Awwoooo, werewolves of...Salt Lake?

I think I officially have a tween now.  Oh, heaven help me.  My Oldest is turning nine which is a hop skip and a jump away from the days when I am despised and scorned by my own flesh and blood.  Luckily we're still in the days where I am loved and for the most part listened to.  If I think back to when I was a teenager....nope, don't even want to fathom it.  My girls are going to be soooo much better than I was....echo....echo....echo....

I am also still in the days when my children ask me to make them things for their birthdays.  Love it.  Can I always make my babies crocheted dollies and have them like them?  I suppose this day may come to an end and I will have to make amigurumies for complete strangers and hand them out on the street, and like it.

My Oldest asked me for a wolf, this year.  A wolf, right, I can totally come up with a great wolf pattern all on my own.  I mean, I did whip up a African Guinea Fowl for her presentation on animals who live camouflaged. But, turns out, nope.  I couldn't.  Luckily I found The Craftery Cattery, and she has a free wolf pattern that is righteous!  When was the last time you used the word righteous in this context?  I'm bringing it back.

Her pattern is well written, easy to read and results in the cutest little ankle biter.

And its adorably long snout.  My, Grandmother, what a big nose you have.
 

This was a very quick to make and I know my daughter will love it.  If you have any experience with crochet, making amis is fun and easy, all you need is some yarn, fluff and eyeballs and you are on your way. 

Thanks for reading!

Heather


Other amis I've made
Girl Ninja Turtle Amigurumi

April inspired amigurumi....DONE!

The only girl Ninja Turtle needs a buddy.  How about the only other girl on the show TMNT.

May I present, April...

 Aawwwww.

Cute messy buns!

An appliqued heart on her shirt...you know, for added "girlyness".

Best friends, just taking a moment to relax.

Notice the difference in their sizes.  This is what happens when you use a different gauge yarn.  For my April doll I used Caron Simply Soft yarn.  For Nightingale, not....but I liked the color.

Options with her hair!  Some days a girl might want braids instead of buns.

The back.  Love how her hair turned out.

Hope you like my ninja warrior ladies.  Can't wait for the big reveal in a few weeks!

Thanks for reading!

Heather

Nightingale's best friend. Amigurumi fun.

So...My Youngest loves TMNT.  So much so that I thought it would be fun to make her a girl ninja turtle, inspired by the real TMNT.  That's Nightingale.  She almost can't be beat...so darn cute.  But, in talking with my daughter, turns out she really likes the girl, on TMNT.  The girl...The human girl.  In the show her name is April.  Well, I've got to draw some inspiration from the show to make her now...don't I!

Turning out so cute.  A bit bald.  Adorable.  She will have hair.  It's coming.  Soon.  I think.  Stay tuned.

In the cartoon, April doesn't actually wear a pink skirt...unless she does and I just haven't seen that episode, but if you ask My Youngest, she'll tell you there is only one color worth wearing.  It's pink, in case you couldn't figure it out on your own.

She's got cute knees.

This is what best friends do...they are always there to lend a hand.  tehehehehe

Thanks for reading!

Heather

Nightingale...Done!

Any time I can claim a completed project, I am thrilled!  It doesn't happen all that often.  Usually the things I am making...take months.  Even Nightingale has taken about a month.  I don't like to rush myself.  I like to take my time and really enjoy the process.

But, I sure am happy when something is done.

May I present....

Nightingale

I have two iris in bloom...figured I better show them off cause they're so pretty...but only for about a day.

I've given her a gi belt.  Girl's for real!

Don't you just want to squish her face?  Loving her eyelashes and coy little smile.

Sassy little flip-flops!

And her patchwork shell...alright, granted the shell is a little wonky, but it was hard to keep it straight.  I still like it.

Here's how I made the shell...I just sewed together a little patchwork square, cut it into an oval and then I sewed a gathering stitch around the edge.  Pulled in the gathers, stuffed it with fluff and....there you go.  A sort of shell shape.  Then I simply used needle and thread and stitched it on her back.

Don't mess with this ninja.  She'll take you down like she did this flower...the flower had it coming.  Hi-Yaaah!!

Mmm hmmmmm...she's a toughie. 

Thanks for reading!

Heather 

Nightingale (I think), The girl Ninja Turtle

There's been a lot of pondering and thinking about My Youngest's girl Ninja Turtle.  I knew she needed a mask.  Pink, of course.  I knew she needed a yellow torso and green rest of her body.  I knew she needed a shell...still in my brain...yet to be figured out.  I knew she needed to look spunky and as gorgeous as a crocheted, turtle action figure can look...

 Ohh la la.  What a lovely lady we've got going here.

Her exotic gaze.  I am going to add eyelashes for that feminine touch.

Pink flip flops...coming soon.

 

The shell might pose a problem for me...I am thinking real hard about possibilities.  I think it might be a trial and error kind of thing.  I think I'm going to make a quilted shell...for dazzle.

She's also going to get a karate...belt...excuse my lack of karate terminology knowledge...and some sweet weapons.  I'm thinking of throwing stars.  Oh yes, this girl's a bad A...make no mistakes.

My Youngest has already been talking about her TMNT party and how the girls need pink ninja turtles and the boys get blue.  I am so excited to give this to her!!!  

Arms, shell and feet bottoms...coming soon.

Thanks for reading!

Heather

 

Add a completion to my long, long, WIP to do list

I have to confess to having a very large WIP to-do list.  I am a crafter, and therefore I am fickle.  I want to do what I want when I want.  This means, to my husband's dismay, that I try never to get anything done.  I'm always starting something new.

If you remember from my post on The Junk in my Trunk a few weeks ago, I dragged an unfinished amigurumi out from behind my sewing machine.  My Youngest found it and insisted that, as her sister had a home-made dolly made by me, that she wanted one for herself.  Stat.  I aim to please.  Besides, I was really close to being done.  This cute little gal only needed a leg a face sewn on and her shoes completed.  Not too difficult.  It's kind of amazing how much kinder this gal looks now that she has a sweet smile sewn on...before she looked kind of...evil.  I also had to add a serious amount of PINK to it.  MY Youngest only loves pink.  This doll was actually meant for another child and didn't get finished in time....now My Youngest has claimed it as her own.  Fair's fair.

You know you're doing some serious crochet when you've got 3 place markers so you can keep track of what you're doing.  Turned out cute though, didn't they?   I'd like to say this is the first time I've actually made the bottom of the shoes correctly.  I am so proud...only took me about 10 times!  Yay!

I did learn something by making the hair on this doll, if you choose to use black yarn, it will look like the doll is going gray.  You have to drag your needle through the fluff inside...and some fluff will come out and look like gray hairs.  Oh well.  My dad went prematurely gray, maybe my kids should just embrace the inevitable?

Here's the crocheted crew hanging out.  My Oldest's bunny rabbit.  My Youngest's....humanoid and a unicorn.  What, that doesn't look like a unicorn to you?  Me either.  I actually think I created a new creature when I made it and called it a...lizacorn  It's a new and unique breed of mythical creature.  There's a post on it.  It's insightful.

My favorite amigurumi though...has to be...

The Mini Mister...as Lord of the Dance.  Sigh.  Yes, this may well be my greatest creation.  Love making fun little critters...including adding nipples to some of them.

Thanks for reading!

Shared here:
feathers flights

Heather

Please meet Mini Mr. Because I Can

Before we get down to business...I have a little story to tell.  At my loving husband's work, he doesn't often see his co-workers in person as they are all over the place, so to put an image to his name and voice, they took a picture of Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance, and transposed his head with Mr. Because I Can's head.  So, that's what he looks like to his distant co-workers.

A few months or so ago, he mentioned to me how funny it would be if I were to make him an amigurumi of this image so he could take it to work...I forgot about it...until about a week before his birthday and a week before we were to go on vacation....PANIC!  I knew that I had to make my husband a dolly for his birthday and had to get busy FAST!

I present...Mr. Because I Can's mini me...

Isn't he a dapper lad?

After scouring the web for images of Michael Flatley, I discovered that many a time he is sans shirt.  Of course I had to make my hubby's ami sans shirt as well!!  Nipples were always in the plan.  They're quite light, so look hard...I didn't want to make them vulgar, after all.    You should have seem me cutting felt circles to the smallest degree possible.

Adding the eyebrows was fun as well.  My beloved has the craziest eyebrows, they can grow to lengths untold if I don't rein them in with the pluckers on a regular basis...so of course mini him had to have some wild, untamed brows.

Then came the chest hairs thanks to an inspired idea from my dear buddy.  I have to warn people not to run their fingers through his chest hair...else they'll rip them out.  They're not exactly secure.

And then the belt. Mr. Because I Can mentioned the crazy big belt that his work image has...so of course I had to make a big belt and bedazzle it with sequins.  There are star sequins going around the belt strap.  Love me some bedazzling...Ummm...sister of mine, again that's Be-dazzling, not Va-jazzling.  Just to be clear...she gets confused sometimes.

The back of his mini-vest needed something as well.  So it is also bedazzled.  I kind of envision if we ever go to another Neil Diamond concert that I will have to make him this...human-sized and have him wear it.  It would be my greatest wish fulfilled. 

Thanks for reading!!  Long live Lord of the Dance!!

Granny Square Pic of the Day

This one is pretty much true love!  Love the color combo! 

Heather

My husband cannot go further than this title page.

It's Mr. Because I Can's birthday next week and I have a particularly special surprise for him. 

I would say it's along the lines of this...

...but infinitely more awesome!!!!

It's not done yet though...but I can hardly contain myself.  I had to take it into the office to show the gals...I'm their hero now.

Just a sneak peek because I can't resist!!!!  I spent a good portion of my week hooking while Mr. Because I Can was at work.  It really takes a surprisingly long time to hook a head of hair.  I made myself a little outline that you can see so that I knew where the hair line went.  Turned out perfect!

One last little image...tehehehe...my favorite...

Oh yes!!  Joy of joys!!!  Chest hair on an amigurumi!!!  I have to give credit where credit is due on this one...thanks Karen for the inspired idea!

Whoo boy!!  I am in fact my own hero for doing this.

Granny Square Pic of the Day

If you are not in the in crowd of quilt blogging, then you might not be aware of the latest and greatest fad quilt block that's going around right now.  It's the granny square block and it's awesome!

Go check out Blue Elephant Stitches Granny Square Tutorial for all the deets! 

Thanks for reading everybody!

Heather

Lizacorn...a new and unique breed of mythical creature.

It is good...I think...to have a husband who is a former D & D nerd...well..I mean, did I actually say it was a good thing....yeah, ooookay, we'll go with it.  I fancy myself to someday be an author, and nerd that I am myself, I quite enjoy Science Fiction Fantasy.  In fact, someday I hope to write a Harry Potter-esque type book.  So I was discussing mythical creatures with The Mister, aka Lord Riclamin Gemviper the Loremaster...he's a dwarf who is also a master swordsman...at least that's what the "create a D & D character generator" told me...ahem...so here are some of the creatures my loving husband feels are absolutely necessary for any Science Fiction/Fantasy book that is worth it's weight in cursed golden coins...in order of importance...

1.  Gelatinous Blob  ***Correction, The Mister says that it is a Gelatinous Cube not a Gelatinous Blob.  My mistake.***
2.  Sleztak...no wait, that's my brother in law...I feel bad for myself and My Sister
3.  Lich
4.  Bugbear or Bug Bear (my husband refuses, now that he knows I am mocking him to give me the correct spelling)
5.  Mindflairs
6.  Nightwalkers
7.  Mimicks

So, I feel that my lizacorn will fit right in with the (imagine I am having a violent coughing fit here)...

Reject Mythical Creatures

Cough....cough....ahem.  No, they're good creatures....if you're a complete nerd.  Anyway....I feel that my lizacorn will fit right in with my future story about the above mentioned creatures...except it's way cuter than any gelatinous blob will ever be!  So, what is a lizacorn you might be asking yourself?  Well it's a cross between a unicorn and a lizard...which just so happens to be the amigurumi that I made for My Youngest!

So, here's the actual truth, I must have miscounted somewhere because my lizacorn has a definite twist in it's body...but I kind of like it.  It gives it movement and allows it to hold itself up!

As you can probably tell by the mane and tail, I spent a good portion of my night yesterday, hooking.  Unlike my Aunt Sherry, I am not an expert hooker so it took a couple tries to really get it right.  :-)  But I think in the end the mane is super awesome!!!

So cute I could just squeal right now!  I quite enjoy the little tail.  I put a bow in it!

My Youngest quite enjoys her lizacorn and My Oldest has declared that she wants her lizacorn to be EXACTLY the same.  Too bad for her I don't have enough of the same yarn. 

Turns out I think my little mutant creation is super cute.  I especially like that it looks like Lizzy the Lizacorn is wearing a sweater.

She is quite dedicated to her work out routine...as you can see by the above picture of her doing push ups.  I've heard that horses are quite difficult to draw...and I think that they are also a little difficult to turn into ami's as evidenced here. 

So, a quick review of the pattern.  I think it's quite well done, besides a few mistakes here in there...an entire row was missed in the body, but I improvised...and it turned out very well.  I think as far as free patterns go, I cannot complain about this one very much.  So, excellent pattern if a lizacorn is what you want to make.

Thanks for reading everybody!

Heather

p.s. this may have been my favorite post to write to date!