Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! We spent the last couple of days with friends of the family over in Homosassa, and I managed to drop two bunnies over at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park on Wednesday. :)

I placed the first one in the Fish Bowl early on, and when we circled back it was gone, so I dropped the second one I had with me.


I also had brought a couple of bunnies to the breakfast area in the hotel Thanksgiving morning, and they found homes with a couple of girls before I could drop them!

 

[The original Tiny Bunnies Movement Group can be found over here: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/the-tiny-bunnies-movement]

Baa Ram Ewe

Meet Yukon! He's a golden-faced ram with a soft spot for water colors. An avid con-goer, Yukon has an impressive collection of passes that he's acquired over the years. He typically hangs out by the artists' booths, but he's never quite managed to set one up himself. When he's not planning for or attending a convention, he works full time at a craft store. Ironically enough, while he can point you to every kind of paint on the market, he's not very knowledgeable when it comes to the fiber crafts. He can tell you where to find the yarn section and...that's about it.

 

Yukon is a test run of that sheep pattern I found yesterday-with a few adjustments. I left off a couple of increase rounds in the body, added a couple of increase rounds to the face, and added another round of single crochet to the feet. I also crocheted six stitches into the ears, instead of four. His legs ended up being placed in a really wonky position, but it doesn't detract from the cute! His eyes also turned out much better than I thought they would. :)

 

Yukon's body is made from Loops and Threads Country Loom in "Warm Cream", and his face, feet and ears are made from Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in "Honey".

Cottonballs With Faces

I've had a sheep on my list of amigurumi to make, and I think I might have just found the right pattern!

Photos are property of momomints.com

 

Look at dat face. How can you resist something so fluffy? So, next time I'm at the craft store, I'm stocking up on eyelash yarn! And maybe some little bells.

http://momomints.com/amigurumi-sheep-free-pattern/

3 hours left!

Only 3 hours left to go until the Doctor Who season premiere! Who else is excited? :D

Three Bunnies Dropped!

So today while we were at the hospital, I managed to drop three tiny bunnies! And I actually managed to get a photo of one of them! Mind you, I wasn't exactly what you would call subtle while dropping and photographing it...

The quality of the photo isn't that great, but at least I got the shot.

 

The other two bunnies were dropped off on a large window sill and a waiting room table. All in all, I'd say it was a successful day in the tiny bunny area. :)

"We called him Tortoise because he taught us."

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." -Saint Augustine

 

 

So a few days ago I suddenly wanted to make my next amigurumi a turtle or tortoise.

 

Look at this. How can you not want to recreate that face in plushie form?

 

 

After awhile I stumbled upon this pattern for a tortoise pattern, and immediately had to put in my queue. Instead of making a full sized tortoise, however, I decided to make a smaller version.

 

He's not mini, just travel sized.

 

 

This little guy was a fun project to make; I loved the idea of utilizing the fact that tortoises and turtles have actual bodies inside their shells, and attaching the limbs and head to said body. As in the original pattern, the two shells are crocheted together, and only the upper shell is crocheted on once I reached the legs/head/tail. This created a nice ridge along the shell's edge, which I left alone instead of crocheting more of an edging. I also put some extra stuffing between the body and shell.

 

...and then he promptly stuffed himself into a suitcase so he could go on an adventure.

 

 

As is usual for my projects these days, this guy is made entirely from Lion Brand Vanna's Choice yarn in "honey", "olive" and "beige". The eyes are 9 mm safety eyes, and I used a size "G" hook. It took me about two days to complete, but that was only because I started it late one day and had to resume in the morning.









Totoro Amigurumi Pattern

"To-to-ro? You're Totoro!"

After years of bumping it back on my queue, I actually sat down and made a Totoro amigurumi!

I'm sure the spirit of the forest needs no introduction, so I'll just say that this movie is very special to me since it was the first Miyazaki movie that I ever watched. One of my earliest memories is of watching our old, subtitled VHS copy and already being somewhat familiar with the story. And now I have my very own Totoro! As you can see, he's the perfect size to hang out in a teacup, or ride along on all your adventures.

I also wrote down the pattern as I went along this time, so if anyone else wants to make one, here's how I did it.

You will need:

Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in "Charcoal Grey" (Yarn A)
Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in "White" (Yarn B)
Size "G" crochet hook
9mm safety eyes
fiberfill stuffing
yarn needle
scissors

Stitches/techniques used:

single crochet (sc)
increase-make 2 sc in one stitch
decrease-crochet 2 stitches together, making 1 stitch. I prefer to use the invisible decrease.
magic ring/circle

Eyes (make 2)

Round 1: with Yarn B, 4 sc in magic ring (4)
Rd 2: *inc* around (8) Fasten off
Place safety eyes in middle of white circle; do not fasten backs.

Belly Patch

Round 1: with Yarn B, 6 sc in magic ring (6)
Rd 2: *inc* around (12)
Rd 3: *inc, sc in next st* around (18) Fasten off

Tail

Round 1: with Yarn A, 6 sc in magic ring (6)
Rd 2: sc around (6)
Rd 3: *inc, sc in next st* (9)
Rd 4: sc around (9) Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Head and Body

Round 1: with Yarn A, 5 sc in magic ring (5)
Rd 2: *inc* around (10)
Rds 3-5: sc around (10) Fasten off

Repeat rounds 1 through 5-DO NOT FASTEN OFF. Chain 5,and sc in one of the sts on the 1st ear. sc in next 2 sts, chain 5, sc in 2nd stitch from the first chain, sc in next stitch. place marker. (26)

Round 6: sc in 1st stitch, dec across next 2 sts, sc around to last 7 sts, dec across 2 sts, sc in last 5 sts. (24)
Rds 7-13: sc around (24)
-attach eyes and stuff head-
Rd 14: *inc, sc in next 3 sts* around (30)
Rds 15-19: sc around (30)
-start stuffing!-
Rd 20: *dec, sc in next 3 sts* around (24)
Rd 21: *dec, sc in next 2 sts* around (18)
Rd 22: *dec, sc in next st* around (12)
Rd 23: *dec* around (6) Fasten off.


Sew up hole in top of head with mattress seam. Attach belly patch to belly; cut length of Yarn A and embroider two upside down Vs to the top of the belly. Stuff and attach tail to back. Weave in ends.


And now you have your very own Totoro! Be sure to supply him with lots of acorns and his own umbrella. :)

 Disclaimer: This pattern is my own property and may not be sold or distributed. Unfortunately at this time, I am not giving permission to sell items made my patterns. Otherwise, you are free to do whatever you want with the finished items. Gifts? Freebie prizes? Amigurumi army to take over the world? Go wild. :)

Multiplying like-

So I did a head count of my tiny bunny stash this morning. Now, when I drop bunnies, I'm usually only able to leave 1 or 2 at a time-maybe 3 if nobody's looking. Combine that with the rate I usually make the bunnies, and they tend to add up fairly quickly.

Still, I think 37 bunnies-not including the ones I have ready to go in my purse-is enough to last me awhile, don't you?

 



Just, someone tell that to my crochet hook. >.>

Always room for one more...

I think I see a pair of elephants in my future.

Elephant Amigurumi

These elephants are just so cuddly, how could you not want to make one? Or two, or three?

Now all I need is a good turtle amigurumi pattern and I'll be set on projects for June! :D