Dragon, Tiger, Cow

I finally finished the 3 dolls that my friend commissioned me to make!  Each will be gifted this Christmas to a niece or nephew, and each represents the Asian Zodiac animal for his/her birth year.  What a neat idea, right?  I hope the kiddos like them!  I’ve always wanted to make all the Zodiac animals so this was a good motivator to get me going on this project.  I don’t foresee myself finishing all 12 animals anytime in the near future, but I think I’ve got a pretty good start already.  Let’s see, the 12 animals are the Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

My plan is to eventually make new Zodiac versions of each animal.   In the meantime, I can use existing dolls to represent the animals…  ie. Mochi or Wasabi for Year of the Rabbit would work nicely!    I’ve got a long way to go to make all the signs.   No worries though!  As long as I’ve got the animal done for the current year, I’m happy.  Which animal sign are you?  I’m a Cow (ok, that doesn’t sound so nice) and my husband is a Tiger.  According to the horoscope, I am supposedly hard working and persistent.  Hmmm I’m not sure if that’s completely accurate!  My tiger husband is supposedly confidant, courageous, and dynamic. That’s probably true.  But I’m not really one to be superstitious!!

2013 Year of the Snake

Year of the Cow (Ox)

Year of the Pig

Year of the Horse

Year of the Tiger

Year of the Dragon

Year of the Rabbit

Year of the Monkey

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!!

Due to the encouragement and urging of my husband, I decided to enter a couple of my dolls in the County Fair this year!  I was limited to only 2 entries, so it took me a while to decide which of my dolls to choose.  The easier decision was my cow doll – he seemed a fitting choice considering all the animals that can be found at a fair!  Ultimately I chose my Fuji Bear to accompany him, since they are both part of the same collection.  I figured they’d look nice together in the display case.  I drove over the fairground on the indicated date to drop them off and drove away thinking how cool it would be to win a ribbon of any kind!

It’s really fun because no one tells you that you won anything…no emails, letters, phone calls!  You just go to the fair and find your stuff and keep your fingers crossed that there will be a ribbon hanging somewhere on your entry!  To my surprise and complete delight, both of my creations ended up taking 1st and 2nd place in the Crochet (non apparel) Category! My Clarence Cow doll even took home a special award ribbon with an extra $25 bonus! I am so honored and thrilled to have received these awards!

Winning Friends!

One of the display cases in the fair

Here is the third place winner, a fantastic basket of “Noah’s Ark” animals!   I can see all the work and love that was put into this project!

Noah’s Ark entry

I will be sure to enter again next year, and will probably set the bar higher for myself by entering into the State Fair too!  I hear the ribbons in that fair are a lot fancier! My husband wants me to start thinking of what I’m going to enter but I have plenty of time and PLENTY of other projects to think about first!  There are many, many ideas all lined up in my head.. So many projects, so little time! haha  I’m just happy that I can now claim I’ve made prize winning dolls!  Have a great day, everyone! Talk to you soon!

Hi everyone!  Wowie, it’s been quite a while since I’ve updated, hasn’t it?  Well, it’s a busy time of year… the end of the school year brings with it lots of last minute projects and activities.  I’ve been working on yearbooks and art projects and May is just one of the busiest months EVER what with Mother’s Day, and multiple birthdays falling in this month!  Through it all, I’ve been slowly working on my latest ami project, which is this little dragon.  It’s one of my more ambitious creations because of the color changes on the belly.  I have yet to perfect the transition of the colors as you view it vertically.  It still comes out choppier than I’d like and I’m not sure how to go about fixing this! If anyone has any tips and suggestions on how to change colors in rounds (that are continually getting smaller), please CONTACT ME!

My husband named this little guy Spike, for obvious reasons.  I fear he looks more like a dinosaur than anything else. Maybe because of the lack of wings, but that’s ok with me. Hope you like him and I will get to writing up the pattern sometime.  All the color changes and decreases make the writing quite tricky.

I’ll preview my next project for you soon!  Check  my Facebook page for updates! Have a good one!

Spike the Dragon

Little Muggles mini bear pattern!

In celebration of reaching 1000 likes on my Facebook page, I think is time to add to my collection of freebie patterns for you!  Here is another Amigurumi Gem, a mini bear to inspire you.  This little guy is barely 5 inches high and makes a cute little decoration anywhere!  Consider making one to use with a gift tag,  a party favor, place card holders for a party, a Christmas ornament… You can make just the head and turn it into a keychain! There are numerous possibilities!  I hope you enjoy making this little bear and don’t forget to share your images because I can’t wait to see pictures of all your unique creations! CLICK HERE for the pattern!

In other news, I have been working on proofreading and crocheting a doll from one of the designers of the next ZOOMIGURUMI book!  I just finished crocheting this doll yesterday and I have to tell you guys, it’s super cute and fun to make!  You will definitely not be disappointed in this design! Unfortunately, I will have to hold you in suspense a little longer because I will wait for AmigurumiPatterns.net to release the images as part of her promotional campaign.  Be sure to follow along on her Facebook page to get all the latest updates on the book!

For anyone who’s been waiting around for my newest Elephant pattern to be released, it’s finally here!  Peanut the Elephant is now available at Craftsy and Etsy!  Make your own baby elephant today!!  I found it so fun when I polled everyone on Facebook about their opinion on the spots.  My own husband was not in favor of them, as were quite a number of you!  But I had to follow my own gut and I decided to leave them on.  But the beauty of making your own elephant is making it unique to your own personality!  That’s why I love seeing everyone’s pictures so much..each and every creation truly reflects the creativity of the individual who made it!  Keep up the great work, everyone! Happy crocheting!!

Peanut the baby Elephant

As of March 1st, 2013, my very first Crochet Along has officially ended!  What a fun experience!! Here are 15 beautiful pictures that were shared with me!  It’s so amazing to see everyone’s take on the same pattern! I love the creativity and uniqueness of each doll!  Congrats to Jessica W for winning the random drawing.  She got a free pattern from my shop!   I’ll definitely be holding another Crochet Along in the future. Suggestions have already been made as to what kind of animal/doll you would like to make! Owl, cat, giraffe, human… you will have to wait and see what I come up with!! In the meantime, please enjoy these amazing creations! A huge THANK  YOU for all who participated!  Have a great day!!