Cupcakes, Anyone?

Here's a shocking true confession: I don't cook. At all. Having been lucky enough to marry a man who is, in addition to his many other fine qualities, an *awesome* cook; in 41 years, I've probably made dinner eight or nine times, and I'd estimate that six of those consisted of microwaving the leftovers of something he made in the first place. But... I do love to make CUPCAKES... out of yarn, obviously. 

This adorable Amigurumi Cupcake Pattern is one of the first I ever downloaded, probably fifteen years ago, and I was delighted to see that it's still available for free on Nimoe's Blog.* I used Lion Brand Yarn's Vanna's Choice, which is my favorite yarn for amigurumi. The difference in the sizes of these cupcakes is just a variation of hook size; and, for the record, the blue one is not super-crookedy irl, I'm not sure why it looks odd, lol.

I grabbed some inexpensive cupcake boxes from the confectionary section of my crafty big box store, which I think really adds to the presentation. Plus, it made the cupcakes a lot easier to wrap! 

*Where there's also an outstanding Neko Cat Pattern that I enjoyed making, as well!

Deja Moo!

Last year I made not one, but two Crocheted Highland Cows...they were (obviously!) outstanding in their field. And now here's another one, made for our grand-niece, Gracie's birthday. 

Gracie's mom was sweet enough to send some fun pics!

The pattern for this shaggy beauty is called Highland Cow Crochet Pattern and is available in the Knot Nook Etsy Shop.

I used Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice Yarn in Honey; with Black hooves and Beige horns and snoot.  

This time out I invented a new way to create and attach the tail. I've awarded myself bonus points for remembering to write it down on the pattern sheet!

Fun fact: the shaggy coat is composed of approximately 450 five-inch lengths of yarn. Uncle Jeff has become a master at producing these en masse. Jeff is also in charge of setting the safety eyes for all creatures... because they are kind of hard to click! 

Let's TACO 'bout Ornaments

The last few years I've made some sort of holiday ornament for my nieces and nephew; usually crocheted... often an amigurumi food. In a good year, I make a bunch and other folks get them too; but this year was a bit of a limited edition:

This "Happy Lil Taco" pattern came from The Knotty Boss, but it's an older pattern and I can not seem to find a link to it. 

Here are some happy Taco Lovers (& their Abuela; aka my mom) showing off their Happy Lil Tacos.

I used Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice yarn in Mustard and Chocolate (a combination that works beautifully as colors but probably NOT as foods, lol) with several different shades of red and green for the lettuce and tomatoes, because I had leftover balls of yarn to use up.

Just in case you're thinking that Taco Ornaments are utterly bizarre and unprecedented, here's proof from my last trip to Wegman's that they are, in fact, perfectly on trend! :) :) :)

Did She Say, "Collage Box"?

Yes. Yes, I did. What IS a collage box? It's a gift box that instead of being temporarily covered in wrapping paper, gets its top and bottom permanently covered in vintage paper; in this case a large scale map of Bucks and Montgomery Counties in Eastern Pennsylvania* circa 1975.

After covering both parts of the box with the map (I like Scotch Create Gluestick for this sort of operation) I added my collage bits which consist of: torn pieces of 49 and Market Sherbet Lace 4" wide washi tape; vintage South American bus tickets; vintage Red Stamps; torn sheet music and text paper; some Chinese roses and a Sewing Pattern Lady. So what's in the box?

Is it a flower? Well, kind of. It turns out that any scarf with a ruffly edge can be twirled into a flower-like shape before wrapping, as you can see. Here's a photo where it looks much more scarf-like:

This pattern is called Open Lace Skinny Scarf (or possibly Poppy Scarf) by Emily Johannes aka @emilyj.designs who has also an Etsy Shop called Girlpower Designs. I made this one sliiiiiiightly skinner than the original because I was using up two different variegated luxury yarns, paired with Lion Brand's TruBoo and I wasn't sure if I'd have enough, which... I only just barely made it to the end, so my plan to go back and add rows to the flat edge, making it less floppy had to be abandoned. 

It's very pretty though. And VERY long. Possibly not super warm but... you can't have everything, right?

Here's the box again, I used a piece of vintage sari silk to hold the box shut. If you're NOT into collage or fancy/permanent gift wrapping, I still highly recommend using non-traditional types of paper for gift wrapping: large maps, old posters, and those cool folded infographics that are sometimes tucked inside National Geographic, are all faves of mine. Even an old standby from my childhood: wrapping gifts in the comics pages from the newspaper has a fun, distinctive look that your recipient will love and are super-economical, as well! Torn fabric, tulle, sari silk, twine and yarn all make great substitutes for ribbon... and you'll be LITERALLY thinking "outside the box"!!! ♥

*Fun fact: On the left hand side of the box's top, you can see the area where my brother and his family live... but since the map is from 25+ years before the subdivision was built, not even the roads are there yet!

Tiny Ice Cream Keychain

If you need a fun, fast and FREE amigurumi pattern, I recommend this tiny Ice Cream Cone Keychain from @seynooodesign which I made in the old school flavor trio of Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry. I used Knit Picks' gorgeous Palette Yarn (which comes in more colors than any other variety I've seen!) in Cotton Candy, White, Bark and Doe on a C hook which... let me just say that 41 year old me had MUCH BETTER eyesight than 61 year old me has, so this is definitely as small as I'm ever going to be working anytime soon again! But... there's no denying that the small scale makes this especially cute and appealing. BTW, there is an entire Seynooo Design Etsy Shop full of beautiful patterns for other foods, adorable characters and even some beautiful realistic artist dolls like Frida Kahlo and Vincent Van Gogh; you should probably check it out! :)

Hey Little Pumpkin!

Here's a fast and easy Autumnal crochet project for which you can use ANY yarn, including leftovers (which is what I did); the pattern is FREE from Sarah Maker's website and you can choose between three sizes. There's only minimal finishing, as well, which is a big fave of mine. Also, it's worked flat rather than in the round, which I know a lot of folks prefer; and you need only know a few basic stitches, so this is a great project for beginners.

I used one strand of Lion Brand TruBoo and one strand of the leftovers of some fancy yarn store variegated yarn that I can't remember the name of; on a G or F hook... but truly, this is one of those projects where you can pretty much wing it and still come away with an adorable make!

Grab a Slice?

This pizza is high in fibers (acrylic ones, lol!) and has zero calories and fat!

It's about throw-pillow-sized; but you probably get a better sense of it when modeled by a small nephew...

...and also a slightly larger nephew!

Notes for crocheters: I used the Pizza Slice Pillow pattern from @HMKHandmade Etsy Shop with two strands of Vanna's Choice Yarn (in Beige, Mustard and Scarlet) on an L hook; then a single strand and an F hook for the toppings (White, Scarlet, Cranberry and Olive). I chose to make my onions as rings and I added tomato slices... just because I liked how they looked. 

Big Big Fishy

Last year for my niece Maddie's birthday I made her an XL amigurumi goldfish cracker using Bernat's Big Blanket yarn and The Crochet Code's Goldie the Fish pattern. This year I've literally doubled down and made an even bigger version!

Details for crocheters: To make a big(ish) goldfish amigurumi, use one strand of Bernat's Big Blanket yarn in orange and an M hook; to make a big BIG goldfish, use two strands of the same yarn and a Q hook.

Don't Have a Cow, Man!

Have TWO! Crocheted Highland Cows that is, outstanding in their field. Made by special request, for two special little ladies who've just had birthdays. 

The pattern for these shaggy beauties is called Highland Cow Crochet Pattern and is available in the Knot Nook Etsy Shop. I used Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice Yarn in Honey and Chocolate, respectively; with Black hooves and Beige horns and snoots.

Dim Sum Inspired Amigurumi

My latest amigurumi ornament creation is a Laureny "wing it" special: a simple bao-style bun with safety eyes, piggie ears and a little snout. Scroll down to see the inspiration!

These sweet piggie buns are one of our must-haves at my favorite NJ dim sum palace, Qin Dynasty in Parsippany. On the menu they're called Steamed Custard Buns and they have the texture of a Steamed Pork Bun, with a filling of pineapple-y custard. 

When I had them for the first time, I not only knew that I wanted to eat them again the next time we were there, but also that I was pretty sure I knew how to make a crocheted version (...like ya do, lol...) as holiday ornaments! So (as you can see) I did. I used Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Fisherman and Pink. The edible buns sadly don't have twirly piggie tails, but I was able to correct this oversight for the crocheted ones!

If you happen to live within driving distance of Parsippany, I highly recommend Qin Dynasty. They only have cart service on Saturdays and Sundays; but their full menu of dim sum dishes is available to order at anytime for lunch, dinner or takeout. As always, the perfect number of friends to share dim sum is THREE and these two (Elisabeth and Duke) make up the ultimate festive lunch posse:

As you can see, the meal made us so happy, we got a little blurry, lol! ♥♥♥

How About Some Dim Sum?!

Something which is *ALMOST* as much fun as meeting friends for dim sum is crocheting tiny dumplings, shu mai and sesame balls!

I used an excellent set of Dim Sum Playfood Patterns from the SkyMagenta Etsy Shop; this set has ELEVEN patterns. including a crocheted bamboo steamer, though I elected to purchase an inexpensive steamer instead to hold the crocheted bounty.

The official pattern didn't call for eyes, but I couldn't resist adding them; I love how the little guys seem to be peeping up at you when you open the steamer lid! The only other adjustment was to add a few more colors for variety; and, having recently remembered how to make bobbles, I worked a few into the tops or edges of some, again for variety and interest. 

I used Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice throughout with a slightly smaller hook than usual (a G in this case). Colors are Fisherman, Beige, Honey, Dusty Green, Mustard and Pink. And now I REALLY want some dumplings!!! :)

Let's Go Gecko

What's grey and green and hilarious and good at typing? Gordon the Amigurumi Gecko, of course! Made especially for Nephew Matthew's birthday. 

This pattern is called Gayle the Crested Gecko Amigurumi; it was designed by Charlyn Smith and is available in her Etsy Shop, Critterific Crochet. You can see lots more cute/realistic crocheted critters on her IG account @critterific_crochet.

I used (sadly discontinued) Mani Pedi yarn from Lion Brand in the Yoga colorway; though I "stacked the deck" by using the grey and green sections I had skipped over when making ami fishes a while back. I enjoyed making this and would recommend this well-written, intermediate level pattern (with LOTS of great photos and even links to some helpful videos) to anyone who is moderately skilled at crochet and likes lizards. 

Crochet Can You See

Just a few yarn-centric gifts I've made so far this summer:

 Finn Diesel is a goldfish cracker who loves cheesy jokes, cheesy fries and... well, pretty much anything cheesy! He's just gone back to college where he's majoring in Ichthyology and minoring in (you guessed it!) Cheese. He's met his roommate (my niece Maddie, pictured below) and they're already BFFFs: Best Fishy Friends Forever.

Goldie the Fish no-sew crochet pattern from Crochet Code AU Etsy Shop made up VERY quickly thanks to excellent design and a clear, well-illustrated pattern; Crocheted with an M hook in Bernat's Blanket Brights Yarn, Carrot Orange.

Mister Beary Berger is a handsome entree, looking for lunch in all the wrong places. He'd like to meet some outgoing french fries (preferably crocheted, but knitted would be ok) to share his plate!

Hamburger crochet pattern by Joyce Overheul from Vliegende Hollander Ravelry Shop; with snoot and ear adaptations downloaded a couple of years ago from a blog that sadly no longer exists. Crocheted with a G hook in Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Yarn, Honey, Beige, Chocolate, Mustard, Sweet Pea and Scarlet.

Finally, meet Fleur, a tiny crocheted watering can full of flowers who's bloomin' happy to be here. 

 Excellent and easy -to-follow Kawaii Watering Can pattern by Olga Novytska of Aradiya Toys with LOTS of detailed photos; crocheted with a G hook in Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Yarn, Silver Heather, Sea Spray Mist, Raspberry and Magenta.

The WRITE Stuff

I love to crochet, I may have mentioned that, lol. A lot of the things I make are teeny tiny and crocheted in the round, but this time I WENT BIG and made this Crafty Pencil Pillow, using am adorable pattern from Ashley Stallsworth who is on Ravelry and Instagram as A Crafty Concept. 

Details for yarncrafters: I used Vanna's Choice from Lion Brand Yarn and a J hook. The yarn colors are: Mustard (barrel of pencil); Fisherman (wood); Charcoal (lead); Silver Heather (eraser holder); and Pink (eraser). The pattern is well written and easy to follow; finishing was minimal and straightforward. This Crafty Pencil Pillow worked up quickly and was a lot of fun to make.

TURTLE-y Awesome

Meet Shelly Turtletaub, the cutest Sunflower Turtle you've ever seen! Ok, possibly the only Sunflower Turtle you've ever seen. Even as a keen Amigurumian* I've only just stumbled upon the bewilderingly awesome world of crocheted novelty turtles** there are strawberry turtles, cupcake turtles, pancake and bacon turtles, (I swear I'm not making this up!) cherry pie turtles, bowl of cereal turtles, succulent turtles, ice cream sundae turtles, cheeseburger turtles and every kind of flower turtle you can possibly imagine, including (circling back to Shelly) Sunflower Turtles!

This Crochet Sunflower Turtle Pattern from Heathers Boutique US Etsy Shop was made by special request. I used Vanna's Choice from Lion Brand Yarn, but to achieve a slightly larger turtle (from snoot to tail Shelly measures about 11") I held two strands together and used a J hook. Colors used: Honey (shell); Mustard (petals); and one strand of Sweet Pea with one strand of Dusty Green for the rest... a combination I devised because I didn't have enough of either color to make all the parts; as it turned out, the slightly mottled coloring is much more Turtle-y than either would've been alone! (I had a Bob-Ross-style "happy accidents" moment when this occurred!) :)

If you were going to design a "Crossover Creature" what would it be? Off the top of my head, my favorite ideas so far are... let's see... Banana Stegosaurus? Daisy Jellyfish? Ice Cream Cone Planets? Hmmmmm... 

*Probably technically not a word, but it should be!!!

**Seriously, there are soooooo many and plenty have free patterns available, but I've LINKED TO the strand on Etsy because it had the most photos in one place together!

Meet Octavia

Octavia is a Baby Octopus who enjoys swimming, and would like to learn how to ride a sea horse someday. With eight arms, she is especially good at giving hugs. Her favorite color is (of course!) purple. 

Octavia is based on this free pattern from The Friendly Red Fox's website, where there are LOTS of free crochet patterns, tips and tutorials, definitely worth checking out. I used a combination of hand-me-down acrylic yarns for this, the purple and white are both Studio Samples by Nicole; the variegated yarn is Wendy Peter Pan from Thomas Ramsden, held together with a strand of the lilac to get a bulkier gauge. 

PS: True Story: When my nephew Matthew was about three he was VERY into sea creatures and  knew a lot about aquatic life. At one point I made reference to an octopus having eight arms, to which Matthew said, very politely, "I think you mean *TENTACLES* Aunt Lauren." ♥♥♥

Holiday Treats

These adorable crocheted macarons were this year's handmade ornament, and while you can't eat them, they're still pretty sweet! 

This paragraph is the knitty gritty details, so if you don't crochet or have any interest in yarncraft, you can skip it! French Macaron Cookies pattern by JuliHMtoys available in her Etsy Shop. Macarons crocheted with a C-hook in Lion Brand Yarn's TruBoo, rayon yarn made from bamboo; this was my first time using it, and admittedly I chose it for the colors, slightly glossy finish and (crucially!) the fact that it was on sale and the correct weight for my project; but like everything from Lion Brand, it's a very nice yarn to work with and I recommend it heartily. Colors: Goldenrod, Mulberry, Mint, Light Blue and Cameo, with soft Silver for the frosting. (They do make a bright white as well, but it was not in-stock at the big box store on the day I was shopping, so I went with the best shade available.)

It's Taco... Thursday?

I was scrolling through the photos on my phone and realized I never posted the incredibly awesome, GIANT Taco Pillow I made for my nephew Matthew's birthday in September; so here it is now!

This project was inspired by the adorable Happy Lil Taco @theknottyboss offers as a free pattern. As you can see, I super-sized it by crocheting with three strands of Vanna's Choice from @lionbrandyarn (Mustard, Duckie and Beige add up to the variegated shade of a crunchy corn taco shell, in case you wondered) and working until my taco shell circle was approximately 22" in diameter; a measurement scientifically based on that being when I ran out of the lightest shade. To make the curly lettuce (one strand of Sweet Pea and one of Radiant Lime) I used the stitch progression @walkerwhimsy devised for the clouds on her Rainy Day Scarf, but worked as an edging. The tomatoes are just half-circles of red, and again their size and quantity were based on when I ran out of Scarlet yarn. The cute mustachio was also a free pattern, which I unfortunately did not save; but if you Google "crocheted mustache pattern" you'll be spoilt for choice. 

I'd write more about this but it's nearly lunchtime and now I really REALLY want some tacos!

Make Your Own Rainbow!

Flashing back to the autumn of 2012: Hurricane Sandy left us without electricity for eleven days, and pretty much the only thing I could accomplish in the evenings, by candlelight, were very simple (and BRIGHT!) crochet projects, so I made a few of Caitlin Walker's beautiful Rainy Day Scarves from a free pattern she had posted on her blog. A few weeks ago I stumbled upon the pattern again in one of my yarncraft notebooks and thought it was exactly what I wanted to make for my niece Maddie's birthday. So I did.

I changed the clouds from grey to white... less realistic, but better with this lighter palette, I thought. One my Maddie's favorite colors is aqua, so I chose the other shades to incorporate it. Lion Brad's Vanna's Choice is a medium weight acrylic with a huge palette, so it tends to be my go-to for amigurumis and other colorful projects. In this case I used Periwinkle, Colonial Blue, Aquamarine, Radiant Lime, Mustard, Goldfish and Raspberry for the rainbow and a J hook to keep the stitches loose and the fabric comfortably pliant.

Slightly tangentially to the above, is an idea about keeping a record of one's yarn creations. If, like me, you're a crocheter or knitter who makes mostly gift items, you probably already photograph and post your projects, so it might seem silly to also PRINT the pics and put them all in a little book together. but... I highly recommend it! Not only is it fun to look back on allllllllllllllllllll the things you've made, but it's incredibly helpful for remembering what you've made for whom and when; as well as what pattern you used, which yarn and needle/hook size, and any changes or adjustments you made to the pattern; specific colorways, etc.

You obviously don't need to make a special ATC book (hey... I'm a papercrafter... it's what I do, lol) it could be as simple as pasting pictures into a blank book and writing the date with a few notes, or using index or rolodex cards in a little filing system, but I believe you will find it as helpful and inspiring as I do to have ALL of your previous projects in one handy place! 

I'd write more about this idea, but it'd be taking away time from working on my next yarn creation, which is an amigurumi ice cream cone! ♥

PS: Blogger is another great record-keeping tool, especially since it's searchable; a quick check of tags reveals that I originally made and posted this Ami Minibook in August of 2010 and you can read all about it right HERE! :) 

A (Daisy) Heart-felt Gift!

Papercrafting is, of course, my favorite creative pursuit, but it's not something you can do in a waiting room, or riding in the car, so my "portable" sub-craft involves yarn. I can knit and crochet, though in the last few years I've done more of the latter. This sweet little purse is a birthday present I made for one of our grandnieces and I think it turned out nearly as cuuuuuute as she is!

This adorable Daisy Heart Granny Purse Crochet Pattern is free from Daisy Cottage Designs and she has lots more patterns for all kinds of projects. I changed the strap slightly and used Vanna's Choice Yarn from Lion Brand.