Elegant Bunnies

Even though I made these bunnies last summer, I'm posting them now because I kept forgetting I still needed to take pictures of them. Finally got around to it, so here they are. The bunny on the left is made from a dinner napkin that already had the embroidery on the bottom edge. The other has a gold spiral with some beads that I added by hand. They make really nice decorations for the home. This pattern came from a book called Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals by Therese Laskey. I love this book because each of the patterns is very unique, and gives you an opportunity to practice your sewing techniques. I sewed these two by hand, but you could use a machine too, if you wanted.
This is the first sewing book I ever bought, and I am very happy with it.

Pretty New Knitting Book!

I've been waiting a while to get my hands on this gem.....Amigurumi Knits: Patterns for 20 cute mini knits by Hansi Singh.

Are you are a serious knitter? Yes? you must have this book. No? Get it for inspiration and motivation. Seriously, if the cover doesn't say it all, I don't know what else I can do to convince you. I love that scary anglerfish! The sad part is, I have not learned enough about knitting to make these yet, but in a few months, possibly.....OK, I actually bought the book as an incentive to learn more techniques....I guess wearables and larger projects just aren't my thing.....

I can't say enough about this book.....beautiful photos, well laid out, excellent designs (both the book itself and the patterns). If you know anything about knitting, you need this book.

Pretty Things!

After we got a pair of lovebirds, I discovered the joys of hoarding their tail feathers each time they begin to molt. I usually find them on the floor around the cage, or in the bottom of the cage, and snatch them up before they're destroyed by birdie poop. This one fell out of harm's way onto the rug. To keep things organic, I used a strange woolly blend fabric as a background.

And speaking of pretty....I give you five Scotch Bonnett Peppers.... don't you love the rich colours?

Mini Creepy Cute Amazonian

I had fun with the the amazonian pattern from the book Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden, which if you have not figured it out by now, is one of my favorite craft books. I decided to try a size 10 cotton thread with a tiny crochet hook, and though it was more challenging to work on, I'm really happy with the results. She's going to be traveling around with me attached to my bag very soon. I added some teal streaks to her hair for added appeal (the same hair do I would attempt, if only it suited me!)

For the picture on the bottom, I have placed her in a 'yarn jungle' of sorts, though it is actually my swamp scarf that I folded to look like a jungle setting. The swamp scarf is one of my favorite accessories.

You can find more of Christen's work on her blog, which features another one of my favorite items to crochet.....sushi!

Speaking of sushi.....

I was working on my own crochet sushi set for a while, but I am lazy when it comes to pattern writing (so many ideas worth writing up as patterns but no will power!) alas, it is true. I'll be getting my copy of Yummi Gurumi by Christen Haden and Mariarosa Sala very soon, which features a pattern for a whole sushi set, among other things like sanwiches, cakes and vegetables. I'll post the sushi set on here when I'm done so you can all drool and lament over the delicious sushi that can never be enjoyed by anyone.....unless you like chewing on yarn.....ok, maybe cats....they would make good cat toys, actually.

Crochet Skull Ornament

This project is creepy and adorable all at the same time.....I love it! The original pattern can be found at 

http://cache.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/patternFinder.fcgi?search=Search&store=%2Fstores%2Feyarn&resultPageTemplate=ResultPage.html&resultItemTemplate=ResultItem.txt&noResultPageTemplate=NoResultPage.html&case=no&primaryServer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lionbrand.com&minPrice=0&noBoolean=1&searchText=skull&Go.x=5&Go.y=8&sT=1 

 I made mine a little different from the original pattern. The mouth on mine goes halfway around the head, and has about ten vertical stitches for the teeth. Second, I made the eyes out of felt instead of crocheting them. They are really quick and easy, and make a great gift for that friend who appreciates something a tad macabre! I know I would be pleased to receive this as my gift, but then again, maybe that's just me! If you're an experienced crocheter, you can have one finished in no time. Instant gratification for those who aren't into massive afghans and such.

Crochet Donkey!

I made this little donkey for my friend as a Christmas gift. I would have posted the picture sooner, but I was so excited to give it to her, I forgot to take one, so I had to ask her to send it to me! He is made using a free pattern found at http://kandjdolls.blogspot.com/2010/02/blue-donkey-free-amigurumi-crochet.html
which is designed and written by Jaimai and translated to English by Sayjai Thawornsupacharoen. I made changes to the ears for my donkey. This pattern is very charming and I especially love the way the snout joins with the head. Maybe it's just me, but there's something reminiscent of those toys from generations gone by.

Crochet Snowflakes