hedghogs, hedgehogs everywhere

How about a free hedgehog pattern?  I've written it out at http://crochetstitchwitch.com/?p=337 but even better than that...I've made videos - two of them in fact.  Huzzah.  It was very time consuming and editing is really, really dull so future videos will definately be shorter but here ya go..

and part two

Let me know how you get on with them!! xx

Wilhelmina Bunny Rabbit is here...

and I just realised I never included any write up for her daisy chain head band...bum!  I'll write it up and post it here when I get a chance.

I used drops Nepal yarn which is some sort of Alpaca/wool mix.  Holds it's shape well and is quite frankly a joy to work with.  Also I bought it when Drops was doing a deal on anything alpaca so it was a great price. I'm now a convert to their yarns.   Wilhelmina used up about 2 balls in the off white colour and half a ball in the medium pink.

She's available as usual from my Ravelry store (minus the daisy chain headband which I'll put here...when I can find my notes...)

Thought I'd post these photos from the pattern here too that give you some idea of the difference in character when you change the features...or more specifically the eyes...

Buttons, 6mm black and 15mm brown eyes

I was going to go with the buttons but then found some 12mm round black ones in my box which looked so sweet.  Those big brown eyes look really quite scary....actually I have some amber ones somewhere, should have tried those, would have given zombie monkey a fright.

I actually changed the nose later as well from the basic 'Miffy' number.

I will also confess that I almost never get the arms/ears/legs in the right place the first time.  I'm always having to undo them and try again.  So I have learnt to never actually finish all my ends in too tightly until I'm total happy with the arrangement...many creations have ended up with holes in their bodies where I've cut the wrong thread trying to release an errant limb.

New Year, New er...cat thing monster?

Thought I'd try something different for the new year and that is...make shapes with out breaking wind yarn and after much faffing about (it's harder than it looks you know!)  I finally made a cat type thing. Or it could be a creepy monster type thing?

The size will vary greatly depending on the hook and yarn used.  The smallest one I made is just 12cm tall using 3ply yarn and 2mm hook.  The biggest is a pillow wannabe 28cm using chunky yarn and 5mm hook.

Instead of the usual top to bottom or bottom to top approach, this is worked from left side to right side and gives a different look to the ususal Amigurumi type thing.  Think I will be exploring the possibilities further :)

Slinky Glove pattern

For a child(adult) glove, I used sirdar snuggly dk and size 4mm hook.  This pattern is not fully tested and probably quite wrong in some places but it works up quick so not a major disaster when it does go wrong!

Here is the video explaining the rib:

Initially I did the side joins just with a sl.st/ch2 which is quick and easy but with the yarn I was using looked a bit tatty...it may look ok with a fluffier yarn.  After much faffing about, I decided the best join I could do was as follows (of course you could always just work it flat and sew up the side when you've done):

And so putting this new found knowledge to good use here's what I did to make small size glove with (large size in brackets):

ch 30(34)
hdc in 3rd from hook, 27(31)sc, join with a sl.st to the top of the ch3, join (as above as are all joins from now)
27(31) hdc in lowest loop of previous row (as rib video) join and repeat this row.
You'll be able to see after a few rounds if this is likely to be a good fit (does it go over the intended hand?) if adjustments need to be made, you can alter the number of the initial chain.  If your going with the bobble trim, you'll need a starter chain that is a multiple of 4, plus 2

repeat this row for as long as you want the cuff (ending with a right side row).

Increase by 4 stitches to accomodate the palm so:
for the smaller size: 2hdc (6hdc, pick up the next in-between loop and create a new hdc) 4 times, 1hdc
for the larger size: 2hdc (7hdc, pick up the next in-between loop and create a new hdc) 4 times, 1hdc

Then do 4 more hdc rib rows to the base of the thumb but just work the sl.st. of the join then proceed:
turn, ch7, skip 5. 26(30) hdc in lowest loop of previous row as before,join to 2nd on ch7
ch2, turn, 31(35) hdc in lowest loop of previous row (including the 5chain), join - you should now have a thumb hole

work a few more rows of hdc rib to the base of the fingers, ending with a right side row and finish off unless you want a bobble row in which case:


at the end of the final row do sl.st, turn as normal then: ch1, then through the usual part of the hdc (rather than the lower loop as rib) sl.st, bobble, (3sl.st, bobble) to last 2 then sl.st to end.
finish off.


bobble:
yarn over
insert hook through next hdc
yarn over, pull through (3 on hook), yarn over, pull through 2 (2 on hook)
insert hook in same space, yarn over, pull through, yarn over, pull through 2, (3 on hook)
repeat last line till 6 on hook then yarn over and pull through all 6

thumb:
rejoin yarn at the first of the missed 5sc and pick up 14hdc around the hole
work 3 or 4 rows of the hdc rib and finish off.

If you're bothered about the join showing slightly on the top then the thumb hole should probably be worked at the end of the round rather than the start for the left glove.  So the ch7, skip is worked at the 26(30)th stitch.

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 :)

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.