Meng Long – The Fierce Dragon Panda Bear

After perusing my usual crocheting web sites, I noticed that many people were crocheting amigurumi panda bears in various shapes, styles, and sizes. All the panda’s looked so cute that I decided I wanted to make one too. So, this is Meng Long. His name means fierce dragon but I don’t really find anything fierce about him. I think he turned out super cute, and is just adorable.

.

.

Meng Long’s pattern came from the book Amigurumi Two by Ana Paula Rimoli. I used the “toys in pajamas” pattern. I have made this pattern a couple of times and just love it. It crochets up quickly and easily and the end results are  always cute. I really like the shaping on the hands and feet of this pattern.

.

The time limiting factor in Meng Long’s construction was the details on his face. Did I want to use felt or crochet rounds for the black of his eyes? Did I want to add white felt to the eyes as well? Did I want to crochet him a muzzle or just use felt for his nose and mouth? If I crocheted a muzzle, did I want to use a plastic nose or embroider a nose to the muzzle? I finally decided to stop asking questions and just try a few things out. So, with that, I got started.

.. 

I liked the felt on the eyes better than the crocheted rounds right off. And I decided on blue eyes early in the process even though I know that pandas do not really have blue eyes naturally. The white felt on the eyes was a must. It took a long time, with lots of trimming, and several tries to get the felt shapes I wanted for the eyes, but the end result was worth the time and effort. I crocheted a muzzle but it took only a couple of minutes to decide that I did not like it with the muzzle. I decided I wanted him to be cartoonish cute, and not look very realistic in the end. I embroidered  his nose square, but the husband said to add the point at the top of the square. After adding the point, I agreed with the husband. It looked better that way. The crooked smile I made him with was my idea though.

.

 .

After the face was designed,  Meng Long just needed to be stitched together. The stitching together of the parts went smoothly. I did not rush the process. I took my time to do it right, which kind of made it fun to see him come together. I decided to stitch his arms and legs closed and then stitch them to his body. This way he can sit down, but it is harder for him to stand. This is ok because I designed him as a toy to be  played with, and not a decoration to be displayed.

.

Meng Long is having a great time in the sewing room playing with Sarah and the other amigurumi’s hanging out in there, but he needs a home of his own where he will be loved and played with.

Cali -The Teddy Bear

Cali is the first amigurumi I have finished this year. I have another more elaborate amigurumi started but it takes my full concentration to keep count while working on it, so I picked this pattern to work on while watching tv or traveling in the car. She was named while on a trip to California in which I finished her construction. Cali is from the same pattern as the bunny I made. The pattern is from Amigurumi Two by Ana Paula Rimoli, but with a few changes. I had wanted to try this pattern again because I liked how well the arms and legs turned out. I like the little balls at the end of the arms and legs.

.

Cali is made from cheap yarn, and yes, I learned my lesson and I won’t be using cheap yarn ever again. I bought this yarn at Big Lots. It was a odd brand that I had never heard of, but was a huge skein for $4.00. I figured yarn is yarn but I learned very quickly in the crocheting process that that is not true. Although, I don’t think it affected the end results, during the crocheting process, the yarn was always splitting and did not work up as smoothly as other yarns I have crocheted with.

.

As far as changes to the pattern, I added two extra rows to the body of this bear. On some of the previous patterns I have made, you stop crocheting at the row with 18 stitches on both the head and the body. This makes it very easy to attach the head to the body. This pattern called for the head to be made as a ball and the last row on the body was 30 stitches. So, I added two rows, one at 24 stitches and the next one at 18 stitches. I then stopped crocheting the head when I came to the row of 18 stitches. I like the end result. It defines the neck better than the other way. Also this time, I stitched the arms on vertically instead of horizontally, so that the movement of the arms is side ways, instead of up and down. I don’t know that placing the arms this way is better than the other way. I think I would have to ask a child after they have played with the bear versus the bunny as to which one was the better attachment.

.

I did not mean to make a girl bear, but after I finished the face, it was a girl. I believe this is due to the tiny eyes and the smaller smile. Regardless, Cali turned out very cute. Currently she is just living on my sewing room table, but I know a little girl that she would be just right for.

Ninja #10 – They Call Me Bruce

As his namesake ninja, Bruce is the greatest ninja of the husband’s army. He is ready for the fight, to defend honor and defeat his enemies.

Bruce is made from the same pattern as several of the other ninjas, Keen, Kato, and Hawk. To change the pattern just a little, I used an H size hook to crochet Bruce. I don’t think it made much difference though. I was expecting Bruce to be larger than Keen but he is really about the same size. One thing though about using the larger hook was that the ring of 8 for the arms and legs made a larger hole at the end so there was some extra work involved in covering up the hole. I used the stuffing tool to stuff Bruce, and I am still pleased with the results.

Bruce’s weapon is fashioned after the knife on a chain weapon used in the recent movie, Ninja Assassins, a movie for the strong of heart and stomach. It is the second time I have had one of the ninja hold their weapon in their hand. Tiny Bear is holding his star. Thanks goes to the husband for the making of the knives like Kelly’s.

As I put the finishing touches on Bruce, I started to think about what to do different on the next ninja only to remember that Bruce is the last of the army. This made me just a little sad. When the husband asked for 10 ninja, I didn’t think I would complete that many before I got bored and moved onto something else, but I have really enjoyed crocheting the ninja’s and I  learned many things from their construction. I think I will console myself by crocheting a teddy bear, or a new doggie, or maybe a penguin or the cutest giraffe ever.

Ninja #8 & #9 – The Twins

Despite their background, the royal twins, Keen and Kato, are a fighting duo and are a fine addition to the husbands army.

Keen and Kato’s pattern is the same as Hawk’s which is the teddy bear pattern from the book Amigurumi World by Ana Paula Rimoli. I have crocheted this pattern a number of times now so it has become quite easy. I did deviate from the pattern in one spot. Instead of closing up the head and making it a round ball and attaching it to the body, I stopped crocheting the head at the row with the same number as the top of the body. This is where Roja’s pattern said to stop, and I found that it made attaching the head and body together much easier. The stitches match up for stitching together. On the first twin, I stopped after crocheting the first row of 18. When I stitched the body together I noticed that there was not a good neck line. On the second twin, I stopped at the next row so there were two rows of 18 at the bottom of the head. I liked the look of the added row and the more defined neck line. Looking at Hawk and the second twin, you would not know the difference in the construction, so since not making the head a ball made the construction easier, I will stop crocheting at the matched numbers from now on if possible.

When I opened my bag of stuffing to stuff the twins, I noticed a large wooden dowel that looked like a chop stick poking out of the stuffing. The packaging claimed it was a tool for stuffing, so I thought I would give it a try. On the first twin, I used the tool to help push the stuffing into the arms and legs. It was very helpful. I stuffed the body and head without the use of the tool. When I got done stitching the head and the body together, I was wishing I had put a little more stuffing in. On the second twin, I tried using the tool to poke down the stuffing in both the body and the head even though my fingers are small enough to get in the hole. It seemed that the tool packed the stuffing down better than my fingers. When I stitched the head and body together, I got the results I was looking for. It definitely did not need anymore stuffing. Unfortunately, due to the better stuffing job and the extra row in the neck, the second twin is slightly larger than the first. So, he is now the first twin, Keen, and the other smaller twin is the second, Kato. I wanted to call them brothers instead of twins, but the husband said no that they are twins despite the difference in their size. Like most twins they have slight differences in their looks that most people wouldn’t notice on first glance.

I also stuffed the twin’s arms a little different. I did not stuff the arms clear to the top. Instead I left about one row of crocheting unstuffed and stitched the arms closed. Then I stitched the arms to the body. This way the arm lay down more. I like the arms down more against the body, instead of standing straight out,  but I don’t like the look as much where the arm is stitched to the body. So, the results are just so so in the case of the differing arms.

Ninja #10 is in process. Soon the husband’s ninja army will be complete. Then what should I crochet next? Maybe that long lost afghan that has been roaming like lost buffalo somewhere in my yarn pile…

Ninja #7 – It’s a Girl!

Kelly is the only female so far in the husbands army of ninja’s, but she is a mighty warrior and will fight side by side with the rest of the army.

Kelly is a mixture of Roja and Hawk’s patterns. I used the body and head from Roja and the arms and legs from Hawk. I used a size G hook to crochet Kelly.  Kelly’s parts crocheted up easily on one our trips to California. Plus, she stitched together quite quickly. I must be getting better at this whole stitching together thing. Hopefully, I did not just jinx myself.

Kelly’s braids are what took some thought. First I had to decided where to place them. I was going to put them high on her head like pig tails, but then decided on low like they had slipped out of her hood. To make the braids, I took 6  long strands of yarn and pulled them behind several stitches, leave a good length on each side. I then braided each side of the six strands and tied them with cute little bows. I think the braids are adorable and were easy to make. The finishing touch for Kelly is her knives which the husband helped me design and make.

Ninja #8 and #9 are already under construction. Soon, the army will be complete.

Ninja #6 – Next in the Ranks

Jabar takes his place as the 6th ninja in the husband’s army. He stands ready with his bo staff to fight off any approaching enemies.

Jabar’s creation was inspired by the airplanes I crocheted. After completing the yellow airplane, I wondered if the pattern could be altered to create the next ninja. Before starting to tinker with the pattern, I checked out a couple of designs on the net to see if anyone had already done the foot work for me on altering the pattern. I found that Ana Paula Rimoli, the author of some of my favorite patterns, had the very pattern I wanted in her Etsy store. Of course, her designs are for making cute animals but with really no alterations to the monkey pattern, I had my next ninja pattern.

Jabar crocheted up quite easily. The pattern called for an I/9 hook to be used, but leery of the size of ninja that would give me, I crocheted Jabar with a G hook instead. I like the size he turned out, but I am excited to actually make the monkey with a size I hook. Jabar was easier to stitch together since I did not have to sew the head to the body.

I have ninja #7 all lined out and ready to start. Stay tuned for an upcoming surprise in the army of Ninja’s.

Ninja #5: Half Complete

Hawk, ninja #5 in the husbands army, is a stealth fighting machine as he battles evil doers with his sleek nun-chucks.

Hawk comes from the teddy bear pattern found in Amigurumi World by Ana Paula Rimoli, minus the ears of course. The husband said to try and make bigger ninjas for the next ones, so I returned to the regular teddy bear patterns. Hawk is the largest ninja of the group so far. I was going to make him solid gray, but while looking at the yarn at Walmart, I found this new Fiesta yarn from Red Heart and just had to try it. I love the color of the yarn and I think it crocheted up into a nice looking ninja. I made him a felt face like Tiny Bears instead of a crocheted one like Roja’s and I like it much better. Because he is bigger, I decided to stitch his face down. The husband picked black floss to sew the face on with. I was not sure about the using the black floss on the felt but tried it anyway. After completing the face it reminded me of a hawk, thus this ninja’s name. Once again I crocheted his ties from the pattern in my Creepy Cute Crochet book.

The nun-chucks are a whole other story. I had to make the pattern for them myself. I used a size E hook and black 4 ply yarn to make two tiny handles. I then crocheted a small chain out of gray yarn and tried to attach the chain to the handles. This was not as easy as it sounds. I did a lot of knotting, pulling and cussing when the knots pulled through the handles. It seemed like it took me longer to make his nun-chucks than it did to make Hawk himself. When the nun-chucks were finally complete, I knew they would not take a lot of abuse so I carefully glued them tightly to Hawks body. I hope this will protect the nun-chucks if Hawk is every played with as a toy. The nun-chucks look good, but I don’t know if any of the other ninja in the army will have a pair. Stars and Swords were much easier to crochet.

So now the army is half complete. Even though the husband likes the looks of Hawk, minus the Fiesta gray yarn, the husband said to go ahead and try other patterns to complete his army.

P.S. We saw the movie Despicable Me, and now the husband thinks he needs a minion of minions. I told him not until the ninja army was complete.

Ninja #3: The army grows!

Beware the ninja called Tiny Bear. He is fearless as he fights his enemies with his silver star. He is the third ninja in the husbands ninja army.

Upon completing Yin and Yang, the husband thought they were fine ninja, but he had envisioned his army a little differently than just 4 more Yins and 4 more Yangs. With this, the search started to find a different ninja pattern. Not really having any luck finding a ninja pattern, I decided to make one up. Digging through the patterns I already have, I ran across the tiny bear pattern from Amigurumi World by Ana Paula Rimoli. If you remember in a past post I had made the tiny bear and he liked to play with alligator. That was before he went to live with my nephew. I decided that by leaving the ears off of the tiny bear pattern, I could make him into a fine ninja.

I followed the pattern for tiny bear and made this red ninja from that pattern, then I went back to the Creepy Cute Crochet book and made him a star and a belt like Yin and Yang’s. When the husband saw Tiny Bear (which I named him), he thought Tiny Bear was a fine ninja and would serve his army well, but still not quite what he had in mind. (I think it is because I made him in red or because of his big head.)

So, the search for the perfect ninja pattern continues.

Which Came First?

This is my latest amigurumi project. The pattern is from the book, Amigurumi World. The pattern called for the eggs to be made from white yarn, but being as it is Easter, I want my eggs to be colored. The eggs and chicks were a lot of fun to make and even though they are all from the same pattern, each took on its own personality as I completed it.

Besides the color of the eggs, I did make some other changes to the patterns. Because the yarn I wanted to use for the eggs and chicks was a baby yarn, and only 3 ply, I used a size larger hook than the pattern called for, to try and make the eggs and chicks the same finished size as the pattern. The first chick that I made, I crocheted as instructed by the pattern but the chick came out quite small and when placed in the egg, sunk to the bottom so only the top of its head was showing. On the next chicks, I add two rows to the length of the body of the chick to help solve this problem. I also left one row off the bottom of the open egg to help the length of the chick as well. This seemed to solve the problem and the lengthen chick sits well in the shorter egg.

At first I was going to make a dozen Easter eggs for everyone, but as crocheting commenced I quickly saw that I was not going to have enough time by Easter to complete such a goal. So, I made six eggs and four chicks for my two aunts. It was fun to shop for just the right basket to arrange the eggs and chicks in. (I picked the bucket-like baskets because the handle laid down and I knew that would make mailing the baskets much easier.)  I also had green plastic grass spread all over the sewing room by the time I got the baskets arranged as I wanted. I wrapped the basket in plastic wrap to help keep the eggs and chicks arranged through transport. Hopefully they will make it ok. I think eggs, chicks and baskets turned out just adorable. I hope the aunts like them as well.

I am off the start my next amigurumi projects but I will keep the egg and chick patterns in mind and maybe next year everyone will have crocheted eggs and chicks for Easter.

Presents for the Bunny

Somebody is going to want to play with this bunny. Well, at least I hope so. So, I decided to give the bunny some presents.

The first present is a tail. This really will not add to the play factor of the bunny, but I felt like it needed a tail. Because the bunny’s body was supposed to be crocheted in a different color to resemble pajamas, it did not have a tail. Since I decided not to have the bunny in pajamas, it needed a tail. I was just going to make a pom-pom from yarn for the tail, but my husband kept insisting that I glue cotton balls to its behind. Since I knew cotton balls would never withstand any play time, I finally made it to a store that sells pom-poms. (Wal-mart does not have the greatest selection of pom-poms.) I gave the sewing on of the pom-pom a great amount of thought and worry, but when it was finally time to sew it on, it was easy. I just pulled a piece of yarn through the pom-pom then tied it to the bunny. I did this twice for security. I gave the tail a few good tugs and it seems to be on there securely and I think it is adorable.

.

.

.

.

.

The next present is a blanket. How can you hold and rock the bunny without a blanket, or take it for a ride in a stroller or wagon without one? I have never crocheted a blanket before, especially not for a bunny so I had no idea how big I wanted the blanket. So, after reading the patterns for several baby blankets, I decided to use a wash cloth pattern my mom taught me many years ago when she first tried to teach me to crochet. You start in the corner by crocheting a little pad, then you increase each row by one little pad until you have the desired size. At 20 inches long, 25 pads diagonally, I felt I had the right size, so I decreased by one pad on each row to finish the square. I have seen this pattern made as a baby blanket with 50 pads diagonally for the size but because it makes a square it is not useful for any other size blanket. This is also the first time I have crocheted with this type of yarn. It was a challenge at first. Because I crochet so tight, it was difficult to stitch at first, but I learned to loosen up and switched from a G hook to an H hook. Make sure you’re accurate with this yarn though. It is not easy to undo stitches and does not do well after being twisted into a stitch, but the end results are great and the blanket is so soft.

I have some more ideas for more presents for the bunny, but for now, I am moving on to other projects.