Cute Little Amigurumi Owl

My first original amigurumi design is sitting untouched where I left it after telling you about it in my last post. I have such admiration for amigurumi pattern designers! It is really challenging to create a pattern from scratch...but I am determined! In the meantime I had to crochet something from a pattern to get my confidence back, so I whipped up this little owl from a free pattern I found here. I tweaked it a little bit to make it more 'me'. I love the combination of pastel blues, pinks and lavenders so I had already decided that my next project would be in some of those colors. At the time I hadn't decided what that project would be, but I really wanted to use those colors. When I decided on an owl I was a bit reluctant to use such 'non-owl' colors, but I went for it and I'm glad I did. The colors aren't really pastel, but they're still along the lines of what I love.

I changed his beak a bit, and also gave him feet instead of embroidering lines for feet like the pattern calls for. I'm very happy with the way he turned out. I think he's adorable!

Speaking of my attempt at an original amigurumi design reminds me of a website I found yesterday that made me feel soo much better! I think most crafters, including myself, would agree that whenever we try a craft for the first time we go thru several attempts of trial and error before we "get it right". This website is dedicated to sharing all those failed attempts, and all the trial and error that goes on before the finished product! What a great idea! You can check out the website here.

I'm looking forward to a weekend spent working on my crochet "to-do" list. Hope you have a happy, crafty weekend!

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Mermaid Sighting!

When I saw this mermaid pattern from Gourmet Crochet, I knew I had to crochet it. I love everything about this doll. From the vivid colors on her tail, to the flower in her hair, to the sweet expression on her face.

She was surprisingly easy to crochet, just a little time consuming with all the detail. But when all is said and done, I am very pleased with the outcome!

I crocheted her tail in two shades of blue, and her hair is done with variegated baby yarn. Her tail fin is crocheted in a way that it curls naturally, one side curls up, and the other side curls under. I'm already envisioning more mermaids in a multitude of colors and sizes.

This doll is my favorite amigurumi so far, I guess it's all the color and detail and downright cuteness! Next on my agenda is another doll, this time a human ballerina. My goal is to be able to pose her arms and legs, and so far it's working, thanks to the pipe cleaners I found in my stash. The real test will be her tutu. I'm not working off a pattern, and I don't know if I trust myself with the tutu or not! Part of me wants to take the easy way out and just make her dress, or tutu, out of fabric, lace and ribbon. But I want to stay true to the crochet so I'm going to give a crocheted tutu a shot. I can see her taking quite some time to finish and I'll probably work on her in between other projects, as I get very frustrated with all the ripping out and starting over that is inevitable when working without a pattern. Still, I'm excited about her if for no other reason than she's my own creation, good or bad.

Thanks for stopping by, and for all the terrific feedback!

Freebies Galore!

I’m currently working on an amigurumi mermaid and she’s almost done. I can’t wait to get her finished because she is just so pretty. All I have left are the embellishments so I should have pictures to post soon!

I was browsing around the FaveCrafts website recently and ran across these free ebook downloads and thought I would share. These books have several small projects, perfect for those just beginning crochet, or a good way to use up scrap yarn or fabric for everyone. There are also free ebooks for knitting, sewing, and Christmas crafts.

You can download these free ebooks here.

I also found a free pattern for this cute little turtle while browsing FaveCrafts.com

Petunia Turtle crochet pattern.

And while we're on the subject of free patterns, look at these cuties!

Get the pattern for this oh so cute wolf here.

Click here to get the pattern for this sly little fox!

I loved these little trolls when I was younger and I still love them today.What a great idea to make Amigurumi troll dolls!

Amigurumi Trolls pattern.

Click here for this Harry Potter doll pattern and Golden Snitch.

This little monkey looks so sweet! Grab the pattern here.

So colorful Parrot!

Adorable Cuddle Bunny.

I'm off to work on, and finish, my mermaid doll. Check back soon for the photos!

Adventures in Amigurumi

I finished another amigurumi project, a little ballerina bunny. I crocheted her by looking at a picture I found on the internet.

I loved crocheting her tutu!

I may make her some ballet slippers, which I think would be really cute!

After I finished my little ballerina and while deciding what to crochet next, I saw a picture of a tiny little thread bear. I was completely fascinated by these little guys and decided I just had to give it a try. These mini bears are between 1" and 5". I think they are adorable!

Gabriel, a 4" bear from Wild Berry Bears.

This is Clint, a 2 1/4" teddy bear. Designed by Edith Molina.

There are also what some refer to as "micro" bears which are 1" and under.

Cradle Me Bear' by Berta Hesen-Minten

Cradle Me Bear' by Berta Hesen-Minten

These bears are crocheted almost just like other amigurumi patterns, however with material such as perle cotton, or punch thread and a much smaller crochet hook, usually from size 0.4 mm up to 1.5 mm. They are works of art for teddy bear or miniature collectors and are not intended to be toys.

So here's my first attempt at crocheting a tiny “thread” bear. It is only 3 inches tall and the arms and legs are thread jointed.

I think it turned out pretty good, considering it’s my first one. However, I learned a lot while crocheting this one and I know there are some things I'll do different on the next one.

I had a lot of fun making this little bear, although it was way different from the amigurumi’s I’ve been crocheting lately. I used size 10 thread, because that’s all I had on hand, and a size 9 hook. Can you say bifocals?!

I think I’m going to crochet her some clothes and sew some black lines on her paws for more detail.

If you’d like to make a thread bear there is a free pattern, as well as a tutorial for this little pink "Monique" bear here.

I'm looking forward to doing more of these cute bears in the future. Anyone ever crocheted one of these bears? Tell us about it!

Today's Free Amigurumi Patterns theme is "Super Mario Brothers"! These patterns are adorable. They're so detailed and really look like the characters! They are from Wolfdreamer's blog and this is just a small sampling of the free patterns on her blog.

Click here for Mario.

And here's the other brother Luigi.

Toad and Toadette. Click here for the pattern.

Mario mushrooms!

Goomba!

There are many other "Mario" patterns on the site including Bombomb, Chain-Chomp, Fireflower, King Boo, & Luma.

Here's a Super Mario Brother's Invincibility Star from "Shh, I'm Counting", another great blog!

Grab the pattern here.

Feel free to add to this list in the comments section!

Hope you found something you like, and as always thanks for visiting!