Gray fox amigurumi

It has been a tough week for me at work.  I sat in on three teacher interviews, we had our second annual French National Honor Society induction ceremony, and I came down with sinus/allergy issues to top it all off.  I took today off to recover and rest, and I am glad I did.

I was able to finish this sweet little gray fox amigurumi that my daughter requested.  I got the pattern from Pepika's Etsy store, and it is adorable.  Initially, I had a few problems figuring out how the head was made which resulted in this little guy's head being a bit too big for his body.  But that's OK.  I still think he is precious and so does my daughter.

 

What project are you working on?

Paz.

J

Updated pictures of Shirley the Turtle

I fixed Shirley's hat and I'm deciding on whether or not to make her a cute little scarf.  In the meantime, I took her picture on our back deck.  It was really windy and I'm glad she didn't fall off.  I put a little purple washcloth underneath her to keep her clean.  What do you think of her?

If you would like to try to crochet a sweet little turtle of your own, find this very well-written, easy to follow pattern by Pepika at her Etsy shop here.

National Crochet Month Post #14--Shirley the Turtle Amigurumi

I am going to be very tired tomorrow morning, but I was determined to finish this sweet little turtle amigurumi today.  At 11:01 p.m., I have 59 minutes left in #NationalCrochetMonth here in the central time zone.

I made this sweet turtle for my cousins Janet and Ellie in honor of their mom Shirley.  They asked me to make a turtle as a mascot for their Walk to End Alzheimer's team Slowly But Shirley.  Aunt Shirley was a lovely woman and she is greatly missed by her family.  My dad is now experiencing dementia-like symptoms and I would love to see more awareness of brain related maladies.

I still have to tweak her hat a bit and take a picture of her with natural light, but I wanted to make sure I got this posted today.  What do you think of her?

I bought the pattern for Shirley from www.pepika.com.

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It's been a lot of fun sharing various crochet projects with you.  I wish I had been able to post more, but I will continue to do so even though National Crochet Month has ended.

Have a wonderful day!

-J

National Crochet Month Post #13--Amigurumi Woodland Birds

Spring has sprung here in my part of the world.  How is the weather like where you are?  We still have cold nights and some chilly days, but you can tell that warmer weather is nearly here.

One of the best things about Spring is the plethora of birds that show up at the feeder on our deck and in our yard.  Of course, we have our fair share of winter birds too.

But soon we will have yellow finches and red finches too.  While we are waiting for those lovely creatures, here are a few birds I have crocheted myself.  I used Stacey Trock's pattern from her Craftsy class called Woodland Animals.  They are super easy to make and so darn cute too!

This one was made with baby-friendly eyes.  

I love my sweet little birds. Happy crocheting!

#NationalCrochetMonth

National Crochet Month Post #12: Crocheted Octopuses/Octopi

(I've changed the title of my posts because I haven't been able to keep up to one post per day.  Sorry!)

We live in the middle of a large mass of land (North America), far away from any ocean, a fact that causes great consternation to my Pisces soul.  For some strange reason, however, my husband loves octopuses.

For the last four Christmases, I have given handmade crocheted octopuses to my husband.  I found the pattern on Etsy at a shop called Ruby Submarine.  I started with his favorite color (orange) and I used weird googly eyes.  But then my crochet and eye choice got more sophisticated.

What do you think?  Do you have a favorite octopus?

And FYI, the plural of octopus can be either octopuses or octopi.  I looked it up.  :)

I think I like the purple one best.

And the best news of the day:  my dad is getting out of the hospital tomorrow.  :)

--Paix

National Crochet Month Post #8: Amigurumi Cat

Oops!  With the time change, visiting my dad in the hospital (he is doing better), grading Spanish quizzes, and The Walking Dead, I forgot to post yesterday.

So here is yesterday's post:

Day 8:  Amigurumi Cat

I made this amigurumi cat last summer just for the fun of it.  I love the looks of cute little crocheted friends (what amigurumi means in Japanese), but it takes a lot of time, concentration, and counting to finish one successfully.  I used Lilleliis' pattern from her Etsy shop, which you can find here.

Here is a link to the post from last summer:  Limey

Råskog

I hadn't been to our local IKEA in a long time but decided to go today.  I was in search of the lovely Råskog cart.

My yarn mess was getting the best of my kitchen table and I believed the Råskog would help out.  Here is the what my kitchen table crafting situation looked like a few hours ago:

Did you notice the half-eaten Ikea cinnamon roll?   I needed energy to put this bad boy together.  If you have ever put your own furniture together yourself, you should understand.  Luckily, with hubby's help, the Råskog came together quite quickly.  I was quite impressed.  Here it is:

And now here it is filled with yarn, library books, and finished birds.  The birds won't stay in the cart long; I just thought they looked cute in the picture.  

Pretty adorable, n'est-ce pas?  And the best part about it?  The Råskog now costs $20 less than it did last September when I first saw it.  It only costs $29.  That means I might get a couple more for other items soon.  Or for yarn.  It would take several to contain my entire yarn stash.  And by several, I mean 20.  Or 50.  I'm not really sure at this point.  

Find the Råskog on Ikea's website here.  Lycklig shopping!

And here is my current collection of amigurumi birds:  

Ciao, oiseaux!  

Quality Time

I like to think of myself as a crafty kind of gal, but my prowess does not usually extend into the kitchen.  However, my kids and I decided to make some delectable things this weekend, which turned out to taste pretty darn good.  Most likely, this was due to my children's very presence.  I really enjoyed spending quality time with them.  I hope they decide to take over kitchen duties for me permanently.  ;)

My 15-year-old son and I made this yummy homemade pizza:

And my 11-year-old daughter and I made these scrumptious snickerdoodles:

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And then I made a couple of batches of soap; Twigs & Berries and Monkey Farts:

I will post more on these soap when I remove them from their molds.

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I have also been crocheting.  I made these wristers using Lion Brand Unique yarn in Harvest:

And this adorable little junior bluebird of happiness.  I will admit that he was made unintentionally small because I made an error while following the pattern.  Namely, I left out 9 rows of crochet.  But I still think he is cute!

How is YOUR weekend going?

Gros bisous!  
--J

Crochet, crochet, crochet! And a very Happy New Year to you!

The word crochet means "hook" in French. I know this because I am a French teacher and because I know what crocheting is. Well, to be honest, most people know what crochet is, don't they?


If you are still unclear, www.Dictionary.reference.com defines it this way:

crochet

[kroh-shey; British kroh-shey, -shee]  

• Examples
• Word Origin

noun

1.

needlework done with a needle having a small hook at one end for drawing the    thread or yarn through intertwined loops.

verb (used with object), verb (used without object),crocheted 

 [kroh-sheyd; British kroh-sheyd, -sheed] (Show IPA),crocheting 

 [kroh-shey-ing; British kroh-shey-ing, -shee-ing] (Show IPA)

2.

to form by crochet.

And until I read that definition, I had no idea anyone ever pronounced it [kroh-shee]! Silly Brits!

I have been doing a lot of needlework with a small hook at one end and drawing yarn through intertwined loops lately. Here is a photo of several projects I have done within the last month or two:

Lots of crocheted goodies!

In this photo, you will see scarves, cowls, hats, wristlets, and amigurumi birds. I have used single crochet, half-double crochet, double crochet, back stitch only crochet, and I've knitted with fingers and my arms. I cannot tell you how much I adore crochet. But I think you already knew that, didn't you?

Here are some of the items along with yours truly:

Cowl using Lion Brand Heartland in Hot Springs

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Scarf using Red Heart Sashay Sequins in Phlox.

Cowl using Lion Brand Landscapes yarn in Tropics.

Cowl using Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Dragonfly.

Cowl using Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Petunia.

Cowl using Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Winery.

Cowl using Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in Tidal.

Cowl using Lion Brand Landscapes in Desert Spring.

Wristers using Lion Brand Unique yarn in Passion Fruit. Find the pattern here.

Arm-knitted Scarf using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Claret.

For this scarf, I watched Crafty Gemini's online tutorial found here.

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I also made a couple of amigurumi from my Craftsy class Woodland Animals. It was designed by Stacey Trock. If you are interested in learning how to make these cute little guys plus a raccoon, a deer, and a bear, go here.

Me and the Bleu, the Bluebird of Happiness. I used Red Heart Soft yarn in turquoise and Vanna's Choice yarn in radiant yellow. I also used Darice craft eyes from Jo-Ann.

My son, me, and Larry, my daughter's bird with two different sized eyes. (She wanted him that way!) I used Vanna's Choice yarn in sapphire and radiant yellow. I also used Darice craft eyes from Jo-Ann.

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I also made washcloths, but I gave those away as Christmas gifts. Here is a pic:

I used Lily Sugar'n Cream solids in sage green, ecru, light blue, and sunshine. You can find those at Jo-Ann also.

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As you may be able to decipher by now, I am a crochet-a-holic. I found these great photos from a blog I've just discovered, The Little Bee. They pretty much sum up how I feel about crochet.





Well said, Little Bee. Bien dit, petite abeille!





Alas, I must return to work tomorrow after an extended winter break. I am so glad I have been able to pursue my creative endeavors this winter.


I am also changing the name of my Etsy shop from Prairie Sunshine Soaps to Prairie Sunshine Shop so I may begin selling items other than soap or those related to soap. I would like to expand to include lots of cute crocheted goodies and patterns eventually. I am looking forward to this next phase in the Prairie Sunshine story!

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I hope everyone is doing well and I hope you are staying warm wherever you are. Take good care and Happy New Year 2015!

--Jenn