August Sum-Up

Well, it has been way too long since I have posted. Life has been busy, busy! And I have been busy crafting. Here's what I was up to in August. Click on the names to visit each project's Ravelry page.

1. Monsters!!

Little orange Ro was made in July, after my ER trip

These monsters are all adapted from patterns designed by Stacey over at Freshstitches. They are so sweet and can be made in any size!

Little Roose

Little Roose

This guy was made with Aran yarn I purchased from my LYS. While pricey, it feels so wonderful. He is a great snuggle buddy. :)

Monster 2

Monster 2

This young lady is smaller than Little Roose. She is soft and snuggly, made with Premiere yarn. Her color changes make me happy.

2. Ocean Life

All three of these critters are Freshstitches patterns.

Crabber

Crabber

Crabber

Crabber is one of my favorite projects to date. He is so big and cuddly, and his claws are just plain fun. I could mess with him all day.

Tipper

Tipper and Crabber

Tipper is a baby crab, hence his little claws. He has embroidered pupils to be even more kid-friendly than his parent.

Wal

Wal

Wal is a funny looking little fish. I made him while completely exhausted in the middle of the night. My husband was night fishing and I wanted to be sure he had a fish to come home to, in case his trip didn't go that well. He's not my best work, and I'll be making another down the road, but he's adorable all the same. More embroidered eyes, for practice.

3. Accessory

Infinity Scarf

To me, this pattern is nothing short of magic. It is so quick and easy and looks so darned elegant. This was another deliciously expensive yarn from Middleford, this time a wool. I plan on making at least a few more for myself in lighter yarns.
Oh, and did you notice the button?

Beautiful. This button is handmade by One of a Kind Buttons. I bought a few of them, and each one is different and so gorgeous. I really look forward to using them on future projects.

Penguin Hat

Animal hats are super popular right now. I see them everywhere - from baby heads to ladies in their early twenties. They remind me of amigurumi, but wearable. I think they are super adorable, and was so excited when a friend of mine asked if I could make her a penguin hat for her new little baby. She sent me this picture to show me what she had in mind:

Very cute, right? Having never made this style of hat before, I began searching Ravelry.com for a similar pattern. Soon, I found this:

 

Perfect! I purchased the pattern and desired yarn colors and got to business immediately. The pattern was very well written and the hat worked up amazingly fast. Next thing I knew (3 hours or so later) I had completed the hat! Here is the finished product:

I am super pleased with how it turned out and, more importantly, so is my friend! I have since made another for a coworker, in identical colors. The pattern came with both boy and girl penguin versions, and pattern sizes from newborn to adult.

Think it's super cute? Check out my listing on Etsy. Any size/color combo available.

Useful Amigurumi

Most of us know amigurumi as cute little critters and dolls that are fun to look at and cuddle with. But Anna Paula Rimoli has given amigurumi a useful twist. Inspired by her children, she makes amigurumi versions of items they use every day - backpacks, lunch bags, pencil cases... Even apple cozies and sleepover duffles.
I think this is so clever! My only complaint about amigurumi is that I end up with a bunch of adorable tchotchkes taking up space. Now we can make adorable things and USE them, too.

So far I've tried out two of the projects from her book Amigurumi On The Go. This first is her turtle

lunch tote. I must have misunderstood the pattern, because the bottom comes out to a point instead if lying flat. The tote is still incredibly adorable and I can see how kids will enjoy opening his shell to find their lunches waiting.
The second project is her fish bag. This little purse will hold enough to keep tiny ladies happy, and is so charming. This bag works up pretty quickly and is sure to make you smile.

I look forward to trying more of the projects from this book. I've also been inspired to adjust other patterns into useful cuteness! You should check out her books!

P.S. - I'm sorry these are not my pictures. I don't have any decent ones of the turtle, and for some reason the instant upload feature isn't working for me, so I can't use the fish bag pictures from my phone. I hope to change that when it's not 1:12 in the morning.

Custom Eyes for my Amigurumi

My first real amigurumi project was the Star Wars set I did for my sister. I think they are awesome, but one thing kept bugging me while I was making them - the eyes. I really wanted to have eyes that matched the characters, but I was stuck with the very limited supply of black safety eyes available at Joanns.

Functional, but unimaginative

This has limited my current projects as well. I'm itching to do a Harry Potter set, but I REALLY want them to be true to character.
So I started hunting around the Internet. I came across this awesome website that sells clear safety eyes. This means I can paint them to look however I would like.

Awesome clear eyes!

This opens up so many options! I am looking forward to making fun little critters with happy, colorful eyes to match. I've just started painting my first pair, for a surprise project.

Now the options are truly endless!

An example pair (not mine)



Crocheted Crochet Hook Case

Not my photo

I hate digging around trying to find the right crochet hook for my project, having to search in different areas for wherever I left them lying around because I have no home for them. So I decided that I must make something to remedy this. Also, I've been on a crochet kick lately and it was a good excuse.. After some browsing on Ravelry.com I came across this. Simple, cute, and functional. I added a bit to the pattern - making two of them to sew back-to-back, and leaving pockets open at the top to fit my super fat hooks.

Front

Other front

I can usually fit multiple hooks in each slot, especially with my teeny tiny hooks.

Super fat hook now has a home!

Duct Tape Purses

While browsing the web for different ways to make a duct tape wallet I came across the instructables.com website. On there I found this awesome instructable for a duct tape purse. Also, it includes no sewing! All you need is your fabric and coordinating duct tape, scissors, and some staples. I also find that wiping the scissor blades with acetone periodically helps with the stickiness they gather from the tape.

Awesome adorable tote!

I've been using the tote to hold my crochet projects. I think I'll make a couple more, probably a bit bigger, for use this summer. But they are so super easy and I think it would be a great project to do with the kids or with friends.

Star Wars Amigurumi Project

Lucy's photo, not mine.

Now that I've figured out the (very) basics of amigurumi, I've become a bit obsessed. While browsing the interwebz for projects, I came across these Star Wars Characters by Lucy Ravenscar. Aren't they completely fantastic? Not only will the set of 12 keep me busy for a bit, but I just so happen to have a baby sister who loves herself some Star Wars. Perfect! So I purchased the full set from Lucy's Etsy page and she e-mailed me the PDFs within an hour.

I'LL UPDATE AS I FINISH MORE OF THEM.

I jumped in right away, starting with Yoda:

Beyond adorable, he is. The PDF has two version of Yoda - one with a tan body and no robe, and one with a brown body and a tan robe. I merged the two, making a Yoda with a tan body and a brown robe. I'm pretty darn pleased with how he turned out.

                                                    Darth Vader:

                                                    Han Solo:

                                                    Luke Skywalker:

                                                    C3-PO:

                                                    Ewok:

I'm not as pleased with this little guy. The fuzzy fur was difficult to work with and I don't like how his feet turned out. He's still cute, but far from perfect.
                                                    Stormtrooper:

                                                    Princess Leia:

R2-D2:
Chewbacca:
Bobba Fett:
Obi Wan: