Sweet Strawberries for Valentine's Day

Ever since I created my first batch of strawberry themed amigurumi I've been itching to revisit them because they were so much fun to make. I figured this month would be a great time with Valentine's Day just around the corner. Chocolate covered strawberries are popular around the holiday . . . do you think maybe strawberry covered bunnies and bears will catch on just as well? :)

The first strawberry trio were crocheted out of mohair blend yarn, but this time I used some fluffy chenille yarn.

I normally use beads for the strawberry seeds on the caps, but since most of my crafting supplies (beads included) are still tucked away in storage I had to improvise some. Instead, I just embroidered dozens and dozens of french knots with some pale yellow crochet thread. It's a tedious process, but I love the end result.

To complete the outfit, I gave them coordinating ruffled scarves.

Since strawberries are the theme for this month, I thought I would share with you a simple pattern to crochet a large, juicy strawberry of your own. The strawberry is about 3.5 inches long and 2 inches wide. It's a nice size to use as a pin cushion, which is what I use it for. Or maybe attach a clasp to make it into a keychain.

Strawberry Amigurumi Crochet Pattern

Use sport weight yarn with a 3.5 hook

Terms:

magic adjustable ring -- see link

sc -- single crochet

st(s) -- stitch (es)

sc2tog -- single crochet decrease

sl st -- slip stitch

ch(s) -- chain(s)

Strawberry:

Round 1: 6 sc into magic adjustable ring, pull tail to close and weave in end witha darning needle (6)

Round 2: 2 sc in each st around (12)

Round 3: 1 sc in each st around (12)

Round 4: *1 sc in one st, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around (18)

Round 5: 1 sc in each st around (18)

Round 6: *1 sc in next two sts, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around (24)

Round 7: 1 sc in each st around (24)

Round 8: 1 sc in each st around (24)

Round 9: * 1 sc in next three sts, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around (30)

Round 10: *1 sc in next four sts, 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around (36)

Round 11: 1 sc in each st around (36)

Round 12: 1 sc in each st around (36)

Round 13: *1 sc in next five sts; 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around (42)

Round 14: 1 sc in each st around (42)

Round 15: *1 sc in next six sts: 2 sc in next st; repeat from * around (48)

Round 16: 1 sc in each st around (48)

Round 17: *1 sc in next four sts, sc2tog; repeat from * around (40)

Round 18: *1 sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog; repeat from * around (32)

Round 19: *1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog; repeat from * around (24)

Round 20: *1 sc in one st, sc2tog; repeat from * around (16)

Round 21: *sc2tog; repeat from * around (8). Leave a tail long enough for stitching.

Stuff with fiberfill. Thread tail with darning needle and weave tail in and out of the opening's edge in a running stitch, then pull taught to close opening. Tie off.

Stem & Leaf Top:

Round 1: 6 sc into magic adjustable ring, pull tail to close and weave in end with a darning needle (6)

Round 3: 1 sc in each st around (6)

Round 4: 2 sc in each st around (12)

Round 5: * sl st in next st, ch 6, sl st in second chain from end, 1 sc in next three chs, 1 hdc in next ch, sl st in next st over; repeat from * 6x to form six leaves. Leave a long tail for stitching.

Thread tail with darning needle and stitch stem & leaf to the top of the strawberry. Tie off. Because the leaves tend to curl up, tack down each leaf (I stitch them down with needle and thread, but you can use a dot of fabric or hot glue) to the strawberry's body.

Enjoy!

A Fresh Start

Let me begin by wishing everyone a belated Happy New Year! :) Have you all made any resolutions for 2012? Have you been sticking to them? Well, I'm happy to report that by writing this post I am sticking to one of mine: I resolved to start crafting and blogging again. I took a much longer break from my hobbies than I expected . . . I had no idea how time consuming and all encompassing having a baby would be! And if that wasn't enough I'm also in the process of buying and moving into a new home. It's precisely during chaotic times like these that I feel the need for a creative outlet.

Thankfully, my son is turning one next month (how time flies!) and he's gotten a bit less clingy and needy, which allows me some much needed crafting time. Now it's not nearly as much time as I would like, but even an hour or two a week is enough to scratch my creative itch.

Back to my staple mohair bunnies and bears! You have no idea how terrified I was when I picked up my crochet needle and started working. I was convinced I had forgotten how to make them! However, after a few glitches (how the heck do you decrease again?!) it all slowly came back to me.

I really wanted to sew up some apron dresses for the gals above. Unfortunately my trusty ol' Singer sewing machine is packed away in storage at the moment. I decided to crochet the apron dresses instead . . . and add some handy little pockets.

These girls are dressed a bit more fanciful . . . going to a party perhaps?

Please visit my shop, where they will all become available shortly.

I will end my first post of the New Year by thanking everyone who visits. I appreciate you all for stopping by and taking the time to write me and leave comments. I apologize if I have been so sporadic in my posting or in my replies. I've just been so busy!

However, I did resolve to change all that. I have plans to kick my blog into high gear . . . with more posts and tutorials and just tons more cute! :)

Thank you for dropping by!

I'm Trying...

Aloha everyone!

I just want to thank everyone, who has continued to visit my blog and etsy shop. I so wish I could maintain both as I used to, but my son keeps me so busy and now I'm in the middle of moving to a new home!

I've been getting so many emails asking about when I will have more items available. Well, it is my sincerest hope that once I get settled I will be able to get things going again. Please stay tuned!

Until then I will try to list a few things that I have on hand.

Thank you again for visiting me! Take care and Happy Holidays! :)

10% Off Sale!!!

First off, I want to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

To celebrate the holidays I'm having a little sale at my Etsy shop. Everything is now 10% off!

Enjoy perusing! :)

The Strawberry Bunch and the Long Lost Minis

First off, I want to say a big thank you to everyone for their kind words and congratulations on the upcoming baby. I appreciate your good wishes so much! As the due date draws nearer and nearer, things have been getting ever more hectic. From running around and buying baby supplies and furniture to staying goodbye to our truck and searching for a "family car -- there never seems to be enough minutes in the day.

Somehow in between all the busy-ness, I'm still managing to get in some crafting time, though sparingly. Here's what I've been up to:

I really enjoyed making those aviator hats, ski caps, and scarves for the boy amigurumi last time, and so this time around I wanted to make a feminine version. Originally, I intended to make a variety of "fruity" outfits for these gals, but I just enjoyed making the strawberry caps so much that I decided to stick with it all the way.

Here's some close-ups:





I just love the long, leafy stems and the yellow seeds on real strawberries. They translate nicely on these sweet caps, I think. I also made matching dual colored scarves in a diamond pattern to match.


Now here was an exciting find in my craft room. I found these four mini bunnies and bears in a box, all dressed up with nowhere to go. They were completely done, but for their origami gift bags. I must have gotten distracted and forgot about them. Poor things! Well, I'm glad they have been rediscovered.




I worked on their packages this weekend and now they are all ready to go to their new homes. Yayy! :)


Thank you again for dropping by! I hope to have all of these amigurumi in my etsy shop shortly. :)

Oh, Boy!

Lately, I've been itching to create new things. I can't seem to make myself crochet/ sew my old standards. I love them -- the cupcakes, and cacti, and owls, and such -- but at the moment I just feel the need to make something surprising and unexpected. Or at least to refresh and redesign my usual softie repertoire.

These little guys are pretty novel. I've never made a boy amigurumi before. I've just always loved the floral and frills of outfitting little girls. This time around, however, I wanted to make something a little less frou-frou . . . a lot more casual. Rough and tumble little boys seemed to be the logical answer.

I opted to outfit this bunny and the bear in aviator hats and scarves.

Here's a close-up of the aviator hat.

With chilly weather just around the corner, I decided to dress this bunny boy in a winter earflap hat and matching scarf.

And what has inspired me to create little amigurumi boys? Well, it may have something to do with the little man above :) Yep, this is the Big Project I've been working on and why I haven't been as quick and crafty as I normally am. I've been quite preoccupied preparing for his arrival. I'm so excited!

Well, if you are interested in any of the softies above, I should have them listed in my shop by this weekend.

Thank you for visiting and happy crafting! :)

Sparkly Ballerina Amigurumi Bunnies and Bears

Hello all! It's been quite awhile, I know. I've just been extremely preoccupied since we last spoke. I don't want to give away the details just yet, but let's just say that I've been working on a massive project . . . my magnum opus, if you will. It's been exhausting, but exciting work and I cannot wait until the big reveal, which will be sooner rather than later. I'm sorry for being so cryptic, but I'm not ready to let the cat out of the bag just yet :)

Despite being so busy, I haven't stopped making softies at all. It's just that with less crafting time on my hands, it takes me a lot longer to finish a project. To make up for my snail's pace I've made a concerted effort to try new things and change up my old designs. I've been finding it difficult to work on the same sort of thing over and over. It gets quite monotonous.

Time for something fresh . . .

Enter these three little ladies:




I've never been a fan of novelty yarn for making my amigurumi, but then I came across several skeins of super soft, fuzzy chenille buried at the bottom of my stash. I was intrigued by that yarn's subtle sparkle. It has a soft twinkle, without being overly brilliant or glittery. And it worked up even better than I imagined -- the stitches are well hidden by the chenille's loft and overall I thought the amigurumi turned out reminiscent of puffy cotton candy or whipped marshmallow fluff. Scrumptious!

Lately, I've been feeling an aversion to my sewing machine so I decided to completely crochet the outfits this time. For the dress design I wanted to move away from the smocks and come up with something more frilly and playful. In the end I decided on ballerina tutu styled dresses. And because I didn't want to overdo it with the flower motifs, I nixed the usual floral ear decor and adorned their heads with large satin bows instead.

Here's a close-up shot of all the little details. I also tried to capture that lovely iridescent sparkle I spoke about earlier:


I enjoyed making this set of amigurumi and it has inspired me to think outside the box -- with my materials as well as with new design ideas. This project makes me want to dig deeper into my yarn stash to see what other possibilities may exist.

Anyway, thank you again for visiting and if you are interested in any of these sweet girls, I will be listing them in my shop shortly.

Su-Lin the Precocious Little Panda

Please meet Su-Lin.

She is a precocious little thing.

While the other panda cubs romp and frolic in the dirt, you will find her sitting off to the side in the thickest, cleanest patch of grass. Su-Lin always takes great care not to soil her pretty dress.

Her friends often ask, "Su-Lin, why don't you come and play with us?"

"I will," Su-Lin answers. "When you play something less grubby."





Su-lin is my very first amigurumi panda bear so I'm extra excited to share her with you. I christened her after the very first panda to come to the United States in the 1930's.

As the inaugural panda, I really wanted to dress her up to the nines. Su-Lin is wearing a smock dress cut from a Japanese cherry blossom print cotton dobby. Her dress has many crocheted details such as a puff stitch trim along the dresses edge, and a band collar with a dainty flower at the neck. Su-Lin also has a crocheted drawstring purse with beaded ties. Finally, a crochet puff petal flower with a glass bead center is tucked by her right ear.

If you would like to adopt little Su-Lin she will be listed in my shop shortly.

Thank you again for visiting!

Slowly, but surely . . .

I've been working at a turtle's pace on these amigurumi. I wanted to add a bit of zing to my usual bunnies and bears, and whenever I'm brainstorming new ideas I'm always slow to realize them because there's so much trial and error . . . and more error . . . involved.

As you can see they haven't changed all that much. I didn't want to do an extreme makeover. I needed to keep their charm . . . and then add a dose of oomph! :) I did that by focusing on the little details.



I started out by selecting quality mohair yarns with a wonderful fuzz factor for the little critters. Fuzzier is always better, I think. :) And then for their apron dresses, I chose some lovely fabrics -- a pink embroidered cotton gauze, an imported Liberty of London lawn, and a dainty daisy pique.

With color coordinating cotton thread, I crocheted a picot lace to go around the edge of the dresses and created a Peter Pan collar at the necklines.

To top it all off I changed the routine wool felt flower by their ears. After fiddling with a bunch of flower variations, I came up with these crochet puff petal flowers with glass bead centers. I just love how sweet and plump they look.

These three munchkins will be in my shop soon.

And please stay tuned for my next post. I'm so excited to share my next project with you. It's an amigurumi animal I've never made before. Being that it's another new idea it may take a bit of time, but I promise you it will be worth the wait. :)

Thank you again for visiting!

My First Amigurumi Pattern: A Willy-Nilly Silly Snake

Please meet the Willy-Nilly Silly Snake.

For those of you who are just starting to crochet and are interested in doing amigurumi, I've written this very simple pattern. I've designed this snake to be super easy, super cute, and a great way to use up all those leftover bits of yarn lying about. :)

Before you start here are some helpful hints:
1. Learn the magic adjustable loop to start off your amigurumi. Here is a great tutorial at CrochetMe.com
2. Mark the end of each round with a stitch marker.
3. Stuff as you go. Especially if you are making a super long snake.

Materials:
-- A multitude of colors of worsted weight yarn
-- For eyes 6mm plastic safety eyes, 6mm round black beads, or black yarn can be used
-- 1/4 inch wide grosgrain ribbon
-- Poly-fil stuffing
-- 4.5 mm crochet hook
-- yarn needle

Notes:
-- sc (single crochet)
-- sc2tog (a decrease made my crocheting two stitches together)

SNAKE HEAD
Row 1: Work 6 sc into a magic loop
Row 2: Work 2 sc in each stitch
Row 3: (Work 1 sc in first stitch, 2 sc in next stitch) repeat 6x
Row 4: Sc all the way around
Row 5: (Work 1 sc in each of first two stitches , 2 sc in next stitch) repeat 6x
Row 6-8: Sc all the way around
Row 9: (Work 1 sc in each of first two stitches, sc2tog) repeat 6x
Row 10: (Work 1 sc in first stitch, sc2tog) repeat 6x

You've formed the general shape of the snake head so now you can affix the eyes. Note that the end of your round will mark the underside of your snake so position eyes accordingly. If you don't have safety eyes or beads, you can simply embroider the eyes on with a simple french knot. I especially recommend embroidering the eyes if you're making this for a small child.

Now finish off the head . . .

Rows 11-14: Sc around

SNAKE BODY
Now for the fun part! It's time to change colors. The body is done by single crocheting round and round with a variety of yarn. Work a specific stripe pattern or simply work willy-nilly. And feel free to make the snake as long as you like. It's up to you! :) Just be sure to join each new yarn on the underside of the snake so you don't see the pattern break on the top. Also, be sure to stuff as you go along!

SNAKE TAIL
Each following line is one row (not numbered because I do not know how many rows you've worked in the snake's body):

-- (Work 1 sc in first stitch, sc2tog) repeat 4x
-- Sc all the way around
-- Sc all the way around
-- (Work 1 sc in each of first two stitches, sc2tog) repeat 2x
-- Sc all the way around
-- (Work 1 sc in first stitch, sc2tog) repeat 2x
-- Slip stitch in next stitch. To close opening cut yarn leaving a 6 inch tail. With a yarn needle, thread yarn tail in and out of opening's rim and then pull taught to cinch it shut. Knot. Hide yarn tail by poking through snake's body.

TONGUE
Cut a length of grosgrain ribbon 1 3/4 in. long. Cut a "V" out of one end of ribbon to simulate a forked tongue. Stitch other end of ribbon to snake's face.

That's all there is to it! Hopefully, I've made the instructions clear enough to understand, but if anyone still has questions please feel free to ask.

One last thing . . . these softies will be up in the shop soon if anyone is interested.

Thank you for visiting! :)

Life is Sweet

Happy New Year to everyone! :)

Lately, I've been busy whipping up amigurumi that sums up my philosophy on life -- it's all too short, but wonderfully sweet . . . so savor every moment. I'm probably still filled with that fresh and novel feeling you get as you ring in the New Year, but I'm hoping it's something more. I hope this feeling sticks. It's easy to get so bogged down in the minutiae of life that you completely miss it. Not me, though. Not this year (or all the years thereafter hopefully). I resolve that in 2010, I will savor life's sweetness so thoroughly that I'll be choking on it! :)

These Charming Chocolate Dipped Strawberries were inspired by a long ago trip to Godiva's, where they had chocolate covered everything. Their jumbo chocolate dipped strawberries looked so heavenly that the sight was forever etched in my brain. Unfortunately, my amigurumi version doesn't taste as good, but I hope to make up for that in charm and cuteness.

Oh, and they're functional, too! I wanted these strawberries to do more than just sit on your desk and smile at you, so I attached a metal snap clip to the back and now you can dangle your strawberry on your bag or use it as a keychain, and take some cuteness with you wherever you go. :)

Each strawberry comes packaged in these clear plastic bento packages I discovered in my local grocery store. Now they're ready for gift giving!

Other sweet additions include Very Berry-licious Cupcakes and Cheery Cherry Cupcakes. I wanted to make cupcakes with more scrumptious and elaborate tops.

So I randomly decorated them with dallops of vanilla frosting, colorful sprinkles, and big fruit pieces. I love how they look from above . . . it's really like looking into a dessert case at the bakery.

Well, that's all the sweetness I have to share for now. Thank you for stopping by again! Best wishes to all of you in the New Year and all the years to come! :)

Quick Shop Update

Hello everyone!

I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season so far. I've been so busy with custom orders that I haven't been able to stock my shop as much as I would like. However, this weekend I was able to whip up a few amigurumi. Please visit my shop if you are interested. Thank you so much! :)

A Crafting Life In Pictures

A few custom orders:




And some stuff to go in my shop:




I've been so busy with custom orders and other holiday busy-ness that I scarcely have time to write a complete paragraph.

More than anything I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Shop Update and Some Holiday Crafting

Aloha everyone! :)

I've been slow to update my shop lately so I'm thrilled to finally have these new editions soon to be listed:

Some Itty Bitty Ami Bears sitting in their origami gift bags . . .

And a trio of Bashful Blooming Cacti. Each cactus will now come with an instructional "How to Care for . . . " hang tag. It's an idea that I've been mulling over for ages and I've finally gotten around to doing it.

The tags read --

Caring for your Bashful Blooming Cactus:
1. Situate in a calm, peaceful place away from loud noises and crowds.
2. Encourage it to bloom without being too pushy.
3. Never put your cactus on the spot -- i.e., ask it to sing or if it knows any good jokes.
4. Finally, nurture your cactus by complimenting it everyday.

I'm excited by how the tags turned out! :)


This Christmas I'm attempting to apply the "use what you have" concept to my gift giving. As a platinum card carrying member of the hopelessly craft obsessed, I've amassed a mountain of fabrics, ribbon, yarn, and other supplies over the years. This Christmas is the perfect time for me to use some of my stock and make room for more. I'm being very strict about my "use what you have" philosophy. I won't run out to purchase something else in order to finish a project. Not even small supplies like thread. If I don't have what I need on hand, I'm going to have to improvise. This may not bode well for the friends and family that I will be creating gifts for. However, I am vowing to do my very best not to construct any Franken-presents out of random objects lying about like pipe cleaners, buttons, and toilet paper. I will strive to make things as cute and pretty as possible with what is readily available.

Here is my first "use what you have" Christmas gift project. It's what I came up with after finding way too many balls of red and green yarn in my stash.

I know, I know . . . they're just potholders, but they're cherry potholders so that's sort of cute, right? But then I discovered some cherry print fabric so I plan to make a whole cherry themed kitchen set. This project is still in the beginning stages so I have hopes that it will blossom into something more impressive than it seems. We'll see, I guess. Stay tuned . . .

Finally, the winner of the Kawaii Kitty for last month's Reader Appreciation giveaway is . . . Sew Very Carrie! Thank you for all your support Carrie! I'll contact you soon! :)