What's on the hook and needles

Today I decided to do an inventory of what WIP I have on the hook and needles, yes, not include the other non yarny projects... I try not to get overwhelmed by projects cause I love the process.

1. The Haruni shawl - what I call the long term project... I started this in October 2012! Hopefully it will be done for mother's day this year... fingers crossed!

2. Just started last week is this baby pullover Binic. I have a whole list of babies due before July this year amongst our group of friends. Whilst I don't have any particular baby in mind, I figured this will come in handy!

3. A little something for myself. I came across this beanie pattern called Minno Hat a little over a week ago and my brain was screaming "knit, knit, knit, knit!!!!!"... before I knew it, I purchased the pattern on Ravelry! The next day, Bendigo Woollen Mills shade cards appeared in our letter box... I saw that as a sign! So like some unknown forces, I found myself stroking the Luxury yarn, mentally imagining how different colours would go together. Next I knew I ordered 6 balls of different colours!  When they arrived last week, I quickly calculated how much I needed in each colour and here they are, ready to for cast on :)

4. Experimenting with shapes and self striping sock yarns for my next amigurumi design.

I am a relatively quicker crocheter now and I keep hoping that the more I knit, the quicker I get.

Have a great stitchy crafty week!

Meet Sunshine and Lollipops

  
I just realised that this is my 300th post and for this special event, I would like to introduce Sunshine and Lollipops Amigurumi Bear Bears. They even have their own Rainbows, rainbow coloured flowers they are.

These guys are going to a pair of new born twins tomorrow and I am so excited for them to meet their new family. After all, we are talking about besties for besties!

Let's meet Sunshine

Always happy and a little mischievous, Sunshine here loves her rainbow flowers who her bestie Lollipops has a matching one. That's what best friends do right?

Lollipops is a slightly more responsible one of the pair. Although just marginally! When they get in that playful mood, they are unstoppable! Especially when there is music involved...

Extremely cuddly and stands roughly 21cm tall, they are just the perfect size for a little one to snuggle up to. Made entirely from 100% cotton with 100% wool felt eyes and nose pieces, they are machine washable in their own wash bag... cause fun with tiny humans can be messy sometimes!

I hope that with Sunshine, Lollipops and their Rainbow flowers, their tiny humans have everything that's wonderful at their finger tips!

On a side note, I will post the pattern for the flower by next weekend.

Stitch with love... 

New year, new Bunny to a new Home

Today I sent Belle, the Happy Happy Joy Joy Amigurumi Bunny to her new home where a newly arrived baby girl awaits!

Of course and her pet carrot Crunch.

Standing at 25cm tall from tip of her ears to her toes and 10cm wide across her tummy, Belle is extremely huggable. She is basically a bigger version of Mixy and Vinnie who are only half the size but just as charming of course… it's just that a bigger version is safer, you know, not as easily eaten by the tiny human...

  
Belle is very soft because she is made entirely from 100% merino wool. The felt pieces are also 100% wool. The matching fabric ear pieces and the perle embroidery thread are 100% cotton so with the machine washable yarn, Belle can be thrown (if REALLY necessary) in the washer though must be in a wash bag like a delicate item.

Button tail...

Ah so Crunch the pet carrot… Well, Belle won't go anywhere without it. It's her pet! Crunch is made from 100% cotton yarn in very shiny bright colours!

Those big ears come in handy, right?

Cheeky and very happy, Belle is a perfect friend to grow up with.

Go forth and be happy happy joy joy - HUGS!

Stitch with love...

Just like family

This week I sent away two custom orders and I felt like I was sending off a family member to experience their own adventures… That excited and proud feeling.

So let me introduce Eleanor the Amigurumi Bear and Dominic the Amigurumi Dinosaur!

These guys are great mates and I know they will look after their new humans who are brother and sister. How cool is that!  

Eleanor (aka Elea) is a classic flower child. She loves the gardens and an aspiring botanist. She always has a flower with her. Standing approximately 21cm tall, Elea is a perfect size to cuddle up to at the end of the day.

Dominic (aka Dommy) the pot belly dinosaur from the modern days. He is Hamish's cousin so he definitely has a mischievous streak but Elea will always keep him in line. This is not to say that he won't tease her every now and then but together they are one happy and caring pair!

Some progress pics of these guys…

I really like the stitch definition of the tail, I purposely only used the back loops to create the different texture.

I wanted Elea's arms to sit flat on the sides of her body so they are only very lightly stuffed and only in the paws. Making sure that they are even, I pinned them on first before positioning the tail and the legs.

I don't know if my creations reflect me but they seem to almost always have short legs!!

Elea and Dommy are going to be the little ones' Christmas presents so I have to wait to hear the final verdict. Although judging by my customer's reaction, I take comfort to know that these guys will be cared for in a loving home!

Stitch with Love!

Secret squirrel business is out of the bag!

The secret squirrel business cardigan is finished! YAY! I am super pleased at how it has turned out!

I just love the fair isle detail and the short rows collar!

For this project, I used almost 3 balls of Morris Estate 8 ply in the Storm colourway and a tiny bit (about 7 grams) in the Sprout colourway. It is a 100% Australian wool yarn and it knits up very soft and squishy.

I picked up the wooden buttons from my local Lincraft store and I think they work very well with this tiny garment.

I washed it with a small amount of SOAK Wash and lightly blocked it before weaving in the ends and sewing the buttons on.

 

Part way through I discovered that I needed more of the Storm colourway as I only had two in my stash. When I purchased an extra ball, it was from a different dye lot so the colours varied… A rookie mistake as I didn't realise until I finished one full sleeve - doh! I read somewhere that the best way is to alternate between one dye lot ball with the other. So I ripped back to a few rows before the ball change and started knitting one row of one ball and the next with the other. The result is acceptable although I would have loved to planned better so that's notes for next time!

I really enjoyed this project despite some the challenges along the way, mostly my own inexperience but that's how one learns! I will definitely make this again!

My friends love it and seeing how happy they are when they see my gift totally made my day!

Stitch with love!

Meet Hamish the Dinosaur...

I am so proud to present Hamish the Dinosaur! 

He is my latest amigurumi, designed especially for a friend's impending first born.

Check out this mischievous face! It's all an act... he is loyal and sensitive, a perfect little mate to grow up with.

Standing approximately 20cm tall and almost half as wide, he is a sturdy little dude. Apart from the mouth (100% merino wool) and eyes (100% wool felt), Hamish is made from 8 ply 100% cotton yarn so machine washable. He is soft but with lots of textures which is ideal to cuddle up to.

With the tail, I purposely did the single crochets through the back loops only, creating the scaling affect.

It makes me so happy to know that this little guy is going to another little guy and will be much loved for years to come...

Stitch with love