Coffee Cozy Collection (crochet)

This is what I've been playing around with over the last 2 days :) No pattern for any of these, just kinda made things up as I was going along. I think my favorite is the cupcake one...though the owl makes a close 2nd, and I think if I liked to eat actual watermelon I would pick that one, too. Watermelon = *shudder* to me



The rufflies are nice on the varigated one :) And button eyes for the owls! My plan is to make a bunch of these as I think of them to bring along to the craft fair in a month. If any particular one catches your eye in the meantime and you're interested in purchasing, jot me an email or leave a comment with your contact info and I will get in touch with you for that. :)

200th Blog Post AND 1st Craft Bazaar!! :)

How did I get up to 200 blog posts already?? Well this is it!! And for my 200th post, I have some good news:

I am pretty excited to announce a craft bazaar that my sister and I will be participating in together in one month. It is the first one for each of us, so we figured it would be a good "trial" and will share a booth to get the feel for how these are run. If all goes well, we would like to do more down the road. :) She will be selling handbags, clutches, assorted items that she sews...and I will be leaning toward crocheted goodies and even possibly some of my polymer clay work and cookies! If you live in the Seattle area and plan to attend this event, stop on by and say hello!! :D

Steel Crochet Hook Case

Just finished earlier tonight...this is a crocheted 'steel crochet hook' case. If you were to make it a little taller, you can fit regular crochet hooks as well. Altogether I was able to fit 21 hooks. You can also lengthen it and hold as many as you wanted to make it wide enough for!


Rolled up and tied with a simple crocheted chain stitch.


It is sturdy enough when filled with hooks to stand on its own.

This was made from a free pattern online that I found while browsing for a project to try out...I believe it is intended for regular crochet hooks, but I found it short when I was done and used it for my steel hooks instead. If you'd like to try your hand at making one, here is where the pattern can be found and credit for the design goes to Alli there. :)

Pointy Crown (crochet)

This crown turned out to be a bit smaller than I expected...I was originally making it to be part of the kids' dress-up collection, but as you can see it is better fitting for toys. I apologize I don't have the original link for the pattern...I had it bookmarked (or at least I thought I did) and now can't find it. :( BUT, I did do a "google image" search and found all sorts of other crocheted crown patterns!! So I might have to give some of those a try. For now, this is just pics to show off what I made. :P

Free Belt Pattern For Little Ones (crochet)

This pattern is for a little kids' belt and can really be adjusted to suit your needs. You will need 2 "D" rings (found in craft/sewing stores) for each belt you wish to make. The ones I used are 3/4". Crochet hook "G". A tapestry needle for sewing D rings on and weaving in yarn ends. Yarn can be anything you wish, really...it takes a small amount- way less than a skein. In the picture I used Vanna's Choice "purple mist" worsted weight yarn.


(if your rings are smaller/wider, add or take away the number of chains so that it will fit the flat portion of the D ring).

For 3/4" D rings: ch 5, turn.
Row 1: hdc into first st and next 3 across. Ch 1, turn.
Row 2-??: repeat row 1.

After you have reached the desired length (making sure your belt will fit around and overlap by several inches), fasten off, leaving a 12 inch length of yarn for sewing in the D rings. Go back to the other end and weave in the beginning tail. Push both D rings onto one end of the belt and overlap to itself, using tapestry needle and the 12" tail, sew to itself very strongly. Weave in the end when finished. (the example in the picture is 86 rows and fits approximately 3 to 6 years old).

Ta-dah! Very, very simple and at this point you could really do any embellishments you wanted (for example if the belt won't have to go through belt loops, like wearing over the top of a long shirt- you could put flowers onto it or whatever you like). You could also use different stitches than the HDC if you wanted for different "stretchinesses" (is that a word?) and looks.

This is a free pattern- feel free to use it and make a ton of belts...just don't sell the pattern or claim it as your own! I appreciate credit just as I like to give the same when I use others' patterns. :)

Crocheted Gnome and The Awesome Barrettes!

First of all, I didn't make these...but I still had to share because I've never seen any like them and they're so stinkin' cute! Little fruity barrettes and they were only $1 at one of our local grocery stores in the $1 section. Had to get them. You understand. :)


And showing off this little gnome made with scrap yarns. His hat has a little twist at the top (I just didn't stuff all the way to the tip, so it'd be easier to fold over a bit). And the nose...was an accident!! I was attaching the face yarn color to the hat to begin working on the face rounds and accidentally left the knot on the wrong side. But it turned out to be a glad mistake because now he has a nose!! I might have to do them all like that now. :) I'm not sure why he looks a little bit angry...maybe because his hat is crooked? He'll just have to get over it. :D

Amigurumi Owl (crochet) of yet another style

Check out those big ol' eyes!!! This is a baby owl (everyone with me: awwwwwwwwww) and SO ADORABLE! The photo is not showing the little guy any justice for his coloring, but he is blue and green shades and bright big eyes. Roughly 5" tall and didn't take long at all to make. I have a feeling there will be clones soon...maybe other colors! :)

I need to take more photos tomorrow (weather permitting, they might be taken outdoors) before I can post him on Etsy. With any luck he will be ready for a new home by tomorrow evening!

Amigurumi Squirrel & Acorn (crochet)

Today is one of the first sunny days we have had in a long time around here. Still a bit chilly (I think the high is only in the 40's), but nice and bright! So Mr.Squirrel here got to have his picture taken outside instead of on my kitchen counter. :)

He turned out a bit bigger than I was expecting, but that's okay by me. His tail was the most challenging part because of the yarn being so difficult to see the stitches and where they go. But it's definitely worth using because look how good the tail looks! If it were plain yarn, it would look more like a beaver or something. right?? Anyway, the pattern for him was in a book called "More Cute Little Animals To Crochet" by Amy Gaines. I only had to do a few very minor changes to it to make it better for my own crocheting. Very pleased so far with the book! This little guy will go on my Etsy this afternoon with several more photos. :)

Bunnies, bunnies!! amigurumi (crochet)

Good afternoon!! Time for bunny rabbits! :) I picked a couple of patterns and did a few changes as I went along to make them suited to my liking...and these are the first two. With Easter around the corner, I figured they would be a good choice.

On the left is a miniature bunny with huge fluffy cheeks! He is made with size 10 crochet thread and using a hook so small..I forget which size..that the end felt like a needle every time I accidentally poked it through the stitch too hard and ran into my finger. *ouchies* But he sure turned out cute!!

The other on the right is more of a "normal" size amigurumi. Not quite as big as say, the elephant or monkey I made a while back...but bigger than Mr.Fluffy Cheeks. He is done in 100% cotton yarn and has a tail but he is just a "top half" bunny not a complete animal as you can see. Both toys are available as we speak in my Etsy shop if you'd like to see more photos or purchase one of them (or both, I won't mind!). :)

Super Mario birthday cake

Today seemed like complete chaos around here...house not cleaned up, dishes not done, laundry over-flowing, kids on the loose... and birthday cakes needing decorated! But now, as I sit here after midnight, it is all finished. :) Last bit of laundry folded and put away, clean kitchen, toys picked up, sleeping family...and the cake is all ready to go to a party tomorrow at noon. :)

The birthday boy (a friend's son) wanted a Super Mario Bros cake and this is what I made. Overall it took me roughly 45 to make/bake the cake, another hour to cool it, about 50 minutes to make and color the frostings, and then about 2 or 2 1/2 hours to decorate. I hope he likes it!!! :D

As promised....St.Patty's Day cookies!!!

Of them all...this one is my favorite :) It has four-leaf clovers in it!!!


Close up of one tray with shamrocks and clovers...


I wish I'd have gotten a better "group" picture of what was made, but I was so rushed to get to the post office it was completely spaced in my mind.


And lastly, here is a little "pre detail" action of the pots 'o gold and the leprechauns! :)

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY everybody, Irish or not! :D

Panda Charm/Pull (crochet)

Good morning :) Well I guess it's afternoon now that I look at a clock...where did the morning go? Happy St. Patty's Day!! I am about to go list this little panda charm on Etsy but wanted to showcase him here first. :) Crocheted, stuffed, and then detailed with felt and buttons and a pull. Cute!!

Stay tuned later on today for cookie photos!!

Elmo and Cookie Monster Hats (crochet)

Two posts for the price of one tonight!! :D I guess that helps make up for not having one the last couple of days (been busy making cookies for St. Patty's Day, which will be a post for tomorow!)

After finishing up with the fuzzy hat below, I made these hats (adult size) as part of a custom order for a gal who loves Sesame Street. It is the same beanie hat pattern as the fuzzy hat with earflaps and all...but then added facial features that are 3-D. :) I still have a few other hats to make but I'll post them down the road when I finish them.

If you're interested in something similar, send me an email! I love doing custom orders when I'm able :D Contact info to the right ------------> :)

Fuzzy Trim Hat (crochet)

Good evening!! I've since added tassels to this hat, but here it is just before that...I used a really pretty (and very soft!) skein of multi-colored yarn to a regular beanie cap pattern and added earflaps. Next I went all around the bottom edge with a purple eyelash yarn. That kind of yarn looks great and definitely makes it look a lot more "fashion-y" and less plain. :) I don't like the idea of making a whole huge project out of it, but for small projects or uses it is fantastic for a "boost"!

Owl Sleeve Ring (crochet)

Yet another item to pop up with an owl in it...I love owls. :) Whooooo doesn't?? And I had found the perfect mini buttons to use for the eyes, so I'm pleased that this worked out. :) Just finished listing this on Etsy (along with that hippo from earlier)...check it out there for more photos. :)

Mini Amigurumi Hippopotamus (crochet)

I think this might be one of the smallest animals I've crocheted (so far). It is all done with embroidery floss and a tiny (eye-straining!) steel crochet hook. One of these days I might need to invest in a microscope to do these things :P Or at least a magnifying glass...

Anyway, he is officially listed in my Etsy shop for anyone who is interested! There are several more photos to see and all that good stuff. :) Hope everyone is having a great day!

Amigurumi Hippopotamus (crochet)

Isn't he cute?!?! And...*sniffle*...he has already found a new home. I had a little visitor today who came in with her mom and she saw the hippo as I was putting the final touches on and loved it. And she is only 2...what could I say? :) She even said "I love heepo". How could I turn that down? So needless to say, she went home with Heepo and the funny part..accidentally left her own baby doll she'd originally brought in. So I think I might be seeing her again sometime soon when she comes to retrieve the "forgotten toy". hehehe :D

I will be absolutely making another one of these because I love how it came together so easily and with enormous cuteness. Plus I've had other requests...are hippos becoming popular lately or what?

Green Owl Mini Purse (crochet)

Wow! Two posts in one day :) I am really enjoying making things with owls right now and here is another finished project. It was actually supposed to be a cellphone holder since I seemed to have lost mine this morning, but in the end it was a little too wide and too short. Instead of ripping it out, I put a zipper on top and now it's a little mini purse. :) I will be posting this on Etsy in a few minutes and there will be more photos there as well. :)

Amigurumi Pastel Horse (crochet)

I dub thee: Peggy the Pastel Horse.

Let me just tell you how glad I am to be finished with this horse. It was a nightmare right from the get-go. The instructions have you make the head, neck, and body as 3 different pieces and then sew them together. ???? I don't understand why and it made it look kinda funny in my opinion, so I tried to fix it up the best I could. It is also a little bit larger than most of the amigurumi patterns I've seen/tried, so it took longer to make. But at least she's finished and ready to have a new home somewhere.

The pattern was from a book called "Super-Cute Crochet". I haven't given up on the book yet since this is only the first thing I've tried from it. We'll see how the next project I do from it goes. :)

Purple Owl To-Go Cup Cozy (crochet)

Hooray! (Or should I say Hoot-ray? har har har...) This one came out correctly!! Just goes to show if you keep trying you will eventually get it :D I had no one to ask about clarification on the directions, so I had to just try a few different ways until it made some sense to me. And now that I've got that part down, I think I can make these any time without any problems. It'd be nice to make a whole bunch of different colors! :)

The yarn I used on this one was Vanna's Choice 100% acrylic in "Purple Mist" color. Random buttons I had on hand....and there are 4 owls all around, by the way, so a total of 8 buttons to complete it. :)

Owl Cup Cozy and Clover Cup Cozy (crochet)

I bought the pattern for this cozy off of Ravelry.com a long time ago and although I tried to sit and make it several times over the last couple months...it never came out right. I would always get stuck on the directions for row 3 and then give up for a while. Well, last night I decided to overcome this problem by doing things my own way until it worked and this is how it came out.
The con is that it is still imperfect and I can see exactly where. The pro, though, is that now I can see how to fix it for next time! :) And..it is still cute and most people would probably not even notice the flaws if I didn't point them out. I'm hanging on to this one but hopefully can make more down the road in other colors for other people. :)


And here we have the clover cozy. I just listed it in my Etsy shop if anyone is interested in it, hop on over there. There's also more photos! Anyway, I love green and this multi-shade green yarn is really fun and goes great with the clover. It fits a soda can perfectly but also is a tad bit stretchy so you could use it as a coffee cup cozy if you wanted. :) Better than the throw-away cardboard things!!

Amigurumi Dachsund (crochet)

Facing left (and kinda laying on its side)....


And facing right :D This is the first amigurumi toy I have made up myself. I didn't think to write down the instructions (which I'm kicking myself for now) but I think it would be possible to make another one and write it down that time. Hopefully. Anyways, it is a dachsund (weiner dog) and he's got a little sparkly black collar with a silver tag and everything. And floppy ears, of course!!

I had to look at a bunch of pictures of a real dog to make sure I was making him somewhat correctly...for example, I wasn't sure if they had tails or not or just those little nubby ones. Most of the photos I saw were with kinda longer tails so I went with that. :) Turned out pretty cute, I say!

Amigurumi Walrus (crochet)

At the moment I am "between projects" meaning I started one...got tired of working on it...so I stopped and made this guy...and will eventually go back to the other one. Maybe. That other one is a bit tedious, but I don't like to see unfinished projects sitting around so it'll get done someday.

Anyway...isn't he cute?? The tusks are a little hard to see against the background but they're there. I finished him yesterday morning and this is the first opportunity I've had to sit and post his picture! I used a multi-colored yarn to give him the swirly shades of brown...similar to the elephant from before. I am happy with it, I think it almost looks more natural this way.

And now I am off to the craft store to get some more colors I've run out of. The horror!!...running out of colors...tsk tsk.. hahahaha :D

Amigurumi Elephant *and* Cupcake Pincushion (crochet)

Meet Splash the Elephant! Splash is the newest toy to join the crowd that is forming in my 'finished' pile of crocheted goodies. :) Yet another creation from the "Vanna's Choice: Easy Crochet Critters" book, using 100% cotton Sugar & Cream brand yarn.
I added the peanut which wasn't part of it, but definitely gives him some extra character. :) The yarn color I chose is called Country Stripes, and I LOVE how it turned out! I didn't have any grey to use and wasn't sure what this would end up like but I'm very happy and think it adds to the charm.


This is something I just whipped up without a pattern in a matter of roughly an hour after talking to my sister on the phone earlier tonight. She had mentioned the idea of making a cupcake pincushion so I told her I'd give it a shot. :) It is perfect to use with the multi-colored pins like in the photo for a sprinkle look. I am going to list this one on Etsy tonight, so hop over there for more photos or to purchase if you wish! Anyone interested in one of these in other colors or whatnot, feel free to email. :)

Neopolitan-inspired Clutch (crochet)

Unzipped/Open ^^

...and closed ^^^

This is what I've been working on for the last couple of days. I really love using the "Carron Simply Soft" brand yarn for making purses and these colors really caught my eye last time I was getting yarn. Put together, they remind me very much of Neopolitan ice-cream!! So I thought why not make a clutch-purse out of the colors?!

I'm happy with the results and will be posting it on my Etsy shop soon. I'm in desperate need of some organizing of photos so I can get a bunch of new listings up!! It is my goal for the next week or two. The design is all my own, not from a pattern, though I may consider putting the pattern up eventually, too. :) Hope everyone is having a great evening!