Warm Fuzzies

mmm...Pizza...and Cheese-kun

I have an unhealthy obsession with manga and anime.  I find the artwork fascinating, the stories thrilling, and the authors brilliant.  It’s always been a guilty pleasure of mine.  I recently finished watching Code Geass, and enjoyed it thoroughly, especially the first season.  Imagine my pleasure when I found this pattern for Cheese-Kun (Pizza Hut’s mascot in Japan, who makes a couple appearances in the animation).  I wasted no time diving into the project.

When I was 80% finished with crocheting my very own Cheese-Kun, I ran out of yarn.  To quote Kurtz, "The horror, the horror."  I actually purchased the yarn on clearance from my LYS, which unfortunately, did not have any left when I returned with the hopes of purchasing another ball to finish my project. (darn!) I was, however, able to find the same color in a cashmere-blend, and decided that the dyes matched well enough to make the purchase.  So that's how Cheese-Kun gained a bit of upper-class flair.  After stitching on a face and stuffing him, I looked at Cheese-Kun, and he looked at me. He was missing something.

I stopped by a Pizza Hut after work and sweet talked the pizza boy into giving me an empty Personal Pan Pizza box. I placed my Cheese-Kun next to the box. Hmm, still missing something. The pizza box felt...empty. So I knit a pizza slice to fill it.

And with that, my Cheese-Kun was complete. You see how happy he is?

I’m having a bit of trouble finding a place to display him, though. Wherever I put him and his entourage, they look out of place. Oh well, the space by my woefully neglected sewing machine will have to do.

Giant Pandas

Meet the newest members of my neighborhood....Mr. and Mrs. Panda (sorry guys, I haven't been feeling very creative with names lately, heh). 

Seeing that the leaves are finally turning around here, Mr. and Mrs. Panda decided to take a spin around Central Park to properly view the autumn foliage.  After all, Mr. and Mrs. Panda are always proper.

The happy couple enjoyed their stroll in Central Park, and were even able to catch a glimpse of the New York City Marathon.  "Ah, yes," Mr. Panda had said to his wife, "those runners are quite accomplished."  Mrs. Panda agreed.  "Quite," she said, impressed.  "I could run the distance, too," Mr. Panda boasted, "if I did not have to use this silly cane."  Mrs. Panda smiled at her husband.  He had always hated the thought of being overshadowed by somebody else.  "Of course you could, dear."

The youngest Panda did not join his parents for the stroll outside.  Glenny hated life in New York.  He spent most of his time indoors, holed up reading nature books.  He carried a selection of his favorites around with him at all times in a bookbag. 

Glenny resented the life to which he was born.  Giant pandas were not supposed to drink tea and eat scones like his parents, much less live in a big city. (Never-you-mind about reading books.  Education is a priority for everyone.  Even pandas.)  Glenny especially hated being a 3.5 inch tall giant panda.  Giant panda.  What a joke.

"Teenagers!" exclaimed a flustered Mrs. Panda, shaking her head.  Mr. Panda gave her a knowing look.  "He's just like me when I was a young bear.  He's naturally curious.  An intellectual.  Everything is going to be fine."  He gently patted his wife's hand, and the two shared a rare smile together.

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Giant Panda  

The Pandas are top-heavy bears; they have disproportionately big heads (hey, I meant that literally), and their arms are slightly longer than their legs.  If this bothers you, feel free to swap the arm and leg pieces for a more conventional-looking panda doll. *Note: Amigurumi animals are worked in the round, in one continuous spiral; do not join the rounds unless specifically instructed to do so.

Body

R1: Make a magic yarn loop, and sc 6 times into the loop.  Pull end to tighten loop.

R2: 2sc in each sc around (12 sts)

R3: *3sc, 2sc in next sc*  Repeat around (15 sts)

R4: *4sc, 2sc in next sc*  Repeat around (18 sts)

R5-10: sc in each sc around (18 sts)

R11: *4sc, sc dec in next 2 sc*  Repeat around (15 sts).  Fill bottom with some weighted plastic pellets (this helps keep Glenny upright after his huge head is attached), and stuff the body firmly with your stuffing material of choice.

R12: *3sc, sc dec in next 2 sc*  Repeat around (12 sts)

R13: sc dec in next 2 sc around (6 sts) to close.  Fasten off.

Head

R1: Make a magic yarn loop, and sc 4 times into the loop.  Pull end to tighten loop.

R2: 2sc in each sc around (8 sts)

R3: *sc, 2sc in next sc*  Repeat around (12 sts)

R4: *2sc, 2sc in next sc*  Repeat around (16 sts)

R5: *3sc, 2sc in next sc*  Repeat around (20 sts)

R6: *4sc, 2sc in next sc*  Repeat around (24 sts)

R7: *5sc, 2sc in next sc*  Repeat around (28 sts)

R8: *6sc, 2sc in next sc*  Repeat around (32 sts)

R9-11: sc in each sc around (32 sts).  Begin stuffing the head, and continue stuffing as you work the following rows.

R12: *6sc, sc dec in next 2 sts*  Repeat around (28 sts)

R13: *5sc, sc dec in next 2 sts*  Repeat around (24 sts)

R14: *4sc, sc dec in next 2 sts*  Repeat around (20 sts)

R15: *3sc, sc dec in next 2 sts*  Repeat around (16 sts)

R16: sc in next 2 sts across (12 sts).  Fasten off.

Leg (make 2)

R1: Make a magic yarn loop, and sc 4 times into the loop.  Pull end to tighten loop.

R2: 2sc in each sc across (8 sts)

R3-4: sc in each st around (8 sts).  Fasten off.

Arm (make 2)

R1: Make a magic yarn loop, and sc 4 times into the loop.  Pull end to tighten loop.

R2: 2sc in each sc across (8 sts)

R3-5: sc in each st around (8 sts).  Fasten off.

Ear (make 2) Note: not worked in the round!

R1: ch2, 4sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch1, turn (4 sts)

R2: 2sc in each sc around, ch1, turn (8 sts)

R3: *2sc, 2sc in next sc* Repeat across (12 sts). Fasten off.

Tail

R1: Make a magic yarn loop, and sc 4 times into the loop.  Pull end to tighten loop.

R2: *sc, 2sc in next sc* Repeat across (6 sts).  Fasten off.

Eye Pieces (make 2)

R1: Make a magic yarn loop, and sc 5 times into the loop.  Pull end to tighten loop.

R2: 2sc in each sc around (10 sts).  Fasten off.

To make up: Attach ears and eye pieces to head.  Sew head to body.  Attach arms, legs, and tail to body.  Weave in ends.  Use scrap yarn to embroider eyes, or attach beads. 

Baby, it's (going to be) cold outside

My boss's daughter recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, so naturally, I took the time to make a little something for the new baby.  By chance, as I was sorting through my craft supplies, I came across two skeins of Lion Brand Homespun that my mother had sent to me when I first started to knit.  It would produce an easy-care, machine washable garment...perfect for a new mom who'll be too busy (and sleep deprived) to worry about hand-washing.

I did a quick search on Ravelry to see what baby garments other people whipped up using the yarn.  Baby, it's cold outside was a pretty popular pattern, and the original yarn called for by the designer was Homespun.  I was able to put two and two together.

The finished baby jacket is thick and plush; it will definitely do a good job of insulating the little one from the winter cold in 4-6 months.

I decided not to go with the option of making crochet buttons; I went to the M&J Trimming store and spent a long time browsing the buttons.  I was about to give up when I caught a glimplse of these gorgeous purple and black square buttons out of the corner of my eye.  Yay.  I love it when everything works out.  (Btw, this is totally unrelated, but I think I'm developing a "thing" for buttons.  Looking at all the styles makes me so happy.)

I still had some purple yarn left over, so I decided to crochet a matching hat.  I basically followed this pattern for a baby derby hat, omitting the popcorn stitches on top and starting with a 10 dc ring instead of 15.  For the extra little girly touch, I whipped up a quick little flower to decorate the band.

So when winter comes, however cold it may be outside, baby Olivia will be prepared.

T.V. Jake

I've been working on some pretty time-consuming knitting projects lately, and needed a little change of pace.  So I picked up the crochet hook and whipped up a little something.

A remote-control holder!  Who said stuffies couldn't be practical?  T.V. Jake used to be a free pattern that was downloadable from here, but it looks like it's no longer available there.  But in case anyone's interested in the pattern, the bottom of my printout says that it was originally published in Crochet Home Magazine No. 58 in 1997.

I didn't have the plastic cat eyes called for in the pattern handy, so I just cut some goofy-looking eyes out of felt and used a glue-gun to secure them.

Now that we have Jake handy, our remote control now has a designated guardian, and Kyle and I will no longer have to waste time looking for the remote.  Well, theoretically.  We didn't have much of a chance to test things out.  It didn't take Oscar long to get jealous of the attention we were paying to Jake.  He took a sudden interest in the remote.  He wanted to guard the remote, too.  Or so we thought.  Enter Exhibit A:

Oscar attacked all of the buttons.  Okay, nearly all the buttons.  He was kind enough to leave the "Enter" button unscathed.  Who'd have thought that rubber was so tasty?  Needless to say, the remote is significantly harder to use now.  It's now permanently resting in Jake's grasp; we aren't going to bother with it anymore.  It gets pretty frustrating when you have to push the volume button more than a dozen times to get the volume to go down by one bar.  But you know what?  Getting up off the ole bottom to walk a couple of feet to change the channel isn't even that much of an inconvenience.  It's actually pretty refreshing to get up and stretch your legs once in a while. 

Perhaps Oscar really did know what he was doing all along...

Kabuto Mushi - Horned Beetle Amigurumi

I've just realized that I haven't posted a stuffie in a while...the truth is, I haven't been making as many of them as I used to, mostly because I'm running out of places to put them.  New York apartments aren't exactly roomy, and stuffed toys (both purchased and handmade) have long ago taken over the place.  So I've been trying to resist the urge to make toys left and right, and to try and focus on crafting items that have a bit more utility...like bags and clothing.

But sometimes, you see, I just can't resist.  Behold.

Simon's a kabuto mushi, or horned beetle.  Although the instructions are in Japanese, charts are included, so the pattern is very easy to follow.  He's a bug, and for once, I'm not completely grossed out.  Why, I'd even say that he's cute.  But don't tell him that, because he'll get a big head.

I mean, look at him!  Seeing him scuttling across the floor makes me squeal.  Not in fear, mind you, but in delight.

But Simon's a macho guy.  He'd like me to show you his big horns.  So even though he may look sweet, the guy can put up a good fight.  Or so he says.

Although he has incredibly good looks and a very manly phisique, overall, Simon's just a mellow, easy-going guy.  He likes long walks, hanging out on wooden surfaces, and just chillin'.  Any she-beetle's out there interested in a date?  ...  ... ... No?  Didn't think so, but Simon insisted that I ask.  After all, stuffed beetles can be extremely intimidating.  Especially if they have horns.

Spring Chickens!

It's been a while since I've finished a crochet project, hasn't it?  I'm not sure exactly why, but I find that I seem to crochet a lot more during spring and summer time, and switch to knitting during fall and winter.  Weird, huh?  At any rate, I'm finally convinced that it's really spring because in addition to it being gorgeous outside, I've completed my first crochet project of the year.  Behold my new kitchen decor:

Not just one, but two spring chickens! 

The big, round chicken is a potholder that, quite honestly, I probably won't use much because I'm terrified of the inevitable: the bit of food that would fall just so on my beautiful white chicken, staining her forever.  Oh, the horror!  She works pretty well as wall art anyway, right?

And then there's the little shelf doll.  I call her Florence.  Or just Flo.  Depends on my mood.  I just love her little apron!  She was lots of fun to make, and although you can't see in this picture, she has a pretty feathered tail, too.  She keeps me company when I do the dishes.

The pattern that I used to make both chickens was available for free on this site last year, but it appears that they've taken it down.  Phooey.   I'm not exactly sure which crochet magazine the original pattern appeared in, but in case anyone's interested, I did a quick internet search, and was able to find this eBay listing for the pattern, cut out from the magazine in which it was originally printed (although the price for shipping's a bit steep).

Presents in the Mail

Kari sent me one of her yummy cashmere ribbon wristlets in the mail this week (she has some for sale in her Etsy shop, and some cute button bracelets, too).  I love everything about it; the purple flower button is the perfect touch!  And the cashmere.  *Drool*.  Such a treat for my wrist.  And I can tell from her choice of colors that she made it just for me.  Kari, you spoil me.  Truly. 

   

Speaking of awesome mail from Kari, I can't believe I haven't shared the belated Christmas package that she sent me.  Behold:

Kari sent a cute little card and some very nice Merlin the Cat superwash merino sock yarn in my colors.  Light green + lavender (and the occasional bit of aqua)= heaven.  I started working on my first pair of knitted socks using this yarn a couple weeks back, so I'm almost finished with them now.  Kari made a crochet hook holder for me, as well as a pair of her gorgeous tree branch earrings (she wrote a tutorial for these.  Check it out!).  Everything was individually wrapped, too, so I had the pleasure of opening several delightful little packages instead of just one big package.

I immediately transferred all my crochet hooks from their then-current resting places (e.g., the floor, on the nightstand, between the cushions of the couch, etc etc,) to their beautiful new home.  There were some empty pockets left, so I put my dpn's in the holder as well.  It's just what I needed to get a jump-start on organizing my craft supplies.   Unfortunately for me, my crochet hooks and dpn's are, to this day, still the only supplies that I have neatly in place.  Note to self: must organize.  Do some spring cleaning.  All that good stuff.

 

Kari celebrated her birthday in December, and this is the birthday/Christmas gift I sent her.  Macadamia nut chocolates, more chocolate, and fruit leather.  A pair of lacy crochet earrings.  Some yarn.  When I went to the LYS to pick out a special skein of yarn for her (Fiesta handpainted 100% silk yarn), I couldn't resist getting the Lantern Moon sheep tape measure for her, too.  I thought it was the cutest thing...you pull his tail to get the measuring tape to come out, and push on his fluffy little belly to retract it.  Heh.

Using the general instructions referenced in this Craftster post, I crocheted a Ribbed Earflap Hat with Pompoms for Kari in her favorite color.  Unfortunately, the first hat that I sent was too small for her, and as of yesterday, it looks like the second (bigger) hat that I sent is currently MIA.  Darn you, postal gods!  I had planned to make more of these hats (one for myself, at least, hehehe), but never got around to it.  Oh well, there's always next year...

Winston the Wonder-dog

Ashley really liked these amigurumi cats, so when I brought up the potential of doing a swap, she asked if it was possible for me to make a little black dog (6-8" tall) in a similar style for her.  And that's how Winston the Wonder-dog came about.

Here's the little guy, sleeping soundly as the sun rises.  Winston was born with heavy eyelids (an unfortunate inheritance from his mother, I'm sorry to say), so he has always had a little trouble keeping his eyes open.  He doesn't mind so much; he claims that he can see what's going on with his eyes closed - it's his superpower (hence his title/position as wonder-dog).  But don't mistake Winston for your average domesticated canine.  As soon as he's left alone, Winston lets loose his wild side.

 

Oh yes.  Winston has a serious skullie obsession.  As soon as his owners leave the apartment, Winston decks himself out in his "mad dog" gear.*   And then he takes the city by storm.   He'll chase squirrels.  He'll terrorize pigeons.  He'll scare tourists.  There's not much that he won't do.

* Winston's "armband" doubles as a ring, and his "cummerband" is actually a wrist warmer (link to pattern in this post).

But he's a sly little guy.  Winston always makes sure he's back by sunset, so that his owners always come home to a sweet, cuddly, snoozing puppy.  As for what he'd been doing earlier that day...that's Winston's little secret.

Felt Mascot/Little Stuffies Swap

So I'm back in NYC now after a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and birthday celebration (My grandfather turned 93 years old!) with my family in California.  No crafting yet, but boy, do I have some great mail to share with you over the next few days!

First things first.  Meet Acorn.  Isn't he delicious?  I just love his button eyes.  I got him in a felt mascot/little stuffies swap that I signed up for on craftster.  My swap partner, Peihan, makes the cutest little batik puppies. For our swap, she made me my very own green and purple-y batik puppy...but smaller (one of the conditions of the swap was for the stuffies to be between 6 and 8 inches tall).

I immediately took Acorn for a walk in Central Park, where he instantly started hunting for acorns...not an easy task in late fall, we found.  Those squirrels sure are efficient!  At the end, Acorn and I were still able to find a few little dusty acorns to add to his collection of seeds (he came with seeds for Forget-me-Nots and Baby's Breath).

Peihan also sent a cute card with a sweet illustration of a bee, inside of which she wrote a little bio for Acorn:

"This is Acorn, a puppy who loves playing in the woods.  He likes anything green, espeically flowery plants. =)  So he insisted on taking some seeds with him to his new home."

I'll take him to the woods someday, but for the time being, he'll have to make do with a humble little apartment and an occasional the trip to the park.

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Here's the package I sent Peihan.

       

This is Bubba (short for Bubhaleighnitzer).  I modeled him after Peihan's craftster avatar (pictured on the right), and gave him a little black messenger bag just for kicks.  I used chenille yarn, so he's nice and cuddly.  I had a lot of fun making him, and even more fun writing his bio.

In addition to the mint Hershey bar, I made some lime earrings for a little something extra.  Here's a close-up of Bubba showing them off (in bad lighting, poo!).

I followed this tutorial, and just added a couple of beads to finish.  The limes turned out a little bigger than what I would ideally want; if I were to make another pair of lime earrings, I'd probably use a smaller hook, like a 6 or an 8.  But I'm still quite satisfied with the finished earrings, so it's all good.

Lacy Blue Crochet Earrings

Ever since I received the beautiful pearl earrings from Kari, I've been, well, obsessed with earrings.  Handmade earrings, because I'm a brat.  Last month, I had fallen in love with a pair (the bottom ones) that Stefanie had posted on craftster, and promptly hunted her down and coerced her into swapping with me  =).  She wanted me to recreate these lovelies (on top) created by the talented Erin, the creative force behind purldrop and sodafine boutique. 

Stefanie wanted blue earrings, and in my tiny, disorganized stash of cotton embroidery floss, I could only muster three different shades of blue.  This chart was used (convenient, no?) to approximate the color of the floss so that Stefanie could make an informed color choice.   

After I finished figuring out a pattern that I felt adequately approximated the earrings that Stefanie wanted, making the earrings didn't take too long at all.  I lightly sprayed the completed earrings with some starch, and ironed them to give the earrings a more professional finish. 

Here are the earrings that I received from Stefanie.  They're even more wonderful in person...the clear glass beads have just the right sparkle.  I would have gotten my hands on them even sooner if I had given Stefanie my real address instead of one that didn't exist (I wrote out the wrong zip code, doh!).

I also recently received a package of Berger cookies from Lera.  She had treated herself to one for her birthday, and when I mentioned to her that I had a sudden craving for them, she sent me a box...just weeks after giving birth to her sixth child!  She was way too good to me. 

Sorry, no picture...Kyle ripped into the box as soon as they got here...and they were gone in the blink of an eye.  Berger cookies + glass of milk = heaven.  It was a favorite procrastination snack for my roommates and me during college.  "Okay, okay, I'll work on the paper....after a Berger cookie," I'd say, and then pour myself a tall glass of milk, take a cookie and slowly nibble away at it for an hour.  Or more.  Ah, the memories.  Thanks so much, Lera!  There will be payback =p.

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Shortly after putting the crochet earrings in the mail, I felt an overwhelming urge to make a pair to keep for myself (I'm a born-again earring glutton, remember?).  So I did just that, using a different shade of blue embroidery floss.

* Erin has given me the okay to post a pattern for my version of her earrings!  So without further ado, here's a quick tutorial, in case anyone feels like making a pair.

Lacy Crochet Earrings

You'll need :

• about 2/3 of a skein of 6-strand cotton embroidery floss
• a size 6 crochet hook
• 2 silver earring hooks
• small sewing needle
• starch spray
  

R1: ch 8, slip the starting end of the chain through the bottom loop of an earring hook, and sl st into the first ch to join into a circle.  (sc, ch 3) in loop to count as first tr, 15 tr in loop, turn. (16 sts)

R2: ch 4, skip 2 tr, sc in next tr, ch 4, skip 2 tr, sc in next tr, ch 5, skip 3 tr, sc in next tr, ch 4, skip 2 tr, sc in next tr, ch 4, sk 2 tr, sl st into last tr, turn.

R3: 5 hdc in first 4 ch space, 5 hdc in next 4 ch space, (3 hdc, 2 dc, 3 hdc) in 5 ch space, 5 hdc in each of last two 4 ch spaces (28 sts).  Fasten off.

Use a small sewing needle to weave in ends.  Repeat R1-R3 to complete second earring.

To finish: Spray completed earrings lightly with starch.  Iron to set.