Skull and Pitcher

The Plush Team Challenge for March and April is to make a plush self portrait or a plush still life. When I read the words 'still life' the idea came into my head to try and make an amigurumi version of a Picasso still life painting. I looked on google images and decided on this one - The Skull and Pitcher.

 So far I have only made the skull - here are my workings out in my notebook. I'm not really sure if I will succeed in making everything - it's harder than I thought!

The skull has turned out ok-ish though. Next step - the pitcher!

This post is for Day 4 of Design week by Fresh Stitches.

Amigurumi Cacti

You see quite a lot of Amigurumi Cacti popping up on Etsy. Some people make realistic looking ones and others go for the cute kawaii option with a little face. This pattern by mutts is one of the cutest and most original ones I've seen. She sells some fantastic patterns in her Amigurumi Friends Pattern Shop and she also has her Studio Shop where, if you're not much of a crocheter, you can buy the finished articles.

Giveaway winners announced!

I put all the entries into a list randomizer and then used the random number generator to find the winners.

Congratulations to Cybil Morris for winning first prize - the bunny and a copy of my pattern.


And to Jill Price of Monkey Gang for winning second prize - a copy of my bunny pattern.

To everyone else - thank you for entering, and better luck next time!

If you would like to buy a copy of my pattern it is available on Etsy and Ravelry.

(don't tell anyone, but it's cheaper on Ravelry!)

Double Giveaway!

Exciting news: Yesterday I launched my first amigurumi pattern! It is for sale in my Etsy shop and on Ravelry.

More exciting news: To celebrate the launch of my first pattern I am having a giveaway - a double giveaway even!

Prizes:

• First Prize is a copy of my pattern AND the original amigurumi bunny doll featured in the pattern.
• Second Prize is a copy of my pattern.

How to enter:

• Leave a comment here on my blog or on any links to the blog that I post on facebook =1 entry.
• Tweet about the giveaway or share links on facebook = another entry.

Make sure I have a way of contacting you in case you are one of the lucky winners!

The giveaway will close on Thursday 5th May at 21:00 Central European Time and the winners will announced very soon afterwards.

Winners will be chosen using a random number generator.

Ready, steady, go! and may the best person win :)

Join the Crochet-Along

The Itsy Bitsy Spider is hosting another Crochet-Along. This time it is with an Autumn theme and we will all be making pumpkins like in this picture. If you want to join in click here and you will be taken to the Itsy Bitsy Spider's blog where there are more instructions. It's free to join in, you get a free copy of the pattern to work from and step-by-step lessons on her blog. When you are done you can submitt your photos to the Crochet-Along flickr group and you might even win a prize! So what are you waiting for? Sign up now...

with a flower in her hair...

This is my current project. I'm planning on making her a funky body-warmer with a hood using the pinky-reddy wool you can see in the picture. Making the cloak for Yoda inspired me to try to make some removable jackets for my amigurumis. I made the cloak without a pattern and I didn't write down what I did - so I hope I can repeat something similar! This time I will try to write it down and maybe I'll make it into a tutorial if I come out with a clear pattern.

How to make a mini amigurumi carrot

Do you want to make a carrot just like the one April has in her bag? If you do you've come to the right place!

These are the stitches used: you can click on any of them for a video demonstration.
Ch – chain
Sc – single crochet
2sctog/dec – decrease

The numbers in brackets indicate how many stitches there should be in that round.

The first step is the one I have illustrated in my blog post ‘the not magic ring’

Use 3mm hook and orange wool.

• Ch2, 4 sc in second chain from hook (4) – see picture a
• 1 sc then 2 sc in next stitch – repeat 2 times (6)
• 2 sc then 2 sc in next stitch – repeat 2 times (8)
• sc in each stitch (8)
• 2sc in first stitch, then 7 sc (9)
• 5 sc, 2sc in next stitch, 3 sc (10)
• sc in each stitch (10)
• 2sc in first stitch, then 9sc (11)

put carrot to one side – see picture b

take a 5cm length of green wool and hold it one end in each hand and twist it. Then let it fold in on itself so that it creates a double twisted cord. Tie a knot so that the twist doesn’t come undone – make it quite a fat knot. – see picture c

Stuff the carrot

*sc2tog, sc* – repeat 3 times sc2tog
stuff the green twisted cord into the small hole remaining at the top of the carrot – knot it first. see picture d

fasten off leaving a length of wool (tail) and then using a tapestry needle use this tail to sew up the hole at the top of the carrot so that the green twisted cord cannot fall out.

Leaf:

use 3mm hook and dark green wool. This is not amigurumi technique, this is straight crochet.
leave a long tail at the beginning
row 1: ch 5
row 2: ch 3
fasten off leaving a long tail
fix the leaf to the top of the carrot.

a tutorial on how to make the pear will be coming sometime soon... so keep reading!