Crochet and Clay Galore!!!

It's was one heck of a Memorial weekend! The Seattle Center had their Folk Life Festival which included some Urband Craft Fair vendors (of which Schnitzel & Boo were a part of) and a friend and I drove down for the day on Sunday. A nice auntie made a special request for her nephew...this penguin! So Saturday night was crunch time and I made him up to take and give her. (Her niece got a little chicken that she loves). :)



The hippo didn't make an appearance because I only just finished him up this morning. Cute as a button with stripes that are subtle and awesome!



Mr.Unicorn *did* make an appearance at the show and I don't think a single child came through who didn't spot him and play with his hair. :D hahaha



I meant to post this guy last week and never had the time. It is a seahorse in a variegated yarn that I picked because I thought the colors reminded me of the sea. A nice teal blue, coral, cream, and lighter brown...plus some peachy fins. :)



Lastly for this post...some owl beads I made using air-dry clay and then painted into little owls. They were then sprayed with a clear sealant to make them shiny and more water-proof. I am hoping to list these on Etsy before the end of the week after I get my goodies sorted a bit better. :)

Fairy Tale Elf Slippers (crochet)

So far I've made 3 pairs of these slippers...Above is pink for girls and purple button accents!

These are a maroon color for boy or girl (in this case, boy) and no buttons...first pair I made.

And lastly, my own pair. :D Check out that messy coffee table (or as it's referred to around here...crochet table). I used a chunkier yarn and bigger hook for mine. The only thing I would change is the heel so that it is not quite so squarish, and I think I might have figured out a way to do it for the next pair I try.

All 3 of these were from the same pattern. It was written in such a way that you can use any yarn, hook, and make any size slipper from baby to adult. Very easy to follow and hard to mess up! I got mine from Ravelry.com and did have to pay for it, but it was worth it to see exactly how she did her slippers. If you look up "peter pan's slippers" or "elf slippers" on Ravelry, it is Gabriela Ordenes' pattern.

Child's Play Kitchen Towel Set (crochet)

I had a request for a child's play kitchen towel set in a variety of "neutral" colors to be for boy and girl and here is what I made. Two pot holders- one orange with red trim, and one the opposite, a green and yellow striped washcloth, a sponge in green and yellow (just like the real ones!), and a brown dish towel.

I didn't have patterns for these, I just thought how I wanted it to look in the end and made them up.

*The pot holders are done with a "sc, dc, sc, dc....all across" stitch pattern to give it texture, then bordered with a SC trim.
*The washcloth is one row DC, one row SC, then switch colors and do the same thing...repeat to the end.
*The sponge is all SC on the yellow side, then a basic popcorn stitch for the green side. I didn't count rows or anything, just kinda matched them up as I was going along...I did make the yellow a tiny bit bigger so that it would be "poofy" when I sewed the two halves together and have room to stuff for depth/thickness.
*And lastly, the brown towel is a ripple stitch! You can use any ripple stitch you wanted for the effect... mine is a "basic double crochet ripple". :)

If anyone wants to make up a set like this for your own, I hope the above "notes" help out on how I did mine. :)

Amigurumi Hot Dog set and Tug Boat (crochet)

Starting with the most adorable little tug boat! It was pointed out to me that this would make a perfect little baby gift for a new little boy and I have to agree! Complete with a sailor hat and everything. :)

I did this hot dog set over a few days and finished it up last night. I love the little mustard bottle and I decided to leave the yarn hanging off the tops to look like ketchup and mustard coming out. :D The hot dog bun is different than the pattern suggests... It wants you to make both bun halves exactly the same and then sew the two together. I decided for the 2nd bun half, to skip the last few rows (they build it up bigger) and leave it flatter like a real hot dog bun has...one fluffy side and one flat side. More realistic that way. :D


All of the patterns are coming from the "Amigurumi Toy Box" book I am still trying out. I only made very few changes to what she has you do in the patterns and they came out nicely.

BIG Amigurumi Triceratops Dinosaur (crochet)

This guy is HUGE...well, at least he is compared to all of the "normal" amigurumi toys I've made/seen. Certainly the biggest thing I've made so far! He took approximately 15 hours to finish and over 2 skeins of yarn. Seems very content hanging out in my backyard, too...now that we are actually getting a break from the rain for once!

The pattern is from a Red Heart Super Saver (yarn brand) booklet called "Crochet Animals Big & Small". There are 11 different designs for random animals. I know that you can get this book from Jo-Ann's craft store, but I'm sure it's also available at other places or online. :)

Canvas Purse/Bag (sewing)

Clearly, I am not much of a sewer (that doesn't sound quite right... seamstress, maybe?...sewing-person..) Anyway, I can't really follow a pattern to save my life, but if someone *shows* me how to do it, then I am willing to try!! And sometimes it works out for me. :) This particular bag was from a book called "Simple Gifts To Stitch" by Jocelyn Worrall. In fact, it is the bag from the cover!

Notice the world's cutest little gnomie wallet (my sister made for me, who by the way CAN sew just about anything you can imagine...I missed the boat on that gene quality...) fits perfectly in one of the side pockets...

This photo is showing that all 3 of the front pockets (as well as the main compartment) are all the same depth..they all go to the bottom of the bag.

Here is the inside view of the main compartment. My sewing machine decided to poop-out on me just about the time I was attempting to sew in the handles at the end. Not until a phone call later did I realize why this was. (Using the wrong kind of needle.. heh heh). I ended up just sewing those in by hand.

And the completed bag/purse. I am probably going to use the freezer-paper-stencil method one of these days to give it some color, but for now I'm just happy I could make it and it came out looking somewhat like the tutorial.


If you are new to sewing OR would just like an awesome extra bag, I recommend this book for the ease of the directions and the fact that it is NOT patterns, but more like tutorial-style. :)

p.s. If you want an awesome handmade wallet like mine (or in a variety of other colors/fabrics)...check out Schnitzel and Boo . I know she doesn't always have it posted but you can always contact her to ask!! :)

Cupcake, Snake, Lobster, Banana, Cocoa Mug - oh my!! (crochet)

What a busy week!! Aside from finding out that the talented Schnitzel & Boo is going to be a featured vendor at a 4-day craft fair coming up in Seattle on Memorial weekend (and that she would like to me to be a part of it!), I've also been making little gifts for nieces and nephews and SILs...one of which was this cupcake zipper purse. The entire frosting portion on top is a zipper opening (approx. 7") and the other side of the purse is identical to this side. No pattern for this, just trying to use up the last bits of the brown chunky yarn I had and the swirly blue and I thought this would be perfect.



Another snake!! The pattern is from the "Amigurumi Toy Box" book by Ana Paul Rimoli, BUT I found I didn't like how you were supposed to make the head, then the body, then attach them together and then sew on a felt tongue...so my version has it done all in one so you don't have to sew the head on, and then the tongue itself is crocheted using chain and slip stitches instead of sewing on a piece of felt. The last one I did use the felt and it got pulled right off, so ....yeah.



This guy cracks me up!!! Well for starters...it is difficult to see in the picture exactly the size of it. I wish I would've put a pencil next to it or something, because that is about the length. It was supposed to be a rather large lobster crocheted with chunky yarn, which I didn't have. So I picked out something I DID have (I forget what the color is called but it's Carron Super Soft yarn) in the correct looking lobster color. I used a "G" hook instead of the called-for "N". It came out more like a crawdad LOL but I love it anyway...pattern is from the book "Toys for Tots" and again, I had to change some parts for it to look good/make more sense to me but I'm happy with the final result.



A little banana!!! Pattern is from www.amigurumiparadise.com



And lastly....a cup of cocoa! That is supposed to be a mini-marshmallow on top, though to me it looks more like a bit of whipped cream. Isn't it adorable? Pink cheeks and all! Another from the "Amigurumi Toy Box" book. :) There were a couple of (mistakes?) in the pattern that I found and will point them out here in case anyone has the book and decides to make this toy.*

*In the directions for the cup: it is missing the step between R5 and R6. So after R5 it should have a line that reads *Sc 4, 2 sc in next sc* (36)
and THEN go to R7-13 (in the book it just jumps from R5 to R6-13).

Also when you get to the directions for the hot cocoa portion: same thing.. it is missing R6 which gets you to 36 sts instead of only the mentioned 30 (it is the same as for doing the cup part).

I hope that helps relieve anyone else's confusion so they don't do what I did and have to rip it back out hahaha... also hope that Mrs.Rimoli doesn't mind me pointing this out! :)

Moleskine Booklet and Cover pattern (crochet)

Hello! I decided to try a smaller covered booklet and had some extra Moleskines laying around begging to not be naked anymore, so here is the first one I made. The size of the booklet is 5 1/2"x 3 1/2" so any book of the same size will work for this pattern, provided it is not very thick (as these aren't).


The inside flap done in a different yarn....as you can see, it isn't very much bigger than the pen.

The pattern!! Please let me know if there are any problems with it, though I tried to to make sure it is correct and I wrote it as I was making it, there is always room for human error. And as always, feel free to make as many as you want, but don't sell my pattern or pass it off as your own... I'd love credit as I always credit others. :) :)


5 1/2"x 3 1/2" Moleskine Booklet Cover

you will need: 2 colors of 100% cotton yarn (I am using Sugar & Cream brand)
F crochet hook and a tapestry needle
a 5 1/2x 3 1/2" moleskine book

with yarn A ch 26. sc in 2nd ch from hook and across (25)
R01-09: sc in each st across. ch 1, turn. (25) change to yarn B
R10: working in BLO sc in each st across. ch 1, turn (25)
R11-25: sc in each st across. ch 1, turn (25)
R26: working in BLO sc in each st across. ch 1, turn (25)
R27: working in FLO sc in each st across. ch 1, turn (25)
R28-41: sc in each st across. ch 1, turn. (25) change back to yarn A.
R42: working in BLO sc in each st across. ch 1, turn (25)
R43-49: sc in each st. across. ch 1, turn (25)
R50: sc in each st across. Fasten off and weave in loose ends.

Place Moleskine booklet at the center and sew flaps at top and bottom with whichever yarn you wish to use. Then weave in any loose ends. (Make sure that the center of the book has rows 26 and 27 snuggly wrapping around it with the extra unused loops sticking out away from the book).

For straps to tie booklet shut, chain 40 and tie off. (Make 2). Attach to anywhere on booklet you'd like to wrap and tie from. Hide loose ends. (On mine, I tied to the edge/side where the book opens from...see pics).


And that's it! Fairly straight forward and simple enough for a beginner to learn on and try. :) You could get fancy and use a button closure or put flower motifs on it if you'd like... I kept this one simple mainly because the book is so small already, I wanted to keep it not-too-flashy and just pick yarn colors I like. :) Have fun making yours!

Covered Composition Book (crochet)

Hello :) Attempting to sneak a post in before midnight again! I worked on this project for the past 3 days off and on and am finally finished with it. I bought an inexpensive composition book at the store and wanted to make a cover for it that would stay closed with a button and also hold a pen. I'm going to be using this one to write down my crochet patterns, ideas, etc...a note-keeper for me.
This is the back side of it...tough to see in the photo, but it's a dark purple. The front side was a variegated yarn with purples and greens...all of it is done in 100% cotton.

Showing the inside flap of the front cover. I purposely made it only over a few inches, which is just enough to keep it on...and then did a little strip in the dark purple to make sure it was secure, but also to be able to stick other papers or loose patterns into if I choose.

The entire thing was done in single crochet rows mixed with crossed-double crochet rows. The pattern I just made up as I was going along.

I have also worked on a smaller moleskine book cover which I am hoping to finish tonight and will have a pattern for in the next day or two to share. :)

Otter Pop Holder and pattern (crochet)

Last summer I made a bunch of these out of craft felt for dirt cheap and they lasted all through summer and are finally starting to look rather sad. So I decided to crochet some up this time. Here is the pattern for anyone else who'd like to make some, too!

Otter Pop Holders

F hook* 100% cotton yarn (I used one main color and one color for putting together) *tapestry needle

(make 2)
chain 16. sc into 2nd ch from hook and across (15)
R1-5: sc across, ch 1, turn (15)
R6: sc across. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Using the 2nd yarn color, hold two rectangles together and beginning at one corner, sc through both pieces all around 3 of the edges (leaving one short side open for holding the otter pop). When you are at the corners, put 2 sc into the same stitch to help round the corner and keep work flat. Fasten off and weave in ends.


Very, very basic and easy...perfect for beginner crocheters to try out something other than a potholder! And it's quick and uses next-to-no yarn at all. :) Make them up in all sorts of colors to match your frozen treats! :)

Amigurumi Jellyfish (crochet)

This just might be one of the cutest things yet...a jellyfish!!! From the same book as the last post (Amigurumi Toy Box). In the book it is all pink, but I used a variegated yarn for the main portion of the body and then a cream color for the wavy skirt around the bottom as well as the tentacles. I love the look alot!! As soon as I was done with it, I got requests for all sorts of other sea creatures. It's funny how when you make something, it instantly makes everyone think of a ton of other ideas they probably wouldn't have thought of otherwise. :D But that's what keeps things new and never-boring around here!

I have re-opened my Etsy shop since being back from the craft fair last weekend, but have yet to post any new items. I am in serious need of getting that done. First things first, I will have to take some photos of everything to put up and then get them listed...so I would say starting next week, I should be getting some new stuff up in there to check out. :)

Amigurumi Snake, Cake and Flan!! (crochet)

Abssssssolutely adorable sssssssssnake!!! I used one skein of variegated yarn and it was perfect for the striping down its body. The tongue actually got yanked off not too long after I finished making him (and I didn't care for the idea of a "felt" tongue anyway) so I redid it with yarn and just crocheted a tongue. I don't have a pic of that, but it is definitely better and more sturdy.

A happy little cake for one of my niece's upcoming 1st birthday!! I was going to do a candle on the top but decided to keep it like this instead so it can be played with all year and not just for first birthday.

Lastly, a little cutsey flan. I have never made or eaten flan before, but it sure is cute!! I googled images of flan with a cherry on top and this is pretty close. It looks not half bad, either, so I might actually have to make and eat some one of these days to see what it tastes like. :)


All three of these patterns are from Ana Paula Rimoli's brand new book "Amigurumi Toy Box". I had it on pre-order from Amazon for a couple months and just got it in the mail a couple days ago... Very cute stuff and good directions for finishing the toys. I am quite happy with it and am going to probably make everything in it eventually. I do like to vary away from the pattern every once in a while (like with the snake tongue) but this is excellent for the basics. :)

Back from the Craft Fair...plus a Starfish :) (crochet)

We survived our first craft fair!! Sorry for the delay in posting about it...the last few days have been rather busy and stressful, but here I am back at it!! :) Above photo is of my very full table....below photo is my sister's (and a few people..talking to her). We were right next to each other and made a sort of "bridge" over our two tables to connect them and give a flowing feeling. It looked great to us and we were happy with it! I hope we always get to do these shows together now that we've tried one out.

She makes the most fabulous bags (tote bags, purses, all sorts of designs and sizes) and wallets even!! In fact, at this show was the first time I'd seen some of the things she had made and I thought they were store-bought and she just embellished them on the outside. But nope, she made the entire bag!!!! Including the handles and everything. I was impressed (and jealous of the sewing skill). :P Great first craft fair....looking forward to the next one as soon as we can!!

p.s. not only does she do bags and wallets, she can sew just about anything you can imagine...I've seen her do wedding dresses (including my own), children's clothes, dog leashes and items, aprons, just about anything!!! You can check her out on Etsy here and on her own blog here :)

Isn't this just the cutest?? I had made a plain star barrette and my youngest wanted a star, too....but not a barrette since he's a boy :P So I told him I would figure out a toy instead and came up with this little starfish. It was pretty simple...two basic stars sewn together after embroidering a little face...stuffing as you sew it up. It almost looks real, too, with the way the yarn puffs a little bit and gives it a textured-look. He was very happy with it and I believe it now lives on his pillow. :)