I Know I Promised

Yes, I said I was going to post once a month. I also realize I blew it for March. However, on March 15th (beware, right?) my mother and I both came down with the coronavirus. We haven't been tested, so I can't be absolutely positive, but I'm pretty sure. Luckily it was fairly mild for both of us, although my mom still needs a little more recoup time. My heart goes out to all of you who have had this horrible virus, and especially to those who have lost someone to it. Plus a HUGE THANK YOU to all the healthcare workers, front line people, and everyone who work to keep society's necessities available and stocked.

There is so much talk about people going stir crazy dealing with the "stay at home" order. It must be very difficult for people who don't have an inside hobby, or at least something they can do within the vicinity of the house. I have never been so glad that I have crochet! From what I've seen online, many others feel the same way. So many WIPs, and now the time!

I'm still working on the amigurumis for my sister's grandchildren, and I've finished Paden's dragon. (Actually, it was supposed to be Riley's, but I feel it's a little too delicate for him, so his big brother is going to get it.) The pattern is from Megan Lapp of Crafty Intentions, and I would consider this to be for experienced crocheters well versed in amigurumi. I'm very happy with how mine turned out, but there were some parts that I found difficult. Maybe that's because I'm not that experienced with amigurumi!

 

Eventually Paden's Dragon

Earlier this year my niece posted a pic of a crocheted Baby Yoda and stated that she NEEDED one. Yes, NEEDED. She is a married woman in her forties with a lovely little girl. I LOVE IT! But alas, many patterns for Baby Yoda had to be deleted due to copyright infringements. Eventually I did find one and it is still available from Albina of AmigoRoom Toys. Perhaps I'm very picky, but many of the patterns I saw were not very professional looking. Albina's version is very cute and quintessential amigurumi. But I couldn't help but fiddle with it.

My Version of Baby Yoda

 

And fiddle I did. I wasn't happy with the first one, so I had to make a second. Then I wasn't happy with the height or collar, so today I took it apart, made adjustments, and put it back together. Now I'm happy. Oh, what we do for the love of crochet!

If you recall, all of these amigurumi were supposed to be done for Easter. The grandchildren are not aware that I'm making anything for them, so not making the deadline is no big deal for those. However, it was my niece's husband that commissioned me to do Yoda and I promised him an Easter delivery. So it's off to the post office and keep my fingers crossed it gets there in time!

To all - please take care and don't get sick. But most of all, happy crocheting!

Just a Little Late

I said I was going to post right after Christmas to show you what ornaments I made for my family. Well, it IS after Christmas...almost Valentine's Day...but let's not get picky. The fact is that I have been pretty busy with things to do, not only for myself, but for my mom too. Plus I've started a really neat dragon (one of the six presents for my sister's grandchildren) that's been giving me fits! I usually don't have such problems with patterns, but the yarn is black and I do most of the work in the evening. Bad combination, I guess.

Anyway, I had found a super cute snowman pattern from Repeat Crafter Me and I knew it would be this year's ornament. I used sport weight yarn instead of the recommended worsted weight, so I had to add a couple rows in the head and body to keep the size. I didn't have any cute buttons to use for the hats, or any orange yarn for the nose. I used red yarn and wrapped it around the hat like a ribbon, and cut a strip of cardboard and rolled it to fill the inside of the hat - I felt it gave the hat more definition than fiberfill. I really lucked out for the nose. I found Purple Pirate Studios on Etsy, and she makes half inch polymer clay carrot noses! They were perfect! All I did was rub the flat end against an emery board and put a generous amount of tacky glue on that end, place the nose on the face, hold it for 30 seconds and then let it dry. My snowmen with the hat were about 4 inches high, and the half inch noses were just right. I also gave them thicker multi-colored scarves. Maker's Note - Snowmen's eyes look better if they're a little close together. I don't know why, but they do.

I have also finished the German Shepard for one of the granddaughters. It's the best one I could find (pattern by AmberCraftStore on Etsy); however, the pattern could've been better written and there could've been more/better photos for clearer explanation. I figured everything out, but this pattern is definitely for the intermediate if not advanced amigurumi crocheter. The only thing I'm really not happy with are the front legs. I feel they should have an extension to create a shoulder that would blend better into the body (the dragon pattern has this). If I have time, I'll rework the front legs so they look better.

Well, I'd better get going - that dragon isn't going to make itself! Then I still have an even more advanced dragon to make (I saved the hardest for the last), plus I offered to make a Baby Yoda for my niece. Everything has to be made by Easter.

And then I will exhale.

Happy crocheting!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Oh my, how the time flies! I certainly hope this post finds you happy and healthy and enjoying the season. Keeping my fingers crossed for my mother and I, so far so good. My mom did come down with a relatively mild case of the flu in November (she had gotten a flu shot) so she wasn't able to enjoy Thanksgiving with the family, but things are looking on track for Christmas.

This year I crocheted a little something for my family, but I can't show you what I made because I do have a couple family members that read these posts and that would give away the surprise. It will just have to wait until after Christmas - but that doesn't mean I don't have something to show you. I found this adorable elf, and being in the spirit, I decided to give her a go. The "Free Pattern: Small Christmas Elf" from Kristi Tullus is so cute, but I saw a couple photos of what other people created and decided to give her a little more finished look with white edging on her hat, dress and shoes. I also put pipe cleaners in her arms and legs so they could bend a little.

 
I've said I'm making stuffed animals for all my mother's great grandchildren, and two of the six have been completed. And now - just in time for the holidays - Ta Da! - the Ballerina Bunny for Emily. Emily is the newest addition to our family, being born just last June, so she won't be getting this bunny for quite a while. I'm sure when her parents feel she's ready, the bunny will be given a  warm welcome.
I bought the pattern for "Bunny Lilu" from Tanya Kostochenkova of Crochet Friends Lab on Etsy. I lucked out because she was having a half price sale; at this writing she has a 25% off sale going. For the most part the pattern was well written, and I was able to figure out the couple of glitches without too much trouble.


                   Bunny Lilu from Crochet Friends Lab

My Ballerina Bunny turned out a little larger (16" versus almost 12") because I used DK weight yarn and  a D 3.25mm hook, but that was fine with me. I wasn't a fan of the two little bows by the ears, so I used the "Crochet Hearts" hair bow from Katrina Payne at  Rebel Skein (don't you love that name?). I did use joints for her legs, but if I make another I'll follow what the designer had in mind. She created the joints by putting buttons on the outside of the "hips" and sewing through the 
body and both legs.


            My version of "Bunny Lilu"


Well, this is my last post of 2019. I hope you all had a terrific year; I wish you a wonderful holiday season and an even better 2020! And of course, Happy Crocheting!

I Took a Little Detour

After my last post I said that I was going to start the black cat. Well, that was kind of true. But first I decided to take a break and crochet the Cuddle Me Bear from Amigurumi Today. That bear stole my heart quite a while ago and I just couldn't wait any longer. Plus, the designer has taken basically the same body and created quite a few more animals, each cuter than the next (of course!) and she's come out with some mini versions, about 4" tall. If you enjoy amigurumi, please check out this site - you'll be glad you did. Just be prepared for an overload of cuteness!

Cuddle Me Bear from Amigurumi Today, pattern here

My Version

 

 

But never fear! After my appetite for 6" tall bears was sated, I did go on to crochet the black cat. I finally decided on a very cute guy named Charlie the Kitten by Kate E. Hancock. (Please click on the link if you want to see Charlie; I am not a tech wizard and my computer will not let me copy him to his post.)

My version of Charlie the Kitten

 

 

 

My version ended up being rather different than the designer's because 1. the request was for a green-eyed black cat and 2. I wanted to make her female, so I made the feet smaller and the arms a little shorter. This is the first black item I've made. Now I know why people don't work with dark colors other than as an accent! Plus trying to take a photo that would show some detail was challenging too. Luckily I had a sunny day.

As you might know if you've followed this blog, it was six years ago this month that I tried my hand at a crochet business. I had some sales, but in truth, I've made a lot more money with garage sales than with this business! Wearing every hat to try to run a creative business was just beyond me. Plus, since I have come to take care of my mother, there is always something that needs to be tended to, which leaves me even less time. So I have closed the doors to my Bonanza store and I might do the same to my Pinterest, Tumbler, and Twitter accounts. I intend to keep writing this blog and to keep my Facebook account, at least for the time being.

I do want to sincerely thank everyone that has followed my blog or just dropped by to check out what was happening - especially those who have left comments! - and I will do my best to get more posts up in the future. Till then, happy crocheting!

Finally - One Down!

I believe it was back in July that I decided to make amigurumis for my sister's grandchildren. I began by asking them what their favorite animal was (and it didn't have to be real - fantasy animals were fine). Even though I've done some amigurumi designing, I wasn't even going to try to come up with the variety these kids gave me - a green-eyed black cat, an owl, a German shepherd, and two dragons.

I found some really great patterns, bought the yarn, and was excited about starting. I chose the owl to begin with -

  Toy Owl by Tanya Makarova of NustyUA,  pattern here

 

 

I think it was probably a good thing I started with the owl, while my energy and enthusiasm were at a good level. I'm happy with the outcome, but what a lot of work!

My version of the Toy Owl

A side view of my version

The pattern, for the most part, was written pretty well. The designer had another person translate the pattern into English. There were a few mistakes, but nothing I couldn't figure out. I would definitely consider this project for a very practiced intermediate or  advanced crocheter. There were so many feathers to sew on! 

Then after I sewed them on - pretty much just at the top of each feather - I realized that I needed to go back and tack down the sides and tip so they wouldn't keep flipping up, which made for a very disheveled looking bird. He didn't have to be perfect, but I didn't want him to look like he'd had a go-round with a windmill!
Then I found I had to reinforce the edges of the wing feathers because they were very floppy. If I wasn't giving this to a seven-year-old, I'd have crocheted around wire for the edges, but I didn't want to risk it. Whip-stitching the edges with brown and then black seems to have worked pretty good. And if that wasn't enough extra work, I also needed to whipstitch the feathers around his face because I wanted them to stand out a little bit, not lay flat.

I've decided to do the black cat next. I do have an extremely bright craft light to help me along with this (no, I'm not that much of a masochist!), plus this cat doesn't look nearly as complicated as the owl. As always, happy crocheting - and wish me luck!