Trade Part II

Here's the second installment of ami's for the trade I'm doing on DA with Kat250 :D I re-made the Kokeshi Doll in, yep, pink!


And there's another Morris Mouth and pink Pillow Pal too


I think I've made everything now! Phew! My fingers ache from crocheting! But it's worth it for one of them fab dolls :) I will be sending a couple of extra bits too to say Thanks for being a great trade partner, but I can't post them here yet incase she see's hehe!

Free Pattern: Mini Pillow Pals!

You lucky things - 2 free patterns in 1 month! Here's my latest offering, Mini Pillow Pals!

You can use them as, obviously, mini pillows; as stress ball type things; as pin cushions or just as a little friend!

They are really simple to make, it's just a little rectangular pouch that's stuffed and sewn up at the bottom. It's not even really a pattern; just directions.

I hope you enjoy! Like always - any problems just comment below :)


Mini Pillow Pals
You Will Need:

• Aran /WW Yarn in 2 different colours
• Crochet hook (I used a 4mm [G] )
• Fiberfill or other stuffing
• Various Buttons
• Stitch Marker
• Embroidery/yarn needle
• Embroidery Thread


Abbreviations

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


Gauge

No gauge, just keep your stitches nice and tight to avoid gaps in your work


Finished Size

4.5’’ tall (approx.) using a 4mm (G) hook and Aran yarn.


Other Info

• As this is amigurumi, work in continuous rounds; in a spiral, unless otherwise stated. Don’t join at the end of a row; just keep going
• Use stitch markers or a piece of scrap yarn to mark the start of every round. Replace at the start of the next round as you go along. This will help you keep track of where you started, and saves a lot of time if things go wrong!
• I write my patterns in American terms, so Sc means Single Crochet; Dc means Double Crochet etc
• The number at the end of each round is the number of stitches you should now have

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Head/Body (Working from the top down)

1. Ch 13 (13Ch)
2. Sc in each Ch to beginning. In 1st Ch, Sc 3. Continue to Sc on the opposite side of the Ch. In the last Ch Sc 2 (26 Sc)
3. Inc, Sc 10, Inc 3, Sc 10, Inc 2 (32 Sc)
4 - 14. Sc around (32)

*Sew face to top of the body*
15 – 28. Sc around (32)
29. Dec 2, Sc 10, Dec 3, Sc 10, Dec (26)

*Finish off, leave long tail for sewing*
Assembly

• Stuff the pouch you have just made and sew the opening shut.
• Take your contrasting colour yarn and cut into approx. 3’’ strips. Use this method to attach the hair.
• Sew on additional buttons if desired.

Done!!

How easy was that lol!! I hope you enjoy your Mini Pillow Pals!

Oppie The Octopus

A while ago I found a great Optopus pattern on Ravelry...

I Am Octopus
Alameda


... The only problem was that the pattern was only available in a Chinese book, which I have no means of getting. Plus I also liked the thought of it being quite big, with curley tentacles. So I got out my 3.5mm hook and some DK yarn and in a few hours had this geezer...

I call him Oppie! He is very similar to the Chinese book version, with the same mouth and sequins, but I also added some extra seed beads to his head and the curley tentacles.


I'm happy with the way he came out! I am planning on putting the pattern for him on my blog sometime next week, so you can too make your own Oppie! Yay!

I also made another Mini Pillow Pal...


... she hasn't got a name yet. I too will be putting the pattern on here soon :) Yay for free patterns!!

I'd also like to say my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan that are effected by the horrendous earthquake and tsunami that hit yesterday. I couldn't believe the destruction caused :'( Makes all this talk of amigurumi seem stupid some how :(

Timmy, A New Friend and The Stash

I crocheted my first ami of the year last week! Yay! Here's Timmy...

I crocheted Timmy for a customer on Etsy. She wanted a Uniloomph just like Stuart, my pattern Uniloomph, but also requested he had hooves (hoofs?!). So I crocheted the bottom of Timmy's feet black! I like him, and making him has given me new enthusiasm for amigurumi, which can't be a bad thing!

So I decided to finish an ami I started late last year...

I call him a Mini Pillow Pal, because he's a mini pillow and he's very friendly lol! I wanted to use this new Aran yarn I bought from Southend, so used a bigger hook than usual. I also used one of many cute buttons I bought in the same shop for the middle of his eye, and gave him pink hair. I was originally thinking about giving him arms and legs, but decided against it as I thought he looked cute enough. If anyone's interested I can write the pattern up and post it on here - it's super simple.

Oh, and I sorted out my yarn stash today. I counted over 60 skeins, then found I had another 12 hiding in a bag...

This obsession has got to stop - I bought a 35 litre bucket today to keep it in, along with the existing hold-all and big fabric box I already have, and it's taking over my room lol!