Sunday, May 28, 2017

Warm weather and warm feelings

Hello all,
 
My summer vacation is halfway thorugh and then I'm starting my practice. I went to my grandparents summer cottage and because it is so far away from my home and I had to time crochet during the drive. 
I know that not everyone can knit or read while driving, but for me I'm happy that I can use that time well and do something. When I was a kid I just felt sick in car but in high school I had to go by bus and I didn't like sitting in a bus for a long time so I started reading and knitting and somehow I manged to survive through those boring bus rides to school.

But this is what I made this week: a flowerfield dress for someone aroun 2 years. The pattern was from an old magazine I got from great-great-aunt years ago. I had stored purple yarn but I used all the yarn for my laptop case, but these yarns are way much cuter. I had decided to make this dress already when I first received the crochet magazine. 
First I thought that it was too hard to make, but in the end the chart was well written and even flower pattern was well made so the dress took probably just two days to make.
 I haven't done any crocheted clothes before because in my opinion knitting just looks better, but maybe I'll do something similar to this in the future. My little sister suggested that I should make another with hearts on it. I made the hem from my old dress' fabric that I haI just hope to find a little girl that can wear this dress 👸

- Happy end of May for everyone
 



Monday, May 22, 2017

*Lynx* free pattern



I like wildcats, though I've only seen them in zoos. My grandma did see one at grandparents summer cottage few years ago though, but I guess our family is too noisy when we visit that place and we scare away every animal there is...
I had an idea to make a Eurasian lynx and this is what I came up with: 
My sister says that he is too skinny and she is quite good critic, so maybe you should add one increase and decrease row if you want to


Lynx
 
You need:
DK yarn about 70grams (yellowish yarn), I used Drops Muskat
Little bit of brown, black and white yarn
3mm hook
Safety eyes
Stuffing
Tapestry needle
Pattern in US terms

Body (make 1), with yellow yarn:

Ch2, 6sc to 2nd ch from the hook. 
 1)      2sc in each sc
2)      [2sc, 1sc] repeat to end
3)      [2sc, 1sc x2] repeat to end
4)      [2sc, 1sc x3] repeat to end.
5)       [2sc, 1sc x4] repeat to end
6)      [2sc, 1sc x5] repeat to end
7)      – 16 ) sc-around
17) [sc-dec, 1sc x5] repeat around
18-19) sc around
20) [sc-dec, 1sc x4] repeat around
21) sc around
22) [sc-dec, 1sc x3] repeat around
23) [sc-dec, 1sc x2] repeat around
24) [sc-dec, 1sc] repeat around


Head (make 1 with yellow yarn)

Ch2, 6sc to 2nd ch from the hook.
1)      2sc in each sc
2)      [2sc, 1sc] repeat to end
3)      [2sc, 1sc x2] repeat to end
4)      [2sc, 1sc x3] repeat to end.
5)       [2sc, 1sc x4] repeat to end
6)      [2sc, 1sc x5] repeat to end
7)      [2sc, 1sc x6] repeat to end.
8)      – 11) sc around
12) 2sc, 1sc x 2, 2sc, 1scx2, 2sc, sc to end
13) 2sc, 1sc x 5 , 2sc, sc to end
14) 1sc, sc-dec, 1sc x5, sc-dec, sc to end
15) sc-dec, 1sc, sc-dec, 1sc, sc-dec, sc to end
16) [sc-dec, 1sc x6] repeat around
17) [sc-dec, 1sc x5] repeat around
18) [sc-dec, 1sc x4] repeat around
19) [sc-dec, 1sc x3] repeat around
20) [sc-dec, 1sc x2] repeat around
21) [sc-dec, 1sc] repeat around

Legs (make 2)
With brown yarn: Ch 5, sc to 2nd ch from the hook. Sc to every ch. Turn, sc to every ch. (8sc in total)

1)      2sc, 1 sc x 2, 2sc x2, 1scx2, 2sc
Change to yellow yarn
2)      2sc x2, 1sc x2, 2scx4, 1s x2, 2sc x2
3)      2sc x1, 1scx6, 2sc x6, 1sc x6, 2scx1
Sc around for 3 rows
7) 1scx8, sc-dec x 6, 1sc x8
8) 1sc x6, sc-dec x5, 1sc x6
9) 1sc x5, sc-dec x4, 1scx4
10) sc-decx1, sc to ends
Sc around for 13 row

Arms (make 2)
With white yarn: Ch 2, 6sc to 2nd ch from the hook.
1)      2sc in each sc
2)      [2sc, 1sc] repeat to end
Change to yellow yarn
3-5) sc around
6) Sc-dec around
Sc-around for 10 rows.


Eye patches with white yarn
(I have to confess that I used aran yarn here, but if you use DK yarn, you can change to hook 3.5mm/4mm)
Ch4, 2sc to 2nd ch from the hook, 1sc x2, turn and to other side of chs: 1scx2, 2sc x1 and slip stitch to join rows.

Nose:
with white yarn
Ch 5, 2sc to 2nd ch from the hook. 
1sc, 2sc x1, 1sc, turn and to other side of chs: 1scx4, 2sc x1 and slip stitch to join rows.

Tail
With black yarn: Ch 2, 5sc to 2nd ch from the hook.
1)      2sc in each sc
2-4) sc around. Change to yellow yarn and sc around 7 rows.

Ears (make 2 with yellow yarn)
Ch 2, 5sc to 2nd ch from the hook.
1)      2sc in each sc
2)      Sc around
3)      [2sc, 1sc] repeat to end
4)      Sc around
5)      Sc around

Finishing

Attach eye pieces to head just above the nose increases and decreases. Attach safety eyes to eyepieces and head, secure firmly. Stuff head and body. Sew nose piece also in place. Sew head and body together. Sew ears in place, I didn’t put any stuffing to in ears. Stuff legs and arms. Sew legs to the bottom and arms to body just below the neck (See pictures).
I made the finishing touches for ears as following: I cut black yarn into 3inch/7cm pieces (I had to cut the shorter), six for each ear. Then with the crochet hook I pulled the yarn pieces one by one halfway through the ear and then I made about three knots and secured those yans in their place.

I used black yarn for spots, and just embroidered them: First I made a X-looking stiches and the one vertical stitch in the middle. I used embroidery to hide showing stuffing in legs…

And your cat is done!

- Minttusuklaa

p.s. the pattern isn't tested so please tell me if you find any errors

Sunday, May 14, 2017

Getting things done

Hello,

Weather is getting better and spring flowers are already blooming here. I love the smell and sound of sunny spring days when grass starts to grow and birds are having their early morning concerts. This week has been my 2nd to last week in school and I've been standing almost everyday for almost 6 hours straight, you can imagine how I've felt in the evenings.

Yesterday and today I stared cutting my sewing projects from the fabrics I mentioned last week, I still have a few more to make.Somehow I ended up making kid's clothes. My mom told me that when I was a small kid my godmother had done my clothes from the same fabrics, so these fabrics have been in my closet for quite some time.

I started planning my next amigurumi project. I've never seen a Eurasian lynx in the wild, so I'm planning to make one for me. I'm not sure how to do it yet, but its going to fun to figure out during my summer break. I bought Drops Muskat and those new safety few months ago and I want to do something out of instead of my #uglyarns...

As you can see I'm not the best artist when it comes to drawing (that is why I blurred the pictue a bit), but I think I'll manage with this rough draft. Hopefully I have something finished to show you next time. When I get a new amigurumi-idea I need quite quickly to write it down and normally a make sketch as a reminder about what I've been thinking. Sometimes I even draw the pieces separately just to get the hang of the shape of different pieces. I always think that the head is the hardest piece to make (well not always, when I was knitting my yellow monkey's feet, that was a hard thing to figure out).

And by the way: Blessed Mother's day for every mom!

- Minttusuklaa

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Few weeks until summer

Hello all,

I got my last examens done past week and now I have a couple of weeks some extra courses to study. This weekend I went through my fabric stash that is even bigger than my yarn stash, believe me. My boyfriend kindly said to me that after the wedding he doesn't want that all my fabrics fill the closets. He thinks that I have a problem with giving away my fabrcis, which is probably true :) So I did some oraginizing and found out that I also have a need for uglyfabricstashbusting -project so that what I've been planning this weekend and my list includes: few overalls and kid's dresses/shirts/leggings should be enough.
I also have nice fabrics from old dress projects that are going to be turned into decorations for the wedding. My youngest sister and I made few prototypes of the flowers we're gonna use. My poor fox from my last posting had to stay as a model with roses.
I spent last week going though dozens of different fabric flowerpatterns and how-tos (I didn't study as well as I ought to have). This pattern was from a sewing handbook I bough last year. It is basically a wide fabric piece folded in half and sewn together. Super easy and quick to make.
I haven't forgottenmy #uglyarn projects neither. I began knitting this sweater about two weeks ago, but I've just had too much to do. Well I'm having my summer holiday in couple weeks and then I'm gonna finish this one. This sweater is made from fingering yarn that I really hate. The yarn is sooo slow to knit. The color is not so bad and many people like the yarn, but I made first ever baby sweater from this yarn when I was probably 13 and I hated knitting it.
I still have the sweater hidden in my closet, no one has ever used it, probably because it is so small.


 Today I had a long phone call with my friend and I can do multitasking so I started crocheting a friend for my fox.
He is supposingly a horse 🐎, but I guess he looks a bit like a porcupine, the nose is a bit off, next time I need to make a bit longer.
Next I'm probably going to crochet a rabbit 🐇 or a bear, or maybe a squirrel would be cute, I've once tried but it turned out quite odd.

Happy may for everyone 😄