The Bearinator

I think this is my favorite project to date. I LOVE him. I made him using the Herman the Enigmatic Bear pattern, by DangerCrafts. Just like with the Snail I made, I don’t usually pay for patterns (too many good free ones out there), but this one was worth is. SO simple, yet SO cute!

Mrrrooow!

*Drum roll please*

Here is my first knit project! I didn’t post her, because I had yet to figure out how I wanted to do her face. I was sorting though my ‘craft closet’ (it is a wardrobe with tools, extra linens and craft supplies) and I saw that I had pink, black-brown and light grey felting wool, and some needles for needle felting. I decided to see if I could needle felt onto acrylic, and it worked!!

I am so incredibly happy how this pattern came out. So much cuteness for so little effort!

Pattern for the knit kitty

Morton “Patchy” Minibear

Morton lost his eye in a freak embroidery accident, so DON’T CALL HIM A PIRATE!! (It is a sensitive subject for him).

I used this pattern. I couldn’t get his right eye to look decent, and I tried so many times he was left with a mangled mess where his eye should be. Finally, I said "screw it", and crocheted him an eye patch with the embroidery thread. I quite like the way he turned out:)

Gary’s Cousin Stopped by…

So I’m not usually one to pay for things, such as crochet patterns, or easy DIY projects. My take, is that it will encourage me to actually try and make something on my own, improving my creativity. However, there are some thing just TOO cute, and too difficult to make on my own. Such as the Signature Escargot from GourmetAmigurumi. I’ve been admiring her snails for a long time, and she finally put the pattern up in her shop!!

So, I fought my ‘anti-spending inner voice’ and bought the pattern. I am SO happy I did. It is extremely well written and easy to follow, and the end result was cute as a button. Or a snail, really.

Brrraaaains?

I’ve never been a good blogger, and as free time becoming more sparse, my ‘internet time’ shrinks more and more. Sadly, my crafting time also shrinks:(

But, I have managed to whip up a few things, and even managed to make a few Christmas gifts in time!

I made a Brain Slug from Futurama! I sewed some hair clips to the bottom, so my brothers can wear them when they want to escape the drudgery of thinking. They each came with a mini bottle of ‘garlic’ shampoo, with a custom label.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of the brain slugs sucking the brains out of my brothers, since it lasted only a few seconds before they ran dry

I used this brain slug pattern.

Long Time No See

Crocheted Bone, originally uploaded by craftypants.

I’ve been terrible, and haven’t been crafting as much as I would want. Having a “real life” job takes some getting used to!

I did however make this wee crocheted doggie bone for my co-worker’s dog, Romeo. Here is the “recipe” since it is really just a teensy tiny modification of another pattern.

Crocheted Dog Bone
worsted weight yarn
F or G hook depending on yarn weight

1. Crochet Pepika’s 3D Heart, but stop at rnd 9
2. Continue crocheting in a spiral for about 10 rows
3. Crochet another 3D heart, also stopping at rnd 9
4. Stuff both pieces and sew together!

That’s it! Alternatively, you can crochet both halves for 5 rows after rnd 9, so the seam is in the middle. Your choice.

Romeo is a teeny timy dog, so he couldn’t chew through this thing. However, I would supervise larger dogs to ensure they can’t get to the polyfil inside.

Thanks to much to Pepika for posting the original heart pattern.

Here’s some in action pictures:

Stumpy the Swab Stasher

Remember Owly? Well, he now has a buddy that is adept at hiding cottony stuff too!

Along with my cotton puffs, I use cotton swabs quite often for makeup application. So of course, I had to make myself something to hold those, too. Who wants an icky cardboard/plastic box on your counter?

I made stumpy using Lionbrand Lionsuede, which has a great texture and gives a very sturdy result. The pattern is quite easy, so here it is, incase you’d like a stump to hide your cottony treasures in:

Stumpy the Swab Stasher

Yarn: Bulky (Lionbrand Lionsuede)
Hook size: G

Special stitch: Bpdc, Fpdc

Main Stump:

1: With light color: ch 4. In 1st chain (4th from hook) dc 15. Join with sl st. (this makes a circle).

2: With main color: Bpdc around each post of each dc [15]. Join with sl st.

3: Fpdc around each post of each dc [15]. Join with sl st.

4: repeat row 3 until the stump is the height you like. Mine was 7-8 rows. Finish.

Little Branch:

1: With light color: ch 2. In 2nd ch from hook, sc 5.

2: With main color: sc in each st around until branch is the length you desire. Sew branch to stump

And that’s it! I’ll try and get the owl pattern up soon, but I want to experiment some more, possibly with felting, or using lion suede…

Whoooo Hid My Cotton Puffs?

What secret is he hiding, sitting there on the edge of the cabinet?

Why, he’s hiding my cotton pads! I was looking for those!

I diligently use a toner every night, and I have been keeping my cotton puffs/pads in their original bag, in the bathroom cabinet. The only problem with this is that the bag is oddly shaped, and it is a bit annoying having to repeatedly open and re-seal it every night and morning. So, I experimented and made myself a cotton pad holder. The yarn was way too soft and thin, so I had to starch him with white glue. I also crocheted some wire circles to the edges to keep him nice and round. I’m thinking I want to make another go at him, but with thicker yarn so that he wouldn’t need starching or wire. I also plan on making a matching stump Q-tip holder…

Mr. Ele goes to Seattle

Mr. Ele, the Elephant, decided he was quite unsatisfied with the gentlefolk of San Francisco. So he tipped his hat to the Golden Gate Bridge, and flew up to Seattle. No, not with his ears, silly! On a plane, of course. There, he met a a beautiful girl, whom he fell madly in love with.

But alas, he towered over her, and looked quite terrifying from her viewpoint.

Egads! He had encountered the Seattle Freeze!

Made using this pattern.

My First Swap

Over at Craftster  I finally decided to participate in a swap. I chose the newbies only swap because it would be the perfect introduction to swaps.  My partner liked Nintendo and had a sense of humor so here are the things I made:

Crocheted Boo:

Gnome, Mario Mushroom and Boo. These guys are made from polymer clay and the gnome is about an inch tall:

Hand carved stamp:

Stationary. I made magazine envelopes to go with too:

Everything together:

I also made a wooden ring for her, which is not pictured. It is the beech wood with beeswax finish, like the ones available in my shop.

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