Apologies And Dentists

Apologies for there not being a 'Best Of' yesterday - had a nasty headache and couldn't be bothered to blog. All will resume next week!

What else has been going on? Well, I went to my favourite place on Monday - the local dentist. Yuk. I hate it so much. I'm not scared or anything - far from it - I just don't like it. Maybe it's the smell, the fact everythings so clinical, I'm not sure. I had a filling done, which ment injections and drills. I used to hate injections and needles, but I've got used to them over the years. Probably due to the fact I have tattoos and a lip piercing lol! They hate my lip piercing at the dentist - they say it'll mess my teeth up. Yeah yeah yeah...

And no, they're not my teeth in the picture. I'm English, so my teeth arn't that perfect lol!

The problem is the tooth that had the filling now hurts whenever I drink something cold. Makes me a bit angry as it didn't hurt before. They've given me some special pro-enamel toothpaste for it.

As far as the crocheting goes - I finally finished the big shawl/blanket thing I've been working on! It's made up of 9 16'' granny squares, all sewn together with a frilly boarder. I'm really happy with it; I'll have to take a picture and post it here.

Today I've started another octopus, using the fab pattern by PepperKitty on Craftster.org. I've made one before when I started crocheting last year, now I'm having another go. Should be interesting to see how my crocheting has changed over the year!

That's about it. Don't think I've got anything else to say at the mo!

Christmas Card Giveaway Call!

You might remember a few Sunday's ago I launched my Christmas Card Giveaway, well I still have some cards left so I thought I'd update!

This Christmas time I'll be sending out Christmas cards with 20% discounts to spend in my Etsy Shop to anyone who wants one!

All you have to do is email me your mailing address, and around November I'll send your card and discount code off to you. You don't have to be in the UK - you can be anywhere in the world, I mail everywhere!

And don't worry - I won't use your address to send you junk mail, and I won't be passing it on to 3rd parties - I'm not like that! I'm just doing this because I love sending mail!

So if you'd like a card and discount code this Christmas, email your mailing address to me at Esshaych@hotmail.co.uk, and I'll add you to the list!

Thankies!

Etsy Friday: MuffinPuffART!

This week on Etsy Friday: MuffinPuffART!



I love anything small and cute, so the items in Jo's MuffinPuffART shop are right up my street! Selling badges, mirrors, keyrings and more, all with her own original art and photography.

I love this Lucky Cat/Maneki Neko Badge! I think I might have to buy a few badges from this shop this Christmas - I'm crazy about badges!

Check out Jo's shop here.

Blue Fairy: A Work In Progress

Another 'W.I.P'! This time it's for a Wekeshi Doll inspired by the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio and A.I.

First off - bad drawing...


When I have an idea for an ami but I'm too tired to crochet, I often sketch it down in my sketch book. That book's full of all sorts of ami ideas - and every now and again I look through it and actually make one. Not the best drawings in the world, but they're ok for what I need them for lol!


About 15 rows into the head now. I'm using a smaller hook this time (3.25mm - US D), to try and make the stitches just a little tighter. Not that they need to be - I just thought I'd try it! Please excuse the mess on my desk...


The head complete. I placed the eyes a little lower on this doll, just to see what it would look like.


Because this doll is wearing a dress, I thought I'd add a frilly edge to the bottom of the body. Just 2 DC's in each stitch around instead of 1 SC.


Head and body finished. She stands up a bit better than the other dolls, which is good as they sometimes act like they're a bit drunk; falling over all over the place...


Adding the blue hair. For this I'm using baby weight yarn instead of double knit, so it looks a bit thinner.


The hair finished - before I've cut and styled it! Mad hair lol!


All done! She wasn't ment to have a fringe, but in the end I thought it suited her better. I sewed a star button to the front of her dress and added a hairband to her hair.


To the back of the doll I sewed a pair of fairy wings I made out of silver craft wire. She's got to have wings if she's a fairy lol! Plus for some reason I can't crochet wings, so it had to be craft wire...

I'm very happy with Blue Fairy. I plan on either putting her up on my Etsy shop or taking her to the craft fair I'm doing in December. Either way, I hope she finds a loving home!

Best Of...

Craftster

These Puff Puggles by Callykarishokka on DA look so cuddly and cute! I love the bright colours!

Photo (c) Callykarishokka

Craftster

This tiny fox by Earless Owl on Craftster is so cute! So much cuter than the urban foxes we get round Basildon!

Photo (c) Earless Owl

Flickr

Serendipityflick's button on Flickr is so sweet! Look at all the detail, it's amazing!

Photo (c) Serendipityflick

Ravelry

I really like this Babette Blanket by Gusseting over at Ravelry! There are lots of Work In Progress shots too which is always great to see!

Photo (c) Gusseting

Walter's Home!!

I got a PM from my swap partner at Craftster.org yesterday to say that Walter had arrived back home! Yay!

She said she was really happy with the stuff I'd sent home with Walter, which included postcards (alot of postcards...), scarfs, badges and little bits like that.

I'm so happy Walter's home - me being a bit paranoid I thought he might've got lost in the post, so to hear that he was safely at home was great news!

You can check out Eddie's blog here to see Walter at home with his goodies!

A big Thank You to my swap partner Transatlanticism - she's been excellent! I can't wait to do this swap again next year!

Etsy Friday: Polymer Clay Creations

This week on Etsy Friday: Polymer Clay Creations!



I'm always amazed at what people can do with polymer clay, and the pieces in Polymer Clay Creation's shop are some of the best I've seen! Including this Beautiful Yellow Millefiori Thimble.

I bought a loud of items from this shop last year at Christmas time, and both myself and my Mum, who I ordered most of the pieces for, were so happy with not only the lovely creations but also the quick and friendly service. I can't recommend this shop enough!

Check out the shop here.

Eddie's Back!

I've been taking part in the Little Visitor Swap Round 10 on Craftster.org, and yesterday my little visitor Eddie arrived back from his adventures in Minnesota, USA!

It was so great to see him again! He looks a bit different from when I last saw him - he has new yellow arms and legs which really suit him! In the box with Eddie were loads of great gifts from my swap partner, Hilary! Here's what I got...

Eddie!! He was so excited to show me all the great gifts! To the left is Eddie's cute travel companion! I named her Poppy! Also there's the amazing scrapbook, packed with pictures and accounts of his adventures!


These are the fab drawings the students at the Art Camp Eddie went to drew of him! I love these so much - so many different styles! I put this on my wall!


Here we have Minnesota soap (smells yummy!), incense sticks, a Growing Moose (it grows to 600% it's original size!!) and some Minnesota black rice - I've never seen black rice before - my Mum and I had a good look at this!


A cute little handmade keychain/keyring or pendant inspired by the famous Cherry Spoon sculpture! I love little hand made things like these! And there's also a squashed coin/token from Minnesota Zoo! I have a thing for squashed coins!


Lots of pom-poms from the art camp! They've been described to me as an Eddie Repair Kit, because of his arm and leg transplant! I can always use pom-poms, so these are perfect!


I beautiful friendship bracelet, Minnesota Bear Eggs & Bubble Gum and mints with my name on them! Lots of lovely sweeties to enjoy!!


And last but by no means least, a cute little Minnesota sticker book and Minnesota colouring/sticker book! I do like a bit of colouring in lol!

I'm so happy with all my gifts! I've truly been spoilt! Plus it's so great to have Eddie back - he's been telling me all about his time in America - I haven't been able to shut him up! He's developed a bit of a twang to his accent - I think it's cute! He's mega tired after his long journey, so I think it's an early night for him tonight and a long lay in in the morning!

I'd love to do this swap again, it's been so much fun! I only hope Walter arrives back safely, and that Hilary loves her stuff as much as I love mine!

I'll keep you posted on Walter's progress :D

Free Pattern: Mini Amigurumi Top Hat!

I'm happy to bring you my second free pattern: the Mini Ami Top Hat!

A little while ago I wanted a crocheted top hat for an ami alien I was making called Mr. Morris. He is a gentleman alien and so had to have a top hat. I couldn't find an ami top hat pattern, so decided to make my own up. You can see a pic of the finished Mr. Morris at the bottom of this post!

The finished hat measures just under 1'' tall when using a 3.5mm hook. All you need for this pattern is Single Crochet, Increase and slip stitch. Also you'll need to know how to work in the back loops and front loops separately. For info on all these stitches and techniques, check out NexStitch.com.

So here's the pattern. It hasn't been tested, so if there's any mistakes please leave a comment and I'll correct it. I hope you enjoy it!

Mini Ami Top Hat

You will need
. 3.75mm (US size F) crochet hook
. Small amount of black yarn (I used Double Knit)
Eyes
. Stitch marker

Abbreviations
Ch - Chain Stitch
Sc - Single Crochet
St/Sts - Stitch/Stitches
Slst - Slip Stitch
Inc (Increase) - 2 Sc into 1 St
** - Marks a group of stitches to be repeated until the round if completed

*Work In continuous rounds, do not join*

1. Ch 2, Sc 6 into 2nd Ch from hook (6)
2. Inc around (12)
3. *Sc, Inc* around (18)
4. IN BACK LOOPS ONLY: Sc around (18)
5-9. BACK TO NORMAL STITCHES: Sc around (18)
10. FRONT LOOP ONLY: Sc around (18)
11. BACK TO NORMAL STITCHES: *Sc, Inc* around (27)
12. Sc around (27)

*Bind Off, Weave In End*

Flip rim up so it gives your hat a little brim, and flatten the top of the hat.

Done!

Now you have a super smart ami!

I hope you enjoyed the pattern! If you have any questions at all about the pattern please comment below and I'll get back to you!

***And Now... Mr. Morris!***

Best Of...

DeviantArt

I love Pirates, I love Ninjas. So I automatically love this picture, Awkward, by mintconspiracy on DA! Just think what it would be like if some ninjas stumbled upon some pirates lol! It would be manic!

Picture (c) mintconspiracy


Craftster



This Convertible Hat by AprilDraven on Craftster is amazing! It can be worn either as a hat or a scarf! A pattern to make one of these fab hats/scarfs is included in the post, and I've bought the yarn to make one!

Picture (c) AprilDraven

Flickr



Yay for Hama Beads! I've made loads of things from them, it's very addictive! I really like these items by Altered Angel on Flickr, especially the cross! Very pretty!

Picture (c) Altered Angel

Ravelry



This Sea Dragon by Aeronberry over at Ravelry is so cute! Such an original design - I love the way the body shape keeps curving!

Picture (c) Aeronberry

Gig Going & Moo

One of my favourite things to do is go to gigs. I love them! From big concerts at places like Wembley Stadium to small venues like the ULU. Over the past 5 years I've been to 17 of them - and for me that's quite alot seen as I don't get out much!

But what is it with gigs; they're like buses! You don't go to any in ages then 2 come along at once lol! I got tickets last Friday to go and see The Horrors in Kentish Town, London, on 20th December. I love The Horrors; I've never seen them live so this is gonna be fab! Then, this past Thursday, I find out Paramore are to play at Wembley Arena on 18th December! So of course, I want to see them too lol! 3 days, 2 gigs!

The great thing about these 2 being so close together is that it's my 25th birthday on the 21st December, so my parents bought both of my tickets! Didn't cost me a thing, Yay! It's gonna be like a birthday weekend!

So that's me sorted for the rest of the year! I love having something to look forward too, makes me alot happier!

Also wanted to mention I got some excellent Mini Cards printed up by Moo, the print company, the other day and they've arrived! They're fab!! With the cards I got a discount code to pass on to first time buyers, so I thought I'd share it here. The code is 2RB2CK; it's for 15% off your first order, and I'm not sure how long it lasts, but I think it's quite a while. If you need any business card type things printed for your Etsy shop I would definitely consider Moo. They are really top quality cards, and they ship world wide. Check them out!

That's it. Have a great weekend!

Etsy Friday: Love And A Sandwich

This week on Etsy Friday: Love And A Sandwich!



Love And A Sandwich is run by Chelsea in Littleton, NH. I've been a big fan of her work for a long time now, and last year bought a cute little Recyclomonster called Xek. I loves him!

Amazingly all these plushies are hand sewn - it must take alot of attention and care to make them, which is why I like them so much! Especially these cute little Yeti In My Pocket! Too sweet!

Check out Chelsea's shop here
You can also visit her Live Journal here

A Crisis Of Confidence

You might remember a previous post on this blog about Rene the Wekeshi Doll, who was a Work In Progress from a few weeks ago.

Since making her, I've made *counts* another 5 of these 'Wekeshi' dolls; I love making them as there's so many different themes and characters you can create from that one simple doll's pattern.

The problem I have is I'm slowly running out of space for all these creations. As I sit here the 6 dolls are on my desk top looking at me type. I have nowhere else to put them lol!

So I was thinking, what if I continue to make them, but list them on my Etsy shop instead of keeping them here in my room? That way I can still carry on doing what I love, but save space too by selling them.

Simple decision, but I have always been super critical of my work, so am nervous about selling anything I make. I'm always scared people will hate something they've bought from me lol!

What would you do? Take the plunge and sell them, or be cautious and keep them? I'm bad at making decisions, so thought I'd see what others thought. Stupid really, but then again I am a stupid person! :o)

Good Bye To A Friend

No 'Best Of' this week, instead I'm saying good-bye to a very dear friend who has been living with me since June. We've been on many adventures over the summer, getting into all sorts of trouble. I'm talking of course, about Walter The Rainbow Dinosaur.



Walter is my Little Visitor in the Swap of the same name over at Craftster.org. In the swap, you are paired up with a swap partner and you exchange Little Visitors ('LV's') - small toys - that then travel round with you for a few months. Wherever you go, so does your LV and your camera, to document your adventures.



I was paired with the lovely Hilary from Minnitonka. I sent one of the Eggberts, Eddie, and she sent Walter. He arrived in early June, and since then we've been to lots of places. We've been sightseeing in London, holidaying in Cyprus, strolling along the seafront at Southend and on many other trips.



I myself don't usually get out much; I don't work due to illness and I spend most of my time at home doing various crafts to pass the time. So Walter has been the perfect excuse to get out and about! I wish I could've taken him to more places really, but for me it was quite a lot lol! You can check out all what we've been getting up to on his special blog I made for him!



But all good things must come to an end, and today Walter had to be sent back home to the US. I packed him up in his box with lots of goodies I'd collected over the months from our days out, a scrapbook and a CD with all his pics on. 195 in all lol! I hope he has a safe journey home to Minnetonka and I also hope Hilary will like the stuff I sent back!

So, farewell Walter, I'll miss you! *Mwah*

New Patterns

I listed 2 new patterns in my Etsy shop over the weekend! First up is Petal The Bunny



Petal stands at about 15cm's tall, when using a 3.5mm crochet hook. She's a pretty easy pattern, using only the basic crochet stitches. You also get the pattern for the little flower by her ear!

The second is Kimiko The Kokeshi Doll



Kimiko also only needs the basic crochet stitches, and measure around 16cm's when using a 3.5mm crochet hook.

Again, if you'd prefer the finished dolls to the actual PDF pattern, get in touch and I'll see what I can do!

Thanks!

50 Christmas Cards Giveaway

Would you like me to send you a Christmas card this year?! Sounds a bit weird, but it's a new trend I've seen popping up on craft blogs, like Kathleen McGiveron's Ceramic & Sculpture Artwork Blog and Audrey's Country Crafts.

What they've done is buy a load of postcards, and if someone wants one from them all they have to do is email their postal address to them. Simple, a?!

You might wonder why on earth anyone would want to send something to a stranger! I, like others that have done this, just love sending stuff in the mail, plus I love Christmas! A perfect combination!

The problem I have is a can't find Christmas postcards lol! Maybe it's a more popular thing in the US than here in the UK! So what I thought I'd do is send Christmas Cards instead.

Also, as a little Christmas gift, I'll also send you a 20% discount code which you can use to buy something from my Etsy shop! You can even use it on custom orders! Yay!!

So, if you'd like me to send you a card this Christmas time, all you have to do is email your postal address to me at esshaych@hotmail.co.uk , and I'll send you one! Even if your not in the UK - I'll mail anywhere! And don't worry - I won't use your address to send you junk mail or hand it on to other people - I'm not like that!

Cards won't be sent out until November time though, as I think it's a bit early yet lol! But email me whenever; I'm gonna write the cards out as I get the addresses and then just post the whole lot.

Fun fun fun!!

Amigurumi Hair Tutorial

Whilst making Rene the Wekeshi Doll the other week, I decided to take pictures of the process used to attach her hair, as in the past people have asked me how it's done. So here's a little tutorial on how it's done...


1. Insert crochet hook into one of the ‘holes’ in the dolls head, and out of another straight above it

2. Fold a piece of yarn in half and loop it over the hook


3. Pull the yarn through the holes, but not all the way through


4. Pull your yarn over the hook and pull through the loop


5. One strand done!

That's how I attach the strands of yarn to make the hair, and this is how I build it up...


I usually start with the hair line, so that way all you have to do is fill in the space


Start at the bottom of the hair line, round the back. In the first few rows I usually just apply hair strands to every other hole, and also every other row of holes too. It looks abit sparse, but it gets thicker as you go on, I promise!


When you get to the crown of the head, or where the fringe outline is in line with the rows you’ve just been doing, you’ll need to start applying hair strands to every stitch in every row. This way the hair will be nice and thick on top and cover the scalp


This is what it looks like after one complete row round. Continue for the rest of the head

And you’re done! Now you can either cut the hair to any style you like, tie it up in a pony tail or bunches etc, or leave it as it is.

I hope that was a useful tutorial! It's a time consuming method of attaching ami's hair, but I find it's the best way to get an even covering. Plus the hair stays in place really well.

Let me know if you have any questions about the process, I'm always happy to help!

Thankies!