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

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!

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...

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

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!

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!