Lizard

I have been making blankets lately for baby presents but had forgotten to take photos.

This Lizard was made for a baby as I knew they would get lots of blankets etc and the baby's name seemed fitting that they would have a pet lizard.

Pinterest saved me with a pattern. I love the feet on it.

I didn't use safety eyes as it is for a baby and I don't trust that they will stay put also I put the yellow stripes on the top but then my eldest told me I should have put them on the bottom because that would be more accurate. Silly me. Next time!

Such a spin out though that someone's 2012 post has saved me in 2017. Hope my posts get to help someone along the way too.

Pattern: http://cosyagogo.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/free-crochet-gecko-pattern.html

Baby Owl Present and another Fox

The Owls were a hit so I freehanded making this little treat for a baby present. I made the Owl with thick yarn but the little square in fine and soft yarn so it will be nice to snuggle up with.

I also was asked to make another fox very quickly - it was a little smaller but they were popular. It was lovely to be asked to make something for someone. Feeling better about my crochet skills now.

More Owls for presents

I made some more owls from Skapa och Inreda's pattern of the owl. 

This pattern is super quick to learn and now I do not need it anymore to create these. 

Cute presents.

Thanks again!

Crocheted Field Hockey Stick and Ball

So many of our friends are having their first bubs at the moment, some even second and third bubs! 

I know that you get a whole lot of presents from everyone so wanted to make crochet presents that were personalised for each child and/or their family.

This is my latest creation that I made up myself - a field hockey stick and ball. 

The mum of this little lady is a talented field hockey player and joked when she was born that she would get her a mini hockey stick to get her started early. So I thought I would try to make one.

I had mixed success but after trial and error came up with something that I was happy to give as a present. The curl in the stick was the tricky point. I ended up making a diamond to stitch to create the quick bend whilst remaining somewhat flat like the hockey stick.

I have plans to put a pattern together for this as I couldn't find a pattern when I had a look and I have benefited from so many other's patterns they have put online that I thought I would have a crack at it.

When I find the time I will put it together to share.

In the mean time - here are some pics of the present.

What an actual one looks like (and what I based this one on):

Fox for little Fox

A present I made for friends' little baby that they named Fox.

I made up the head as I went along but then I wasn't sure how to do the ears and found this pattern http://icrochetthings.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/free-pattern-sitting-fox-amigurumi.html That I copied the ears from and the head looks super similar.

Then I made the square but made it so that the chest was white and a white tail with two little feet. You can see when it is spread out in the photos below.

The square was just a magic ring with 4sc then 3 inc in each sc and then 3sc in each corner stitch around and sc in the stitches to each corner.

I was thinking of perhaps documenting this as a pattern but was not sure whether people would use it.

Let me know if you do and I can put it together.

Darth Vader Coffee Cup Cozy

My delightful husband and I have our wedding anniversary tomorrow - 7 years. I checked out the traditional gift (as we always give each other a little something that matches the traditional gift) and it turned out the 7 year present is WOOL!

Perfect!

So I decided to combine two of some of his most favourite things - Star Wars and Coffee..... and probably not in that order now that we have 3 little kids to run after!

A Darth Vader Coffee Cup Cozy.

The Darth Vader is probably too big for the side of the smaller regular sized coffee cups I had at home - luckily he enjoys the larger take away coffees!

Also as I had made the Coffee Cozy out of Acrylic, I tied a bit of actual wool inside the back so there is actually some wool included. *Superstitious*

 The Darth Vader was created just by counting stitches across using this graph - Darth Vader Chart.
The style of the Coffee Cozy I made up after checking out this pin on Pinterest - 10 Coffee Cozy Patterns.

I first made the Darth Vader patch and then made an all white patch the same size to cover the back. While I was creating the Darth Vader patch I was very cautious to always make sure that I pulled the yarn to the back side of the patch so that the front would be just stitches. The back, as shown above with the wool tied on, was not so neat so by stitching the white patch over the top it covered these threads nicely and also managed to hide my included real wool.

Then I got two coffee cups we had at home - my chai latte take away cup and our glass homestyle takeaway cup. I chained to the length that would work on both sized cups then did DC across the HDC around the edges to fatten it up. The DC area then worked as lots of little button holes.
Then I chained the length of the part that had the buttons attached and just did the rows of HDC to the fatness I wanted.
Both of these I kept relatively thin so he could use it on a mug if he wanted to and could put it through a mug handle.
I sewed these between the Darth and white patches then did SC the whole way around in the grey to stitch the two patches together and to link all the different elements with a border.
Then I stitched on two buttons I had in my random button drawer and anniversary present done!

I made it adjustable by including the two buttons and by making the button holes (DCs across the middle of the strap) all along so that the buttons can be done up wherever. Many of the Cup Cozy Patterns I saw the button only had the one hole or was just for decoration. I chose to make mine a bit more operational and adjustable for all different cups.

Below are photos of the two sized cups I used. Luckily the cups he gets are usually much taller than these.

 He probably will only use it at home to be polite to me for a few times but it was more the thought and to continue our tradition of the gifts made of the different things.

I think I want to try to get into more of these graph crochet patterns and maybe try a C2C little rug.
I need to finish some other presents before starting a new project though.... otherwise we might not get any more wedding anniversaries. Ha! My Yarn stash and WIP bags are growing too much and threaten to overwhelm my laundry... and husband.

Owl Baby Shower Present

I have a baby shower to attend later today and the Mummy of this lucky little baby loves owls, so I decided to make her baby one. (I bought a present for them too.)

Crochet Owl

I didn't get the V's on the tummy balanced and the black eye stitches could have been straighter but still think it looks very cute.

It was based on Skapa och Inreda's pattern but modified it to my own needs. I used Google Translate to read the blog.

I created a circle as the base to the diameter that I wanted the owl to be then worked sc up to the point where wings would be attached. I then quartered the amount of stitches in the round and used that as the chain length to start each wing. I used the same ball of yarn but just pulled out the other end and did the wings from the other end. I used variegated yarn for the owl so wanted a solid colour for the edging of the wings to make them more defined. I used the same colour to do the Vs on the tummy area to break up the colour just as Skapa och Inreda did in their pictures. Then I did another round and sc'ed in the wings where I wanted them. Then sc up to the height I wanted the head to be. I did the two white circles and made the eyes closed because I thought that looked really cute. On Skapa och Inreda they have suggestions for an open eye and a closed eye. I thought my next one might look cute winking. (Friends have a lot of babies being born at the moment - with hopefully even more coming.)
Then I stuffed it and sc the top. Sewed on the eyes and beak. I thought about doing feet but I thought they probably were not necessary.

So thank you to Skapa och Inreda and I am sharing lots of shots below so you can see how it was constructed.

Back from the Wilderness

I have still been crocheting on and off but I have not been sharing online as I have started many projects but have not finished too many yet.
I had our third baby a few months ago and had a tumultuous pregnancy so I went into hiding a little bit.
But bubs is here and they are healthy - touch wood!
So I should probably start sharing finished work.
I am working on a few blankets and a cardigan so will post whenever I get around to it with three little people to look after.

In the mean time, I have just joined the Australian Crochet Community facebook page and am loving the beautiful community of crocheters that share their creations, knowledge and yarn and hook bargains. So if you are in Australia - join up! If you are in another country do a facebook search to see what is out there in your neck of the woods. I am really enjoying it and it has energised and motivated me to crochet some more too.

Simple Over the Shoulder Bag

Gah! My first attempt at a pattern.
I am on a facebook group where someone asked what to do with some thick yarn that they had and I shared a photo of a bag I had recently made. They asked if I had the pattern, which I didn't as I had made it up as I went along.
I sat down to finish a little cardigan I was making when I thought, "I really should give it a crack."
So I put the cardigan to one side and wrote out how I made the bag.
It has not been tested (gosh I would love someone to try it out/test it and let me know where and how I can improve it.)
It is free but if you do share your creation from it please include my blog or my twitter handle so then I can hopefully check it out too and get others sharing their work with me too.

Pattern for Simple of the Shoulder Bag

Thumb Sucking Solution?

My eldest child (who is nearly in Kindergarten) is a thumb sucker. It is like an addiction that we are trying to help them beat.
I was searching solutions and found an Etsy page that was selling crochet thumb guards for children to use but it was quite expensive for something I could tell would not take very long to make. Although I say that when a plastic guard costs $50+ which is ridiculous in my opinion.
So I had a search for a pattern for these thumb guards and found it a bit tricky to find. I went to start making up one myself when I found this pattern http://thatssimplyfineandfancy.blogspot.com.au/2009/08/anti-sucky-thumb-thingy.html as I was working and it was exactly the same as I was making and what I envisioned in my mind. The only difference being I used a magic circle starting off rather than the chain 3.
I thought rather than have others search fruitlessly as I did to start off with I should share it and hope it can pop up in other parent's searched for solutions.
We are only using them at night time as a deterrent and I am unsure how successful they will be but I have my fingers and toes crossed for a good outcome.
Thank you "That's Simply Fine and Fancy" Blog for posting your pattern. I appreciate it!

Not my picture - a picture from TSFAF Blog 

I have been so busy lately that I have not picked up my crochet stuff for so many months. Though it was a simple 20 minute task it was nice to crochet again. I have been working on the same teddy bear for ages now. I will hopefully have some time to create more on our holiday coming up..... hopefully.

Baseball and bat

A friend in New York had a baby recently and they are mad Yankees fans so I thought I would make their little guy a little bat and ball.
Only problem was my family was hit with ongoing bad health so this was a very slow process that was only finished a week ago. Hopefully it arrives soon enough.
It was based on a caricature pattern for a baseball and bat but I didn't add the caps and faces as I wanted it just to be a bat and ball.
I tried stitching little arrowed red stitches for the ball which I had mixed success with - hopefully they don't think that it is too rubbish.
I also only had light brown in a thicker weight yarn to that of the white so I used an average hook between the two. I think it worked out.
I thought that as so many of my tracking stats come from America as well as Australia (and a few in Europe too) that I should put this up as there may be others interested.
http://www.crochetville.com/community/topic/77577-baseball-buddies-3images/

Olaf

I created Olaf with a free pattern from Amidorable Crochet - http://www.amidorablecrochet.ca/
Jackie makes some absolutely AMAZING crochet creations and I loved making her free Olaf inspired pattern however she had to remove this pattern from her site. I have no confirmation from her as to why but if it is like the story I hear of a Primary School near me who tried to do a Mary Poppins play to raise money for the school but was shot down by Disney.... as they didn't pay for licencing. Then I am tipping Jackie got an email saying "Take it down and we will leave you alone."

She had created all the main characters from Frozen and I had planned to make them all for my daughter to enjoy but sadly Olaf was the only one I could get finished. Luckily for me as a few hours after I had finished it the pattern was gone!

So while you can not make this gorgeous little guy anymore you do need to bookmark her website as she is amazing and is also very generous and shares some of her patterns.
She also has a shop on Etsy you can buy some of her things - https://www.etsy.com/shop/AmidorableCrochet

Baby shoes with a difference

I made these baby shoes for a present. (I have also made two more, one set in green and another in blue - lots of babies in my life at the moment!) I think they are utterly gorgeous and were relatively easy to create - just a little fiddly at points.

You can also add felt to them if you want for the soles but I figured that the babies I was going to be gifting these to would not be walking in them and would wear socks as well so it was unnecessary.

The pattern is a free Ravelry pattern http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-baby-converse

When I gave them as a gift I stuffed them with tissue paper as without little feet in them they do not look anywhere near as cute as they do filled out.

Owls

I created these owls just as fun projects that I could pick up and do a few stitches and put down again without being annoyed.

They were based on this pattern http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tiny-amigurumi-owls
Except I changed it slightly and added some feet.
I went to Resource Rescue - http://discountcraftsupplies.com.au/ A place semi local to me where they recycle items from industry and business that can be used for craft. It is a fabulous idea. I got some rubber pellets that I used to stuff these little guys so that they weigh a bit more and sit on the shelf nicely - so obviously not safe for little children.
I found the pattern really easy to follow and fit my need of not having much time to crochet at the moment so wanted to have something I could just pick up and put down.
I am giving these little critters away as presents so I hope they are well received.

Convertible mittens/fingerless gloves

I wanted some gloves for pram walking so made some fingerless ones from this pattern. Fingerless gloves

But then I figured out how my gauge was and made a mitten top to add on. This wasn't from a pattern but I had seen these types of gloves before at the shops.

I have big palms and long fingers too so it doesn't look so cute but they serve the purpose. I added a button to hold the mitten part back when not in use.

Missing in action

I have been a little missing in action lately.
I had bub number 2 and she has been very hard work and time and energy consuming. She is gorgeous, just not a fan of sleeping.

But lately I have had a crack at a few things.

I made this scarf based on this pattern http://crochetdreamz.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/aesthetic-hooded-scarf-free-crochet.html
I had made the hood and scarf too but I can't find it at the moment to take a photo.

I really like the pattern of the hdc then dc with gaps. The photo I first took was dark and while it showed the pattern it didn't show the yarn. So I took the other photos.

I also made the heart below. It was this pattern, puffy heart.

I made this super quickly for a friend who had got some heartbreaking news and I wanted to give her something she could squeeze and be reminded people were there for her and loved her.

I also made some mittens but will have to find them to take a photo.

These were all super easy patterns to use and modify to my needs.

Peppa Pig

I found this pattern on Pinterest by Cinciut - Peppa Pig

It has probably taken me the longest of any of the amigurumi I have made. It was using 3mm hook and 2mm hook and I still used yarn so it is very tightly made.

The pattern was super easy to follow and Cinciut has graciously provided this pattern for free. I checked out her other patterns she has for sale and they are amazing so I'm sure I'll be buying more of their patterns in the future.

I really liked that this pattern included plastic disks to keep its shape. I just cut the circles out of the lid of the yogurt container (obviously cleaned thoroughly first, ha!) and they worked really well. There are pictures in the pattern to show how these are used.

This was made for my little cherub as a present for when her new sibling arrives. I hope it is well loved, which I assume it will be as the world stops when Peppa Pig is on the tv in our house.

Thank you Cinciut for the pattern.

OOPS I forgot to sew on the mouth! Photos are of a practically finished Peppa!

Little lion

I made a little lion from my book I bought when I first taught myself crochet - crochet critters. I referenced it in previous posts. E.g. First Ever Creation - Monkey And First Blog Post

I made it for a present for a little lady who only recently came into the world. I thought it was really cute and perfect for little baby hands. Again I didn't use safety eyes etc as I didn't want anything on it that could be dangerous if it was bitten off.

It is apparently enjoyed by the gorgeous little lady so that makes me happy.

Otter with a shell

A friend, who loves Otters, called me up with some brilliant news recently and I wanted to make them a present to celebrate the brilliant news so asked them to choose a pattern of an otter from Pinterest and I would buy the pattern and make them an Amigurumi otter.
The pattern they chose was from etsy Crochet Otter Pattern and it was in Japanese, in symbols (which I had never done before) and came with a sheet in English on how to read and translate the Japanese pattern.
So I diligently purchased the pattern and translated it into the written form of patterns I was used to and created the otter according to the pattern. (In blue and white)
I thought it was cute but didn't think it looked quite right as it wasn't the correct colourings, so I redid another otter. It this time I tried to make it based on a picture of an otter I found on google images.
The picture showed they had a lighter mask area that flowed down to their tummy and that they had long whiskers.
So I did some calculations on how to include the different colour into the pattern and had a go. I also used some cotton to make some whiskers.
I'm unsure whether it was cuter being more realistic or following the pattern to a tee but it was a nice little challenge to set myself and my friend thinks they are both great. (I gave them both of the otters)
Also the pattern included a shell as food for the otter. That pattern may come in handy in the future too!

Crochet plane

I needed a present quickly and found this free pattern Crochet Toy Airplane on Stitch11.com so got to making however I changed the pattern slightly so the rear of the plane tapered off the end at a sharper rate and then made the tail just flattened stitches.
I think it looks like a little Cessna plane and it quite cute. I'm going to keep playing around with the pattern for future presents.