The weather has been so beautiful lately…the grass is green, the flowers are in bloom, and I was inspired to make my first amigurumi bug.  It was easy to decide which one, since I’ve always had a soft spot for ladybugs.  They are one of the very, very few bugs out there that I will actually allow to crawl on my hand.  I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a bit squeamish around crawly things.  (Maybe it stems from some bad experiences with cockroaches when I was living in New York)  But sweet lil ladybugs? They’re my friends.  Anyways, here is my latest pattern, available for purchase now!

New pattern available! Dottie the Ladybug!

Meet Dottie, a real little cutie!  You might be saying hey waitaminute – where are her other 2 legs? Well, the beauty of making your own amigurumi is that you can pretty much make it however you want!  I decided to stop at 4 arms/legs just because I think it looks cute like this.  I actually did intend to make this ladybug with 6 legs…the extra arms are sitting on my desktop at this very moment, but it was just a matter of personal preference to stop when I did.  Of course, if you decide to make your own little Dottie, you can choose how many arms/legs you want to include! [Continue Reading...]

I’ve been wanting to release a freebie for quite some time now!  I intended to coincide the release of this mouse pattern with my goal of hitting 3000 likes on my Facebook page, but I’m a bit behind schedule!   My baby owl pattern came out to thank you all for my reaching 1500 likes, so I thought it fitting to have another pattern at 3000!  (Hmm I’ll have to start planning for a super special pattern for if I ever reach 5000!  If you’re interested, spread the word!)

I was told that a mouse is the most common crocheted animal out there…I don’t know if this is true or not but I think it subconsciously made me avoid creating a mouse for quite some time.  It was always on my list of animals to make, it just wasn’t at the top!  But I am proud to finally present one to you!

A pair of pastel mice!

Because I think these little mice are as cute as buttons, I’ve decided to name the pattern BUTTONS the Mouse!  These little squeakers are about 5 inches tall when in their sitting position.  They make adorable little decorations and can be made in any color of your choice!  The skills needed to make it are quite basic so even beginners can have a go at this!  CLICK HERE for the pattern!

She will brighten up your day with her sunny hue!

Back to back

Looking right

Looking left

Enjoy this mouse pattern and I hope you find it easy to follow! Please send along any feedback and as always, THANK YOU all for your love and support!!  Happy crocheting!!!

XOXO

Amy L.

Spencer the Fishing Kitty

Well, Spring is officially here and it’s about time that I made another entry!  I know that there are folks in other parts of the world that are still enduring snow, but here in northern California, it’s been blue skies and warm weather for a little while now!  The buds are blooming, the birds are singing, what’s not to love about this time of year?  I’m ready for some mental Spring Cleaning and I am feeling inspired to create some fresh and new Little Muggles patterns for you all!

For my Facebook followers, you’ve already seen pictures of my  Fishing Kitty project!  The pattern has now been officially written up – meet Spencer, the little cat who just LOVES having fresh fish dinners! (who wouldn’t?) For this creation, I actually found inspiration when I traveled to Asia this past winter.  In the beautiful city of Kenting, Taiwan, I saw some adorable wooden cat dolls in my hotel gift shop and thought that it would be so fun and cute to try and make one out of yarn!  It took me a number of tries before I got the proportions  to my satisfaction, but I’m happy with the end product!

Hotel fishing cats for sale

Aren’t these wooden cats adorable? I think they sold for about US$50 or $60.  There were a set of small ones too, and they were all in superhero costumes.  I’m so sad that I didn’t take a picture to share because they were pretty darn cute too!  I can always find the funniest and cutest little toys and gadgets in Asia!!

my sketchbook

Here’s a page out of my sketchbook…I ran through a bunch of different ideas before settling on my final design.  I still think it would be really cute to add a fishing hat of some kind, or maybe a fishing basket to put next to him.  A fishing vest would be adorable as well, with lures or hooks attached to it!

LIttle Fish

The cute little fish is actually inspired by an existing pattern that has already been published by a very talented fellow designer.   BUDDYRUMI has an adorable and FREE fish pattern on her website and I tweaked the design a little bit for my kitty. Her fish pattern includes cute little fins so you might want to check it out!  Click www.buddyrumi.com to see her amazing work and check out her freebies page if you’re interested!

Spencer the Fishing Kitty

This pattern is now available in my usual ETSY and CRAFTSY shops, as will shortly be added onto AMIGURUMIPATTERNS.NET!  Visit your fave site and pick up a pattern today!

Now that I have some experience with doing color changes within a round, I decided to use my new knowledge in making my new horse ami!   “Lucky” the horse is made in a soft, neutral shade of beige and has a lovely patch of white on his head between his eyes.  I’ve been wanting to make a horse for a very long time now and what better time than now, a few months before the new Lunar New Year of the Horse?  For all of you who are interested in making a fresh crocheted horse for 2014, here is a great pattern for you!   I just finished it up and there are lots of pictures to guide you in making your own “Lucky” horse!  There is even a tutorial on how to neatly make color changes.  Dazzle your loved ones with your crochet skills and pick up a pattern today!

I try to challenge myself with each new creation I make.  For Lucky, the challenge was his mane. I have never worked a mane before and to tell you the truth, I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t be able to make it to my satisfaction.   There was plenty of frustration on my part, with lots of tying and untying knots.  There were also plenty of great suggestions from Facebook friends so thank you everyone for trying to help me out! I ultimately decided on using the popular latch hook technique…at least that’s what I think it’s called.  At one point I thought the name was a “lark’s knot”, but I think that is technically a little bit different.  If someone out there knows what I should be calling this, please let me know!  I was just confused because it seemed like to latch hook, one needed a latch hook needle.  I just used my regular crochet needle and was able to do it just fine.

Lucky

The windblown look :)

Braided tail

I’m pretty happy with how the mane and tail turned out.  What do you think?

For the limbs, I used the back post single crochet once in each hoof.  The only other time I’ve ever used that particular stitch was in my Peanut the Elephant pattern.  I think it adds a nice bit of detail, don’t you?  I can’t wait to see all the horses that will be made with this pattern!  I’ve really enjoyed the photos of the Spike dolls that you have been sending me!  I’m thrilled that Spike is getting such a positive reception!

Now on to my next project.  I have two lined up and I’m not sure which to start first.  Both have late November deadlines so I guess it doesn’t really matter which one I start, as long as I start now!  :)  Til next time, happy crocheting!!