Crochet – Page 8 – Celebrate Life!

Crochet: Crocheted Yo-Yo afghan

March 15, 2012May 29, 2012 Aynaria 6 Comments

Initially, I started making small crocheted rounds, to serve as facial scrubs. Although I don’t use them on my face — I just use a washcloth. I know a few people who do purchase those tiny discs to cleanse their face.

Yo yo afghan 1

Which got me thinking… Wouldn’t it be great if I made them some reusable discs? It’d be environmentally friendly, and save them some money too, since they’d just have to toss the crocheted discs into the laundry. Of course someone that of this too. They’re called ‘crochet scrubbies’ .

While making my ‘scrubbies’ I thought how neat it would make an afghan out of all those tiny circles. A few days ago, I discovered what I was calling ‘crochet rounds’ were also known as ‘Crocheted Yo-Yo’s’. I discovered this term, when I was searching for ‘circle afghans’. I didn’t find too much on that, but after some digging via the Google search engine I stumbled upon, ‘Crochet Yo-Yo’s’.

…and that’s how I learned about a Crocheted Yo-Yo afghan!

Of course after I made numerous discs, I stumbled upon a Crocheted Afghan tutorial. I’ve listed them below, enjoy!

Crocheted Yo-Yo Puff

Tutorial: Crocheted Yo-Yo afghan

Crochet; Herding cats

March 7, 2012May 29, 2012 Aynaria 12 Comments

Cats, cats, everywhere…. if my daughter had her way she’d have our house filled with felines.

My daughter absolutely adores cats. She’s been begging me for the longest to get a real cat, but thus far mommy isn’t budging! We have a few pets already; Shih Tzu, two guinea pigs, and one goldfish. So no… I not opening our home to any more animals.

Before the guinea pigs we had four ferrets, that we’d gotten from a local ferret rescue shelter. I absolutely adored them, but I have to admit that once they passed on — I wanted pets that didn’t do too much. Guinea pigs fit the bill nicely.

Amineko yellow 1

Since my daughter knows I’m not budging on a live cat… she’s settled for the stuffed cat toys — for now! I can live with that. High on her priority list are the incredibly cute crocheted cats. Above you can see the amigurumi cat, that I’m crocheting. The majority of it is finished, but I still need to complete a leg, tail, ears, stitch on the eyes, nose, and mouth.

A few weeks ago, I picked up the crochet book, Hello my name is Aminkeo: The Story of a Crafty Crochet Cat. This book differs from many crochet books I have, in that it tells a story (through pictures of crocheted kitties) about a crocheted cat named, Amineko and his friends, and their escapades.

Here’s what’s said about the author…

Born in Tokyo 1967, Nekoyama has been a life-long lover of cats. Cats and their endearing mischief have never failed to cheer her up. She created her first Amineko by accident and has never looked back. Today, she and her husband are the proud parents of many Aminekos. Nekoyama’s first book, A Day In the Life of Amineko, was published in Japan in 2005.

If you own a cat, I’m sure many of you will get a kick out of some of the cat like issues these crocheted cats encounter. I was impressed at how well the author did in mimicking a live cat behavior. I’ve had several cats throughout my life. My daughter loves this book, and has even taken it to her Lutheran school. I imagine to show it off to her classmates.

The direction on how to make these adorable kitties are included near the back of the book. It also has instructions for making additional accessories; fish, squid, and I think a sleep sack. Although I’m still new to crochet, I found the directions quite easy to follow.

Daughter: “Mommy, can you please make me cats in light grey, black, brown, white, red, and green?”

Me: (Mock horror) “All of those! Are you planning on becoming a cat herder?”

Daughter: (big grin) Yep!

Me: (fake grumbling) I’ll be busy for a while! We’ll see…

Daughter: Yeah!

From Wiki…

Herding cats may refer to:

An idiomatic saying that refers to an attempt to control or organize a class of entities which are uncontrollable or chaotic. Implies a task that is extremely difficult or impossible to do, primarily due to chaotic factors.

I’ll definitely post pictures once I finish my first crocheted amineko. Eventually I’ll get around to making her some additional amigurumi kitties. As mentioned in my housecleaning post, I picked up the audiobook 11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King. It came in handy, while I was reorganizing my bedroom. I’m halfway through it now. I’m loving the story, reminds me of Kings earlier work. ll be listening to that, while crocheting the adorable cats.

Edited to add:

Work in Progress Wednesday

I completely forgot it was Work in Progress Wednesday, I’m linking to the following works in progress…

Finished object Friday; Crocheted (dread)loc wrap

January 20, 2012May 29, 2012 Aynaria Leave a comment

Since I opted to black out my websites in protest of PIPA/SOPA I didn’t have the opportunity to participate in Work in Progress Wednesday, however I have finished the dreadlock wrap that I was working on last week. I added about two inches to the back of the wrap, and I added a flower. A crocheted beaded cord was created and woven into the back part of the wrap, to cinch it close.

I’m pleased with the effect, and look forward to making more crocheted head wraps. Over the past several years, I’ve sewn numerous head wraps, and purchased a few crocheted tams also. As much as I love the crocheted items I’ve purchased, it’s nice to be able to make my own.

Amigurumi: Chibi Cat – WIP (Work in Progress)

January 10, 2012May 29, 2012 Aynaria 11 Comments

Crochet Amigurumi Chibi Cat

Amigurumi: Crocheted chibi cat

Yesterday, I posted about my first amigurumi crocheted project. My daughter love cats, and so she asked me to make one for her.

Naturally I agreed, but was a bit puzzled on how I’d turn my first project into a kitty. Look at it, the head is oversized. It literally dwarfs the body. Last evening, I thought about this, while I was working on the arms and legs… Then it hit me! I could make a Chibi cat!

Chibi envy by nuhfanik d34ucmo

Because of this cats oversized head, it easily falls under the Chibi category. You’ll find Chibi’s in Manga (Japanese comics — which I absolutely adore!) Chibi’s are easily recognizable since their limbs are overly exaggerated. I wanted to make the arms and legs smaller, but my daughter wanted them to be ‘normal size’.

Finishing the crocheted amigurumi chibi cat

I still have a bit more to do on this Amigurumi chibi cat. A mouth needs to be added, I still need to crochet ears and a super long and skinny tail — but this being my first amigurumi project, I’m really pleased with how it’s progressing. Regarding the eyes, originally I was going to use buttons (or purchase eyes) for this project, but I opted to crochet the eyes instead. I made one slightly larger than the other, to add to its deformity.

There’s another reason I chose crocheted eyes… Remember when I wrote about The Mother Bear Project? Well… the more I thought about it, I realized that I don’t know how young some of the children might be that receive a hand crocheted or knitted bear. To be on the safe side, I think it’s wise for me to make the items out of fiber, so it won’t be a potential choking hazard. Some of the techniques I’m trying with this project (like the crocheted eyes) will be incorporated into the bears I crochet.

Crochet: No time for idle hands

Today, I’ll be volunteering at my daughters school. It’s open house, and so I’ll be greeting potential parents. I’ll be sure to bring along some yarn, crochet hooks, and perhaps a bit of fiberfill so I can create some more Chibi pets. I’m thinking I’ll make about 17. Once they’re completed, I’ll hand them out to my daughters third grade class. Each school year I make some type of crafted item for her classmates.

My inspiration for this upcoming project comes from Nerdigurumi. I guess, you could say I’m already ahead of the game, since I’ve already made the heads. I made this this past weekend. I discovered her site this morning and have already liked her on Facebook. If you love Amigurumi, stop by the site and check out her adorable crocheted amigurumi critters.

Photo Source: Nuhfanik; Deviant Art

Amigurumi: First attempt; The making of cats

January 9, 2012May 29, 2012 Aynaria 10 Comments

When it comes to art creation, my main form of creativity is fiber; cloth, yarn, natural and synthetic fibers…

Crochet Brian Crane Amigurumi (pronounced ah-mee-goo-roo-mee) has been occupying most of my weekend crochet time. This is fueled by my daughter’s love of stuffed animals, She’s requested that my first amigurumi project be a cat, and so I’ve managed to squeeze hours throughout this weekend to focus on it. I’ve decided to devote some of my crochet time into making amigurumi creatures for my daughter, and some others…

Amigurumi

The word Amigurumi is Japanese, it means “stuffed toy.” The toys are crocheted or knitted. Pretty clever, right?

Crochet Amigurumi Cat 1

Making daughters amigurumi cat

As you can see from the above picture, my daughters amigurumi cat isn’t complete. Actually, I’ll be making two. The second will be smaller than this one. I didn’t follow a pattern, I just picked up a size G crochet hook, and started doing my own thing. No surprise, since when it comes to crafts (or cooking) I rarely follow directions.

I found the head and body was easy to make, although in hindsight I should have made the body more cylindrical in appearance. When I attempted to correct that ‘flaw’ my daughter told me, No! It appears she loves the round body. I’ll make sure I do make corrections with some of my upcoming projects. My daughter is happy with how her kitty is progressing and is clamoring for me to finish.

The legs and arms were a bit of a challenge, until I started using a stitch marker (strip of yarn in another color) to make off my starting point. I believe I’ll remake the tail, since I think it should be slimmer than the legs. I still need to complete the arms.

Perfect timing: 12 for 12 in 2012; Charity

My interest in Amigurumi comes at an excellent time. I’ve mentioned The Mother Bear Project in a few posts, the crocheted and knitted bears that are created and sent to children in underdeveloped countries. My local yarn store, Lovely Yarns, supplies a pattern, but I’ve decided to make my own. I’ve already sketched out the design for that amigurumi bear, the only thing left is to make it. I’m getting my feet wet with the amigurumi cat, once that’s completed I’ll start working on the bear. I’ll be sure to post pictures of both completed projects.

This post should have been posted yesterday, since I’m participating in the 12 for 12 in 2012 Charity Crochet project. Head on over to Kathryn’s crochet blog, to see who else is participating in this project. This weekend, I haven’t been online as much. I’ve been spending time with my daughter, and working on the above amigurumi project.

I realize that everyone isn’t like myself, and might want instructions before they attempt to dive into Amigurumi, and so I’ve included a few links below, enjoy!

Amigurumi Resources

Photo Source: Crochet Spot

WIP Wednesday; Chunky hat and slippers

January 4, 2012May 29, 2012 Aynaria 22 Comments

Today is Work in Progress Wednesday!

Although it’s the first time I’m posting about it here on Celebrate Life, there’s always a project that I’m working with. I’m sure that statement is true for many crafters.

Crochet Chunky Hat Nephew 1

Crochet Chunky Hat Nephew 2

WIP – I need to add a tassel to the hat, still unsure what I’m going to add to the slippers.

Currently, my crochet projects, aren’t too elaborate. I’ve been crocheting for about a month or so. My WIP Wednesday for Tami’s Ami and other Creations, Ambassador Crochet and Ginny of Small Things.

The chunky crocheted hat and slippers I’m creating for my four-year old nephew. I used Lion Brand Yarn; Hometown USA in Tampa Spice. I’m really impressed with how soft this acrylic yarn is, and it’s washable which should make my sister in law happy. I prefer natural fibers, but have been using mostly acrylic while I try out new stitches.

As you can see, I’m almost finished! I’m including a tassel on the hat, and the slippers still seem to be missing something… The good news is this project will be completed today, I’m including a hand-crafted Angry Birds card with his gift, and then his package will be on its way. I can see him wearing the slippers, but a winter hat

Happy hooker: Crocheted my first (human) hat

December 27, 2011May 29, 2012 Aynaria 20 Comments

Crocheted Hat 1 12 27 11

Today, I made my first human crocheted item, a gold hat for my daughter. If you closely look, you might see a bit of pink yarn tied into this crocheted hat. I tend to use bits of yarn as stitch markers.

This hat isn’t completed. I’ll be edging it with pink yarn. Perhaps I’ll add some embellishments? Crocheted flowers would be nice… this hat is for my daughter and though she’s a tomboy — she loves her outfits to be very ‘girly’.

Regarding this hat… a few mistakes were made, but I was able to correct them. I cannot tell you what stitches were used besides the chain hook, single crochet, and a row or two of double crochet. The reason is simple, I let my fingers and hook explore, and tried out a few variations with my crochet hook and this is the crochet stitch that appeared. I used a few variations throughout this crocheted hat project. It sure was a lot of fun. It will be interesting to come back to this piece after I’ve been crocheting for a while. Later this week, I’ll try to do a search and see what’s it’s called. I’ve seen it before, I just don’t know the name. Anyway, I thought this stitched worked well with the hat. It was simple to do, and I liked the lace-like pattern it created.

Crocheting: Doing my own thing

When it comes to crafts, I learn best by simply doing my own thing. Getting acquainted with the artsy vibe of whatever medium I’m working with. After I’ve satisfied that itch, everything falls into place, and I find listening to the experts talk about the craft isn’t hard.You would think since I know what works best for myself, I would have bypassed the books I picked up on crochet, right? Nope, didn’t happen…. I searched Youtube for crochet videos, and even acquired books from the library. Although I did glance over them, and some of the videos (and books) were well written, it didn’t make much sense to me until I explored on my own.

My daughters Monster High dolls now have competition, since I’m slowly starting to make crocheted garments for people.

Did you know that some crocheters call themselves ‘hookers’? It makes sense when you think about it, since a crochet hook is used. When I first heard the term “happy hooker” applied to someone who crochets. I admit I chuckled a bit, since I thought it meant something else entirely.

Category: Crochet