I Hope I Did Not Offend You

I decided that I wanted to make an amigurumi for a friend of mine. But I just could not pick what design I wanted to make her. I have so many fun ones it is starting to get hard for me to decide. I searched my personal patterns and I searched online patterns, but I just could not decide. I finally ran across this hippo pattern in Vanna’s Choice Easy Crochet Critters. It was perfect! The hippo was so cute and just the right size for what I wanted to make for her. But, how could I make my friend a hippo? Would she be offended? Would she understand that I was not implying anything?

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I started the search again for another amigurumi that I could make my friend instead, but I kept returning the the hippo pattern. I finally decided to stop looking and just make the hippo for her. When I finished the hippo, I could not decide  if I would actually give it to her or not.

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The crocheting of the amigurumi hippo went quickly. The hippo was very fun and easy to make and  it turned out really cute. Even the sewing on of the legs went quickly, especially with the use of my new pin technique that I devised on one of my earlier amigurumi projects to hold the legs in place. Because it turned out so cute, I decided to take my chances and give the hippo to my friend.

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Upon receiving the hippo, my friend could not see what all my fuss was about. All she saw was a cute little hippo, made by her friend, and that made her smile. I was very relieved and happy that she liked the amigurumi that I made for her. Now there is this cute new amigurumi monkey pattern I have just found. Do you think she would like a monkey next to sit next to her hippo?

May Day Giveaway

Well it’s May 1st, 2012!

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Happy May Day everyone!

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According to tradition, I would fill a basket with flowers, place it on your front step, ring your door bell and then run and hide somewhere. I would hide within view of your front door, so I could make sure that you received your May Day basket.

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This year I would like to give one dear reader a May Day basket of your very own. But I won’t be coming to your house or ringing your door bell, and I am not going to leave what is in the basket as a surprise. You will know exactly what you will be getting and when you will get it. This May Day box that you will get will contain something very dear to my heart, one Snoopy amigurumi and one Woodstock amigurumi made just for you by me.

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And I would like to give these Snoopy and Woodstock amigurumi’s to anyone who would like them.

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If you would like this May Day box of Peanuts amigurumi’s and perhaps a few other surprises too, please let me know why you think you should get them in a comment to this post. I will randomly choose one of the best comments I get on this post by the 15th of May and mail these two cute guys to you for FREE.

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Yes I will even pay for the shipping!

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How is that for the best May Day Deal EVER?!?

Bosom Buddies

Who would have thought that a dog and a bird could be such good friends for so long. Luckily for all of us, Charles M. Schulz did and the completion on my current amigurumi simply reconfirms the fact that Snoopy and Woodstock are meant to be friends forever.

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Due to my disappointment in the finished Woodstock, I almost did not finish the Snoopy pattern from the same author I had previously started before I made the Woodstock. I finally decided that it would not take much to finish Snoopy so I started crocheting. I found another error in the pattern count for a grand total of 4 miscounts I had to correct on the pattern. This really ruffled my feathers. I paid money for these patterns and expected the author to make every effort to have the counts correct.

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I would make some of the same changes to the Snoopy pattern that I would change on the Woodstock pattern. I would like his nose and arms longer. I like Snoopy’s feet much better than Woodstock’s feet, so I don’t know if I would change them as I would Woodstock’s feet. I disliked Snoopy’s neck as much as Woodstock’s neck until I attached Snoopy’s collar. Snoopy’s collar lifts up his head and hides the stitches at the neck. I thought about putting a collar on Woodstock to see if I would get a same effect, but decided that a collar on Woodstock just wouldn’t look right.

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Now that both amigurumi’s are done and they are sitting on my table side by side, I can finally say that I like my end results well enough. Alone, I do not like either pattern very well, but together they match and are very cute. The things that I see as a problem on each individually, are not there when they are posed together. I am so happy that I finished Snoopy so that Woodstock would have a friend and find his place in my heart.

Hey, Little Birdie, You Cool Cat!

I will say it up front. This is my least favorite amigurumi. Of all the amigurumi’s I have ever made, or at least that I have made recently, this one just does not appeal to me very much. I have placed this amigurumi on my desk by my computer to see if it will grow on me. It makes me sad to say this because as you can see this amigurumi is Woodstock and, as you know, I love all things regarding Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the Peanuts gang.

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I purchased Woodstock’s pattern online. The minute I saw this pattern I knew that I had to have it, as well as the other patterns for the other Peanuts characters that were for sale with it. Included in these patterns were patterns for Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Pig Pen, and Franklin. I was so excited at the time of purchase that I could not wait to get crocheting.

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I picked Woodstock to start with, but as I started to crochet his wings and feet, I was not happy with how he was turning out. After correcting a couple of errors in the pattern’s count, which really did not make me happy since I had paid money for this pattern, I continued to crochet hoping that my feelings would change as Woodstock came together. After crocheting all the pieces and starting the sewing part of the construction, I was still displeased with the results. After tying on the hair and embroidering the face, I was very disappointed with how he turned out. I tried adding more hair, removing hair, and adding it differently but it did not help.  I tried changing his smile, making it smaller, then bigger, then smaller and so on, but nothing seemed to improve my dissatisfaction with this amigurumi. I believe that the whole pattern needs a do over. Woodstock’s head needs to be bigger, his beak longer and skinnier, his neck opening decreased by a few rows and then sewn to the head. His wings need to be a little longer, and possibly his feet made a little smaller. Since I have so many patterns that I want to crochet, I don’t know that I have the desire to start playing with changes to this pattern right now. Right at this moment, I do not to want to try this pattern again or try to make any changes to it. I am just too disappointed. Maybe some day but not today.

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We were traveling when I finished the crocheting of the pieces for this Woodstock. Since I did not want to start the assembly process in the car, I started to crochet the pieces for the Snoopy pattern instead. After completing one arm and one leg and having to make 3 corrections to the pattern count, I am not sure I will finish Snoopy either at this point. I am very disappointed with Snoopy’s pattern as well. Now, I wish I had only purchased one pattern at a time from this seller. Even though I have had great success with patterns purchased online up till now, I have learned a lesson here and will be more cautious with my online purchase of patterns in the future.

It Does the Heart Good

I gave the coco-dot jacket to the little neighbor girl and she loved it! It was way too big for her but she looked so cute in it anyway. After the fact of course, I wished I would have asked her mom for her measurements or had her try it on as I was making the jacket so I knew what size to make next, but I did not. I wanted it to be a surprise and a birthday gift and I did not want to spoil the surprise by asking for sizes. The nice thing though is that the jacket seems to be too big all the way around, not just in width or length. Hopefully, this will help as she grows into the jacket’s size. Hopefully, she will get plenty of wear from the jacket as she grows. Her mom was excited about the jacket and said not to worry about the size because she is growing like a weed and it will fit soon enough. I now know better what size to sew for her so I am excited to try some other little girl patterns I have collected over the years.

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I also gave her the mixed up monkey that I crocheted awhile back. When I handed her the monkey, she completely forgot about the jacket. The monkey was a big hit with her! She immediately gave it several big hugs and would not let go of it. A couple of days later, her mom said she insists on sleeping with the monkey and will not go to bed without it.

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It does my heart good to see my sewing and crocheting labors loved and enjoyed so much. It sparks my creative mind and gets me excited to sew and crochet more great things in the future.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Putting the Magic Circle To The Test

After determining that I liked the looks of my sample magic circle better than my chain two sample, I decided to use the magic circle in my next amigurumi project. What I figured out was that I had more to learn about the magic circle.

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I started my latest amigurumi project with a magic circle. Row 1 turned out great, but as I crocheted row two, the circle grew and grew. It ended up making a bigger hole than I have ever got with the chain two method. Confused and a little disappointed, I undid my crocheting and started again but got the same results, so I tried it again. Now, totally confused and flustered, I said to myself, “Strike three, you’re out.” and went back to the chain two method. But, after finishing a couple of the parts for this amigurumi, the magic circle started to haunt me again. And I just could not get over the fact that I could not get it to work, so I tried it yet again. And the same thing happened. After crocheting the second row, the hole was huge!  This is when the simplest thought ever hit me.  To fix the problem, I needed to pull on the tail again and tighten the circle again like I did on row one. And, guess what, it pulled that big hole in tight. Wow, how simple!  Sometimes I amaze and scare myself.

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With this new knowledge on how to use the magic circle, I started the next piece with a magic circle and it worked great. Now that I have done the magic circle with success, the only advantage I can see to the chain 2 method is that you have a little knot to push in the hole to hide it. The magic circle is smooth with no knots, but you still have the tail to cover the small hole.

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I don’t think I will discard the chain 2 method completely. I think I will let the project, the yard and the pattern determine which method I start with, but for now I think I will continue to work with the magic circle.

The Hip Bone is Connected to the Leg Bone

Although Halloween 2011 is now just a collection of wonderful memories and good times for me, the skeleton I was making before Halloween is finally done. Even though I did not make him as a Halloween decoration, I did start him before October 1st. But, with some endurance and a few projects made in-between, I have finally completed him.

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I bought this pattern off of the internet. I fell in love with the pattern the minute I saw it and it moved to the top of my to do list quickly. I knew it was not going to be a quick or easy project for me. I knew it was going to be one of those projects that I had to concentrate on while I was crocheting it, not watching TV or riding in the car. Although as I started to crochet the parts, I quickly fell into the rhythm of this pattern. Once I had crocheted one foot or one hand or a rib, the next one was much easier and much quicker to make. If I make a second skeleton, it will take me much less time, effort and worry. Actually, after completing the hands and feet, it was fun to see them come together and be so cute that I had no problem crocheting the last foot while watching TV.  My only complaint about the crocheting would be the small count of the rounds. Ten sc was a common count of the rounds and that is a tight area to work in especially when my hands were tired. At least he was made with a size G hook so I could keep a good grip on it. I am not a fan of crocheting with tiny hooks.

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My biggest complaint about the construction of this skeleton is, and of course you have already guessed it because it is a reoccurring theme with me, the sewing together of the parts or in this case the bones. This is really what took the most time and it is totally my fault because I can not do this quickly or for a long time without a break. So, don’t let my problems discourage you from giving a pattern like this a try. I will say though that it was fun to see the skeleton come together as I stitched it. This does bring me to the only complaint I have about the pattern and that is that the author of the pattern needs to give more pictures of the construction stage of the skeleton. Other than that, the pattern was great and well written.

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Although when I first saw this pattern I was afraid it would be too complicated for me, it turned out to be a lot of fun to crochet and, well, sew together. I am very pleased with the end results and would not hesitate to make a second one. So, the moral of this skeleton construction story is to not let a pattern that looks overly complicated at first glance discourage you from giving it a try.

Sarah B

This is Sarah B. The B, of course, is for brachiosaurus. She is my latest completed amigurumi project.

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Sarah’s pattern is from an old book my sister gave me. It was published back before the term amigurumi became popular. This book contains the pattern for 4 dinosaurs, with each patten having a larger adult version and an smaller baby version. I decided to make the adult brachiosaurus first.

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When I first read the pattern, I thought to myself “No, way. This pattern is too weird.” But I decided to make some changes to the pattern and give it a try. The pattern called for two hooks with the main hook being a size K. I don’t know if I even own a size K hook, no less used one to make any amigurumi. Wouldn’t a larger hook make larger holes in the crocheting for the stuffing to come out of? To fix this, the pattern called for two strands of yarn to be used at a time. I have never done this before either. If I followed the pattern, it said that my brachiosaurus would be 27 inches long. What?!? That is over 2 foot long. I want a brachiosaurus, not a monsterasaurus. Plus I only had one skein of yarn in the color I wanted to use. About ready to fold up the pattern and say forget it, I decided to use a size H hook with 1 strand of yarn and see what I got. If I did not like the results, I would just abort the project.

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So I got started with one of the feet, my H hook, and a single strand of yarn. I followed the pattern and got the cutest little foot, so I crocheted on. I followed the pattern and made 4 feet, the tail and the body. I continued to follow the pattern through the head to the neck. At the crook of the neck, the pattern calls for the rows to be half hdc and half slip stitches. I had a really hard time crocheting this part. Although I followed the pattern, if I make another brachiosaurus, I will modify this part of the pattern to make it easier to crochet. At first I was not sure how to crochet the head bumps and thought about just leaving them off, but I gave the pattern a try and they turned out to be very simple to crochet.

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The eye lids were not that easy. The second hook the pattern called for was to make the eye lids. Since I had used a size H hook for the pattern, I got out my F hook for the eye lids. I followed the pattern and got an eye lid that was too short to curve around both eyes but too long for one eye. I undid this eye lid and made a shorter one to fit around just one eye. I did not like the height of this eye lid so, I started again, and just slip stitched across instead of sc. I liked the results in the height but length was still wrong. The next try was the charm. I got the length and the height I liked, so I made a second one the same way.

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Unfortunately, one of the biggest challenges in making this brachiosaurus was the yarn. Well, to be fair, not the yarn but its dark blue color. I had difficulty seeing the stitches and had to turn on extra lights while crocheting and sewing. Certainly not the pattern or yarns fault, but disappointing to me none the less.

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As mentioned on another post, the sewing together of this brachiosaurus was made much easier with pins, so the sewing together was not the dreaded chore it has been previously. I did spend some extra time on the details. I tried several different looks, head bumps no eye lids, eye lids no head bumps. I finally decided on both head bumps and eye lids. I embroidered her mouth and nose with black yarn as the pattern called for with the dark blue yarn but you could not even see what I had stitched. So I dug through the yarn stash and found this nice gold yarn to match the eyes and the end result is much better.

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As I crochet an amigurumi, it takes on a personally all its own, sometimes quickly in the crocheting and sometimes not until the very end. From the first foot to the finally eye lid, this dinosaur turned out so cute and took on a feminine quality almost immediately. I struggled with this a little. Dinosaurs are boys, not girls, but Sarah is all girl and I have just fallen in love with her. I do not have a place to put her so I must find her a home, but I will have a more difficult time parting with her than some of the other amigurumi’s I have made.

Pin Obsession

As you already know, I am a pinner and I use lots of pins when I sew. I believe that it is worth the time to add a pin and get  good results, than to not pin and get sloppy results and then have to unpick and start again. So, why did it take me so long to start using pins with my crocheting?

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I can’t take credit for the idea to pin together the body parts of an amigurumi as you sew it together. I saw that someone else had done this while browsing some websites. So, I decided to give it a try. The first amigurumi that I used pins on was Frankenstein’s hair. It worked out great. The pins held the hair in place and made it a lot easier to stitch it in place. But, why did I not use pins while sewing on the arms and legs? I’m not sure. Since I know the value of pinning, why was I not using my pins to my full advantage?

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As I finished crocheting the body parts for my latest amigurumi, I began to dread the sewing together of the parts as I always do. As you are well aware, sewing the amigurumi together is my least favorite part of the process. Over time, the sewing together of the body parts has become easier as I have learned to take my time with the stitching, and have just gotten better at it with pure practice. This time, though, I have decided to pin each part together and then stitch. So far, as with Frank’s hair, it has made the sewing together of the parts easier and with better results. I would like to kick myself for one, not thinking of pinning in the first place, and two, not pinning parts together sooner. It really does help you keep the body parts where you want them as you stitch them together.

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If you are going to give this a try, I will give you this advice, have nice sharp long pins and pin straight down. Unlike pinning fabric, where you pin parallel, amigurumi parts are pinned together perpendicular to each other. So, make sure your pin extends into both body parts you are stitching together.

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With the sewing of the body parts almost done, I will soon be able to finish the details of this amigurumi and then the really hard part starts, what to make next.