Bug-Eyed Owl and Rainbow Blanket (crochet)

 

Hello everybody :) How is your May starting off?  We are getting rain (as usual) but today was just sunny enough to be able to get a few quick photos taken in the back yard. 

This big bug-eyed owl toy was a pattern from a book by VooDoo Maggie. I don't have it on hand to put the exact title, but I'm fairly certain no one else has that name if you go look it up!  The book is full of unique crocheted toy patterns that don't look like everything else out there. (A plus!)  

 Second up-- a rainbow stripes blanket with fringe/tassels on each end.  This is crib-sized, or lap sized if you like.  One end has red tassels and the other has purple. I couldn't decide which color, so went with both. :D  I will be posting this one in my Etsy shop as soon as possible.  

For everyone enjoying sun right now.. LUCKY!! And for those of us in the rain.. at least we have an excuse to stay inside and crochet. :D 

Candy Cane Nails and Amigurumi Squid!

Hiiiiiii!! I keep trying to be more diligent about adding posts to my blog but I swear this time of year is always the biggest challenge.  Lots of things on the ol' to-do list!


Here's an easy holiday nail art design that almost anyone could do.  Peppermint candy cane!  Simply apply a base coat to protect your nails, then paint the entire nail white.  Allow that to dry a couple minutes, then add red stripes in varying thicknesses either using a striping polish, or a thin paint brush from the craft store!  Finish with a clear top coat and you're all set!

I'm sure everyone knows being close to the holidays, it gets harder to share things on here since a lot of what I make are for gifts and I wouldn't want to spoil any surprises!! But that doesn't mean I haven't made anything outside of that... :)

This little crocheted guy (squid) was a special request as a Christmas gift for someone through Etsy.  I will be shipping him off tomorrow morning to his new home.  

I have also been adding new items to my Etsy shop for those looking for any holiday gift ideas... everything is unique and there's a lot of variety!! Check it out :)

www.maebellecreations.etsy.com      Also feel free to contact me about custom orders!

Amigurumi Camo-Hippo (crochet)

Spending another late evening working on some crafts before sleep-time. I actually managed to finish this little gal yesterday and even took a nice sunny photo amongst the clovers we have growing! And as happens with a lot of the fun little toys I make, I found a home for it before I could even get it listed for sale! :) So good-bye to camo-hippo and enjoy your new owner!

P.S. I think this is one of my favorite crochet patterns...this being about the 4th or 5th time I've made it. This particular hippo was using an F hook and 100% cotton yarn. The book is "Easy Crochet Critters", a Leisure Arts pamphlet. It calls for a G hook, but I've made it using all sizes to get different sized toys.

Carson the Snake and a Red-Headed Sweeper (crochet and embroidery)

A friend of mine had a skein of variegated yarn (Red Heart Super Saver "primary" color) and wanted to see how long of a snake it would make if I used up the whole thing. So here he is...Carson the Snake! I didn't measure, but by an estimated guess, I would say roughly 10 feet long. The green tongue is by request!



Also finished the embroidery design I was trying out. I haven't done actual embroidery in years so I'm pretty happy with how it came out with me being out-of-practice. The design was from a store-bought set that you iron on to whatever you want it on. I just used a linen kitchen towel. Isn't she cute?? :) I have several others of the same type of design and will eventually get to them, too...need more towels first.

Amigurumi T-Rex, Robot, Lobster, Dachsund, and sweater (crochet)

I'm baaaaaack!! We've been without internet for a couple of weeks (due to switching service providers and waiting for the new modem to arrive) and are finally hooked back up! In the meantime, I've been up to my eyeballs in crocheted goodies, of course. :D Tonight I finished the little green T-Rex and managed to get a picture snapped before it got too dark outside.

This little mini lobster is from a pattern on Ravelry.com for "teeny lobster" if you'd like to make one. It worked up in about 15 minutes or so and used very little yarn- a nice way to use up scraps!


This sweater took up the bulk of my time. I would say spread out over about 5 or 6 days from start to finish. I made mine to fit size 8 child. The original pattern (which was from the latest Crochet World magazine) only uses one button at the top and has a different kind of button hole and closure. I decided since the yarn I used was looking like legos from far away that I would like to use legos to make buttons and have them all the way down!

These are the kind I stole from my hubby's collection... (okay, I got permission first...) and just used a Dremel tool to drill 4 little button holes in them each.

Last but not least... a special order that I completed a few days ago. A robot with tangerine, lavendar, maroon and white colorings...and a weiner dog with a pink collar (which isn't showing in the photo). They turned out so cute!! And BIG.. I was surprised at the size they were...I had expected much smaller but this is even better. :D

Amigurumi Vampire, Flower Girl and Owl (crochet)

I had been eyeing a site online for quite a while (www.gourmetcrochet.com) and wanting absolutely every one of the books I see on there...and finally broke down and bought a couple last week. They've arrived and here is what I've been making so far!!

To start ^^^ Dracula the Vampire! I love his little red cape. :) The "hair" part I think I would do differently next time so it looks less helmet-like. As it was, I had to make it twice because the first one, following the pattern, turned out enormous and went almost over his whole head. So I ripped it out and made it smaller with my own directions.


The owl caught my eye right away when I saw it on the cover. I wanted one in bright colors, so that is why I've chosen the ones I did. The "feathers" actually go all the way around and are worked in one piece that is slipped on like a skirt and sewn into place after the body is made. I think in the future I will try doing it by making long lines of feathers and wrap it around like a shawl and leave a gap in the front, so it looks like the owl is holding his wings in front of himself around his belly. Just an idea I have in mind for the next one. :) Also the feet were kinda confusing in the directions, so I just winged it (har har) and they came out fine by me.


I think she is my favorite of the three!! She reminds me of the singing/talking flowers from Alice in Wonderland. I couldn't tell from the cover of the booklet she was on, but her head is actually bald and the flowery petal part is the front of a bonnet that slips over her head and ties on. In the photo it looked like it was all done in one, but it's not. I like that it's not because the next ones can have hair, maybe, or little things like that. :)

Great books and designs... fairly simple to follow if you already have some basic crochet knowledge, and only need to make a change or two every once in a while. She has a lot of other designs I'd like to someday get and try, too, so we'll see how that comes along!

Huge Amigurumi Stegosaurus Dinosaur (crochet)

Check out this guy!! He is about 4 day's worth of crocheting and all completed today. I was trying out a new (to our store at least) skein of 100% cotton yarn by Bernat. It is pretty much the same, in my opinion, as Sugar & Cream, but it was a great big 12 oz. skein of it....over 800 yards. So a LOT bigger than the little S&C ones. I didn't even use the full amount to make this and it is approximately 20 inches long.

The pattern was from an old Annie's Attic leaflet that features 4 dinosaurs and I lucked out and found the leaflet in a second-hand shop for $.50 the other day. Love those kinds of finds! A lot of times if you dig deep enough, you can get a lucky find that is typically either hard to find on Ebay or really pricey.

Lastly for tonight is a question...does anyone know how you can go about getting a Chinese crochet pattern book translated into English? I am fairly sure it is Chinese. It does have charts that supposedly anyone who can read it can follow even if they don't speak/read the written language the book is in... BUT I am not yet there with being able to read those charts. So I'm looking for a way to get a written pattern in English from someone who knows Chinese OR can read the chart and make a written pattern from it. :S :S Throw me an email (address in the upper right corner of this blog) and let me know any suggestions!! :D Thanks!

Tiny Amigurumi Monkey and Owl Hat with Green (crochet)

Made another owl hat like the last post, this time using a neutral "earthy" colored yarn and accented with browns and green!! I love this color green :D :D

And this reminds me of either Curious George or a Sock Monkey (maybe a combination of both?)...it is tiny, too. About the size of my palm. :D I did start out with a pattern for the head and going into the body, then realized how small it was working out to be and decided to try making up the rest on my own. I'm pretty happy with how he turned out. :D Hopefully with any luck, these will both go into my Etsy shop one of these days. :) In the meantime if someone wants to give them a new home, drop me an email!

Amigurumi Snowy Owl and Jellyfish (crochet)

Good evening! What have I been up to today?? I made up a new jellyfish in a Sugar & Cream color called "royal crown jewels" (new to our store and I LOVE it)...and a snowy white owl!! The jellyfish is perched on top of my paper towel holder, in case you were wondering. :) I had to find somewhere to get him to hang out for a photo!

Lastly is a photo we took candidly at the Folk Life Festival over the weekend of Schnitzel & Boo's craft booth (which included some of my crafts as well). It was a lot of fun...saw every walk of life you could imagine and a lot of happy people who loved browsing our little booth. :) Good times had by all! S&B's tote bags are *amazing*, not to mention the wallets and messenger bags...she really does a great job, so if you're after any of that kind of stuff (and who doesn't love bags??) head over to her shop and check it out. I even managed to snag one for myself that I couldn't stop oogling over the whole time I was there!

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. :)

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. :)