Lil' Duckie Free Pattern

Every once in a while, I need something small -- for a quick gift or just to keep my hands busy. This time around, it was a last minute gift for my daughter's preschool classmates. I stewed on it for a bit and came up with the perfect idea... Lil' Duckie:

He takes only a few ounces of yarn and I can work one up in a little over 1/2 hour -- plus he's ADORABLE! I plan on making one for each of the kids in my daughter's class and adding a tag that says "Hope your summer is just DUCKY!"

Now, don't you worry -- I've always been the giving type. The pattern is already loaded into Ravelry. And because I love you all so much? He's free!

So go forth and populate the world with little duckies.... you know you want to!

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The Newest Dragon

It all started a couple months ago, when a friend and fellow autism parent asked me to design a dragon for her son. Her son is a big fan of How To Train Your Dragon, and my friend specifically asked me to make sure the dragon looked like Toothless, the lovable and quirky companion of Hiccup, the story's hero.

I wanted the dragon to fulfill my friend's request, but I also wanted to make this design my own. I have a deep-rooted love for dragons that goes all the way back to my childhood -- and so, after many attempts, I have finally finished it... my Amigurumi Dragon II.

 

Why "II," you ask? The design builds on many of the techniques used in my original Fairy Tale Dragon pattern and would make a great companion piece. While the new dragon is a little larger than its predecessor, that length comes mostly in the tail -- the two look great together.

Make no mistake... this pattern is challenging. But with 10 pages of instructions and more than 25 photos, intermediate and advanced crocheters should be able to tackle it with no problems. And of course, I'm always here if you get into a bind!

The pattern is available through Ravelry and Etsy. For more information on materials, finished size, and to purchase a copy, please visit the main page for this pattern.

And I'd love to see your finished projects, so message me on Ravelry or visit me on Facebook to give me a shout!

Meet Mouse

If you follow me on Facebook, you're probably already familiar with the little dickens who has been giving me so much trouble lately. If not, let me introduce you...

This, my friends, is Mouse.

Mouse started out harmless enough, but no sooner were his arms attached than Mouse decided to teach me a thing or two. You see, Mouse is a knitter.

Mouse complained. He whined. He told me that winter in Cleveland was "just too much for him." So, I gave him a pair of needles and let him pick from my yarn stash.

Wouldn't you know it, that little bugger knitted himself a sweater?

But it wasn't enough to show me a thing or two with the pointy sticks. Mouse, it seems, has an ego that is waaaay bigger than his little sweater. And Mouse? He threw down the gauntlet. He told me that there was no way I could crochet a sweater better than his knitted sweater.

Looking back, I'm a fool for going along with it. In Mouse's mind, there was no way I would ever win. In fact, the little stinker refused to even model the sweater I made him. I had to make a second Mouse!

But Mouse (and his more-than-mouse-sized attitude) is here to stay. And, if I've learned anything about my recent adventures with Mouse, we'll definitely be hearing more from him.

Want to get started on a little knitting adviser of your very own? I got your hook-up. You can view pattern details on Mouse and (both sweater options) here, not to mention download your copy via Ravelry pattern download for just $4.00 (no Ravelry account needed).

As always, if you prefer to go through Ravelry directly, you can do that here. Mouse will also be available in my Etsy shop for a little extra if you prefer to have the pattern personally emailed to you.

It Helps That She Is Addicted...

Autism has not been an easy part of our lives, but it does have some benefits -- especially with my most recent project. It all goes back to when a friend asked me if I would be willing to make up an amigurumi Toothless for her son.

For those of you who are not in the know, "Toothless" is the black Night Fury dragon featured in the Dreamworks movie, How to Train Your Dragon. The character is amazingly well done and draws on the anatomy and personalities of more animals than I can count. And... it's all black. Of course, that means that it has been extremely difficult for me to get the real feel for the dragon's shape (and translate that shape into crochet).

I looked at art from Dreamworks, fan art, images across the internet... I Googled until my eyes were about to fall out of my head. But I could not get the shape of that dragon. So, I bought the movie and settled in with my Little Miss to watch.

The movie was an instant hit. And things that become an instant hit in our house are requested constantly. This is more than your typical kid who likes to watch Nemo until he's memorized all the words. Hit movies in our house are watched daily. At Least.

And so, after watching the movie for probably the 15th time in a week and a half, Toothless began to take shape.

My first draft was done in red (because black yarn is such a bear to keep track of stitches). And with that finished, I took a deep breath, balled up a skein of Red Heart in black, and got started.

Don't get me wrong... I was happy with my first draft -- but just because I don't need to watch the movie anymore doesn't mean we're going to stop. So, as we watched the movie again last night (for the second time on that particular day), I started noticing that I wasn't all that happy with my first draft after all.

The neck was too long... for one. Remove a couple rounds there... add to the tail that was just a touch too short.

And then... the frill around the neck? I was missing one of those little flaps (well, one on each side -- so two to be precise). Rip that out... re-do...

But the one that really got me? The front legs were WAY too short! That's actually the part I'm working on right now.

Tonight, we'll probably watch the movie again (because in our house, that's how we roll) -- and I'll probably decide to re-work something else. But this design? I think it's going to be worth it.

And for those of you who are wondering, there most likely will be an "Amigurumi Dragon #2" pattern coming out (inspired by our pal Toothless, of course). If you want to keep tabs on the progress, check out my Facebook page!

Custom Yarn from The Fine Lime

We've all been sick around here -- I don't know whether it's a cold or the flu -- or some hellish combination of both. But it is what it is.

Most of the past week and a half I have been too sick and tired to even pick up my hook, but I had to make an exception for a lovely custom-spun rainbow yarn that I got from The Fine Lime.

The most fascinating part for me is the process the fiber goes through in order to become a finished product. This particular project started out as a braid from The Wild Hare Fiber Studio -- similar to the one shown in the upper right side of the photo below:

Photo by Monica McDonald (The Fine Lime)

Then, Monica (the spinning wonder behind The Fine Lime) works her magic on the fiber to turn it into this:

My *ACTUAL* yarn being spun! Photo by Monica McDonald

From Monica's spinning wheel, the fiber is presented for sale (where hopeless yarn junkies like me wait to snap it up!)...

The finished product - Photo by Monica McDonald

And from there? The yarn could become any number of things -- but in my hands? It became this:

If you want to get in on all the best stuff from The Fine Lime, I recommend looking Monica up on Facebook. She posts new fiber hauls and her own custom dyes -- but you have to act quickly: her beautiful work goes fast!

Amigurumi Patterns: All in one place!

I had no idea what a challenge I was in for when I decided to put all my amigurumi patterns together in one place! But hip, hip, hooray -- it is done!

To browse my patterns, grouped by theme/collection, just click the Amigurumi Patterns tab above this post.

Once you're onto the Amigurumi Patterns page, you can click the pattern thumbnails to learn more about each pattern (including difficulty, hook/yarn requirements, and the stitches used). If you like what you see, you can purchase the pattern using an instant download (via PayPal) or check out other purchase options.

I'm so excited to have things better organized for you and I can't wait to hear what you think.

Happy crocheting!

New Look & Updates to Free Patterns!

The Itsy Bitsy Spider has been needing a facelift for a while and the blah winter here in Cleveland has inspired me!

I started off with some fresher, brighter colors and an update on the banner. Spider even got himself a crochet hook out of the deal...

But the real exciting part is what I'm working on with the patterns. I want ot make it easier for you to get to my patterns right from this site, so I'm rolling up my sleeves, organizing and linking and VIOLA!

I started with the free patterns. Once you get to the free pattern page, you can pick and choose from the thumbnails and then go on to read about the pattern itself -- everything from yarn/hook requirements to the stitches you need to know in order to make it.

Love what you see? Click "Download" and grab your hook!

 

My next goal is to start tackling the "for sale" patterns. So, happy crocheting and see you soon!