Mermaids

I started these after I finished Seth's blanket. I like them, really I do. The hair is gorgeous. I found the pattern for the hair in an image search that brought up a blog by PinkMambo and a mermaid roundup. Unfortunately the link was broken. But Ravelry saves the day. The pattern is archived. Mermaid Houseguest by Brenda K.B. Anderson. I'd already had most of my doll done when I found this. My dolls are intended for toddlers and I didn't want loose yarn hair but something 'flowing' for the mermaids. It does use a lot of yarn so make sure you have a whole skein. But then as I made more dolls. I needed 2 for the twins and wanted one for ME, I separated the hair 'cap' out of the pattern and made that first. Then you can add the strands of hair in any and all colors you choose. Mine is the one with the multi colored hair. I was able to use green scraps and threw in a few contrasting colors. The second doll I added one or two strands in a different shade of the original color. I also worked the tail fins different as I refined the design to something I liked. The tail technique was similar to a baby mermaid tail bunting I had made and also close to the Houseguest pattern.

They are intended for twins hence the color reversal

Off all the colors I don't like the purple. There is even a peach and a yellow that look fine.  The purple just ..ehh

Left to right the evolution of the tail fin. The houseguest pattern was closest to the blue one. The one I finally liked, the peach, skips 2 stitches on the end and has a second sc2tog right after the first.

Yes mine has boobs, that are pinned on. The peach was also a finer yarn so the body has that weird line were the others flow smoothly into the tail at the hips. Those are extended stitchs btw. And none of them have faces! And they still don't . they were supposed to be Easter gifts. <shrug> I cant find anything I like and is suitable for toddlers. I'll most likely go with simple embroidery eyes and lips.


Edit:Eyes

Crochet Crab & Raven

Spring is here and the boys school is having their 'fair' day. Each class creates a themed basket to auction off and asks for donations. This year the class got 'Maryland' <cough> ? My mom went to her favorite store, 5 Below, and found an oriole lunch box & lanyard and some raven stickers. I made a crab which I almost kept for myself. I'll just have to make another one. Maybe embroider the cancer symbol on the shell. And a raven dressed in football mascot gear complete with tiny shoes that I obsessed over and didn't get to making the oriole bird I intended to. Hence why they are getting my crab. Seth says he looks like Mr Crabs and my father asked where the other legs were. The stupid legs looked dumb ok...so they got left off. I'm sure when I make my version it will annoy me until I make acceptable minor legs but the school will have to deal. I only had 2 days. I hope someone likes them enough to bid on them. I wish I had little fabric labels to add to them.

Hand stitched. ehh

I love these shoes!!!

He's cute. Maybe I'll make a whole set. Edgar, Allen, & Poe

back fins

yeah...I'm looking at YOU!

Edit: Added Oriole and my crab pics

amigurumi Toothless

So I have all this fiber fill I bought for my youngest sons minecraft pets. After a huge search I decided to make Toothless from How to tame a dragon. The pattern I settled on is by Sarselgurumi and can be found on Ravelry.  The pattern is cute and well written. The legs and 'toes' are so cute. The tail is linked to another artist and is challenging if your not careful and sometimes even if you are. I frogged mine twice before I got something I liked.  

crochet eye

red tail addition

I know mine isn't exactly like the pattern. I crochet the eye pieces. I altered the small middle horns. And only added one set of the smaller horn under the large I didn't like either of the tail 'fins' and made one red to signify the Viking made piece. I also haven't added the wings. I'm unsure if I like the pattern wings. They are cute in their simplicity but I've already tweaked the fins so maybe I'd add big showy wings. But he is cute and chibby like. Still undecided. They are pinned on his back while I think it over.

James' Panda Hat

Tahdahh! Panda Hat. Made to the same basic pattern of his red & black winter cap. The 'brim' is single crochet with panda eye patches in tapestry style.

 Hmm..the black ears aren't easy to see. But isn't he cute.Hahahhahha

Crochet Snakes - SSssssss

Snakes
Ravelry - Snake

I needed a creative break from the teachers kids gifts and decided to make this snake pattern I found on Ravelry. It worked up really quick. I had originally decide to sew the top and bottom together with a whip stitch but I didn't like the look and It bled stuffing. I ended up sc joining the top and bottom and though its really flat it looks fine. The camo and yellow variegated yarns look better together than I thought they would. My son adores the finished product and has tried to 'wear' it to school.

I later made my own attempt with the camo yarn in a continuous spiral sc. The head was shaped with different stitches and inc and dec. He turned out really well. I wish I'd written it down. I might try to reproduce it. I started at the nose with a magic ring. at about row 4 I took a piece of yarn through a stitch to mark the bottom or belly. After that increases where only done on the top of the head. One row had a sc and a hdc and another row was a sc3tog, sc2tog, sc3tog centered on the top. From then the body was decreased on the sides. Toward the tail there was a decrease on each side and then a single dec on the top. The final stitches were woven with the tail and cinched shut. I stuffed and shaped the head and then continued to stuff every couple of rows loosely to give the body plenty of bend.

I have this huge bag of fiberfill so I'm thinking that there will be more animals in my near future. I also want to make my oldest son a new hat. He wears the winter hat I made him last year near constantly. I think I might need new yarn for that though. I'm also considering another scrap blanket. I like the design of the multi squares in rows you then sew together.

Dragon egg - Easter egg pouch

Ravelry - Dragon Eggs
Site - Dragon Eggs

Had to nix these as gifts for  my sons teachers kids. I was worried about giving the young ones anything with beads. But these are really neat. The bottom of mine is done to 24 stitches. A back loop round then continued as written but smaller. Its a 4 stitch pattern and as long as your circumference stitch count is divisible by 4 you can adjust the size up or down.

Easter gift for teachers kids

Butterfly Purse, for 5 yr old girl

I saw a you tube video in which a snail bag was made. I loved it. I thought a butterfly would be a cute design for a little girl. The front and back are 2 triangle motifs with rounds counts of 3 and 4 for the top and bottom wings. A strip was joined to both sides with sc giving the purse width. I thought it looked plain so I added the colored circles and tear drops. The center 'body' is crochet in a continuous spiral and stuff with fiberfill. the strap is a magic circle with chain loops for petals (10ch) 2 petals at ch5 slst around previous flower petal and ch4 to join in a chain. The multi colored chain and cinch around the butterfly's neck pulls and hold the purse closed. I'm of mixed opinion about the finished product. Perhaps its too much pink.

Bunny Lovey, for 3 yr old girl

The original ideal was for a combination small blanket - stuffed animal. I ended up making the animal with a blanket 'swatch' for a body. The bunny head has big ears and sleepy eyes. There are paws with little pink 'pads' and even a fluffy pom bunny butt. It's cute in a Beatrice Potter sort of way. Again mixed feelings about the finished work.

Shark pouch, for 7 yr old boy
Ravelry - Shark Pouch
Moogly Site - Shark Time Pouch

A design by Moogly. Though its a bit stubby. I left out a few rounds because it was a small skein of yarn. At just over 10" its certainly capable of holding pencils or markers. It's an interesting almost metallic denim color and the plastic eyes are hot glued on. The zipper worked well and was salvaged from an old purse. This I like.

This teachers children were a bit younger then I originally thought. That means the 'dice pouch' I shrunk to a smaller egg shaped bag with beaded ties wasn't such a good ideal. No beads on the purse as well. And all the other pieces needed to be crochet and securely attached so they weren't exactly what I first envisioned. I guess its fine for the little thank you I wanted to extend. Maybe I just doubt my own projects a bit too much. Ehh, they're kids, if the items hold their interest for more then 30 minutes combined after the Easter weekend I'd be amazed.