A jute extravaganza...

Last week, I got talked into getting my daughter a hamster.  She's obviously lost interest already but I wouldn't have given in and got it if I didn't quite like the idea of a furry little friend.

Anyway, obviously my first thoughts were....Yay! I'll crochet him a lovely bed.  First attempt was a rather exotic cotton affair that I suspended from the top of the cage...he never even chewed it. Bah.

Then I recalled some jute string that was lurking in the shed and knocked out a little HDC number while my hair dye was doing it's thing.  In my enthusiasm for my new project I forgot to set a timer.  It appears that I can safely leave dye on my hair for 40 mins or so with no ill effects....maybe even better grey coverage perhaps...and the bed is complete. 

He doesn't seem overly impressed.  In fact, he's relocated his nest behind it. Poo.  In hindsight, I think it needs to be bigger, I'd probably better not be dyeing my hair for the next attempt, I may end up bald.

I also made another heart in the string.  I'm sure I should come up with some clever pun here...something about heart strings.  Regardless, I see much jute in my future...

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!

December the 17th ish...

Another one just made up as I went along.  I like orange.  Actually, this is the last of my lovely orange wool.  Poo.  Face done with slip stitch.  This is an absolute pig to do unless you stitch only in the back loop.  Aha!

December 6th..

Now this one turned out a bit better

Pattern found on the marvellous Ravelry site.  It was one of those patterns in Japanese with a squiggly little diagram to follow.  A bit of googling had me following it just fine...mostly.  It wasn't worked in the spirally round and round though but with a slip stitch and single crochet arrangement (at least I think that's what the pattern meant).  I did find it a bit tricky to keep track of which bit to slip stitch to.  I'm too mean to buy markers and got in a right funk trying to use paperclips before discovering that a kirby grip/hair pin/bobby pin whatchmacallem makes an easy solution.  I feel a trip to Claires accessories coming on to see if they do little tiddy ones.