Introducing....Pig and Monkey (woo woo)

As I was rustling up mini monkey...I was unable to get the song from the youtube video out of my head:

So I made a pig too

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pig-and-monkey

I might have to photograph them all again since I'm not very happy with the images but the patterns turned out really nice and simple.  Pattern available at Ravelry as usual, here's a sample page:

pattern in progress...

I was getting a weeny bit bored of single chain and its myriad variations, so thought it was time to learn something new...something....bobbly!

You could do a lot worse than watch a few of this chaps videos http://www.youtube.com/user/mikeyssmail.  I wanted a rib for the cuff and some bobbles for the main body of my glove and learnt both from his videos.  Huzzah.

Anyway...the first result was....semi-successful

Pros:
I love the bobbles and it works up fairly quickly
The bobble trim (same pattern but with slip stitch between bobbles instead of hdc) looks great

Cons:
What a miserable coloured yarn - nice to work but dismal (and to think I bought it to make a tank top with!)
Don't like the cuff...it's just too...chunky
Don't like the linear nature of the bobbles (not that they are very linear in this sample since I kept getting muddled)
Think perhaps bobbles on the palm would be really annoying.

I think I have something to work with though :)

christmas colds and flu (and a little ecoli)

A little something inspired by my daughters school since they're studying microbes at the moment and a particularly vile green yarn that I found in my stash :)

6sc in adjustable circle
inc in each (12st)
(inc, sc) 6 times (18st)
18sc for 10 rows
(dec, sc) 6 times (12st)
Stuff and add some eyes
dec 6 times (6st)
pull up tight to finish

The strands are simply chains, roughly double the length I want them to finish and hooked through random parts of the body.  The result is an Ecoli germ - (can't post picture of the crochet one...explanation below)

Easy peasy

Unfortunately, I am unable to post pictures of this project at this time because it was kidnapped by her teacher and has spent the christmas holidays languishing in a school drawer or some such rather than being the subject of my photoshoot.  The follow up (a rather splendid flu germ) was also kidnapped at the same time.  These posts will be updated once negotiations to free the victims have reached a satisfactory conclusion.  Over and out.

on the 7th,8th and 9th day of christmas....

I crocheted something I made up as I went along so a pattern is a little bit tricky....

For starters...check out the work of Camilla Engman.  She has a pattern printed in The debbie Stoller Happy Hooker book...which I have to say thoroughly confused me till I noticed the (admittedly it was in bold type) line that says....stitches worked in back loop only.  Duh.  Lesson learnt - Read the instructions.

So, to start with sl.st is used and work in back loop only!!!!  there..I added exclamation marks to make it stand out more for idiots like myself.   Also,  I found doing 2 sl.st in one hole for increases a bit messy..could just be me but I found increases more attractive if I did a sl.st then a ch.  So in this case 'inc' means 'sl.st, ch1' righty ho.  To decrease (dec) I put the hook through one sl.st, then the next, yarn round and pull through all three loops on the hook.  Word of warning....this method of working is really, really, really slow...

Head
ch3 and join with sl.st to first to make a ring
inc (sl.st, ch1) in each ch (6st)
6sl.st (6st)
inc 6 times (12st)
12sl.st
12sl.st
(sl.st, inc) 6 times (18st)
18sl.st
(2sl.st, inc) 6 times (24st)
24sl.st
(3sl.st, inc) 6 times (30st)
(4sl.st, inc) 6 times (36st)
change colour....36sl.st
36sl.st for 4 rows
(4sl.st, dec) 6 times (30 st)
(3sl.st, dec) 6 times (24st)
(2sl.st, dec) 6 times (18st) fix eyes in and stuff
(sl.st, dec) 6 times (12st)
(dec) 6 times (6st)
pull up to close.

Body

ch3 and join with sl.st to first to make a ring
inc (sl.st, ch1) in each ch (6st)
inc 6 times (12st)
(sl.st, inc) 6 times (18st)
(2sl.st, inc) 6 times (24st)
(3sl.st, inc) 6 times (30st)
30sl.st for 10 rows
(3sl.st. dec) 6 times (24st)
24sl.st
(2sl.st, dec) 6 times (18st) might want to poke the (eye) leg joint through at this point as it is ridiculously fiddly later.
18sl.st
(sl.st., dec) 6 times (12st)
12sl.st
leave long enough end to sew to body.  Don't sew on just yet as need it open to fix legs in.

Legs

ch3 and join with sl.st to first to make a ring
inc (sl.st, ch1) in each ch (6st)
inc 6 times (12st)
(sl.st, inc) 6 times (18st)
18sl.st for 5 rows
change colour then 18sl.st.
(sl.st., dec) 6 times (12st)
12sl.st for 8 rows
Now the fiddly bit.  With the eye part of the safety eye poking out of the body where the leg is to pivot from, push it through the top part of the leg and fix the safety eye back inside the leg. Stuff.
Do a kind of running stitch through the top half of the sl.st and pull up to close

Arms

ch3 and join with sl.st to first to make a ring
inc (sl.st, ch1) in each ch (6st)
inc 6 times (12st)
12sl.st for 7 rows
(2sl.st., dec) 3 times (9st)
9sl.st for 4 rows
I'd lost the will to joint things by this point but you could if you wanted...or just pull up to close as the leg and stitch onto body.

and....I've made a really fugly little er...woodland creature

Well...it's a potentially interesting base for something else.  I may make him some ears and a little jacket or something.

The 'fluffing' incidentally is done with what my mum calls a teasel brush, think its something to do with felting. You attack the piece with this evil wiry brush thing (bit like one that's used to detangle dog fur!) and it pulls the fibres up and out.  It only works with proper wool, acrylic fibres just break off.

I honestly cannot recommend working in slip stitch...maybe just for sculpted faces or something but it's sooooo slow to produce anything.  Next time, it's back to good old single chain.

day 2....(cos december came about quicker than I expected ?!)

Day 1 of the advent calendar then had to be a squinkie.  Not terribly exciting but marginally better than a chocolate (though that's a matter of opinion).

I think I may be being a little over ambitious for a 'quickie' project but I want to make a mini jointed creation.

A bit of research and looks like using the plastic push fit eyes is the way to go for tiddy little joints.

Also, using a steel hook and embroidery floss seems to be the way to get tiny crochet but a) I have no idea what a steel hook is and the smallest hook I have is a 2.50mm and b) I really don't have that sort of patience (or eyesight) so....

Tiddy toy made with 2.5mm hook and some 3ply yarn

here's my sketch:

Yep, a kind of demented bunny type thing.

leg - make 2
6sc in loop
sc, inc 3 times, 2sc
3sc, inc 3 times, 3sc
5sc, inc 2 times, 5sc
14sc for 2 rows
5sc, dec 2 times, 5sc
3sc, dec 3 times, 3sc
9sc for 3 rows and stuff
leave long end

Body
foundation chain of 5
5sc, ch1, 5sc (bottom half of fsc) ch1
inc, 3sc, inc, sc, inc, 3sc, inc, sc
16sc for 5 rows
dec, 6sc, dec, 6sc
14sc for 3 rows
dec, 5sc, dec, 5sc
12sc - don't cut end yet...still got ears to do

Assembly
poke eye through top of inside leg joint from inside to outside and sew top of leg closed
hold eye washer inside body where leg to fix and push through - (bit fiddly this bit!)

Ears
2sc, then sc through next and sc opposite across the middle, 2sc...ignore remaining 6sc for now

not sure if this diagram could possibly help or not...

working on just the 5sc:...inc, 2sc, inc, sc
7sc for 4 rows
cut yarn and use a needle to pull up to finish.
Start again for other ear....join at outer edge,2sc to middle and go through the opposite sc, 2sc.
inc, 2sc, inc, sc
7sc for 4 rows
cut yarn and use a needle to pull up to finish.

ta-da!

Final thoughts...
I used 5mm pull through eyes - the ones with little wire loops rather than washers.  They aren't so bulky but are very different to fix and....I got mine in wonky.  Also - not small child friendly but then neither is a 3inch toy.

Do check that your legs are the right way round before fixing them...there isn't a lot of shape to the feet but it does sort of notice when one is on back to front...*sigh*

All in all, I'm quite excited at the possibilities of eye leg joints.  No point on toys with big floppy legs but for little things like this it works a treat.

And it fit in the advent box - yay!