My Ami Beanbag Buddies!

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My 6 year old bag of polyester pellets

A number of years ago, I bought a big bag of poly-pellets, which are basically little plastic beads used for stuffing dolls.  I found it at my local craft store and thought it’d be fun to incorporate them into my amigurumis.  I used them in the bodies of a few of my dolls, but the whole bag just ended up sitting in a box untouched since then. Well, a few weeks ago I came across that bag and started brainstorming some design ideas that would make use of those poly-pellets!  Thus my beanbag buddy idea was born.  I wanted to make something small and unique, something that could  sit on a desktop or shelf and just add a pop of cuteness.  A little beanbag doll seemed ideal – they are all nice and stable from the heaviness of the pellets.

Violet the Kitty is my first beanbag creation.  She’s made a very soft worsted weight yarn I am very pleased with the color combination here.  I like to choose colors that you might not think to put together, just to make things interesting. I toyed with the idea of making these “buddies” with no limbs, which I think would look good too.  But the little arms and feet look so cute that I had to include them.

Violet
Side view
Bottom view

After Violet, I just had to add some colorful friends for her, so I came up with these:

Hippo
Squirrel
Owl

 

Owls

 

My final beanbag buddy turned out to this baby owl.  I’ve always wanted to make an owl, but there are already so many out there, I wasn’t sure if I could come up with a fresh version of one.  I was amazed at all the positive feedback I got for this simple little design!  It’s such cute little character and such a fun little project that I’ve decided to release this pattern for FREE!  There are endless color combinations and designs that can be incorporated into this pattern! I hope you all remember to post pictures of your owl creations on my Facebook page because I can’t wait to see all the creativity out there!!

As always, thank you so much for your interest, love, and support! I am constantly amazed by all the fantastic creations I see from you all and I am honored and thrilled that so many people seem to like my work!  Happy crocheting!

CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE BABY OWL PATTERN!!

 

 

Simi the Monkey Pattern now available!

When I was a kid, I spent far too much time watching TV. I loved all kinds of cartoons and I sure watched a lot of them! (Hello Smurfs! Jetsons!  Flintstones!  Woody Woodpecker! Tom and Jerry! Should I go on? And yes, I realize I am showing my age here) But one of my all time faves has got to be Looney Tunes.  Recently, I was randomly thinking about good ol’ Bugs Bunny and his crazy antics and for whatever reason, I was remembering a specific episode with a hurdy gurdy monkey.  If you are unfamiliar with what this is, imagine an old fashioned organ grinder who stands on a sidewalk and cranks out tunes while his pet monkey dances around and collects money from passersby.  I actually went hunting online and was thrilled to find the actual Looney Tunes episode  so here it is in case anyone is interested in watching it! It’s called HURDY GURDY HARE.  Funny this is, I even remembered the music from this episode! It’s so strange, the things one recalls from childhood…What do you remember from your own days as a kiddo that you find totally random?

Anyways, the reason I am even bringing all this up is because I wanted to share the inspiration for my newest monkey pattern! I thought it would be really cute to make an amigurumi styled after the old time hurdy gurdy monkeys.  My ambition was to make a monkey wearing a hat and a cute little suit, not unlike something you might see on a monkey at the circus.  Well, as you can see, I managed a hat. One day, when I develop superior clothes-making crochet skills, I will definitely release amis with fancy outfits. 🙂 Until then, I’ll have to keep it sweet and simple!

Simi the Monkey
Simi the Monkey
Hanging out on the shelf
Hanging out on the shelf

Simi is the name of this little guy ..it’s a short for “Simian”.  I think he looks really cute sitting on my son’s bookshelf, along with other stuffed animal friends.  I hope you all like him!  His pattern is now available in my usual shops!  Please take a look at Craftsy or Etsy!  Have a great day, everyone! Thanks for stopping by!