Roundup

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Got a few quick projects done this past week.

A few more ewoks, for starters.

The pattern is by Etsy designer Lucy Ravenscar and can be purchased here. I used the small hook for these guys again (E), though I did end up going up a hook size to G for the second two hoods. As you can see on the bottom one, the hood with the size E hook didn't really fit the ewoks. I only made bigger hoods for two of them though because my daughter had already claimed the first one. I ended up letting her keep it since these are a surprise for someone anyway and they won't be expecting a set number.

She was just so sad when I told her the ewoks weren't for her. I couldn't resist, especially after she dug out her Princess Leia for the ewok to play with.

I also made a little fall housewarming gift for my stepmother, that I will be sending her way this week.

Pumpkin Bowl by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Crochet Pumpkin Treat Bowl by Meredith Crawford (available for free at her blog, One Sheepish Girl)
Yarn: Knit Picks Brava in Orange, remnant green and brown
Hooks: US G, US H

This was super quick and easy. I did it in an evening. I did end up using a different leaf pattern (kind of just winged it, actually) because I got a little confused by the pattern provided for the leaf. I am pretty sure that was just my ineptitude though.

Anyhoo, so that's what I've been up to.

I will not be updating with any more projects again until December, since National Novel Writing Month kicks off tomorrow. I will still be working on stuff though when I am not writing, so hopefully once I start posting again, I will have lots of things to show you. In the meantime, if you're curious about what I am working on, I'll be keeping (or at least trying to keep) the current project list over on the left side of the blog updated for you.

My goal is to get that dang shawl finished before I start posting again, too. Fingers crossed.

Until then, have a happy November, you guys!

Past, Present, Future

Remember when I mentioned that I had done another small quickie project but couldn't show it to you?

Well, it was another Ewok, part of my sister's birthday package. I am rather happy with how he came out.

Oh Look, Another Ewok by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Ewok Star Wars Mini Amigurumi by Lucy Ravenscar (available for purchase at Etsy here)
Yarn: remnants from my stash
Hook: US E

I decided to try using the smaller hook for this one, and I like how it turned out, so I think I'll keep using that size for future Ewoks.

I am told that my nephew tried to appropriate this little guy when he arrived at his new home, so he was definitely a hit.

Currently I am very close to finishing my last blanket of the year (HUZZAH!!!), as in, I will probably finish it later today. As in, I only have one row of the border left. I am kind of in love with how this has turned out. It is just simple granny squares but I played with the colors a little and tried a different method of joining (as part of the color play) than I usually use. I can't wait to show it to you guys!

Next up, I have a few more Ewoks to make. Don't look at me like that. I have a lot of friends who like Star Wars, and of the amigurumi patterns I got for that, these guys are the cutest/quickest/easiest to make. So, yeah. Expect lots of Ewoks in the future, is all I have to say about that, I guess.

I also have a special project in mind for a friend of mine that will finally give me an excuse to use this awesome yarn:

Nerd Girl Yarns Shimma in Stargate colorway.

Then a few other small projects left on my list for the year. If those go over well, I want to make a new pair of fingerless mitts for myself, a pair for my daughter, and then try to squeeze in a pair of socks or a sweater for myself. Oh, and that shawl, of course. We shall see how all of that goes.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

Bits and Pieces

Over the last month or so, I did a lot of crafting for my daughter's birthday, which was last week.

The first (and big) thing was one of her actual presents. I may have mentioned before that her favorite show is Phineas and Ferb. If you are not familiar with the show, the titular characters have a pet platypus named Perry (who is actually a secret agent, fighting the town's resident evil scientist). I found a pattern for the platypus, in pet form, and decided that I just had to make one for my daughter.

So I did.

Perry the Platypus by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Plushie Pet Platypus by Melissa Mall (available for free here)
Yarn: Knit Picks Brava Worsted in Tidepool, Orange, and Persimmon (one ball each)
Hook: US G

I am really really proud of how he turned out (even though I put his front legs on a little far back, I think). My daughter was absolutely thrilled with him and has enjoyed carrying him around and having adventures with him since she opened that gift. So I think that counts as a win all around.

On top of making her a present, I also made a few favors for her birthday party guests. It was a Star Wars theme, and for the kiddos I made light sabers out of pool noodles and duct/electrical tape, which were a big hit. But there were a few smaller kids invited, so I wanted to make sure I had something for them as well. I also wanted to have some prizes for kids for the games (that we kind of ended up ignoring completely, but oh well).

So, I dipped back into that stash of Star Wars amigurumi patterns by Lucy Ravenscar that I had purchased from Etsy last year.

Star Wars Party!

Ewoks by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Ewok Star Wars Mini Amigurumi by Lucy Ravenscar (available for purchase here).

Princess Leias by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Princess Leia Star Wars Mini Amigurumi by Lucy Ravenscar (available for purchase here).

Stormtroopers by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Stormtrooper Star Wars Mini Amigurumi by Lucy Ravenscar (available for purchase here).

I just used remnant yarn for them, none of them take up very much, and a size US G hook. The patterns call for a smaller hook, actually, but that wasn't working for me. These guys are all a lot of fun and very quick to make. They also seemed to go over well at the party. There ended up only being three kiddos plus my daughter there, only one of them too young for the light sabers, so I ended up just letting everyone pick one out to take home, and sent another home for an older sister who wasn't able to make it. Plus, Baby Girl ended up getting to keep one of the Leias and a stormtrooper, so win!

Anyhoo, doing all of these smaller projects really helped to get my crochet mojo back in gear, I think. That, and the really gorgeous new set of crochet hooks I got for my birthday. So on Sunday I dived back in to working on the dragon blanket and am now past the halfway point, huzzah! I am going to aim to get five rows done a day, which should have me through the tricky part in the next week. Fingers crossed I can make that work, because then I can have this puppy finished by the end of the month, which is my goal.

Judge Me By My Size, Do You?

In between all of my blankets (and sometimes during) I have been trying to keep myself from getting bogged down with lots of quick smaller projects, as you know. One of those recent projects was a birthday present for a friend of mine.

Yoda by Cori 2012.

Pattern: Yoda Star Wars Mini Amigurumi by Lucy Ravenscar
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Honeydew, Buff, and Coffee (with some black for the mouth and safety eyes)
Hook: US G

Oh my goodness this little guy was so easy and quick to make! I think he maybe took two hours, and hardly any yarn. I will definitely be making more of him. The pattern has also been updated since I purchased it to include a removable robe, which I think is pretty spiffy. Now I just need to figure out how to crochet a teeny tiny lightsaber to go with that. I don't think it will be too hard.

I have several more Star Wars amigurumi patterns from the same author (I bought them in a package deal), so I look forward to making a little Darth Vader or storm troopers for future Yodas to fight with. Maybe I can figure out how to modify the storm troopers to make them clone troopers like in The Clone Wars.

Huzzah for small, quick, and fun!