Crochet Birthstone Bears!

I wanted to make something special for each one of my friends at our annual Christmas Party, so I whipped up nine birthstone teddies! I had fun picking out the yarn colours, and I especially enjoyed working with the mixed pastels skein for October's Opal stone.

To make the bears, I used a pattern called Mini Cupcake Bear, created by Stephanie, posted on her site at All About Ami. Please follow the link to see the pattern, and check out much more of her work. The original sits in an adorable little muffin/cupcake cup with a tiny cherry on its head! How cute is that?! I got the idea to make birthstone bears when I went to the dollar store and saw packs of multi-coloured rhinestones on the shelf. Later, when I looked at the bear pattern again, this idea came to me. Thanks so much Stephanie, for sharing this adorable pattern, it was very fun to work with :)

Above you see all nine bears that I made: purple is Amethyst (February), Teal is Aquamarine (March),
two are Diamond (April), Red is Ruby (July), Green is Peridot (August), and Three are Rainbow for Opal (October).  I still have to make one in golden Yellow to create Topaz for November.

Here's a group shot of the coloured ones. I had way too much fun with those rhinestones didn't I? Well, I don't want to grow up yet, that's all. Life is short people, don't ever let anyone steal your childlike delight!

And here's a shot of the Opal triplets.... there is something adorable about making several of the same thing and photographing them together. I hope more people will start requesting bears *nudge nudge* to my friends who follow this blog, you know you want one, and I'd be glad to whip one up for you!

Crochet Baby Octopus

This is another project that I made months ago, but never blogged about. This little octopus fits in the palm of your hand, and is just over an inch tall! I like to make them in pastel colours, using a size 1 fingering weight yarn. The Pattern I used for guidance comes from the book Amigurumi World by Ana Paula Rimoli. The octopus pattern in that book uses worsted weight yarn and larger hooks, thereby giving you a larger toy, but who says you can't make it smaller?
I think he'd make a great cellphone charm!

Free Crochet Pattern: Fuzzy Baby Owl

After 4 long months without posting, I'm happy to be back with a free pattern for you! This is a baby owl that I whipped up for my sister as a Christmas present. He's not meant to be an ornament, he's just hanging out in the tree for fun. You will find the free pattern bellow:

Fuzzy Baby Owl
By: Amanda Ward

Materials:
size D (3.25mm) crochet hook
size 1 or 2 yarn (a fine weight brushed acrylic yarn)
glue gun
small yarn needle
2 small black beads for eyes
craft stuffing (small amount)
gauge: no gauge, just be sure stuffing doesn't pop out through the stitches, and by the way, if you want a bigger owl, just use a larger hook with a thicker yarn, like a size 4 worsted weight acylic with an F (3.75mm) or G (4.25mm) hook.

Pattern

Body (worked from the base to the head)

1) 6 sc in magic ring (or just ch 2 and work 6sc into 2nd ch from hook)
2) 2 sc in each sc around (12sc)
3) sc1, inc around (18sc)
4) sc8, in (twice) (20sc)
5) sc around in each st (20sc)
6) sc around in each st (20sc)
7) sc8, dec (twice) (18sc)
8) sc around in each st (18sc) begin stuffing lightly
9) sec 6 times, sc 6 (12sc)
10) sc 12 around (12sc)
11) sc 12 around (12sc)
12) sc in next sc, ch2, sl st in next ch, sc in next 6sc, ch2, sl st in next ch, sc in next 6 sc.
13) *Puff st into the "ch 2, sl st in next ch" you made in the previous round (this forms the first ear, and it doesn't matter where you put your hook through the ch , just don't work into the regular sc stitches anywhere around it), ch 1,

*I do a puff stitch as follows: yarn over, insert hook into space indicated (in this case the "ch 2 sl st in next ch") yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over,  insert hook into same space, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, insert hook into same space, yarn over, pull up a loop, and pull through all loops on hook.

now hold the piece closed so that the sc stitches you made before the puff stitch and the sc that come after it are aligned (you will sl st though both layers of next 5sc (this closes the piece to form the head) ch 1,


now work a puff st into the "ch 2, sl st in next ch" to create another ear on the opposite side of the head, ch 1, fasten off, leave a long tail and weave it in so it is hidden inside the body and secured.

Eyes: (make 2) 6 sc in magic ring (or ch 2 and sc6 in 2nd ch from hook). Sew them onto the owl's face.

Wings: (make 2) ch 5, hdc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in last ch, fasten off, sew one wing to each side of the body.

Beak: Using simple whip stitches until the beak is the size you want (I did about 5).

There's your fabulous little owl. Work up a bunch and make a family!

Pattern written by Amanda Ward. You may not sell this pattern, or publish it, in whole or in part, in any form. If you would like to blog about it, do not re-post it on your page. Link to this page instead. You are free to sell any items you make using this pattern, but you must credit me by including my name and my blog on a piece of paper with the finished item when you sell it.

Remember what I said when I posted the coral tutorial? Bad behavior catches up with you, so be kind. The crafting community is a wonderful place, so let's keep it that way :)

Halloween Crochet and Sewing Projects

What's this? No, your eyes are not deceiving you....behold three finished projects. So long procrastination! It's not even October yet, but that won't stop me from enjoying my Halloween decorations early this year. As I've said before, I've got a thing for all that gothic/macabre stuff, which means that I have replaced my white vanilla candles with tall black tapers.....eerie, tall black candles, ready to burn long into the night while I devour yet another Gothic classic. Anyone ever read Jane Eyre?

But I'm beginning to ramble.... if you'd like to make your own halloween decorations, you can find them by following the links to the patterns/books. The sweet little pumpkin was made using a pattern by June Gilbank. The pattern can be found here. The black cat is made from a sewing pattern called Cat by Kristina Karkov Therkildsen, from the book Softies Only a Mother Could Love, edited by Jess Redman and Meg Leder. However, the original cat pattern has no face or hat, I just put a halloween-ish twist on it. The little Grim Reaper is made from a pattern by Christen Haden, which can be found in her book called Creepy Cute Crochet.

 

Aren't they sweet without their hat and hood? They look a lot less threatening this way! Not that they were ever really a threat to begin with....but then again...

My Pretty Knitted Babe

Hi all! I'm back after weeks of laziness and procrastination....actually, I needed to find a new type of project to inspire and motivate me once again. I found what I was looking for in a fabulous knitting book called Knitted Babes by Clare Garland. Check out my first doll....

I'm really happy with how she's turning out, considering she is the first knitted doll I've ever tried to make. This is just one side of her. I still have to seam the back and front together, and stuff her. I still don't know what I'm doing about her hairdo...hmmmm, that could end badly if I don't take my time and think things through...but when I get to designing her clothes, she is going to be one fancy lady! Bellow you see a full view of the head and torso....

I am a procrastinator/lazybones at heart, so believe me when i say that I raked myself over the coals to achieve her sweet, detailed little face. She's totally worth it!

see you soon with the finished doll! If this goes over well, she might even end up with a sister or two...or three? Really loving this book so far.

Procrastination!

It's unfortunate, but I am one of those crafters who almost never finishes the projects they start. For each one I do manage to complete, there are about ten that I have abandoned. This is why afghans, throws and blankets are out of the question. The thought of making the same square 50 times, and then sewing them all together makes me want to lose my lunch....seriously, my hat's off to those of you who can pull large projects off.

In the photo above, you see my pathetic pile of unfinished dolls from the book Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden. Remember the fabulous knight that I made from that book? Well, I only finished it because I promised it to a friend. When it's made with love, sewing pieces together is no longer a chore. Some of the dolls are from the book, others are from the expansion packs that Christen has kindly offered for free. If you own the book, you can check out the expansion packs here.

What you see above is my fabulous collection of armaments for the Creepy Cute gang. These are loads of fun to work on, and if you're into details, like I am, you can have a ball trying different techniques for getting them to look as realistic as possible. The golds and silvers, for example, are done using nail polish.

When I finally do get these guys assembled, I'll display them here, so be prepared for a group shot some time in the future. (Notice I didn't say near future....hence the title of this post).

Polly and Arno Cat

Hello again everyone. My, it has been a while...over a month to be exact. Where oh where has my crafting spirit gone? To work with me, every day that's where. Not as much time for my hobbies, I'm afraid. That's why I'll be sharing pictures of two stuffed toys I made about a year ago. Never blogged about them for some reason, but here they are.

The first one is an adorable plush doll made from a sewing pattern called Polly by Carly Schwerdt. You can see more of Carly's work at neststudio.typepad.com. The pattern is from the book Softies Only a Mother Could Love, edited by Jess Redman and Meg Leder. I had a great time making her, and I'm very pleased with how she turned out. I absolutely love this colour combination, especially the printed fabric used for her top and ears!

The second toy is made from a pattern called Arno Cat by Suzie Fry. You can see more of Suzie's work at soozs.blogspot.com The pattern is also from the book Softies Only a Mother Could Love, edited by Jess Redman and Meg Leder. I love that striped fabric! In real life, that orange is very tough on the eyes, but I do love it. He has so much personality!