I am a nerd, and artisan crafter, I make crocheted dolls and plushes. I have a blog about my craft, but also about other artists, tips and tutorials, links, and a lot of fun crafty stuff!
When I am not busy crocheting away, I play video games. When I play video games, I start getting ideas about new crochet patterns, then I start crocheting again. The only thing that keep me from thinking about crafting are books! Reading is my salvation!
It’s already the end of the year and I just finished my last doll until 2019. A friend of mine asked me if I could make her a baby version of Captain America and I immediately said yes, I was very excited to start this project. I started two weeks ago and just finished it today. Here is the result:
I used a pattern by Mariya Kozlova – Baby with Dummy to make the base. It’s a free tutorial to crochet a baby doll which is well written and easy to follow. I only had to make a few adjustments and color changes to turn it into Captain America.
I crocheted this doll with Red Heart Super Saver and a 2.75mm hook. The stars, the A letter, and wings are cut in white felt. I did make the head a little smaller than instructed on the pattern because I was afraid it would be too big with the mask on top of it.
The mask was my biggest challenge because I had never crocheted one before. My first attempt was a fail, I had made the holes too wide and too loose. It took me three tries to get it right which is not too bad considering that I had no idea what I was doing.
I considered making a pacifier that looked like his shield but opted otherwise after realizing it would be too much going on. It had to be one or the other and I can’t imagine Captain America without his signature shield. No pacifier for this baby, he’s a tuff one anyway!
I had a lot of fun crocheting this little Captain America, I couldn’t have finished the year on a better note. I am really looking forward to next year for new exciting projects. I have a long wish list!
This is my last post of the year so I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy new year. See you in 2019! π
It is already the end of the year, Christmas is right around the corner. This year has gone by so fast I cannot believe that 2018 is almost over! It has been a while since I posted any free pattern so today I am going to write a tutorial to make a really cute owl ornament for your Christmas tree. It has been requested on my Facebook after I posted pictures from last year. So here it is, I hope you will enjoy it. The finished size is 3.5 inch/10 cm. I suggest making a few of them using different colors for fun.
Materials you will need for this project:
Brown, cream, green and white yarn (I used Red Heart Super Saver)
2.75mm hook (you can use a larger hook, your owl will be bigger)
Beige and orange felt
12mm brown or black safety eyes (you can opt for googly eyes)
White glittery pompom
Fiberfill for stuffing
Yarn needle, and a glue gun (or fabric glue)
Abbreviations: Rnd = round Sc = single crochet Inc = increase Dec = decrease st = stitches
Body: With brown yarn, make a magic ring Rnd 1: 6 sc in center of the ring (6) Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around (12) Rnd 3: [1 sc, inc] 6 times (18) Rnd 4: [2 sc, inc] 6 times (24) Rnd 5: [3 sc. inc] 6 times (30) Rnd 6 to 10: sc in each st around (30) Change color to light brown Rnd 11 to 14: sc in each st around (30) Hold your work to work on the eyes Cut two oval shapes in a piece of beige felt. Make a little cut in the center and insert the safety eyes. Attach the eyes to the body by inserting them between row 10 and 11. Row 15: [3 sc, dec] 6 times (24) Row 16: [2 sc, dec] 6 times (18) Stuff the body with fiberfill and continue along the way Row 17:[1 sc, dec] 6 times (12) Row 18: dec 6 times (6) Fasten off, and leave a long tail for sewing the rest of the stitches together to close the hole.
Glue the off-white felt part of the eyes to the body (this way they will remain flat). Cut a small triangle in orange felt and glue it between the eyes to make a beak.
The eyes
Make sure the eyes touch in the middle.
Wings (make 2): With brown yarn, make a magic ring Rnd 1: 6 sc in center of the ring (6) Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around (12) Rnd 3 to 5: sc in each st around (12) Fasten off, and leave a long tail at the end. Sew the wings on each side of the body.
The wings.
Hat: With green yarn, make a magic ring Rnd 1: 6 sc in center of the ring (6) Rnd 2 to 3: sc in each st around (6) Rnd 4: [2 sc, inc] 2 times (8) Rnd 5: sc in each st around (8) Rnd 6: [3 sc, inc] 2 times (10) Rnd 7: sc in each st around (10) Rnd 8: [4 sc, inc] 2 times (12) Rnd 9: sc in each st around (12) Rnd 10:[1 sc, inc] 6 times (18) Rnd 11: sc in each st around(18) Rnd 12: [2 sc, inc] 6 times (24) Rnd 13: sc in each st around (24) Rnd 14: [3 sc, inc] 6 times (30) Rnd 15: sc in each st around (30) Rnd 16: [4 sc, inc] 6 times (36) Change color to white Rnd 17 to 18: sc in each st around(36) Fasten off, and leave a long tail for sewing. Sew the hat around the head using the stitches of the last row. (You can opt to glue the hat to the head instead) Put a dot of glue on one side of the hat and bend the top to glue it to the bottom half.
The hat before…
and after.
Hook: I have a cool trick to make the hook with yarn. Follow the instructions in pictures:
1. Insert your needle in a top stitch and through the back
2. Insert into the closest stitch and back to where you started. (don’t pull your yarn completely through, leave a loop hanging)
Make a double knot. Now you should have two loops, one on top and one in back. Pull your yarn down until the knot disappears into the hat. (don’t pull too much or it will go out on the other side)
Pull the top loop on the other side. Voila!
I hope you enjoyed this pattern and that it will be a nice addition to your Christmas tree. Don’t hesitate to ask me if you have any questions.
Phase two of my “improving my skills” with my latest challenge: a doll and her bear. Last year I went through a creativity crisis that put me into a funk for a while. It is during this phase that I started sulking in front of the TV and became addicted to a reality show from Japan called Terrace House. If you are not happy about your own life, lose yourself by watching over people live! Ironically, this reality show was my inspiration to get back to what I love to do and break the wall that kept me from improving. Terrace house is a dating show but it also involves people who use that bridge to find out what they want out of life or achieve their goals. They were my inspiration to turn off my TV and work harder. Lauren Tsai in particular, a talented artist who spent most of her time drawing and focusing on her passion, is the one that motivated me the most. This doll is the product of that inspiration, I am in love with making toys again.
Now let’s talk about the doll. I used mercerized yarn to make this doll. Mercerized yarn is mostly used to make dollies but it is also great to crochet small amigurumi toys. I really liked working with that type of yarn and I think I will use it a lot more in future projects.
I embroidered the eyes but this time I used a different technique that made the task much easier than my previous attempts. Still, I found it very hard to embroider eyes on a small head, there isn’t a lot of room to do your stitches and you are not careful you can end up with eyes too big for the face.
The bear and the hat was a last minute decision. I had intended to just make the doll with her bag but since I am in challenge mode I thought I might as well try to add more. I am glad I did because it turned out really cute.
So if you ever get into a creative hole and need to find a way out, I recommend Terrace House. It’s a great distraction to stop thinking about yourself while vegetating in front of the TV. You might find the inspiration to get back to what you love to do like I did!
I have been crocheting for years and even though I get a lot of compliments on my work, the feeling that I haven’t reached my full potential yet has been frustrating lately.Β At this time of the year, I usually get ready for the Christmas fairs and events that take place during the winter season. Not this year, this time I decided to solely focus on learning new techniques to improve my skills and just practice.
My first challenge was embroidery. My Rurouni Kenshin was my first attempt in embroidering eyes and I was very happy with the result. For my next step, I was going to make a shapeable doll with clothes, and shoes made separately. I also wanted that doll to have a body shape to look a little bit more realistic. For this task, I used this Catwoman tutorial to help me with the steps (this pattern was probably translated from another language because there are a lot of terms that do not make sense, I had to guess a lot).
First steps: arms and legs
I normally use Caron Simply Soft yarn to crochet dolls but since this was an experiment I tried a yarn with a different texture, the more sturdy Sugar’n’ Cream. I am not sure I will use it again to crochet the body because I like the softer texture of Caron better. I do like the sturdiness of the clothes, I think I will use that brand for that exclusively.
It took me three weeks to make this doll, I had no problem with it until I reached the torso. It was the most difficult part, I had to redo it three times. I am still not happy with the shoulders but with practice, I will figure it out.
I had never made clothes separately so it was quite a challenge, especially the shoes. I wanted her to wear sneakers but I couldn’t find a pattern small enough to fit her size. I used this baby sneakers tutorial as a base for the shoes and improvised to make them smaller. The skirt was the easiest part of the entire doll, surprisingly. I loved how it turned out, very casual and sporty.
Like I mentioned earlier, this is my second time embroidering the eyes. This doll was more challenging because the head is quite smaller than my Himura doll. I also embroidered the lips for the first time, it was quite easy.
Now that I am a little more familiar with this type of pattern I am ready to crochet another one. I think I will crochet a smaller version of this doll in different clothes. The more you practice the more you learn!
I hope you enjoyed this post and that it will give you the inspiration to try new challenges in your crochet adventures. I will post about the next doll I am going to make and talk about what I did differently and what I learned from my mistakes. Also, stay tuned because I am going to post a really cute tutorial to make a really cute owl ornament. So many projects, so little time!
I gave myself two challenges last month, one was to learn how to embroider eyes and the other was to make one of my favorite manga characters, Himura Kenshin.Β I started working on this doll at the beginning of September and finally put on the last touches yesterday. It took a lot of patience but I am very happy with the result.
Himura Kenshin is a former assassin turned wanderer in search of redemption during the Japanese Meiji era. He is distinguishable by his orange hair, his purple eyes and the scar he wears on his cheek. He is a manga character that was also featured in an anime and live action series.
I started the doll by crocheting the head, then practiced embroidering the eyes until the face was so worn out I had to start all over again. I tried different tutorials from Pinterest and YouTube before figuring what worked best for me. It took a lot of patience and I think I spent an entire day just trying to get it right.
I had the most fun with his Kimono. I love crocheting costumes, it’s always my favorite part. The skirt was not worked in rounds, I crocheted the front and the back separately and sewed both sides together with yarn. It was rather easy even though I wasn’t sure how it would turn out.
The hair was quite a challenge. First of all, I had to make a decision on the color.Β It’s between a reddish and orange color, except for Takeru Satoh version of the character (live action) which has much darker tones. I opted for a deep and vibrant orange because red would blend too much with the kimono and more fun to work with than a darker shade. I made the hair in layers to achieve some volume, and for that reason, it took me a long time to cut, glue and spray the entire head. It is nerve wrecking because any mistake might ruin the entire doll. I have a love-hate relationship with my glue gun for that very reason. The key to success is time and patience, crafting will definitely teach you patience!
The last challenge was his Katana. I really wanted to add it to the doll because I cannot imagine Himura without his sword. I didn’t know what kind of material to use to make one, I had to improvise and think “outside the box”. I ended up using felt and after trying different versions I opted for the one I liked best. (Here is a fun fact about Himura sword, it has a reversed blade which was made that way because he had sworn to never kill again after ending his career as an assassin).
I love my little Himura Kenshin, maybe I should consider making a crocheted version of Kaoru to keep him company. I definitely want to make more manga characters, they are so much fun!
I had several messages from people who would like to crochet amigurumi items based on patterns but still have difficulty understanding the technical terms and abbreviations. I have been there, my first project was a little bear which ended looking like a voodoo doll because I had no clue what I was doing. The instructions looked like special codes and cipher from some James Bond flick and I wasn’t about to save the world with my crochet hook. I was very discouraged and for a while, I stopped trying. I learned, eventually, but it took me a lot of efforts to get started.
I am going to base these instructions on the way I write my own patterns, starting with the abbreviations. Patterns start with the list of materials you will need, and in most cases the type of crochet stitches you are going to use. Here a the basic ones:
rnd: round
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
hdc = half double crochet
st = stitch
sl st = slip stitch
ch = chain
inc = increase
dec = decrease
beg = beginning
blo = back loop only
flo = front loop only
Most amigurumi start with a magic ring, so in most cases, you will be asked to make one. Here is a very good video by June Gilbank that shows you how to make one and its purpose:
Now that you know what a magic ring is made, here is a sample from one of my pattern to make a ball:
Make a magic ring, Rnd 1: 6 sc in center of the ring (6)
You make 6 single crochet in the ring you just made (this step is explained in the video). The (6) is the number of stitches you end up with when you finish the round.
Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around (12)
You make 2 single crochet in every 6 stitches of the last round. At the end of this row, you should have 12 stitches.
Rnd 3: [1 sc, inc] 6 times (18)
This is what the instructions would be without abbreviations: “1 single crochet, increase – 1 single crochet, increase –Β 1 single crochet, increase – 1 single crochet, increase – 1 single crochet, increase – 1 single crochet, increase.”
You repeated the process of one single crochet and one increase 6 times. Once you finish this round you end up with 18 stitches
Rnd 4: [2 sc, inc] 6 times (24)Β “1 single crochet, 1 single crochet, increase – 1 single crochet, 1 single crochet, increase – 1 single crochet,Β 1 single crochet, increase – 1 single crochet, 1 single crochet, increase – 1 single crochet, 1 single crochet, increase – 1 single crochet, 1 single crochet, increase “
Similar to the previous round but you make 2 single crochet and one increase 6 times. Once you finish this round you end up with 24 stitches.
Rnd 5 to 9: sc in each st around (24) For the next 5 rounds, you will just single crochet in each stitch. You will end up with the same number of stitches at the end.
Rnd 10: [2 sc, dec] 6 times (18)Β
This is what the instructions would be without abbreviations: “1 single crochet, 1 single crochet, decrease – 1 single crochet, 1 single crochet, decrease – 1 single crochet,Β 1 single crochet, decrease – 1 single crochet, 1 single crochet, decrease – 1 single crochet, 1 single crochet, decrease – 1 single crochet, 1 single crochet, decrease.”
On this round, you made 2 single crochet and one decrease 6 times. You end up with 18 stitches at the end of your row.
Rnd 11: [1 sc, dec] 6 times (12) “1 single crochet, decrease – 1 single crochet, decrease – 1 single crochet,Β decrease – 1 single crochet, decrease – 1 single crochet, decrease – 1 single crochet, decrease.”
On this round, you made 1 single crochet and one decrease 6 times. You end up with 18 stitches at the end of your row.
Rnd 12: dec 6 times (6) Fasten off.
You decrease 6 times and end up with 6 stitches at the end of this round.
Cut your yarn and pull it with your hook.
Now that your ball is finished and stuffed with fiberfill, how do you close it? You still have 6 stitches left. In order to do that you will use your remaining thread and a needle. Insert your needle and thread in the front loop of each stitch of the last row and pull your string, this process with close the hole. You can hide the rest of the thread by weaving it between stitches of the ball.
Starting your round with a chain instead of a magic ring
There are cases where a pattern will ask you to start with a chain to start your first round, here is an example: 5 in ch, Rnd 1: sc in second ch from hook, 2 sc, inc, turn, 2 sc, inc (9)
This is what the instructions would be without abbreviations: Make 5 stitches to make a chain, “single crochet in the second chain from the hook, single crochet, single crochet, increase, turn to the other side of the chain, single crochet, single crochet, increase.”
This one sounds a little bit more complex so I added a visual to understand the process:
I hope this helps a little, not everybody writes patterns the same way so I don’t expect to have solved all the difficulties one might run into while reading a pattern. But if you have any questions, or things you would like me to add to this post let me know in the comments.
I just finished working on my latest crochet pattern which is now available on Etsy: a cute bunny rabbit and his favorite snack, a fresh and yummy carrot from the garden.Β He was inspired by another pattern I made a few months ago to crochet a squirrel holding an acorn. I am very happy with the result, It turned out exactly how I pictured it! Maybe I should turn it into a series of animals holding their favorite snacks!
He’s about 11 inches tall and crocheted with a 2.75mm hook. I used Red Heart Super Saver for the bunny and Caron Simply Soft for the carrot but using these specific brands is not mandatory. I picked an off-white color to crochet the bunny because pure white gets dirty too quickly.
This little bunny is easy to make. I like to keep my patterns simple by using basic stitches and techniques such as single crochet, increase and decrease. I also use a lot of descriptive photos to give help with visuals.
I Think I am going to take this bunny for a stroll in the garden and see if he will start hopping around or make friends with the real rabbits.
You can visit my Etsy shop If you are interested in this pattern or would like to see more pictures.
