Two pairs of pears.

I created a new pattern for a large pear amigurumi. Pattern & tutorial coming soon!
 **** Come visit my new site at www.thecraftinista.com ****

Out with 2010, in with 2011!

I keep vowing to update more often, then I'm pretty good at it for a few days or a few weeks and then I go back to forgetting to update on a consistent basis! I make no promises that this won't happen in the future, it's just how I roll.

So 2010 is over. And with a new year, you get a new start! I really do plan on looking for a new job as I currently am in hate with the one I have. The only upside to my current job is that I'm usually home by 3:30pm at the latest which gives me lots of time to myself at home which means plenty of time to craft. I also sold the most commissioned pieces this year as well! Hopefully this trend continues into the new year.

I knit my fist hat back in December as a Christmas present for my sister's boyfriend. It was the most simplest of knit hat pattern that are knit on straight needles. Cast on 84 stitches, do a 2 x 2 rib knit until the fabric is 6 inches long and then start to decrease until crown. Easy? Yes. It felt pretty good as up until then, the only thing I had knit was a couple of scarves. So I posted a picture of the knit hat and a friend asked if I could do one similar to it but with a brim. I thought, sure, why not! So I figured it out on my own.





Rib knit hat with brim

Cast on 84 sts
Row 1: (K2, P2) across
Repeat this row until the piece measures 8.5 inches from the beginning
Next Row: (K2, P2, K2 tog, P2, K2, P2 tog) across the row
Next Row: K the K sts and P the P sts
Next Row: K the K sts and P the P sts
Next Row: (K1, P2, K2 tog, P1, K2, P2 tog) across the row
Next Row: K the K sts and P the P sts
Next Row: K the K sts and P the P sts
Next Row: K1, P2 tog (K1, P1, K2 tog, P1, K1, P2 tog) to the last stitch. P1
Next Row: K the K sts and P the P sts
Next Row: K the K sts and P the P sts
Next Row: (K1, K2 tog) across
Next Row: (K2 tog) across
Next Row: (K2 tog) across

To finish the hat, cut the yarn, leaving a long tail to use as thread to sew up the seam along the back. Put the yarn on a needle and thread through the remaining loops on the knitting needle and pull shut. With the hat inside out, sew the seam up the back.

Now cut a piece of plastic in the shape of a brim. I actually had a hat in the house that had a brim about the same size of what I wanted so I just traced it. With the hat inside out, fold the bottom brim up about 2.5 inches and place plastic brim inside of fold. Using a thread and needle, sew up the edge of the hat. To sew the brim in place, I used my sewing machine to do a tight stitch along the edge of it. Tada! Completed hat.
 **** Come visit my new site at www.thecraftinista.com ****

Mmmm....fruit!

I'm in the process of making a bunch of crocheted fruit for the bowl that sits on my dining room table. Yesterday I tackled a lime.

Bonus! Here's the pattern I made up for it!

Lime Amigurumi Pattern

1. 6 sc in ring (6)
2. sc around (6)
3. inc around (12)
4. sc around (12)
5. inc every other (18)
6. sc around (18)
7. inc every 3rd sc (24)
8. sc around (24)
9. inc every 4th sc (30)
10. sc around (30)
11. sc around (30)
12. sc around (30)
13. sc around (30)
14. sc around (30)
15. sc around (30)
16. sc around (30)
17. sc around (30)
18. dec every 4th sc (24)
19. sc around (24)

I stitched the face, added the eyes and added most of the stuffing at this point

20. dec every 3rd sc (18)
21. sc around (18)
22. dec every other sc (12)
23. sc around (12)
24. dec around (6)
25. sc around and bind off.

Weave in ends and you're done! I also needle felted the rosy cheeks at this point.

I also made a pear from a pattern I found online. It can be found here.



I'm thinking I need to make more of the pears because they are just so bloody cute!

Hello Polo!

I finally got around with finishing the amigurumi project that I mentioned earlier in the month for my friends birthday. And I did it with only hours to spare! His name is Polo the Platypus! Click here, here and here to see him in his original, yet adorable form. I think he turned out pretty well. There are a few things I'd change, mostly his eyes; I would have liked to have put them slighty lower and I was out of solid black safety eyes which I wanted to originally use. But considering it was my first amigurumi project that I wrote 100% of the pattern, not bad. I tend to take bits and pieces of other patterns to make my own but this time I knew I had to start from stratch. I'm going to try and write up the pattern if anyone wants to give him a whirl.

My Dad also came into the city last night for supper and a bit of shopping. Shopping with my mother consists of clothes shopping, household stuff, that sort of thing. Shopping with my father consisted of a quick stop at Costco for a shelf, looked for an air compressor at Home Depot and he got me a rad storage container at Canadian Tire, that was perfect for all of my little findings - sew on snaps, earring posts and backs, felting needles, etc. Awesome! Now everything is at hands reach.