Chinese (-esque) Food and Groceries

Last night we went out to Pei Wei for dinner and had to stop at Publix on the way home. I managed to leave five bunnies in total for the night! Three at Pei Wei (I always try to leave one with the tip) and two at Publix.

 

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

Bunny Sundae

We went out for dinner the other day, and I managed to leave a bunny at the ice cream place afterwards!

I turned back a couple of minutes later and it had already been picked up. :)

 

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

Metrocon 2015: Bunnies! Bunnies Everywhere!

Something that I've been wanting to do for a few years now is to go to Metrocon, if only for a day (and let's face it, I probably couldn't handle an entire weekend) and see one of Parle's panels live. The only other con I've been to is Anime Boston back in 2013, and I wasn't really able to cosplay for that one. So, naturally, when my family moved down here to Florida one of my first thoughts was "Oh cool, Metrocon is in driving distance!"

This time, I was able to actually put together a full cosplay inspired by the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. I thought since I was going as a rabbit, it would be a great chance to leave a bunch of tiny bunnies at the convention.

I'm still learning the basics of sewing (I took better to knitting and crochet), so almost everything is store-bought. The jacket was from a Salvation Army store, and the scarf was on sale at Old Navy's. I made the ears by cutting them out of felt and using hot glue to attach them to the headband and shape them. I used blush on the inside of each ear to get the pink coloring.

As for the tiny bunnies, I've been trying to phase out my old tags made from the colored index cards. Any new bunnies are now tagged with a sheet from a notepad with the same message I've used. I made a bunch of bunnies specifically for Metrocon with the new tags, so that they would be all nice and, well, unbent.

The total number of bunnies I ended up stuffing in there was 38. I knew that bag would come in handy someday!

I wound up hiding only a fraction of that number, but I had a lot of fun with it regardless! There were a couple of times where I left a bunny, not-so-subtly walked away and came back to find it gone or someone inspecting it. Those are the times where I really love being a part of this group/movement, because even if it's only for a second or two, I love being able to brighten someone's day.

At some point while I was waiting for Parle's first panel of the day to start, I had gotten out some bunnies to hide/give away. I guess one or two had fallen out of my bag while I was fiddling around, and I didn't notice. A few minutes later, I noticed someone handing Kelly from Parle Productions a familiar looking purple bunny...and realized it was one that I had made. Only, I hadn't left a purple bunny anywhere at the convention.

I asked if the guy had found it somewhere else (I was a bit confused and seriously trying to remember when I had last left a purple one-I like to keep track, more or less, of how many I leave around) and it turns out he found it lying on the floor. So thanks dude, because otherwise it would have ended up in the trash more likely than not!

After I explained to Jack that I had been leaving bunnies like that one around the convention, he turned and yelled "I found the Bunny Lady!"

So yes, I had an awesome time. Hopefully, if I can get my act together next year, I can go and really swarm the place with tiny bunnies. Then I might finally make a dent in my stash. Hey, all the more excuse to make more, right? Seriously, these little guys are so much fun to make.

 

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

Bunnies take over Whole Foods!

So yesterday I left a bunch of tiny bunnies in the aisles at Whole Foods; I believe the total count was 5.

I also left a couple of bunnies at Books-a-Million and at Pei Wei. :)

 

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

Goldfish Amigurumi Pattern (Free)

Sometime last year, I wanted to make a goldfish amigurumi. I couldn't find any patterns that I liked, so once my order of Vanna's Choice arrived in the mail that January, I set out to create my own.

After a few starts, this little guy emerged! He's super easy to make; everything is crocheted directly onto the body, so there's no attaching fiddly limbs. You can make a standard goldfish, or make an oranda by switching the main body's color to white and making an orange wen/cap to attach to the head.

For this project, you will need:

Size "G" hook (4.25mm)

Size "F" hook (3.75mm) (OPTIONAL)

Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in "goldfish" or "terracotta" (or any yarn you want to use)

9mm safety eyes

tapestry/yarn needle

fiberfill/polyfill

You will need to know how to:

single crochet

slip stitch

increase (work 2 single crochet in one stitch)

decrease (work 1 single crochet across 2 stitches)

magic ring

Ready? Let's begin.

BODY:

Round 1: Start with 6 sc in magic ring (6)

Round 2: *increase* around in each stitch (12)

Round 3: *increase in first stitch, sc in next stitch* around (18)

Round 4 - 8: sc in each stitch around (18)

-attach eyes and begin stuffing-

Round 9: *decrease across first two stitches, sc in next stitch* (12)

Round 10: sc in every stitch around. (12)

Round 11: *decrease* around (6)  Fasten Off. Weave in ends.


Dorsal (top) Fin:
Join yarn to top of goldfish body, sc in next 4 stitches down the body's length, chain 1, turn, sc in next 2 stitches, slip stitch in last 2 stitches. Fasten off, weave in ends.

 Side Fins:
Join yarn 2 or 3 rows behind each eye, sc in next st in the same row going towards the fish's belly (or in the next row going towards the eye), ch 2, sc in 2nd chain from hook, FO, weave in ends.

Now here's where you have a couple of options. As you may have noticed, the fins on the fish in the first picture are vertically placed, whereas the ones on the model directly above and below are horizontal. Both ways look cute, although I personally prefer the horizontal placing, so it's just down whichever way you like best.

vs.

Tail Fins (make 2):
Join yarn to top of back/tail end of body, ch 5, join to bottom of back, ch 1, turn, sc along row, turn, sc along next 4 sts, sl st in last stitch, FO, weave in ends.

Optional Oranda Cap:
1: With "F" sized hook, start with 4 sc in magic ring (4)
2: *inc* around (8)
3: *inc, sc in next st* around (12)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Attach to top of head between eyes.

And that's it! Enjoy your new fishy friend. :)

 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. :)

Cuttlefish Amigurumi Pattern (Free)

I've been wanting to make a cuttlefish amigurumi for a few years now, but I could never find a (free) pattern that I liked enough to make. Don't get me wrong-there are some great patterns out there. They just didn't "do it" for me, I guess. So, this weekend I was inspired to try again after visiting Epcot and seeing the little baby cuttlefish they have at the Seas in their breeding program.

It took me a couple of tries to get the body proportions right, but once I got it figured out it was smooth sailing. The tentacles, which I thought would give me a raging headache, turned out be stupidly simple albeit a tad fiddly.

You will need:

• Worsted weight yarn in color (s) of your choice
• size "G" crochet hook or size to match your yarn-you want the stitches tight enough to hide the stuffing
• Fiberfill
• 9mm safety eyes
• yarn needle
• scissors

Stitches/techniques used:

• single crochet - (sc)
• slip stitch (sl st)
• increase (2 single crochet in same stitch) (inc)
• decrease (one single crochet over 2 stitches-I prefer the invisible decrease method) (dec)
• magic ring

1: start with 6 sc in magic ring (6)
2: *inc* in every stitch around (12)
3: sc in every stitch around
4: *inc, sc in next stitch* (18)
5-10: sc in every stitch around (18)
Start stuffing!
11: *dec, sc in next stitch* around (12)
12: *inc, sc in next stitch* (18)
13-15: sc in every stitch around (18)
Place eyes.
16: *dec, ch 8, sc in second ch from hook and in next 6 chains, sc in next stitch* around (12)
17: sc in every stitch around (12)
18: *dec* around (6)
Fasten off. Weave in ends.

To make the ruffle along the side, join yarn to side of body just behind and under the eye. Single crochet in every row along the length of the body and over to the other side. Ch 1, *3sc in same stitch, sl st in next stitch* repeat from * to the starting point. Fasten off and weave in ends.

errata: I somehow left out a round. Round 3 should be a single crochet round, and has been fixed.

And that's it! Your cuttlefish is now ready to be unleashed on the world. Enjoy. :)

 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. :)

Florida Mall and Easter Preparations

Easter is coming soon, and it's usually a good time to flood everywhere with bunnies. I haven't been able to place many for awhile, so I've got a lot of bunnies waiting to be unleashed. My last head count numbered in around 64/65, and I've made more since. Looks like I'll have to start getting serious about this if I want to make room.

I did manage to place one earlier this week at the Florida Mall! I had to literally drop it in one of their lounge areas, so it kind of face-planted onto it's tag. Oops.

I'll try and get more placed this week-so keep your eyes peeled!

UPDATE: We went out to eat last night and I managed to leave two with the restaurant and three more at Marshall's afterwards. This morning I hid one among the bargain books outside Books-a-Million. :)

I've also started using different tags with my bunnies-although it will be quite awhile before any of them are released. I still have a box full of older bunnies to go through.

 

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