A note on crochet (and a bit about knitting)

I have cancelled my subscription to The Art of Crochet. There are several reasons for this.

1. I have completed all of the square patterns at least once.

2. I'm not so keen on the other patterns in the magazine.

3. I will have very limited space in my new house for storage of crafty items.

4. I don't think I can learn much more from it.
5. I prefer square patterns from 200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton and ones I find online. More imaginative and purty.

I've achieved what I set out to and feel no remorse about not completing the throw. I have The Art of Knitting after all! One subscription is enough for anyone. I only know the basics of knitting so I shall see how I feel about it when I can confidently say the first four things listed above about it.

On a crochet related note, I have made another amigurumi! Meet Barry.

He's a bit cute inne? He was made for my friend Kate because she loves penguins...a lot. He's another Lion Brand pattern (link here, you'll need a [free] account to view it).

In other yarn related news: the sweater I started for Isaac in January. You know...the one that nearly made it to finished item status? Well, it's never going to be finished because now it's TOO BLOODY SMALL for him. Plus it's summer. So meh. Nevermind. I learned that sweaters aren't as hard as I thought they would be and that knitting with circulars isn't as bad as I originally thought. R.I.P. lovely jumper. I've edited my Ravelry queue so I should ctually find myself achieving more, especially if I finish what I cast on and don't buy yarn unnecessarily! I'm told it's manageable. We shall see!

Two-migurumi

I think the sheer quantity of yarn that arrived has overwhelmed me somewhat! I've made 2 amigurumi since then. Well, I have made 3, but I wasn't so impressed with the first one so he doesn't get a mention. Also, having a 5 month old bebe means I can't crochet all day. Which I probably would otherwise. Geek.

Anyhoo...introducing Señor Pablo:

and Erica Bunny:

I got the patterns from Lion Brand Yarn (who have excellent amigurumi patterns). See here for panda pattern & here for bunny pattern. I used Vanna's Choice for both. The bunny pattern called for Wool Ease so mine came out a little different from the original image, not as flopsy maybe, & I also crochet the stitches quite tightly when making amigurumi so the stuffing doesn't show. I changed the bunny pattern so that the body carries on from the head rather than making 2 separate body parts & then sewing them together - why do that when you can simply continue?? That's the joy of crochet! Here's how I changed it.

Body

Bear in mind you have 6 stitches already from the bottom of the head...so just carry on & continue to use a marker in the first stitch of each round.

Rnd 1: 2 sc in each st around - 12 st
Rnd 2: sc in each sc around
Rnd 3: *2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc; rep from * - 18 st
Rnd 4-6: sc in each sc around
Rnd 7: *2 sc in next sc, sc in each of next 2 sc; rep from * - 24 st
Rnd 8-9: sc in each sc around
Rnd 10: *2 sc in next sc, sc in each of next 3 sc; rep from * - 30 st
Rnd 11-13: sc in each sc around
Rnd 14: *sc2tog, sc in each of next 3 sc; rep from * - 24 st
Rnd 15: *sc2tog, sc in each of next 2 sc; rep from * - 18 st
Rnd 16: *sc2tog, sc in next sc; rep from * - 12 st
Rnd 17: sc2tog around - 6 st

To finish off I used a tapestry needle to weave in & out of the remaining 6 stitches & pulled it tight to close the hole. It's essentially a reversed version of the original where the body is worked bottom up. I'm quite pleased (and surprised) that my post-baby brain managed to work it out!

So now I have 3 little aminals (deliberate typo...for I am the grammar Nazi) & one that I don't really like, but can't bear to unpick because I'm such a damn softie. I shall call him "the other-gurumi". I wonder what I'll do with them all?

Amigurumi!!

Hi, I'm Sarah and it's been 18 hours since my last amigurumi. OMG these things are amazing! I'm quite addicted, although I'm not sure one can be addicted after making a single amigurumi? I have, however, ordered a ton of yarn with plans to make many, many, many more! I'd like to clarify that I'm mostly interested in crochet ones for now, not being a confident knitter, but I'd like to dabble one day. There are some lovely patterns on the Lion Brand website (you need to register for them, but they are free) for both crocheted and knitted. I found this wickedamazingfabulous Totoro crocheted amigurumi pattern. I also had a look at the writer's Flickr photos - dude, she's got some mad crochet skills! Who knew such wondrous things could be created with a hooky stick and some yarn?

So anyhoo, here is my first wee crocheted animal.

I call him Phoebus. Who knows why. It tickles me. Here is a link to the pattern, as I said before you'll need to register to be able to see it, but it is free. I'm not 100% happy with his trunk and may have to fiddle later to perfect.

Yes, I'm one of those.

One of the mums at my baby group this morning asked if I was making a whole ark full...

Having joined Ravelry.com, I've started reading Crochet Corner (a column on there); she has some nifty tips & tricks that Sandy lady! She highlighted a particularly useful blog entry about seamlessness when crocheting in the round. It's well worth a peek if you're interested in that sort of thing.  Being one of those, it did make me realise that I could've made all my hats thus far without the unsightly seam at the back of the hat :-( Ah well, onwards and upwards - learning all the time!

I've also subscribed to The Art Of Crochet. I know it's a bit cheesy & ever-so slightly naff, but it'll pace me rather than me taking on huge projects that are doomed to fail from the word go. Plus I'll have a blanket at the end of it! Does this make me old?

Right, Little Man waketh & grumbles. Ciao!