Doll House: Be Bold!

So, who was excited for Star Wars VII????

Katie, you're a bit late with this post.  Yes, I know.  I got busy.

A while back (before the movie came out) I made a series of dolls psyching myself up for The Force Awakens.

And yes, during the movie I went into shock.  But 'tis a story for another day.  For now...

Meet Dorovio!  Dorovio Bold, they call her (thus the post name).  You may or may not have noticed her in Return of the Jedi.  (In the BluRay version, she is sitting down behind Lando Calrissian while he is talking to Han Solo on Home One. I don't know if the others are different, because they did take alternate scenes for some parts of the BluRay trilogy).

I read up on this particular character, and she was pretty much cut out of the movie, but it shall be sufficient to say that she is one of the unsung heroes of the Battle of Endor who didn't make it home.

I guess we could claim this doll could be one of the female pilots from The Force Awakens (I saw at least three and got super excited as I am a fan of the X-Wing book series and they had some pretty awesome ladies in the squadrons), but I think I noticed the leg restraints being black instead of white.  I shall have to investigate more.

Fun fact: this doll started out being Wedge Antilles until I noticed Dorovio while watching Return of the Jedi.  Let's say I spent an hour or so figuring out how I wanted to do her hair.

She could potentially be my favorite doll so far.

Welcome to the Doll House!

Making it My Own

A while back, my darling husband bought me the Yuna pattern by BaburuStar that we both thought was so adorable (okay maybe it was just me...)  I came home from work and found the pattern in an e-mail! (Isn't that so sweet?) I very excitedly gathered up my yarn and threw this little girl together.  To my surprise, as I am now understanding how crochet works and can work faster, I finished her in just a matter of hours.  (So much prettier than my other one).

My make of  Yuna from Final Fantasy X.

So, this pattern that my lovely and frugal husband paid for was now used up.  Thus, I figured I could get his money's worth out of it.  I decided that since I now better understand mathematically how 3D crochet works, I figured I could tweak the hair, change the clothes, and make whoever I please.

So stay tuned for my improvised army of dolls inspired by this pattern. Who knows who may appear?

CANDY MONSTER!

So in Minnesota this past summer, I bought a crochet book.  Yes, I bought something instead of scouting Pinterest for awesome free patters (which totally rocks, by the way).  This little book I found had (among many things) monkeys, a giraffe, a tiny little puppy with a bowl and food (??) and a really cool MONSTER! (with a grin and a tooth!) The pattern "Lovey the Lovely" was created by Allison Hoffman from CRAFTY is COOL.

Granted, I don't have any felt.  Thus, my monster didn't turn out as awesome in detail as the original pattern, but she is very brightly colored.  Thus I decided she was a candy monster.  I'm thinking about whipping up a few for some certain little kiddos.

This pattern worked up very quickly, and gave me some nice color-changing practice.

Isn't she adorable?  I'm not exactly sure what to name her, but she is certainly a welcome addition to my ami-crew and has a lovely spot on my desk. 

Mini Minion Hat

Girly Little Minion Hat & Link to Free Pattern

Hello, everybody! I hope you have had a GREAT summer! (I can't believe I start school next week! Yay!)  I've spent my lovely summer working and crocheting the day away (along with long stretches of Final Fantasy X HD...total nerd sometimes...)Do you know anybody with a new little minion baby?  Sarah at Repeat Crafter Me [love her blog! She makes such cute patterns, and so kindly shares with the world...maybe one day I could do the same] posted this adorable little pattern, and I made a girl version to give away (including some pink sparkly yarn braided in!)

She has a rather large eye, does she not? Perhaps I should have tried the single crochet option... Either way, she's quite cute.

Give it a try. The pattern sizes from newborn to adult, works up quickly, and is very cute. You'll want to scarf down a ton of bananas in no time!

Summoner Yuna Amigurumi Doll

"Listen to my story..."

...These are the opening words to one of the most time consuming games I have played and do not regret the hundreds of hours I have poured in.  

I would like to take a moment and release my inner nerd.  I would like you to meet Yuna, the heroine of Final Fantasy X, the game that I have played four times and still cry during the ending.  In honor of the game's re-release for the Play Station 3 (got it for Christmas!...in March.  Couldn't beat pre-ordering it!), I was excited to have the inspiration to make a doll in her image.  Sure, I would have loved to have completed the adorable little pattern floating around Etsy, but I saved money from not purchasing a pattern, and had a wonderful opportunity to practice some crochet skills.  Perhaps one day I could develop my own patterns...

Yuna, modeling the DualShock 3 controller for her new system...

I used a super simple doll pattern that I found on Pinterest for Yuna's body.  I then looked to her character design by Tetsuya Nomura for inspiration for her hair and clothes.  The first thing I did was paint her eyes; I didn't have green doll eyes, so I just took a set of black eyes and some blue and green nail polish to show her heterochromia.  Her skirt is worked in the round starting with a foundation single crochet, followed by double crochet stitches all the way down.  Her top is  a long strip of single crochet stitches draped around her neck, crossing in the front, and stitched down.  She has a sash with a flower on the front (totally did that myself!) with some aqua yarn hanging out.  She also has a yellow bow on the back of the sash.  I had the hardest time with her sleeves.  So, I started with pink yarn and single stitches, experimented with increases, and then switched to white double crochet stitches. In the end, I decreased the stitches to try to make it even, and wrapped the white part around her arms, adding little purple bows.  This was my first time installing doll hair.  That was interesting, but I think it turned out well.  I just stuck it all in, then gave her a hair cut to match Nomura's design (as close as I could, that is).

So, what do you think?  I wish I would have taken notes to write out a pattern to share, but isn't art about using our imaginations?  I would love to make BaburuStar's Yuna and maybe other Final Fantasy characters, but I felt an awesome sense of accomplishment in almost completely improvising this one.

P.S. Her arms bend. (My awesome husband suggested crocheting around pipe cleaners for her arms. Genius!)

Crochet 2DS Case

Batman 2DS Case

Good morning, tiny corner!  I have missed you.  Between my new job and studying, I haven't really had too much time for much (except for wasting my time on Pinterest.... sounds like I need to get my priorities straight!)  Anyways, finals are over, and "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

I promised a bit back that I was going to make my husband a case for his Nintendo 2DS that he got for his birthday. The case was super simple to put together, and didn't take very long.  I've actually had it completed for a while, but haven't gotten a chance to tell you about it.

I used Caron Simply Soft yarn in black and red, a size D crochet hook, and worked (for the most part) with double crochet stitches in the round.  How many did I initially chain?  Who knows?  I was constantly measuring my work against the handheld gaming system to see if it would be a good fit.  The logo is an attempt at the Batman symbol; I found the pattern here at Louie's Loops via Pinterest...but we all know I'm not very good at following patterns.

This was also my first attempt at adding a zipper to a crochet project.  It is really easy, though it would have been much easier if I had pinned it in instead of just trying to hold it in place with my fingers while I tried to avoid poking myself. Though as plain and simple as I may think it is, my wonderful husband loves it, and that's all that matters.

UPDATE

I know it's hardly a win at all for something so obscure, but this is the #1 hit on Google for "Crochet 2DS Case," and I think that's cool. Maybe I should come up with a pattern...

Squares and Stripes (pt. II)

Girly Granny's Fraternal Twin

[Insert clever name for boy blanket here]

I'm so excited to have a boyish counterpart to my lovely Girly Granny Baby Blanket.  I figured it might increase my chances of selling one if I offered two; one stereotypical for each gender.  (Not sure what to sell them for, though.  I'm thinking $25, but that's negotiable.)

It went together really quickly, but I ended up with a truckload of schoolwork dumped on me at once and didn't get the opportunity to finish it for a while.  Well, Friday night I sealed it off after most of my stress was gone, and I love the end product (though I did accidentally sew one of the small squares on backwards, but if you can hardly tell it up close, you DEFINITELY can't from far away!)  What difference does it make?  The stitches look slightly different from the two different sides.  So, really...what's the difference?  Nothing, really.  Slight individuality, I guess? (though it's already one of a kind.)

This blanket also measures 31 inches square, and features the colors Navy, Pistachio, and White (some white leftover from the other blanket!) in 100% acrylic yarn.

What do you think?  

Squares and Stripes Forever

Girly Granny Baby Blanket

It's cuddly, soft, warm, and not my bed!

I started a couple of weeks ago making some granny squares to see if I could get over my writer's block for English Lit, and here I am with a successful blanket project that I'm excited to share with you!  (Kate the Hippo wants to share, too!)

I developed the pattern myself, and really enjoyed working on it.  (In fact, I grabbed some pistachio and navy yarn to see about possibly making a boyish version).

 

Doesn't it make you want to curl up and drink some milk?

Hand-made in Mississippi with 100% acrylic yarn, it measures about 31 inches square, so it is just a little small for my use.  Maybe perhaps there's a baby out there somewhere who would love to feel its warmth.

Hopefully, I can have some time to work on the blue and green one.  However, it looks like my workload for school might be a little much this week as I have lots of stuff to read and a speech to prepare.  Maybe I should speak on how to crochet a blanket...

It was nice to (somewhat but not totally) take a school break today and catch up on some housework since last week was so crazy.  Plus, I baked a cake for my sweet hubby's birthday!  Needless to say... I made a mess!

Simple Stripe Scarf

Simple Stripe Scarf

Hello, again.  It's been a while since I've shown anything that I've been crocheting.  Perhaps I'm a little busy or something...

Anyway, here is a beautiful scarf I made a few weeks ago while watching Scrubs. (Mindlessly crocheting while watching television pretty much rocks!)  There's not much to it: it's 100% cotton (I Love this Cotton! from Hobby Lobby) but it would work well with other kinds of yarns as well as it drapes nicely.  I may try it again with Caron Simply Soft. (Why have I just now discovered how great that stuff is?)

It's inspired by a scarf that I saw on Fiber Flux via Pinterest. 

I say "inspired" because I didn't actually use her pattern, but took the idea and made something similar with double crochets.

Fiber flux is a great blog for free crochet patterns, just be sure if you use her patterns not to sell the product or copy the pattern elsewhere, as it belongs to her.

Here's a look at the stitches:

I love the double crochet stitch!  Anyhow, it builds really quickly, so if you'd like to improvise one yourself, grab a hook and turn on the television.  (Or go follow the pattern for the inspirational scarf...or any of her others.  It really is a great blog.)

Watch Your Bananas!!

Not-So-Despicable Minion Amigurumi!

One of our new favorite movies now-a-days is Despicable Me and its lovely counterpart that we saw in the theater.  Since then, we haven't exactly gone "minion mad," but we do love the little guys, and playing Minion Rush on our iPads is pretty fun.  They're adorable, hilarious, and the Banana language is quite fascinating to one such as myself.  I've been plotting to make a Minion for a couple weeks now, and I finally just broke down and did it.  He came together really quickly, actually.

I found this pattern from Snacksies Handicraft Corner on Pinterest.  I actually just now discovered that there's now an updated pattern that should have been just a little easier to follow, but I didn't have too many problems.  Maybe I'm just used to making mistakes... 

Isn't he adorable!  He's not despicable at all!  He's completely made out of yarn from other projects (except for his brown eyes), and my darling husband actually spent hours untangling the yellow yarn for me (he's really good at untangling)!!  I'm glad he likes him so much (but we haven't named him yet)!

I'm really getting into the amigurumi side of crochet.  It's so much fun, and then you can play with your work...good for the inner-child.

First Impression On Our Apartment

DIY Yarn Wreath

What says welcome like a wreath on the front door??  Okay, it may not be a welcome mat, but it sure is fun and inviting!  Such a quick little project, too.  I simply bought a 10" styrofoam extruded wreath at Hobby Lobby, and dug into my yarn stash and created this little beauty!  It's all Red Heart Super Saver yarn.  I wrapped the wreath in just plain Blue, and crocheted roses out of Hot Red, White, and Spring Green with a Size K hook and a tapestry needle.  I found the pattern for the roses at Attic24. Just remember, if you'd like to try it, her pattern is in UK terms.  I finished off with a little bit of hot glue to attach the roses.  Ta dah!

Quick Cotton Scarf

So, the other day I was untangling some white yarn, and my mother-in-law mentioned that I crochet well enough now to not have to use the super saver all the time.  At Walmart they have the little Peaches & Cream balls of yarn (much less yarn, but under $2) that are made out of...COTTON!  They don't really like to try to come apart on you, and I find that super nice.  I picked up three balls before work, and after I finished Kate the Hippo, I got to looking for scarf patterns, since I wasn't liking where doing a simple V-stitch was headed with the multi-colored yarns that I got.  I found one called the Draft Dodger Scarf from Cobbler's Cabin, and got right to work.

I used one ball of the Peaches & Cream (give or take a few inches), so that's about 120 yards, and it measures about 36 inches long, and took less than 24 hours to stitch together.  It's super simple, single crochet, double crochet, single crochet, double crochet... and it looks really pretty!  Check out the detail!

I have some more cotton, so I wonder what I'll be up to next in my tiny corner of the universe...

Our Hippo Family

Meet Charlie and Kate  

These two were basically love at first sight, or love at first snack! Aren't they just so incredibly cute together?

I used the Hungry, Hungry Hippo pattern again from Bitter Sweet, this time using the color Turqua from Red Heart Super Saver yarn that I got way back at my hometown Walmart for Kate's body (finally finished of a skien that has been in three different projects!) She has the other set of blue eyes that came in the bag I used on her husband.  The Hot Red yarn color makes an appearance again (from the other hippo) in Kate's super cute and tiny bow.  I found the pattern for the super simple bow at Cut Out + Keep.  I didn't give her any nostrils, but she's so adorable without them!

The turquoise photographs a lot better than the red, it seems.

I've also basically finished a couple of adorable scarves (they do need some blocking and simple finishing touches though) and I've discovered cotton yarn!  Therefore, there is another scarf in progress.  I love crochet! It's so fun!

My First Crochet Toy

The Hippo

Good morning, rest of the universe.  Did you know I (somewhat) crochet?  I decided today that I would finish the hot red hippo that I've been working on. (My husband likes hippos).  It only took a few days to complete.  It's crazy, since everything seems to take me forever...of course, I was doing my stitches incorrectly up until a few days ago.  I found the pattern via. Pinterest here at Bitter Sweet.  It's called Hungry, Hungry, Hippo, and mine looks like it might be starving.  I should have stuffed him more.  Oh well!  I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn in the Hot Red shade that I found on sale at my local Hobby Lobby for $1.79.  He also has blue eyes that I snatched up at Hobby Lobby for $0.99 for two pairs!

With my camera, he looks so incredibly red! At least, if I did my stitches incorrectly or inside-out, it's hard to see.  I guess I can't complain.  I promise he's not quite this bright, however he is a very, very bright red. 

Being a crochet novice, I found a couple of awesome tutorials on Youtube to help me out a bit with fastening off and joining together the pieces.  The first was for fastening off, closing, and weaving ends of amigurumi toys by NattypatCrochet.  Then, I needed help joining the pieces together and found this video by June from planetjune. 

I am so excited to have finished my first crochet toy, and it was actually super easy!  I'm excited to move on to something else!

Isn't he adorable??