinking that I abandoned you! Certainly not, I've just been gravitating towards more mundane things of late. Boring, but that's life sometimes. So let me try to make it up some by telling you about Craftzine's first crochet along ever! "Gosh, Ami-G, get on the bandwagon, that's old news...geez!" Ok well I'll just remind you then. (^_^).

Yesterday I received a very excited sounding email from Laura at Craftzine about a cute little fuzzy panda ami they'll be sharing with the online community next week. The pattern is contributed by Tamie Snow from Roxycraft who is also the author of Tiny Yarn Animals. Look, it's sooooo cuuuuuute:From what I understand it's a lesson based crochet along partnered with Lion Brand Yarns. The first lesson is next week, Sept 7. Follow this link to Craftzine for more information! Of course, there will be a Flickr group for sharing and discussion. Gosh, how fun! Be sure to help spread the word. I can't wait to see all the finished panda cuties!

(^_^)v

Ami-G

Have a Munny Day!

2009-06-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

I’ve been doing a variety of things around here. Mostly mudane and not worth posting about. My daughter’s school semester is one half day away from the end and I have good intentions for summer vacation. I hope I can keep the motivation up! Here’s some things I’ve done recently that maybe you’d like to see. Or maybe not, but I’m posting it anyway. =p

I love Munny dolls. And Dunny dolls. And all those weird vinyl toys etc. I’d start a collection if I didn’t feel so guilty about wasting money and space. Here’s my first Munny sketch. Done in pencil then in ink. I think I should get some 4 inch dolls to do with my daughter this summer.

Here he is colored in photoshop and made into a dorky wallpaper for my desktop. heeIn Amigurumi news... here’s a little guy I started yesterday. No plans. No direction. I just wanted to feel the calming rhythm of hook and yarn being stitched into something. ANYTHING. This so far. It has green cat eyes I bought online eons ago, but I’m not sure I really intend for it to become a cat. We’ll see.Oh yea, we were also watching Cardcaptor Sakura again. Kero-chan CHECK! I also made this crocheted flower with beads for a hair tie. Woot. The yarn is cotton. I've not done much with cotton before but I'm thinking I want to do lots more.I hope you’re all doing well out there. Live long and prosper. (Yes I saw the new Star Trek and I loved it! Casting was great. I'm excited for the future of the series.)

What else have I been wasting my time with instead of making amigurumi and writing patterns? Watching too much Heroes. Watched all of Season 3 in a few days. Whew. Addicting.

Stay cool! (^_^)v

A Doodle a Day Keeps the Doldrums Away

2009-03-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to dig out my creative self again. My TRUE creative self that once was when I was much younger. I was a fount of creativity back then and now this dried up well only trickles the occassional original idea. sigh. What happened? How does one fight the daily doldrums? How do we stay positive and optimistic in a world that sometimes seems to do nothing but spiral into a dark abyss of.... wow ok that's definitely NOT how to stay happy. hahah Let's get away from that line of thought.

So I've been doing some doodling. I figured that should help at least a little bit. These came out of my pens throughout last week. Here are some happy dreaming little flowers. A girl and a... dog? Looks more like a weird baby kangaroo or something at her feet. Some owls, love birds... and fish that could be hot air balloons maybe if you looked at it with squinty eyes.

(^_^)v

Happy Day

2009-03-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today is a good day. I think it's a good day. At least, it's a better day than some of the recent days I've had in a long while. The weather is mild with the smell of fresh rain in the air. The flowers on our balcony are all happily blooming. The pets are at peace. The house is in order (mostly - acceptably so anyway).

And there are a lot of cheery posts on other blogs. Read about making butter at Angry Chicken; especially the post that inspired her over at Portland Food and Drink.com. I don't know why reading about that made me feel good. Then go and read Alice's insanity at Finslippy. That was hilarious. Well, I thought it was. Probably because it sounds like she's my husband's long lost twin. Though he's not THAT bad. (~_^)

I know making this blanket has been making me happier too.

When I pick it up and work on it the colors scream "happy happy"! I'm behind in this soft-waves ripple blanket making craze I know but it still had to be done. This one is being made with misc. left over skeins so the colors and weights are varying. This other one (next photo) took me over a year to do (becuase I procrastinated THAT much) and was requested in those particular colors.

It was requested extra long too so that could be another reason why it took so long to do.

Anyway, Happy Day to you all!!
(^_^)v

ps~ Thanks for all the posts

- from comments on projects to just plain good wishes -

its been very nice. Thank you.

ZOE LILY BELLE PATTERN CORRECTION!

2009-02-13T20:31:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, please forgive me. I thought that pattern was complete but one of you lovely readers (Celene!) have called to my attention that I have left poor Zoe armless! I did warn I am a horrible pattern writer. *sweat*. Still there's no excuse. Here is the pattern correction (or rather addition!) for her arms. I confess I'm not sure if it's exactly right (I have seemed to misplace the pattern notes for that project) so please PLEASE don't hesistate to let me know if it's wrong. Again I apologize and I hope this didn't cause too much frustration for anyone out there!

Zoe Lily Belle - ARMS

Arm (MAKE 2)

Start with magic ring of 5 ch or however you like to start your spiral/circular shape using 5 ch

Row 2: 2sc in each ch (10)
Row 3: 2sc in first ch, 1 sc in next* five times (15)
Row 4-6: sc in each (in the first sc on row 5 make a cluster – this is the “thumb”. I used a 5sc cluster I think. experiment to your liking)
Row 7: 1 sc in next 3, sc2tog in next* repeat three times (12)
Row 8: sc in each
Row 9: sc in next 5, sc2tog in next sc* repeat (10)
Row 10-11: sc in each
Row 12: switch to shirt color and sc in each.

Bind off leaving long tail for attaching to body.

Note:You can attach the arms whenever you’re ready. I did mine at the end of the project. Whip stitch them to the first row of the shirt, placing them as you see fit. ;) When attaching them, just make sure the thumbs are facing the “right” way; facing forward if you wish for her to seem relaxed with palms toward her sides.

Ok, I hope that makes sense. I will also correct the original posting of the pattern. Thanks again, Celene, for pointing out my error! Everyone cheers for Celene!! (^_^)v

Love...

2009-02-11T16:53:00.001-08:00

Thank you all for the kind words regarding my father's death. All in all I think I'm doing all right. Some days are better than others of course but what is there to do but live on? I know my dad would not want me moping about.

So in honor of no moping I designed this valentine for my daughter's class party; cards for her to hand out, you know, that type of thing. She said her favorite animal (now) is a wolf, hence the design. Now if I can only get my printer to work. sigh.By the way, as soon as my finger heals completely from being nearly chopped off with a chef's knife I should be getting back to some yarn crafting.

XOXO
(^_^)

Will be MIA again :(

2009-01-13T21:53:00.000-08:00

Sad news in AmiG world...

my dad passed away quite suddenly last Thursday.

Age 67. No warning. Just gone. :(

Sorry I'll be MIA again for awhile...

till next time (-_-)

Something different

2009-01-07T14:32:00.000-08:00

I wanted to try something different. Is that ok? Here are some charms I made from Sculpey. I used ivory Sculpey, baked it, put in the hooks, then painted them with acrylic paints and glazed them with the Sculpey Glaze (gloss). They turned out pretty cute. I just don’t know what to do with them now. HahaI also knitted a scarf from Paton’s Lacette in Beautiful Blue. Nothing fancy. I just wanted a blue scarf. The yarn was on sale and I love blue. It’s a little itchy but maybe it’ll be better after I steam it. There are no pictures of the itchy scarf. (^_^)' But here's another picture of the charms! (*_*) I just realized I don't have any reference photos... for size. These little gals are about the size of an American quarter.

(^_^)v

ps~ Are any of you video gamers and knitters? Sony's PlayStation3 LittleBigPlanet SackBoy pattern is now available to download for free (and legally) at The Sun's website. Click on the red typeface in the article and wait patiently for a nice PDF file that you can save to your computer or print out. It's the pattern that was published in the January issue of UK's Simply Knitting - which we never could find on the stands/in the stores. Maybe a lot of traditional knitters got mad about that too; their favourite monthly magazine suddenly no where to be found because of insane videogaming knitting geeks. haha Happy knitting! (I dont think I'm talented enough to do this one... ugh)

Save Handmade Toys

2008-12-31T09:11:00.001-08:00

So I might be a little slow to get on the bandwagon, but here it is: Save Handmade Toys. Because of all the insanity in toy safety in 2007 there have been some modifications to laws on toys. Good and bad. Anyway, visit the following link (or the previous one) for more info and help save handmade goodies.

Cool Mom Picks gives an overview of what's going on and easy tips and links on how to get involved. It's where you can get the source code for that cute Save Handmade button, too.

I could say a lot more about this whole state of affairs, my hubby sure is saying a lot - you should see the instant messages pouring in from him about it! Well maybe it's better you didn't, he's a little bit harsh - but I'd rather keep this site pleasant and free from too much of that heavy stuff that happens in everyday life. There are plenty of places to read rants and raves I don't think I need to add to it. (^_^). Perhaps I can encourage my hubby to start his own blog though. Hm. But promise you won't disown me through association!

Thanks for all the support and visits. Please go check out the news on Cool Mom Picks and even if you just click the vote button on Change.org it's a start.

It's good to be home

2008-12-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

Ok. I've been back from Thailand now for three weeks and the Christmas rush is over so I guess it's time to check in.

Thailand was...certainly a trip to remember. Other than some physical ailments on my part and the most wonderful closing of both airports in our area, due to that almost coup like protest, we did have a great time. My daughter especially had a great time. She met family she didn't know we had and experienced a whole different way of life. The weather was warm and humid but not too bad. The mosquitos were few. Thank goodness because I blow up like a blimp from mosquito bites.

Most of our trip was spent either near Bangkok where my mother is staying at my aunt’s or at Hua Hin and Cha Am which is less than three hours away from there. Because of the airport fiascos we didn’t make it to Chiang Mai to see my friend on Thanksgiving – I was really bummed about that. A few days later my friend brought her hubby and daughter to see us though which turned out marvelous. They drove their own car down. It was like a 7-8 hour drive I think. I owe her. Then we stayed at the Sheraton Resort and Spa in Hua Hin thanks to her frequent flier miles. Did I mention I owe her?

Getting a flight home was also tricky. There was a lot of calling of airlines and travel agents. The airports opened at the last minute and in the end my flight was delayed by only one day. However it now included a 12 hour layover at Narita Airport in Tokyo. If we weren’t so sick and tired and just wanting to get home I might have been excited about a 12 hour layover in Japan. But as it was we stayed at the airport, slept most of the morning at the gate, and then just shopped at the gift shops in the terminal. Again, I was blessed with a 6 year old that didn’t seem phased by anything. Oh I hadn’t mentioned yet what a trooper my daughter was; very minimal complaining or fussing on her part. Thank goodness because I would’ve certainly lost it otherwise. I did however get airsick for the first time. On the last flight home there was bad turbulence. We were on a totally full 737. The turbulence was so bad they had to stop serving dinner. The turbulence was so bad people were screeching. The turbulence was so bad my daughter kept asking me if we were landing already. Yea. Scary. Thankfully we both fell asleep and woke up about 2 hours prior to landing. Woohoo!

We’re so glad to be home but I missed the best of the holiday season I think. Missing Thanksgiving really messed up my Christmas season. My husband didn’t get to go on the trip with us either so that was a big bummer. Ah well, it’s done and we’re home.

So, when will I get back to crafting? To be honest I’m not sure. I have a feeling I’ll be trying to make a sackboy (from the videogame Little Big Planet) soon. My husband is actually hunting for the Simply Knitting Jan issue. Stay tuned…

Happy New Year!

Sa-wat dee ka!

2008-11-10T19:32:00.000-08:00

I have nothing to report on the crafting front. Nothing. At all. I’m STILL working on that cabled scarf. I’m STILL working on that drawing (barely). But most of all I’m working on getting ready for a trip. And it’s driving me totally batty.

We leave next week for a three week trip to Thailand. We have family and friends there to visit. I have been only once before in 1990. This will be my daughter’s first trip. So I’m going nuts with the preparations. I admit I’m a little freaking out about the looooong plane ride - 11+ hours to Tokyo (2+hr layover) with still another 7+ hours to Bangkok from there. Ugh. I am mostly freaking about entertaining a six year old in close quarters for that many hours. I bought coloring books, activity books, Klutz books, regular books, new markers (the set of 12) to use with the sketch book I got from Stubby Pencil Studio (remember?) because she loves to draw and a volume locking child’s headphone set she can use with her NintendoDS or my extra 1gb iPod that I’m gonna cram with her favorite music (High School Musical and other related popsy type songs. Although I have to say she has a wide variety of likes when it comes to music.) and possibly some audio books. You think that’s enough stuff?!?! They tell me the airplanes are equipped with all sorts of cool entertaining things for kids now plus I’m sure they’ll show a few movies. Right?

I’ve also been stressing about buying gifts. You know how it is… you haven’t seen people in ages you just feel the need to bring gifts. The hardest part has been finding something that they might not have over there. Something made in the USA is even harder to find. I’m still hunting for a few more gifts.

Sooooo other than the stress of getting ready to travel, the stress of the thought of traveling, and the stress of all this gift purchasing I’m also feeling stressed about missing Thanksgiving and a birthday with my hubby (his birthday, not mine. We’ll be back in plenty of time for mine *grin* - mine is Dec. 24 if you’re wondering hehehe). That’s right. He doesn’t get to go this time around. It was a tough decision. I’m regretting it some now but what must be done must be done.

Ok. I’m off. I admit there’s a good possibility I won’t be back on until the New Year. When we get back there’ll be a lot to do what with Christmas fast approaching. Till then happy holidays to you all and God Bless!

(^_^)v

the photos I've shared in this post are photos my mom took in Thailand and sent over

Sa-wat dee is "hello" and "good-bye" in Thai

Almost Nearly Always

2008-10-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

(hm that could be a good title for a children’s story maybe…)

I started this drawing at the beginning of the month hopeful that by the end I’d surely be done with it (ugh I forgot how slow going stippling can be), but behind the trees on the road of life are always the hidden curves and hills that seem to slow me down. I don’t want to delay sharing this drawing though, because if I do it probably won’t be seen again until next year. Remember my Little Bo Peep? Ah huh. So here it is.

Just a line drawing. I didn’t have any plans for it when it started. I was kinda just doodling… in ink. In ink? What was I thinking? Who knows. Apparently I wasn’t… thinking that is, not thinking clearly, and therefore clearly something was missing. So I drew this little ghost girl and cut and paste her in with Photoshop. Hahaha I felt like I cheated big time. It was cheating, wasn't it? Anyway, Happy Halloween or Harvest Time or whatever it is you might be celebrating if anything at all… or if not… just happy day!

(~_^)v

Out and About

2008-10-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

The Western Railway Museum is not too far from where we live – less than an hour, an easy peasey day trip no problem. We arrived later in the day than we had planned but it turned out that was the better time to be there crowd wise. At the museum we bought our tickets for the 5 miles/10 minute train ride out to the private grove. Trains left every half hour. They were the old electric trains from the late 1930’s to early 1940’s. They were kept in great condition and even sported adverts from that time period. Look at these.

They are so funny! Can you see what they say?

Yeah, I can't see it either so from left to right top to bottom:

Expect Runs Unless you LUx your stockings after every wearing

Proposition 20 will cost you plenty:

Land Values Destroyed... VOTE NO

The End of a Perfect Smoke - For more FUN smoking...

a LIFE SAVER after each cigarette!

MEN! For greater comfort change to REIS SCANDALS -

No other underwear has this Patented "Dart" Non-sag Pouch -

Cut to fit to fight fatigue!

The train rickety-rackettied down the track blowing its airhorn. The conductor kept the front door open so the breeze could blow right through the train. Then the ticket collector walked down the aisle and punched our tickets. So nostalgic. It was really a fun ride through the country side. Pass cows, pass sheep, pass windmills old and new. Everyone was crowded in, shoulder to shoulder, bumping along (very bumpy, lots of swayin’), with not a care in the world. We arrived at Gum Grove all too soon. Nicely shaded and not too crowded, we were greeted with bales of hay topped with perfect orange pumpkins and fun handmade scarecrows.
Although the stands were sold out of hot dogs and hamburgers there were still plenty of sweets. Gooey caramel apples, sticky candy floss, and refreshing lemon smoothies. The Hipwaders were still rockin’ out. They were playing Song of the Paleo Pirates when we arrived. Kids were jammin’ right along on stage with the blow up guitars sold at the cd table. There were llamas, and a tractor ride, and family portraits in a pumpkin setting. The biggest hit was the haystack fort. If you ask me it was too scary inside – narrow, dark… eeee. I felt like a hamster crawling around. Do not enter if you’re claustrophobic!

The next best thing was the Pumpkin Chuckin’ – well, depending who you asked this was the first best thing. For $1 you picked out a tiny pumpkin and snuggled it in a sling tied between two posts. Then you pulled back as far as you could at the angle you preferred and *THWOP* let it fly baby! My hubby and daughter did it twice each. There were boxes set up randomly in the field but I don’t think you got prizes for landing pumpkins in them. Boo.

When back at the museum again we visited a few more different types of trains. It was awesome to see the pristine condition they were in. The craftsmanship that went into making them is something you don’t see in much of anything these days. Then there were the interesting innovations like the Lifeguard Fenders and Eclipse Fenders. These were grates put on the front of the train to prevent anyone unlucky enough to be hit by the train from being further run over by the train. How nice, eh?All in all it was a wonderful day. I don’t know if I’d really call the Pumpkin Festival a festival, it was kinda tiny and not very festivalish…maybe more like big family picnic day (which I think is cooler anyway), but for what it was – totally volunteer operated by local rotary clubs and other kind souls – it was great. The trains were the real treat. They really transported us back in time, out there in the middle of no where surrounded by empty fields with the smell of hay and the touch of a gently breeze, children laughing with sticky faces and hay in their hair and stuck to their clothes, good wholesome music and adults shooting pumpkins into the air, it really felt like a simpler era. *sigh*

Well, that's that. I still haven't been crocheting. I'm still working on that knitted cabled scarf. And I've been drawing on the side. Next post I'll share the drawing, ok?

(^_^)v

.

Sharing is caring (~_^)

2008-10-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Since I’m not doing very well in the amigurumi making department at the moment I thought I might as well talk about other people who are. There are so many skilled people out there. One of my favorite is Owlishly. Just look at all her cutey little dolls!! So much variety. So much cuteness.

Right now she’s offering a free pattern. Sleepy Sarah is now available for download in pdf format on her website. Go take a peek, wander around, and be sure to leave her a nice comment! She’s got a lot of patterns for sale on her Etsy site so be sure to check that out, too! I haven’t actually tried one of her patterns yet *shame* but they look very well written and easy to follow.

I hope this makes up for my own lack of productivity. You all probably knew about Owlishly already, huh? (^_^)"

I Love...

2008-09-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

I love art/office/school supplies. Now that I’m not in school anymore I don’t have any good excuses for buying loads of that type of stuff though. My daughter is still a little too young to really need much of it either, but oh oh oh watch out when she gets older. I’ll be buying the supplies with extras for ME! MUAHAHA Here are two recent sites I love for supplies:

Stubby Pencil Studio based in Portland, Oregon has a wonderful stock of eco friendly supplies. I just ordered some colored smencils and recycled sketchbooks from them and the whole shopping experience was wonderful. Quick, marvelous customer service. I even got a bunch of surprise complimentary goodies! These cutie monkey pencils are currently free with every order! woot! Super Eggplant shared this website last week: JetPens.com. *drool* Pens are my ultimate weakness. Pens… and shoes… oh, and good food… hm, and….(I have a lot of weaknesses come to think of it). They have all sorts of pens there. Artsy pens, serious business pens, cute pens... *drool* I wanted to try one of these scented lead mechanical pencils, but it's sold out now. *cry* They still have the lead though so maybe I could just get that. But, it's just not the same! Oh and I haven't actually bought anything from this site but I really really want to. All the reviews I've read so far about the shop and the products have been good though. (^_^)'

And since I’m sharing web things my husband asked me to share this:

http://cender.net/img/thehoff/hoffkick.gif

What a weirdo.

Everything but...

2008-09-28T09:20:00.001-07:00

Everything but amigurumi. Sorry. I didn’t get very far with the whole amigurumi-ing during my midweek weekend. :( I tried. I really did. I got the yarn out, I had my hooks out, I even started something… but… I just wasn’t inspired enough I guess. So instead I started knitting a scarf. I have two skeins of wool ease sitting about and just the right size needles. I found this pattern of an easy cabled scarf at Pieknits. It's at the bottom of the page and is called Ropes and Ladders Scarf. I always wanted to try cabling. And that was that. Sad. Then today I finally painted this little girl. She’s dated 09.21.07. Just over a year later I’ve completed her.

Hahaha Man, I’m slow!

Midweek Weekend

2008-09-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

Today and tomorrow is my midweek weekend. I don’t have to go to work, I usually don’t have any appointments, my daughter is in school all day. Life is good. It used to be better in the sense that I had Mondays off. That was great for cleaning up the insanity left by the hurricane over the official weekend. But my schedule has changed and now I don’t have off until Wednesday. There’s more to clean up because of the Monday and Tuesday insanity that got piled on top of weekend hurricane madness that didn’t get cleaned up, but that’s ok. Because I still have all day Thursday. WOOHOO! So you know what that means for you blog readers? That maybe I’ll have a chance to actually start and even complete little amigurumi type projects to post here instead of all this lyrical nonsense. Ok well, not so lyrical more like monotonal (is that even a word???). The point is MORE AMIGURUMI! Yay! YAY!

Rainbows, Unicorns, and Dogs with Stinky Butt

2008-09-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

My daughter is fine, by the way. After a very dead to the world three hour nap yesterday morning she woke up spryer than ever.

*BOING* “What day is it? Is it Friday??” she says, no SINGS, as she practically flies off her loft bed all smiles and twinkles like she’s sliding down a rainbow.

Really, it was like nothing ever happened. As if only a few short hours ago she hadn’t been crying and moping and clutching at her stomach like she had a bad episode at a *insert foreign food type here* restaurant. Of course I still had to make the day as boring as possible so she wouldn’t get any bright ideas about more sick days. So who was totally bored in the end? The child who suddenly had unicorns and faeries prancing around her throwing flowers? Of course not. It was me. ME! A totally boring wasted day. I was at a complete loss. After having all my original plans flushed down the toilet I didn’t know how to recompose myself. hahahaHAHAHAHA But that was yesterday. Wonderful, boring, quiet, yesterday.

Today. TODAY?! The dog has the runs. Because this morning I caught her sneaking huge gulps of our cat’s wet food (which we don’t normally give him but because I didn’t get out yesterday to get any cat food it was what we had in the house for him which is better than usual in times of running out of cat food which would be nothing at all. So if it weren’t for the freebie one-serving pack we got during our last purchase of cat food he would’ve starved. STARVED, I say. He certainly was very vocal about it this morning. I thought I was being nice. I thought I was giving him a special treat. But nooOOOOooo he turned his nose at it! How ungreatful.) So now, now our dog has the runs. EW! All afternoon I thought I was smelling some nasty fumes occasionally but I didn’t imagine it would come to this. Thank goodness she’s well house trained. And I almost waited longer to take her out because I was in the middle of typing the first part of this entry.

Mini flashback: “Not now, DOG. ARGH I just took you out less than an hour ago! What is your problem? STOP BANGING AT THE FRONT DOOR!”

Well needless to say I was very happy I gave in.

Thank goodness it’s at least the weekend.

ADMS - Do You Have the Skills?

2008-09-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I remember pretending to be sick and getting away with it. When I was a kid I remember actually being sick and sent to school anyway. And as a kid I was like, “What is going on with your adult decision making skills?”

Hey, I like that. "adult decision making skills". I think it should be official. "ADMS. Do You Have the Skills?" Sounds like an advert. But to appeal to the younger parenting generation maybe it should be SkillZ . yuk.

Today my daughter doesn’t feel well. She woke up at 6 am crying real actual tears saying her tummy hurt. Oh it’s always a bad thing with the tummy hurting. And as much as I wanted to believe her 100% the little voice still said , “eh it’s nothing. How can she be having a tummy ache? She went to the bathroom yesterday all normal like. She’s been eating good food, lots of fruit low on the junk. We all ate the same dinner and no one else is sick! Ugh what’s wrong now?!” (Never mind the fact that there is some weird stomach illness going on right now - just this week three people went home complaining of similar stomach ailments at the office I part time at. No it can't be THAT obvious, I can't be THAT rational). I don’t want to send her to school if she’s really sick but then I don’t want to keep her home if she isn’t. She’ll start to think that making the slightest feign of illness will get her a free ticket home. As a first grader she’s still learning the tricks of the trade – How to Get Mom to Sign Off on Absences. So after I let her sulk a bit and we did some squishing I told her to get ready for school. An hour later all dressed and sitting at the dining table she was still complaining of her tummy ache. She had since then gone to the bathroom and had half a tablet of child’s Pepto-Bismol all to no avail. She had no fever but looked pretty pale. What to do? The clock was ticking. Call or don’t call? Baby her or toughen her up? She’s only 6 years old for goodness sakes. I finally gave in and called the school attendance line. Thank goodness for answering machines because I hate the way the school makes you feel guilty for calling in absences. So straight to bed she’s gone and she actually is sleeping. Poor thing.

Oh yeah baby, I got da skillz.

...who will no longer remain nameless...

2008-09-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

How many here remember my little doll "Nameless"? Show of hands?

*crickets*

Ok, I know it's been a long time. I'm ashamed to say that it's been since February that I've done anything with this doll. And I've posted so little since then that I believe you can still see the post we're talking about if you just scroll down a bit on the main page. *shaaaaaaame* (-_-)''

Some of you were even so nice to respond to that post with very cute names for my poor doll. It's only since yesterday that I've finally decided to name her:

Zoe Lily-Belle!

I'm not that crazy about the "Belle" part but somehow it just seemed to fit. So without further ado, here is the pattern that I wrote for her way back then (look at what healthy guilt trips can get ya!). I made it as a pdf document but as I don't have a place to share those types of files at the moment I'm just going to have to cram it all here on this post! woohoooooo!! *cram cram cram* It's all ugly now, too. It was so much prettier in pdf format. *sigh*

It would probably be best if you highlighted the whole thing and pasted it into some kind of word document. That way you can save it to your computer and print it out for writing on or cussing at or tearing up or... or...

Oh, and by the way, if you leave comments with questions be sure to leave some way for me to contact you! I sometimes try to answer them in the comment section or by writing a new entry, so check back. But give me some time. And if I NEVER answer ... well... then I just don't, do I? Sorry.(^-^)*

Exclusive Original AmigurumiGirl Pattern - Free Free Free Free Free Woot!
(I love the word "free"!)

DISCLAIMER: or maybe REMINDER: I suck at pattern writing. Please please keep this in mind as you do this pattern. There are mistakes. I've corrected some. And others are probably better left alone. Use this as a guideline and let your inner creativity lead the way. You'll be fine. Any little "mistakes" can be looked as your own added charm. Good luck!

PS- for further insight and notes on this pattern from a completely unbiased source please check out House Full of Monkeys. I think her post will help you a lot with this pattern.

Zoe Lily-Belle

Materials:

Hook size D - 3.0mm
Tapestry needle

Black safety eyes (Darice Solid Black 12mm)

Yarn Color A – beige (“skin”)
Yarn Color B – leaf green (shirt)
Yarn Color C – chocolate brown (skirt and shoes)
Yarn Color D – white (underpants)
Yarn Color E – wine (hair)

Note: I used Red Heart Soft Yarn – medium worsted, Red Heart Sport in white, and a mystery double knit in beige for this project (sorry there was no label on the skein). Although next time I’d choose something much more light weight for the hair I think.

Embroidery thread – black
Embellishments – beads, ribbons, etc (although I didn’t use any this time around I have some ideas...)

Stitch notes:

Magic ring – this is a neat way to start crocheting in the round that offers a tight closed hole in the center. You can find a visual tutorial at PlanetJune . Lots of good stuff there in fact so be sure to go poke around!

Bobble Stitch – work 5 hdc into 1 sc (the number 5 is really “adjustable”. You can do less for a smaller nose or more for a really good sized honker. You can also use dc instead of hdc. Experiment to get the look you want.)

Hook the yarn through (in hair section) - by this I mean fold your piece of yarn in half. Stick your hook into one sc and out another. Hook the folded yarn and pull it through. Then reach through the loop you’ve created and pull through the ends of the yarn piece. Pull taught.

Beginning at the top of the head:

Using Color A
Start with magic ring of 6 sc (this is my preferred way to start working in rounds but you can use whatever way you’re comfortable with)

Rnd 1: 2sc in each sc (12)
Rnd 2: 1 sc in first sc, 2sc in next sc* repeat 6 times (18)
Rnd 3: 1 sc in each next 2 scs, 2sc in next sc * repeat 6 times (24)
Rnd 4: 1 sc in each next 3 scs, 2sc in next sc* repeat 6 times (30)
Rnd 5: 1 sc in each next 4 scs, 2sc in next sc* repeat 6 times (36)
Rnd 6: 1 sc in each next 5 scs, 2sc in next sc* repeat 6 times (42)
Rnd 7: 1 sc in each next 6 scs, 2sc in next sc* repeat 6 times (48)
Rnd 8-10: 1 sc in each sc – 3 rows even of 48 each
Rnd 11: 1 sc in each sc - somewhere (anywhere, really, but preferably not too close to the beginning or the end) in this round work one bobble stitch for a nose
Rnd 12: 1sc in each sc (48)
Rnd 13: 1 sc in each next 6 scs, 2sctog * repeat 6 times (42)
Rnd 14: 1 sc in each next 5 scs, 2sctog* repeat 6 times (36)
Rnd 15: 1 sc in each next 4 scs, 2sctog* repeat 6 times (30)
Rnd 16: 1 sc in each next 3 scs, 2sctog* repeat 6 times (24)
Rnd 17: 1 sc in each next 2 scs, 2sctog* repeat 6 times (18)
Rnd 18: 2 sctog* repeat 6 times (9) - originally I got 12 as the final count which I'm sure it should be but how it got there I can't remember... 1 sc, 2sctog repeat 6 times? prehaps.

Switch to Color B (optional: work one row of slip stitches – this is an uncounted row and purely to make the switch look neater. If you don’t want to do it you really don’t have to, but I do say it does lend a nice finished look to your work.) Here we are at the neck and the top of the shirt/dress.

Note:
Rnd 19 is worked behind the row of slip stitches into color A of Rnd 17

Rnd 19: 1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next* repeat 6 times (18)

At this point you may want to stop and put the eyes in. Place them on Rnd 11 spaced evenly apart from the cluster you made for the nose. This would also be a good time to embroider in the eyelashes and eyebrows and/or any other facial features you’d like. Stuff the head firmly.

Rnd 20: 1 sc in each next 2 scs, 2sctog* repeat 6 times (24)

Rnd 21-24: 1 sc in each sc - 4 rows even of 24 each

Switch to Color C Work one row of slip stitches (optional again – see previous note). This begins the skirt.

Note:
Rnd 25 is worked behind the row of slip stitches into the front loops only of color B in row 24. We are working into the front loops only here because we are going to come back with Color D and work into the back loops later. Depending on your tension while you crochet this can be a bit tight, but it can be done! Persevere!

Skirt

Rnd 25: in front loops only work 1 sc in each next 3 scs, 2sc in next* repeat 6 times (30)
Rnd 26: 1 sc in each next 4 scs, 2sc in next sc* repeat 6 times (36)
Rnd 27: 1 sc in each sc (work more even rnds for a longer skirt if you like!)
Rnd 28: skirt edge – 1 slst in first sc, 1 slst, 1hdc, 1 slst in next sc, 1 slst in next sc* repeat to end.
BO weave in end.

Switch to Color D

Going back to Rnd 24 into the back loops work 1 sc in each sc (30)
Rnd 25a: 1 sc in each sc (30)
Rnd 26a-27a: see note

26a: 1 sc in each (15)
27a: 1 sc in each (15)

Work a round of slip stitch. Switch to Color A.

Note: you need to eyeball things here. You are going to work sc until you get to the middle front of your doll. At this point you are going to put your hook through two scs at one time; the one you are on and counting to 15 stitches after that, therefore pinching the front and back together in the center with one sc. You should now have two “circles” of 15 sc each (hello leg!). Continue working 1 sc in each around then work one row of slip stitches. This is one leg of the shorts/underpants. Make a super long tail and pull it through that center sc you made earlier. You can use this tail to finish the other side of the pants later. Or, if you prefer, you can BO and pick up new yarn later on. Confused yet? Whew.

Legs

Rnd 28a: with Color A work in round 27a behind slip stitch row. 1 sc in each (15)
Rnd 29a-33a: 1 sc in each – 5 even rows of 15

Bind off.

Pick up Color D at Rnd 26a work 2 even rounds of 15 each. Work an uncounted round of slip stitches and proceed with leg 2 as done for leg 1. Bind off.

Shoes

Using Color C
Start with magic ring of 5 sc

Rnd 1: 2sc in each sc (10)
Rnd 2: 1 sc in first sc, 2 sc in next sc* repeat 5 times (15)
Rnd 3: ch 2 (counts as first hdc), skip one sc, 1 hdc in each sc after that, join last hdc to ch 2 with slst
Rnd 4: 1 sc in each hdc (15)
Rnd 5: 1 sc in each sc (15)

Bind off leaving a looooong tail for whip stitching shoe to leg.

Stuff the leg firmly. Stuff the shoe a little bit - just enough that you can still handle stitching the pieces together. You can stuff the leg/shoe more after you’ve stitched the shoe on part way. And then after stuffing to your satisfaction, finish attaching the shoe.

Attaching the shoe: whip stitch shoe to leg. Then wind the remaining length around the joining edge twice. On the first pass I stitch the yarn in at the half way pt, just for some stabilizing, then continue around to finish that round. On completion of the second round simply stitch the end in securely.

Arm (MAKE 2)

Start with magic ring of 5 ch or however you like to start your spiral/circular shape using 5 ch

Row 2: 2sc in each ch (10)
Row 3: 2sc in first ch, 1 sc in next* five times (15)
Row 4-6: sc in each (in the first sc on row 5 make a cluster – this is the “thumb”. I used a 5sc cluster I think. experiment to your liking)
Row 7: 1 sc in next 3, sc2tog in next* repeat three times (12)
Row 8: sc in each
Row 9: sc in next 5, sc2tog in next sc* repeat (10)
Row 10-11: sc in each
Row 12: switch to shirt color and sc in each.

Bind off leaving long tail for attaching to body.

Note:You can attach the arms whenever you’re ready. I did mine at the end. Whip stitch them to the first row of the shirt, placing them as you see fit. ;) When attaching them, just make sure the thumbs are facing the “right” way; facing forward if you wish for her to seem relaxed with palms toward her sides.

Hair

Making a hair cap...

Same process as making the head, just stop halfway. Since I used a yarn that was a little heavier for the hair than what I used to the head itself, my figures might seem ... strange. If you’re using the same yarn throughout the project then your cap should be “bigger” than your head. You’ll see here my numbers seem to stop at a smaller point, but it works for me because of the yarn and change in hook size.

Using hook size E - 3.5mm

Start with magic ring of 6 sc
Rnd 1: 2sc in each sc (12)
Rnd 2: 1 sc in first sc, 2sc in next sc* repeat 6 times (18)
Rnd 3: 1 sc in each next 2 scs, 2sc in next sc * repeat 6 times (24)
Rnd 4: 1 sc in each next 3 scs, 2sc in next sc* repeat 6 times (30)
Rnd 5: 1 sc in each next 4 scs, 2sc in next sc* repeat 6 times (36)
Rnd 6-7: work even rounds 36 each round

Bind off leaving long tail for attaching to head.

Place the cap on the head at a tilt with the back edge dipping down closer to the neck line. Once it’s positioned as you like attach it lightly to the head. Now comes the fun part. Cut equal lengths of yarn, I did about 5 inches (I think??). Cut a lot. Depending on the style you’re going to do this number will vary. Now simply hook the yarn through scs throughout the cap. You don’t have to hook through every sc. I did about two scs apart and staggered. At the top of the head you’ll have to experiment and see what works best; thinking about how real hair grows. After all the yarn you want is put in, style it!

Creator’s Notes:

Well, I hope this was decipherable. If you use it as a loose guideline and let your own creative juices flow, I’m sure you’ll have success and an original doll of your own! Remember to just have fun!

In retrospect I should’ve taken more in-progress photos. I’m sure a lot of my directions are mind boggling. (@_@)’

I’m happy if you make these dolls for gift giving or sharing with friends. However, I ask that you please do not duplicate this pattern or make the dolls to sell for personal profit. If you are interested in using it for charity or some special event, I’d love to hear about it. Please contact me at amigurumigirl@gmail.com and I’ll try my best to help. (^_^) Thank you! *whew*

Great Ideas and Guilt

2008-09-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

So my husband has been saying for ages, "You should totally hook up your amigurogimimi (he calls it something different everytime) site with our paypal dealio and try to get donations!!" This he says with a huge grin and that wild eyed look.

me: *like deer in headlights* Donations?? For what? My one frog pattern?

him: Don't forget the pear.

me: And my pear pattern?

him: And other entries...

me: My wonderful writing skills full with wit and charm that you find in my oh so often entries? ha!

Yikes. That's a lot of pressure. Never-the-less he was determined and now lo and behold we have a "donate" button. Please know I'm not expecting anything for what I put up on this site. But as my husband says, "You never know when someone might be feeling a little generous." Ok, maybe those aren't his exact words. I'm trying to get him to write an entry here himself to explain it because it's really funny what he's telling me - you should see him gesticulating and articulating right now.

Alas, it seems I can not convince him.

Sigh. I guess this means I have to up the site maintenance. (*_*)'

Busy or not...

2008-07-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

I think I've been too busy. But then when people ask me what I've been doing I don't seem to have much to say. Do you ever feel like that? It seems like I feel like that a lot lately. Day to day that's how I feel. They'll say, "What did you guys do today?" and all I do is stare blankly back. *blink blink*

In May we moved. ugh. Moving sucks. And that seriously set me back in a lot of ways. I have been keeping busy here and there, however not much with amigurumi. I DID make one monkey but I don't have a photo of it and it's already been shipped off to its new owner. sorry. That's how scatter brained I've been!

Here's some photos of other things I've been up to...

I made two baby blankets. The scalloped one is from the book Bend the Rules Sewing. Love that book. Cute fabric isn't it? There was a Joann's near by doing a moving sale. heh heh

The other blanket is just scraps put together. I also made some baby bibs from the same book. I bought quilting squares so I could get more variety without the crazy left over yardage. Each square made two bibs with a good size strip left for some future project. ;) Cotton on the front, cotton flannel on the back with snap closures. Fun.

Then I made a necklace and a box to go with it. The box is just your regular cardboard box that I wrapped with handmade paper my mom brought me from Thailand a few years ago. The embellishments are store bought rub-ons. AND I got into making bread. LOVE LOVE LOVE this book . It really is easy and the results are yumMAY! Here slathered in butter with left over lasagne. So that's it. There were a lot of other activities crammed in between. It's summer vacation after all. Gotta keep the monster busy. Hm, I guess I have been doing a lot. It helps to see it all laid out like this. WHEW. I'm tired. (^_^)v

Good things do happen while you're gone...

2008-04-06T09:07:00.001-07:00

I haven't been on much at all. :( I have a lot of reasons/excuses but, really, who wants to read those?

I got a nice surprise today when I finally did login however. Little Z has given me an "award"? wow! The fact that some total stranger out there who is so very awesome in their own right as a crafter thought well enough of me to give me an award. Thank you so much, Little Z. I truly am honored. If you haven't heard of or seen her website, you really must go see it. I don't know if i really deserve this award, because I've been sooooo slacking in all things creative lately and I certainly am not even on the edge of the league that the five I'm going to name are in (wow what a confusing sentence).

The Arte y Pico Award (Art and Peak). I had to use my Google to translate the page to English and then try to make out what the translation read, but it was limited so I still have no clue as who to specifically thank for making up such a nice award. Anyway, THANK YOU!

So now it seems the rules are that I must also give out 5 awards. These are sites I visit almost daily (even more often than my own) to be inspired, awed, and humbled. I don't leave many comments though - shame on me! - so they probably don't even know I exist. haha Hm I guess this means I'll have to at least go leave a comment about this award...

1) Angry Chicken: Not only the super author of bend-the-rules sewing but a great blogging mom as well. She makes awesome stuff, takes great care of her family, and still has time (or maybe more importantly the energy) to share it all with us. Same goes for my next awardee...

2) Molly Chicken: These two sites are mainly sewing projects and that's probably why I love them so much. I can't sew worth a poop myself but I really want to learn. Love her cute bears!

3) shimandsons: Another blogging mom and simply stylish. I love her photos. And what cute cute sons!! Be sure to visit her shop for all the goodies. heeee

4) Supereggplant: I first found Mariko through a candy swap thing. I've only done the swap once sad to say (not her fault! my own lack of motivation), but I love visiting her website still. Try some of the recipes she shares! Especially this one - Supernatural Brownies. yummmmm.

and last but not least

5) Posie gets cozy: I really find it comforting somedays to sit and browse through her blog. She brings us so much into her life that when I can't find serenity in my own I feel I can turn here for a breather. From wonderful projects, to beautiful photos, movie reviews, recipes... and OH their little puppy Clover Meadows. Sweet sweet Clover (though I do miss that darling Audrey). You can also find her here!

Now I guess I'm supposed to post the rules of how this all works. Because it is a little like tagging (which happened to me once and I have still yet to tag someone else. oops. sorry).

For you five if you ever see this, here are the rules:

You're to pick 5 blogs who you feel deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material and who also contribute to the blogging community no matter what language it's posted in.

Each award has to include the name of the author and a link to the blog so that eveyone can visit it.

Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link of the blog that has given it to him/her.

Award winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of the arte y pico blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.

Show these rules!

Thank you, thank you!! (^_^)v

Nameless

2008-02-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

I finished her not too long after my last post actually. I haven't posted her because I feel there's still a lot missing.... details, if you will. But I feel bad for not sharing what I have with you so far, so here she is. I wonder, what should I name her?

p.s. ~ Happy Valentine's Day! xoxo (^_^)'

WIP

2008-01-29T21:44:00.001-08:00

I've been slowly working away on a new amigurumi. She's my own pattern so it takes longer that way. You'd think it would be faster since I don't have to keep stopping to check a pattern, but in fact, I have to keep stopping to reshape and rethink things. Ah well. Here's a peek for you all. Anyway, I hope to be done soon. I'm actually a lot further along than this photo suggests. (^_^)v

(By the way, how do you like the new blog template?)

Happy New Year!

2008-01-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

Not a very happy beginning to a new year when the whole household is sick mind you, but I still wish you all a happy one. (~_^)

My daughter got sick the Friday before Christmas then miraculously recovered for the special day and promptly got sick again (fever and all) the day after. Then after a week of that my husband caught it (fever and all) and now that he is finally on the mend I am coming down with it. *sigh* No fever for me as of yet, and I hope to escape that fate, but I have such a bad cough and horrible congestion. ugh. Anywaaaay, you must be thinking, "but what have you made?!?!"

Not much time for crafts when sickies around I tell you but I did manage to whip up quite a few scarves for gifts; both crocheted AND knitted. (Me? Knit?? I've been practicing. *hee*) I will only bore you with photos of one, however.

I love blue. And I love soft. So this was just heaven to me. The yarn is Baby Alpaca Brush. I bought it here in town but you can see it at Plymouth Yarn's website. It looks MUCH better in person I assure you (not to mention anything of the FEEL of it. yum!). The pattern is from The Harmony Guide to Knitting Stitches - 1983. If you have the book or know of it the pattern is Diamond Lace in the All-over Lace Patterns section. Mix in some garter stitches for a border and BAM a scarf is born. I don't have a scale to weigh my yarn so I can't tell you exactly how much I used. One ball was 50 g. I used a little over one and a half it looks like.

The little puppy looking thing is a travel tissue pack holder I made from the scraps. Yes, I had the same yarn in white that I used for another scarf that I crocheted. Its body is in stockinette and its ears are crocheted.

Well, it's time to get back to movie land. All I've been able to do is "lay" here and watch movies. Yesterday I just watched the newest remake of Pride and Prejudice, over and over and over... I love the A&E production of it made in 1995 but my copy of that is so scratched I have to get a new one. This remake with Keira Knightley isn't half bad though. Quiet enjoyable. I still can't stand the mother. And although I still don't think anyone could take Colin Firth's place as Mr. Darcy I think Matthew Macfadyen is a very good runner up.

Today's movie is Emma. (^_^)v

Detours can be good.

2007-12-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

We were detoured off our very usual routine this weekend. Just in time to deal with the daily grind blues we were transported to ... Disneyland! And Disneyland at Christmas time is just the best. This year our daughter was brave enough to ride all the "big kid" rides as well (Last year she was only four years old so we gave her a break. She could've though because amazingly she was tall enough to!) So what a blast we had! Her first "big kid" ride was Thunder Mountain. After that it was a sinch getting her on Matterhorn and Space Mountain. In fact, it was hard to keep her away from them! She wasn't too keen on Indiana Jones though. Although she said her favorite part of that was the boulder at the end. Too cold for Splash Mountain so maybe next time. Oh and the newly decorated Haunted Mansion was pretty cool! They did it all up Nightmare Before Christmas style. Very cute. *sigh* I love Disneyland.

I managed to crochet two scarves before I left. Identical except for the color scheme and made from a novelty yarn I got two years ago in Carmel - a mohair/acrylic blend. Here are some awful photos.

I gifted it while we were in the LA area. I have a dear friend who lives in Long Beach and was nice enough to drive out to meet us at our hotel. She also brought yummy yummy home made goodies!!!! *drool* Decadent brownies, super moist carrot cake, and chocolate chip laced zuchini bread/cake. Oh, was I supposed to include photos? Maybe next time I'll remember before I eat it all. muahahhaha

I was also trying to knit this scarf before we left. I was having the hardest time after the garter stitched area so I showed my mom who came along with my dad to dog/house sit for us and when I came back she had done a good 7 or 8 inches. Woohoo. Now I should have no problems continuing it. Ha, we'll see.

In the mean time we're revving up with all sorts of Christmas time engagements so there's not much time left for crafting unfortunately. Hopefully I'll have more to share come January. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! (-_-)zzZZ

So... I changed my mind...

2007-11-26T11:06:00.000-08:00

You know how I made that humanoid for a certain little girl... and I was so excited about it with all these plans for clothes, etc. Well, I changed my mind. I wasn't 100% happy with that doll. Sure, it was pretty good and not bad looking, but you crafters out there will understand when I say I wasn't 100% satisfied with my work. Sooooo, she's still there waiting. In the mean time, I made him instead. He's ready for a little trip in the cold with his removable pompom topped beanie and matching top. The top is not removable, however you can lift it and see that he has on some whitie tighties which accomodate his tail nicely in the back. heehee He was too shy to let me take pictures to show you, sorry.

His handy messenger bag is snap closure and has a strap that can be unbuttoned on one end for easy use.

It's the perfect size for his favorite bone and possibly some little books/magazines. I know he's waiting for the latest issue of Cat Friendly. It was too small for his ball though...

I won't be putting out a pattern for this one. I know it. I just don't have time to write it out and I suck at it anyway, but I will give tips and hints and try to answer questions if you leave your email addies in the comment section. (^_^)v I can say now that it's very similar to working an amineko. In fact, the arms and legs are exactly as such! See you soon!

Boo!

2007-10-31T16:02:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!!

Front of costume pre-ears.

Back of costume pre-tail. (^_^)

My daughter decided she wanted to be a white puppy with brown spots this year (last year she wanted to be a pink yoshi... the dog costume was much easier). So I bought a white sweater and white skort... voila!

Sorry!! Here I am!

2007-10-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

So sorry I've been gone quite a bit. Things have been a little busy around here, but that's no excuse really is it? Here's a couple photos of the hat and vest I made for my humanoid. There's no pattern... I think I wrote it down... so hopefully one day soon (like before the end of the year) I can have something posted so at least those of you who are interested can try your own.

I'm also working on the Punk Bunny from ElizabethD's Amigurumi book. It's been very challenging so far (probably because I keep straying from her instructions hee hee). We'll see if I can stick it out. My husband requested it as a Christmas present for his friend. The other "thing" keeping me very busy and too tired to do much crafting is this little girl. Awwwwww. I'll be back with more soon... (~_^)v

Our New Family Member

2007-09-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

I'd forgotten how much work it is to have a puppy around... sigh, but she is a sweety. So you'll excuse me if I go M.I.A. for awhile. (^_^)'

Little Bo Peep

2007-09-21T20:51:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time for crocheting this past week or so. Although I did make a hat and vest for that humanoid I recently made - I'll have to take a pic soon and post it! In the mean time, I drew this quick sketch tonight of Little Bo Peep. My friend asked for a simplified Bo Peep design to help her envision her daughter's halloween costume. It's a horrible photo, sorry. I just snapped a quick shot with my Exilim. maybe I'll paint her one day... (^_^)v

She's done!

2007-09-10T14:00:00.001-07:00

Yay! She's done! I borrowed the hair and eye ideas from ElizabethD's Amigurumi book (ooooh yes. I FINALLY purchased it. And I can't wait to try making a Punk Bunny. heee) I couldn't use buttons though because this is intended for a three year old. So... anyway... She's 9 inches tall. I used Bernat Satin Sport (beige), Red Heart Sport (white), and some pinkish purplish eyelash yarn who's label was lost eons ago - sorry. You have to understand, I get a lot of hand me down yarns and they don't always come in full skeins nor with lables. Hey, beggars can't be choosers. Hook size I used Clover 3.0mm (D). I think for the "hair" I actually used a larger hook... like the 3.5.

Details are with crochet thread and she's stuffed with polyfill.

She even has ears...

Pardon the blurry photo. =p

Now I just need to make her some clothes....

To you pattern-wanting-crazies - (i say that with affection. really. because i myself am one hee hee) - will be glad to know that i actually did take notes on this one... soon... soon...

Epiphany

2007-09-08T18:42:00.000-07:00

Over a year ago I was thinking of this project for my friend's daughter who is now 3 ( I think... what a horrible friend I am). I've known this friend since kindergarten, and after she married she and her husband moved to Thailand. Her daugher was born there. Anyway, they are always so good to my daughter, sending gifts and things on occassion. I think so far I've only sent one package. A blanket I crocheted just for her. I feel bad. That's all I sent. Not only was it only once but a blanket like that is probably not very useful in Thailand either (too hot and humid!). It's probably used more as a "playmat" of sorts which is just fine with me, but still. So I came up with an idea of crocheting a little girl doll and making accessories to go with her; clothes, a blanket/sleeping bag, a pillow, a hand bag with possibly a bigger handbag to match the small one so everything could go in it. Oh, I had visions of grandeur. And my crocheting skills were not up to it at all at that time.

I tried repeatedly to make the doll. With many a sad sad ugly results. It was depressing. Really. I was a huge admirer of Gourmet Amigurumi . I studied many a photo of her work awed at her wonderful shaping abilities. Then when I found out she was writing a book I nearly died. I've been waiting to go to the store to buy Elizabeth D's Amigurumi book but I just haven't had the chance (pretty lame excuse seeing how I just coulda pre-ordered it from Amazon... I'm not sure why I didn't come to think of it =p ).

Then suddenly, this morning, I had an epiphany. I just knew. I knew how I wanted to do it. All other projects were thrown aside (sorry cow, sorry two-year-past-due shawl). All previous engagements forgotten (chores, lunch, friends... sorry). And so it began...

That's all I could muster today. I'm spent. Also, because I ran out of fiberfill *hee*. More on that soon.

In other news, I finished that gift set for my Pear friend. I like the color green of that stamp pad, but I'm not too crazy about the ink itself. I forgot that how pigment ink takes a long time to dry especially the Color Box ones. Unfortunately for her she does not get those cool pens. (~_^)

WIP - really...

2007-09-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

Really, there are things going on here. Probably just a tad too many things hence why no posting action. I've never been very good at posting before or during photos though of my work. I get so excited about an idea I jump right in an forget about how cool it would be to have had photos of the material before hand, or what it looked like during. So I've finally managed to get my act together this time. Or almost, anyway. There are no before pictures, but here are some durings...

I made a really cute sketch of this cow the other day. And I really really wanted it to come "alive". But when I started doing it I just couldn't make it happen. *CRY* Of course, if you don't know what the sketch looks like then this little cow looks well underway and not that bad. Therefore, I won't show you that sketch. hehheh Not yet anyway. (~_^)

Here is a flower on a shawl I started like two years ago. Really, TWO YEARS. Maybe more. It was when I just purchased this book and given a pile of merino wool. Yeah, I thought maybe it be time I finish it too.

And here are some hand carved stamps I did this morning to go along with that peary cute pear I made the other day. These are my first ever. I've been dying to try the Speedball rubberstamp kit for some time. The stamp that made the image you see there was my first attempt and honestly I was going to scrap it. But it became really cute and hilarious when I drew in the eyeballs and teeth. I thought, "how fun! she can add in different looks." MUAHAHAHAHA I'm a genious.

Pears, pears, everywhere...

2007-08-30T14:32:00.001-07:00

My friend - the birthday girl I spoke of - likes pears and cows.

Not sure where I got this idea from. It just flowed out of the pencils... I don't think this will become an amigurumi anytime soon.

SURPRISE! FREE PATTERN

(hope it makes sense... I suck at pattern writing, remember? Good luck!)

3.5mm/E hook
Red Heart Soft Yarn – worsted med Leaf (pear body)
Red Heart Soft Yarn – worsted med Chocolate (stem)
Bernat Satin Soft – taupe (leaf)
Black embroidery thread
Bright pink dk yarn scraps
Polyfill
Buttons

Finished pear approx 4” tall including stem and 6.5” around widest part of body

Body (starting from top of pear)
Start with “magic ring” - 6
2 sc in each – 12
1 sc in first, 2sc in next sc* repeat – 18
1 sc in each – 18 * repeat this round two more times
1 sc in first, 1 sc in next sc, 2sc in next sc* repeat – 24
1 sc in first, 1 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc, 2sc in next sc* repeat – 30
1 sc in each sc – 30 * repeat this round six more times
1 sc in first sc, 1 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc, sc2tog * repeat – 24

( at this point or soon after you may want to stop and make the stem and attach it. same with putting on the eyes and stitched details. Then stuff it and proceed to decrease. Up to you but I thought it was easier that way.)

1 sc in first sc, 1 sc in next sc, sc2tog * repeat -18
1 sc in first sc, sc2tog * repeat – 12
Sc2tog – 6
Tie off, weave in.

Stem
Ch 7
Sc in second chain from hook
Sc in each
Bind off

Sew onto top of pear

Leaf
Ch 6
Sc in second chain from hook
Sc im first, hdc in next, dc in next, hdc in next, sc in next, sl st in ch 1 of foundation.
Bind off, sew to top of pear

All done!

2007-08-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

Wow that was quicker than I thought it would be. The scarf is all done. Each flower took not more than 45 minutes a piece ... that includes weaving in. Some of you are probably thinking, "so slow???". Anyway, here it is. I'm giving it to my friend today. I hope she likes it. These pictures suck. (x_x)

I'm already onto another project. I stayed up late last night doodling. My dear friend's birthday is coming up in just over a week. I've known her since i was 5 years old. I suppose it's about time I could actually make her something to show how much I love her. Stay tuned...

On a weird side note.... How can a simple pack of erasers make one so happy??? I have been without some quality erasers for some time. These may not be high quality but, shoot, they are sure better than what you get on those #2 pencils. Ugh.

Lovely scarf

2007-08-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a short break from amigurumi-ing. My friend saw a pattern in one of my Japanese craft books (isbn4-8347-2322-4) that she fell in love with and subsequently asked if I could make it for her.

So Friday we went to Michael's (safer than going to the yarn shop in town which can break my bankbook too easily) and she picked out some Patons SWS. It's a little thicker than what I should be using I think, but it'll still be ok in the end.

The pattern is made of two toned "flowers" joined at tips of the petals. It's an easy pattern and actually fun to do. And with just 20 flowers to do it doesn't seem too daunting a project. My picture taking abilities seem to have gone on vacation recently... so... sorry.

On a side note, my daughter's tooth finally fell out. Yay! her tiny tooth is nestled safely in the little mushroom I made waiting for the tooth fairy. (^_^)

Oh... and this evening, the field behind our house was invaded by hundreds of goats. They were suddenly there and when I went to check again later they were suddenly gone. What a great way to create a fire break. haha All you could hear was "crunch crunch crunch"...

Pop-top Mushroom

2007-08-22T09:30:00.001-07:00

My daughter has her first loose tooth. You might recall it happening at the Apple Festival if you were around for that entry. So I thought I might make a little "container" for it. A little tooth fairy landing spot as it were. Expecting the tooth to pop out sooner rather than later (much later - it's still hanging on!) I rushed through making this little pop-top mushroom. It's my own design but looks suspiciously like a lot of the cupcakes I'd been seeing around online lately. (^_^)'

If I were to make another one of these, I'd do the top completely different...

A little something else...

2007-08-16T10:18:00.000-07:00

Ever have those days when you just want to color? You just want a pack of brand new crayons or nice sharp pencils to scribble with... even better, water colour pencils and a nice quality brush? I've been longing to do some water colour pencilin'. Finally, finally, I got my chance. The other day while I was at Michael's I snuck into my basket a Derwent Watercolor Pencil Pod (just the 12 pencil starter set), an 8x5 spiral water colour pad from Cotman, and a random fancy schmancy paintbrush from the "serious" painting section (hee hee). I didn't have any ideas before I started it just came out. How fun! I still have to get the hang of what my water color pencils can do but I really like what happens to the color when you add water. Very cool. (^_^)

Gravenstein Apple Festival

2007-08-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this post isn't amigurumi related, but at least I can offer proof of why I have no more dolls to post yet. :D Last Saturday we went to the Gravenstein Apple Festival in Sebastopol. Ooooooooooh yum yum yum! Apples apples everywhere! I think I was overwhelmed with the sweet appliness of everything because I didn't take very many photos. And the photos I did take were sad. Here's one of the apple fritters (with oh so satisfying Thai iced tea in the background!). Lightly deep fried and coated in a cinnamon powder that turned to like a paste when it touched the grease and then dusted with powdered sugar. I know, looks kinda gross and sounds kinda eh but oooooooh it was gooooooood.

They had crafts for the kids to do and a cute train that just ran through the grass for them to ride. If you can't read the sign it says, "Age limit 91 Weight limit 200 lbs" hee hee

They also had a horse drawn cart. Look at those fuzzy buzz cut manes. Hee hee. Almost looks like the ami-horse I made, no? Yea, not really... haha

Darts! Pierce an apple, win a whole bag of apples! Woohoo. That lady in the light blue shirt in the photo actually did it. Everyone cheered! Yay!

Ok, so this post won't be totally non-yarn related... here's a photo of some fresh roving straight from the sheep's back. (^_^)v

Oh! In other exciting news, my daughter has her first loose tooth! She turned to me Saturday after biting into a fresh crsipy apple, "Mom, my tooth feels weird..." then we did the "loose tooth" dance. She's very excited.

Alright, I'll get back to "work" now. Hopefully I'll be posting an ami soon.

How is the lion's mane done???

2007-08-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hi again... some of you have been asking me about the patterns for the lion and the horse I recently posted. Unfortunately I cannot post the actual patterns, however I can answer some questions.

The lion's mane... how was that done? A really fun version of the good ol' sc. I've posted here pictures from the book on how to do that particular stitch. Steps 1 and 2 - your standard sc start but with a twist (it's difficult to see in the drawing but the middle finger is holding down a length of yarn in the back making a long loop)... Steps 3 and 4 (keeping that middle finger holding down that loop you then yarn over and hook through as the usual sc. Diagram 4 is a picture of the back of your work) - voila! So in this case, your "wrong" side of your work will be the presented side. yay!

Sorry the pictures aren't great. I'm actually in a rush to get out of the house. Today we're going to the Gravenstein Apple Festival in Sebastopol. Wooohooo!!! Aaaaapppleeeessss *drool* (*_*) Happy hookin'!

Ami horse - also from Vol. 4

2007-08-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm on a roll aren't I? Here's a little horse from the same book in that last post about the lion. Sport weight yarn, D(3mm) hook. tee hee

She turned out ok, I made one of the legs one row too short though I think. Oops. That's what I get for talking while crocheting.

That's the end. Bye bye!

Amigurumi Vol. 4 - Lion

2007-08-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

Yay! I finally made him. I've had this book for some time now and have been dieing to make this little guy. It was fun and a lot easier than I had anticipated. I think the mane was intimidating me, but once I tried doing it that was the most fun stitch to do!

I had only one button eye in my stash though so I had to improvise. A little wink never hurt anyone. (~_^)v

Cute toes!

Squishy Cat

2007-06-21T13:15:00.001-07:00

I went browsing at Kinokuniya the other day and saw the new Amigurumi Collection book Vol 5. There was a cat on the cover that looked pretty easy and so laid back. I didn't have time to flip through to the patterns but I figured I could take a stab at it.

Voila! Granted mine is much bigger than the original I think. The body is squishy like a beanie baby (filled with polyfill beads) hard to tell by the photos.

I think I'll make it a little smaller next time though, because I found that it makes a perfect wrist rest for when using my mouse/pen tablet. Woohoo! (^_^)v

A Bear for Isabel

2006-12-05T21:49:00.000-08:00

I bought this book awhile ago and have been itching to try the pattern for this little bear. The shaping was something new to me so it was interesting to make. It was also surprisingly quick to do. It was surprisingly easy to read the diagram to the pattern as well. I can't read Japanese well at all, in fact hardly at all.... ok NOT at all (well ok I can read SOME hirigana but that won't help me much with patterns ha!) but luckily Japanese craft books are always so well "illustrated". hee hee (^_^)v Anyway, it's been ages since I've updated anything on this blog. So without further ado here he is

I used an F Hook (4.om) and some left over worsted weight yarn (no idea what brand, sorry) for the body. The muzzle is sport weight. I also made an extra ear and used it as a tail. Really cute. (*_*). The scarf is knitted with sport weight yarn. Just your basic stockinette, 4s. Black button eyes. I really liked the way he turned out and was hesitant at first to gift him to my friend Isabel who was in desperate need of some cheering up. But it was well worth the "work" (and sacrifice hee hee) to see her gleeful reaction. (~_^)v.

Tropical Monkeys too cute

2006-09-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

So I was browsing the forum at Crafster.org the other day and I came across these cuuuuuuuute "tropical monkeys". I just had to try to make one. I hope "puchitomato" won't be mad at me but I swear I'm not making it to sell, I won't make more to sell, and I'll never sell a pattern for it (because I rarely write down patterns). I didn't make my monkey exactly like hers either. Her head is a two piece dealio and I was too lazy to do it that way, although if I made another I think I'd prefer her way. Also my skirt has a scallopy edge to it. Anyway... the idea was all hers, I just came along for the ride. THANK YOU, puchitomato!

I decided to give this one to my mother-in-law. Her birthday is tomorrow and I thought it would be a cheery way to start the day seeing this little gal sitting on her desk hugging a Starbuck's Gift Cert. haha Hope you like it. And please... go see the originals. Way cute!

I've Been Gone Too Long...

2006-09-11T00:51:00.000-07:00

Life has taken over... as usual... and instead of finding comfort in my crafts they were only adding to the frustration for awhile. I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things, though. Grandma has requested a couple cats and a dog for some relatives so I'm trying to get that done. Here's one cat all set and ready to go. He was made with double knit and wool ease. Stuffed with poly-stuff only and more or less made using the famed amineko pattern - with a few personal touches (AKA mistakes) here and there. Thanks to those few who check in on me for... well... still checking in on me. (^_^)

Introducing Denny!

2006-05-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Yay! Something new! I finished this little guy quite a few days ago actaully, just haven't had a chance to post. He's the first amigurumi I've made with intention of selling on-line. I'm thinking of posting him on Etsy.com very soon. There are a couple things I want to figure out first like: how do I want to "package" him and should I tag him??? What do people normally do? I've never sold any of my handmade items to a "stranger" before. haha Anyway, his name is Denny because he is made mainly from a DK yarn called Denim. I forget what brand... will have to look at it later. The white bits are worsted weight. His head is stuffed with polyfill and his body is filled with poly-pellets. Around his neck is a crocheted collar made from black crochet thread ornamented with a bell and a little orange glass bead fish from Thailand (my mom brought me a ton of beads - woohoo! Thanks, mom!). He stands about 4" I think (I haven't officially measured him yet) and he can actually stand on his own by using his tail and legs as a "tripod". hahaha Anyway, hope you like him. (^_~)v

RK SD

2006-05-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

After I made that second RK bag, the friend I made it for... well, her husband wanted one to put in his car. hahaha Introducing Roadkill Kitty Super Deformed! Yup, that's what I've been trying to do. Shaping and reshaping trying to get it to a good size. And I think I actually came up with a standard body/pattern that I like. I'm going to try to use the same pattern now to make some other animals. Like, normal ALIVE cats. *wink* So stay tuned. (^_^)v I still have to add a hanging mechanism to this RK, perhaps something from the top of his head because I didn't think about weighting his body properly before hand. oops. And the husband also requested tire tracks across the body, hee hee, but I'm not sure how I want to do that yet...

Happy Mother's Day!

2006-05-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day is almost over here in the U.S. and I didn't even get to wish all you mums out there a very happy Ami-Mum's Day! Thank you kittykat for leaving me a message! It was a really sweet surprise and a lovely way to end a hectic day. (^_^)v I promise I'll be posting something crochet wise soon. It might not be an ami though. (T_T) I've kinda hit a creative wall on that front. But I feel the itch coming back, so hopefully I'll be able to turn out something new soon. Thanks again for checkin' up on me!! XOXO

RK2: New and Improved!

2006-04-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

Yay! I'm FINALLY done!!!!!! Weeeeeeehoooooooo. I've been working on this RK for WEEKS! Seriously, it should've only taken me a day or so, but I stalled out when I got to the lining part. I was scared to proceed! I'm not very confident when it comes to my sewing skills. hahaha Well, my deadline was fast approaching and I couldn't wait any longer so I've been burning that midnight oil the last two nights. sigh. Yatta! whew.

Improvements:

*I made RK2 larger in the body than the first. So now it easily fits a small cell phone, keys, and maybe a thin card holder. We'll find out exactly how much it fits when it reaches its new owner. ;)

*I changed the styling of the button holes. The holes themsleves are not any different but the edging is a little "thicker" atop the hole area so there's more to grab for easy unbottoning action!

*Lining. I hand stitched in a lining to the body and the bottom of the bag. This should help to keep things from poking through and from getting stuck in the yarn. Hopefully it will be more durable as well.

The only thing I'm not that happy with on RK2 is that I think I made his neck longer somehow. Sigh. Hmmmmm.... He would look good with a collar and a fish shaped name tag...

Yay! I hope it stands up to long use! He'll be boxed up today and mailed to my friend Sky...

(^-^)v

Please ignore my crazy table cloth! It was cheap and is very child friendly. hahaha

Happy Easter Everyone!! (Or Passover or any other holiday that's being celebrated...)

2006-04-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hey! I wish I had something fun to post for Easter, but I've been too too busy. My daughter and husband have been trading turns at pink eye (conjuctivitis) over four weeks now. Ugh. Can we say, "I hate doing laundry!"? =p I think I've done more laundry over these past four weeks than in my entire lifetime. sheesh. At least I haven't been infected yet (*bangs on wood with all her might*)!

I am still slowly working on projects. Just that nothing is getting done... Hang in there! Thanks for the "comments"! It's so nice to be missed. (^-^)v

Back from vacation...

2006-04-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Yay! Just incase anyone actually visits my blog and have been wondering where the posts are... I've been on vacation all last week. Now I'm back and ready to get back to yarn! I admit I was getting a little burnt out there for awhile and a week away from my hooks have left my fingers itching. So, I hope to have something to post soon! In the mean time, Amigurumi-Along always has lots of eye candy. Enjoy!

Patterns Coming Soon...

2006-04-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

There have been a small number of you... nagging me about some patterns =D. However, 1) I'm so busy making things I hardly have time to write down the pattern, 2) I'm horrible at writing patterns. Therefore, I will try to post pieces of patterns that might help guide you to making your own creations. You're probably thinking, "Shoot! I can find these anywhere!" And you'd be right, but still, one more post on the internet won't hurt. tee hee You can already get an idea of the standard I use for head and body from my Mr. Frog pattern. So today's PatternPost is for standard arm/leg for something like Amineko. Enjoy!

Arms:
This can be done in two different colored yarns to give the look of paws or not. Choose your hook size to correspond to your yarn. This will greatly effect the finished product size.

Frame/row 1: ch 2. in second ch from hook 6sc
Row 2: 2sc every sc (12)
Row 3-6: work even
At this pt can change yarns or anywhere further up the “arm” to give “socked” look. Or just one stripe… or whatever! Anything! Woohooo
Row 7: 1sc, sc2tog in next sc* repeat until 8 (stop and stuff the paw!! Keep stuffing up along the arm just a tad as you go)
Row 8-28 (approximately): work even
I work the arms as long as needed. I measure them up to the body letting the “wrist” fall about where the bottom of the body is.

Fasten off. Leave tail long enough for attaching to body.

Here is a sample of some arms I'm making for another Roadkill Kitty bag. It's a straight version of the amineko pattern - there is no decrease at the paw line. Also there is another change of color near the "shoulder" because Roadkill has a red t-shirt on. hehe You'll also notice how short these look. I've made them to suit Roadkill's body so they are only about 14 rows.

I'm really a horrible pattern writter. I dont know why. I think it's because I get confused with knitting (although I'm a horrible knitter haha). I hope you can understand what I've written or at least glean something from it. The legs are done in similar fashion to the arms. They begin just like the arms with 6sc then 12sc, however at this pt you add another row to 18sc (ch1, 2sc in next ch* repeat to 18) before you work even the 4 rows. And then you go back ( ch1, sc2tog* rep to 12; ch 3, sc2tog* twice will make 10) to 10sc to make the leg. Confusing? Sorry. This pattern can be adjusted to suit any size/type amigurumi. Experiment with yarn and hook size too.

Maybe I'll have an actual full pattern for something soon. Have fun! Oh, and don't forget to share your creations! I'd love to see them. Leave me a comment with a link or join up with Amigurumi-Along! (^_^)v

Forgot to mention...

2006-03-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

Before I let myself make "Roadkill" I finished another blankie. One that was more "boy-ish". ;)

Kitty Handbag Here At Last!

2006-03-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

Several months ago, when I first discovered the world of amigurumi, I came upon this photo of a bunny hand bag. I thought it was just too cute and have been dieing to make it since that day. However, no pattern. This past weekend I finally got my butt over to Japantown and was so dissappointed with the amigurumi craft book selection at the bookstore (there were only two there! And neither with the handbag pattern). I came home ever more determined though. And finally, here it is! My own kitty handbag! It turned out a lot better than I expected. It was probably a good idea afterall that I waited this long to tackle the project. Now with all my experience from making Aminekos it was much easier to imagine the pattern. "Roadkill Kitty" is about 10.5" long. His bag body can fit a cell phone, keys, and a small card holder. I actually fit my Casio Exilim in there. This is my prototype. The next one will be lined, hopefully. haha Hope you all like it! A couple more photos can be found at my Flickr.

No More Problems

2006-03-13T09:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally broke down and just chose a whole new template for my blog. I'm sad to see the other design go, but so far so good with this new one. NO DISAPPEARING TEXT! Wooohoooo! I just couldn't figure it out with that other template. Sigh.

Bunny Blankie

2006-03-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

I'd seen blankets like these before but never crocheted/knitted. And then suddenly, there was the pattern, in my daily crochet pattern calendar (Crochet Pattern-a-Day, Accord Publishing LTD.) . Actually it was a pattern for a "Bear-ghan" made with 9 balls of Fun Fur. Well, I didn't have NINE balls of Fun Fur and I'm too cheap to buy that many at once (even on sale). So I dug around my closet to see what I had the most of. There was some left over Caron Simply Soft in Orchid - just over a skein's worth and I thought for a baby that would be soft! Needless to say that wasn't enough and I had to run out to Michael's to buy another skein of Orchid and also pick up a skein of white for the details. Two whole skeins of the Orchid would have been more than plenty though). I followed the pattern for the head then dillineated from there. The rabbit is my own using my "design-as-u-go" method. hee hee. For the blanket part I referred back to the pattern and then added my own edging. It really didn't look like much at all, or I should say not as I wanted it to, and I was getting a bit discouraged. When I finally put on the nose piece - which was the very last bit I did on the bunny it all came together and I was rather impressed! I'm contemplating now if I should put a little tail on... (^_^)' More photos will be posted at Flickr. TTFN!

The Pups Are Here! Finally, yay!

2006-03-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

Ah, the pups are finally totally completed. Woohoo! I finished them on Monday actually but I've been waiting for some nice weather to take photos outside. It's nice today but still drenched out so in the end I decided I couldn't wait to post any longer - photo shoot on the couch! These pups are made with white baby boucle and beige/tan double knitting/sport weight yarn. They have plastic button eyes and are filled only with poly-fill. Unfortunately they can't really stand or sit on their own. Maybe the next time around I'll pay more attention to that during the design phase. Their clothes are made from cotton scraps. Both vest and dress were inspired by the pattern at Molly Chicken and can be found in her January archives under the blog entry "All Dressed Up". I didn't actually sew my ribbon on like she did. Instead I made the pattern a little "larger" so that I could turn down some fabric to style a collar where the ribbon runs through. The ribbon is basted on only at one pt in the middle of the collar behind the neck. Oh yeah, they are about 8 inches from tip toe to noggin top. Hope you like! (^-^)*
note: I'm still having problems with posting multiple photos per blog. It makes the text disappear. You can view more pup photos at my flickr page. Click on the Flickr badge in the sidebar and it will take you there!

Amineko pattern posted AND in English! =D

2006-03-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

For all of you who've been asking for the Amineko pattern, Sarah Jane at Ramblings in a Little Black Dress has posted her translation of it. It's slightly different than the one I use but I'm sure it'll produce the same results (probably even better since I bet hers is more true to the original). So for all you hungry amigurumi-ists swing on over to Lil' Black dress and have fun!! Thanks, Sarah!

note: For some reason, the most recent blog entries sometime gets its text messed up... If an entry looks strangely incomplete try highlighting the text area or scrolling up and down. sigh. darn technology (or maybe in this case, dummy user -me). (-_-)oO

Rabbit trails can be good

2006-03-02T17:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make this an amigurumi only blog, but I just can't make a separate blog for everything. So I guess this will probably metamorphosize into a craft blog in the end. Anyway, what I wanted to post about this time is a really cool site called Wee Wonderfuls and what I found there. These cute cute cute paper dolls! And I had the brilliancy to suggest printing them on magnetic paper, which I did... and woohooo! It's really cool. Check these out!

Aren't they too cute? And my 3 year old daughter loves them.

Thanks so much, Wee Wonderfuls!

Copyright continued

2006-03-02T00:41:00.000-08:00

Yay I found the actual page with the copyright info regarding Amineko! weeee here is the url for in Japanese http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/~mite/gurumineko/siyou.html or plug it into altavista's babel fish for a translation. Broken English, but you can certainly get the idea. Woohoooo!

Copyrights are there for a reason...

2006-03-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

As promised here is the link to the Japanese site where I found the amineko pattern. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the charts. From what I can gather it is the pattern found in the Amineko book (which can sometimes be found on ebay - in fact there's one on there right now for sure). Can't read Japanese? Me neither. Try altavista's bablefish. Happy hunting!

NOTE FOR JENN: I bought my poly-pellets from JoAnn Fabrics. (^_^)v

Mr. Frog Pattern! Well... if you can call it that.

2006-02-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to writing down the pattern for Mr. Frog! I hope that it's understandable and I hope it's correct! hahaha I couldn't really remember how I'd made Mr. Frog so I was staring at him and trying to count stitches the whole time whilst typing the pattern. hee hee If you've made Aminekos you shouldn't have any problems making Mr. Frog. Have fun with it. Try different yarns! Change the hook size! Do bells for his feet! Googly eyes instead of buttons! I don't know. Go for it! And then be sure to let me know how it goes. (^_^)v

Loose guidelines for how I made Mr. Frog…

disclaimer: I hate to have to add this but please don't sell this pattern or try anything ... I don't know, like that. I gladly share my "knowledge" and hope you respect me for it, but I hate being taken advantage of. (^_^)v

Loose guidelines for how I made Mr. Froggy…

Hook 3.0mm/D
Green sport weight/double knitting yarn
Red (or black or any!) yarn for mouth
White felt (depending on the quality of your felt you might have to double up so it will look whiter)
Two black buttons – small
4 wooden beads – your choice
Poly-fill

Head:
Foundation: Ch 2. In second chain from hook make 6 sc.

Row 1: 2sc in each sc (12)
Row 2: Sc in first sc, 2sc in next sc* repeat until 18
Row 3: Sc in first sc, sc in second sc, 2sc in third sc* repeat until 24
Row 4: Sc in first sc, sc in second sc, sc in third sc, 2sc in fourth sc* repeat until 30
Row 5-9: work even
Row 10: Sc in first sc, sc in second sc, sc in third sc, sc 2 tog * repeat until 24
Row 11: sc in first sc, sc in second sc, sc 2 tog * repeat until 18
Row 12: sc in first sc, sc 2 tog * repeat until 12

Fasten off. Weave in end. Stuff. Sew on mouth with red yarn.

Eyes:
Foundation: Ch 2. In second chain from hook make 6 sc.

Row 1: sc 2 in each sc (12)
Row 2-4: work even
Fasten off. Stuff. Attach to head.

Body:
Foundation: Ch 2. In second chain from hook make 6sc.

Row 1: sc 2 in each sc (12)
Row 2: Sc in first sc, 2sc in next sc* repeat until 18
Row 3-9: work even
Row 10: sc in first sc, sc 2 tog* repeat until 12
Row 11-12: work even

Fasten off. Leave long end for attaching body to head. Stuff.

Arms/Legs:
String on beads or whatever you want to use for hands/feet. I used two different sizes of wooden beads. Small rounds for the hands and larger square for the feet.

Chain to the length that you want! I think I did 11 for the arms and 13 for the legs.
Turn and sc in each ch (10 for arms 12 for legs) push a bead up flush to your work
Turn slip stitch in each sc. Fasten off.

I left a long end and weaved it in all the way up the arm and used it to attach it to the body. I found this made a nice “backbone” for the arm and helped give it a pleasing curve. But you’ll really have to experiment and find what you like.

Details:

White felt cut out in rounds (my felt was cheap. I had to make two layers for each eyeball). I sewed black plastic buttons to it and then the whole thing got sewn onto the eye orb. A little dab of glue wouldn’t hurt to help hold it into place either. Or instead of buttons why not glue on those googly eyes? I dunno…

personal note: I’ve been stuffing all my amigurumi with just poly-fill no pellets. But of course, that’s up to you. Putting some pellets in the the bottom two-thirds of the Frog’s body might give it a more stable weight for sitting. Although, I haven’t had much problems with just the poly-fill.

Have fun!

pps~ I worked this pattern in continuous rounds - no slip stitching between rows, however if that's what makes you comfortable you certainly can do it that way! The continuous rounds give you a more spiral effect. In such a small project and with no color changes, though, this doesn't effect the results much. (^_^)v

Not slacking... really!

2006-02-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

The hardest part about any hobby is keeping up with it I think. At least, it is for me. But I want you all to know that just because I haven't posted anything lately doesn't mean I'm not slaving away on something! Allergies really took me out yesterday though, I was literally in bed ALL DAY (my poor daughter was such a good and patient girl), but today I'm sort of back with a vengence! Woohooo. K, this is what I've been doing...
Still working on a friend for my poor lonely pup. It's taken me forever to piece him together, I don't know why. I'm finally down to the last bits - the eyes and attaching the head to the body. Oh and woops! I almost forgot to make him a tail! *searching for hook and yarn*

I have a little black sketch book filled with drawings of ideas for amigurumi. Most of them from things I've seen on the internet somewhere and a few my own brain children. This tiny bunny is a touch of both. I'm stuck now however... not sure what to do about limbs. Maybe I can forgo them altogether? This bunny was destined to be a gift ornament.

Well, hopefully I'll be back soon with some finished amigurumi. See ya!

Just an informational post...

2006-02-13T09:24:00.000-08:00

I've been wondering how to get my blog out there so more people can see it and this morning I decided to join one of my favorite links: Amigurumi-Along (see side bar). It's a blog pretty much like this one but with many members contributing to the site. Fun! And already within a couple hours I have my first non-relation/friend visitor! Yay! hahahaha She/he even left a comment. I was so happy!! (thank you cagrrl. you made my day!) (*o*) However, then I realized - because the comment had a question - how do I reply to the comment directly? Other than leaving my own comment in hopes the person will check back... I haven't a clue. (^_^)' Seeing how the question was something everyone might want to know anyway I decided to answer here this time.

cagrrl asks in comment to my pup: "you chose the right type of yarn that made him look so cuddly....would it work for the cats??????"

Yes! It was wonderful on the cat! If you go to the very first entry of this blog (archive Jan 2006 - Jan 14) you should see a picture of a white cat reposing. He is made from the same baby boucle as the pup. And it is very cuddly. I used hook size G. I haven't tried using a smaller hook size to get a smaller end product with the boucle. Instead, for the pup, I just adjusted my pattern. Hm.

In comparison I used a double knitting yarn for Mr. Frog and certainly it would work for the cats as well... however, because it is a very soft yarn it won't hold the poses very well if the cat is too big (personal experience note: the bright pink cat with purple silk flower is DK yarn and is now very floppy especially in the neck area. haha). Soooo if you plan on making a smaller cat, double knitting is fine. But I found the larger cats need yarn that is... not really stiffer but, thicker I guess? I found Lion Brand's Wool Ease very pleasing. Worsted weight is a little too stiff for me I think while I'm working with it, but the end result is very good for the cats (see pink twins).You know, I'm so new at this too, so don't take my word for it. It just takes a lot of experimentation to find what you like. In the end, it's all about personal preference anyway. Don't forget to experiment with hook size as well! So many possibilities...

Thanks to everyone who has come by for a peek and all the encouragment (^_^)v Don't forget to check out my Flickr album where there are a few more photos of these cuddly guys. Just click on the flashy thing in the side bar there. hee Have a great day!

Mr. Frog

2006-02-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

I've been working on several projects and finally got one done. tee hee. A little frog. The green yarn I made him with has been calling to me for weeks, but I wanted to wait for my new hooks to arrive and they finally did this past Friday. yay! So here he is! I tried some new "techniques" in making him. His arms have wooden beeds at the ends and I did fill the lower part of his body with Poly-pellets. I have to find a better way of keeping the pellets from squeezing out between the yarn though (right now he's got a makeshift beanie bag inside him). He's got felt and button eyes that are partially hot glued down, just to be sure. Lot's of fun! Just a tiny guy. Weeeeee!

Here's Mr. Frog hanging out with my cat Lupin, who was taking a nap. haha

Now hanging out on the corner of my monitor.

It's not a cat!!! Yay!

2006-02-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

I thought I would at least take a break from crocheting anything at all for a day or two. My fingers were itching, however, and I couldn't resist the call of the yarn. I've been doing a lot of internet "research" on amigurumi and zakka. Just browsing to see what other people have done, get ideas and possibly glean some techniques. I really like working with that baby boucle I used to make the white cat (see jan 14 2006 blog) and now I was thinking of making a small rabbit. I started with the usual round head and bottle shaped body. I used the same pattern as I had been for the cat but took out a few rows to make it smaller (because I didn't want to NOT use my delicious Clover G hook! haha). And everything went pretty much as planned until I got to the ears. The ear shape was rabbit like but somehow, looking at the head with the mouth I made... a different animal was calling to me. It made me attach the ears along side the head instead of straight up. I suppose the result could've been a floppy eared rabbit but then I began on the face. It's funny how my original ideas take on a life of their own. To make a long story short. Here he is... not a cat... not a rabbit...

... it's a pup!!

Are you surprised? I sure was. Well, he's not posable like the cats. He can't even sit or stand on his own really... but he sure is a cutie. Made from baby boucle and DK yarns sporting a rust colored merino wool collar with wooden bead closure, he's darn cuddly. He stands only 8" high and stares at you with shiny black button eyes. Ok, some of you are thinking, "What?!?! That's not a dog. That's a sheep!" Or something along those lines. Well, I guess it can become whatever the owner's imagination makes it to be!

Till next time!

Twins!

2006-01-31T23:19:00.000-08:00

I have to say... as much as I love the cats I think I'm officially burnt out. These two pinkies were a rush order for Valentine's Day. I completed them yesterday. I sure hope the little girls like them! They are made from worsted weight with a G hook. However, I modified the pattern to get the final size I wanted. I had to start the head over four times! I think that's part of why I'm burnt. hahahhahahaa Anyway, I'm seriously not doing cats for a few. I have a frog and a bunnie waiting to burst out. I'm also anxiously awaiting a set of crochet hooks I bought on Ebay. 8 beautiful Clover Ergonomic handled hooks! I'm sooooo excited!!! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! hehehehehehe

New Ideas

2006-01-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

I've been busy. Yup. I made this purple cat for my friend's daughter. My friend's favorite color is purple (it looks kinda blue in the picture, but it IS purple) and I thought I'd try to put a shirt on it. Working with scrap yarn is great for your pocket book but quite limiting at times... sigh. It was a good experience though. Then I decided to make the cat a dress. I found a pattern for an edging and modified it here and there to suit my need then I just created the front piece and straps. Easy peesey. (^_^)v

Then, OH then.... I really needed a break from cats. I just couldn't plug on and finish the 10 cats I still need like I wanted to. I went perusing on line for ideas and inspiration and saw a little bear... somewhere and thought, "how sweet!". I began with a modified cat head and used that to guide the rest of my pattern. Instead of a bear... I got a little mouse! Awwwww. Too sweet. My brother was over, and quickly claimed it for his collection. He requested her paws be up by her mouth as if giggling "tee hee". As soon as I'm done she's moving to San Francisco. I even made her a little felt bag that can actually be unbuttoned and "used". Secret mouse notes... I guess. haha

Till next time!

Can't Please Everyone

2006-01-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

Well... the slanty eyed cat isn't everyone's favorite. I admit, at first it was kinda weird. It's grown on me now though. I think it helps though, that I really like how the wool-ease yarn turned out. Will have to buy more of that for sure! So... since Ol' Slanty Eyes (look now, what a cool name.) wasn't that pleasing I made an emergency replacement cat. I didn't have anymore wool-ease so I had to use something completely different. And I can't decide if I like it or not. I think maybe... I shouldn't have used black yarn for the facial features. The contrast is too striking. Sorry about the dark pictures. Not sure why that was happening. "Whitey" is made from some left over Bernat Baby Coordinates yarn which is a sports weight with some shimmery strands worked in it. Not that great to work with since the shimmery strands had a tendency of separating from the yarn. The beige accents are just plain double knitting yarn. It is also left overs handed down sans labels. Now that "Whitey" has been sent on his merry way via AirMail to Thailand I am working on TWO cats simultaneously. Actually a pink kitty made from Paton's Divine I started before Ol' Slanty Eyes. And a purple DK one I started even before that. Hopefully I'll be done with them soon. The purple one is also destined for somewhere in Thailand.

Meow ya! >^..^<

Moving Right Along...

2006-01-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

I completed another cat. I think I'll have to start naming them to keep track of them. Hm, yeah and give them birth certificates like Cabbage Patch Kids. hahaha Anyway, here's my latest addition. She (he? it!) is made from Lion Brand Wool Ease (I think... I've seem to have lost the label for the yarn. oops.) And I really like the way the material holds together. It's stiff enough for good posing but not too stiff to cuddle and the resulting size is pleasant (just under 10" sitting and about 15 1/2" from ear to toe). I think I might send this one to my mom for her birthday.

For my friends patiently awaiting their kitties, don't fret! I'm already working on another one...

My project bag and the beginnings of a cat head. hee hee (^_^)v Oh, did I mention I bought a new hook (Clover)? Oooooooh, it's soooo awesome!

These cats are really ordinary when you think about it, but posing them is what it's all

about. The cat's personality really comes out when you start putting them in different poses. Too much fun. Do I have too much time on my hands? Maybe. Then again, what's life without the small pleasures?

Meow you soon! >^..^<

Amigurumi Discovered!

2006-01-14T12:58:00.000-08:00

I won't deny it. I LOVE cutsie Japanese things. Anything and everything made and packaged over in those lovely archipelagoes just sends me squee-ing with glee. So when stumbled upon the world of amigurumi, I nearly died.

I'd been crocheting now for only a couple of years. I was actually introduced to it as a very young child, but I just didn't get it at 7 years old. Then several years ago I tried picking up knitting. Although I could soon make a square pot holder to win a blue ribbon and scarves filled every nook of my house (and my friends') I could never really master anything more than that. Then I tried crocheting again. I think somehow learning to knit first helped. Holding the tension with only one little needle was much easier than doing it with two long ones. And I was off. In no time I was making things of all sorts; baby outfits, shoes, hats, scarves, blankets... but I got bored fast. I needed something fun and exciting. Enter Amigurumi! Yay!! One small problem... I couldn't read Japanese.

Sooooooo, the website I found, http://www5a.biglobe.ne.jp/%7Emite/gurumineko/4/amizu1.html , had pictures. And I decided that just from those pictures I could figure it out. Hence cat #1 - the grey and white. I was ecstatic! I'd done it! But I still wanted to know what the real pattern was. Then one night as I was instant messaging with my cousin in Thailand she reminded me of AltaVista's Bablefish which is a wonderful website that will translate others (http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr). We were excited. I put in the code. I pressed "Japanese to English". I waited patiently for the site to load and squeed with delight when I saw English on the webpage. Then I started reading it... let's just say, it didn't make a whole lot of sense. But I thought, "hey, no problem, the pattern itself should be easy. Ch1 is Ch1, right?" Wrong. It wasn't difficult to translate the translatoin, however and soon I was on my way to a properly made cat. My daughter had requested a pink one... with a purple flower. Then another cat came to town... and another...

Now I'm on my way. Friends and family are asking for cats faster than I can make them. It's fun though and varying the pattern just a tad here and there keeps me intrigued. I look forward to branching out to some of my own designs when I'm done with all these cats! The ideas are brewing already...

Stay tuned!