Miss Piglet

Meet Miss Piglet. This was my second attempt at making a cochet toy back in 2011. It was made for my neice. She used to be besotted with everything Peppa Pig (now superseeded by My Little Pony) - so I thought a piglet it will be.

This is currecntly the only photo I can find of the end result. She is worked in a lovely DK Cotton on 3.00 mm hook. And yes I made the pattern up. Although I did get some inspration for the red top from a tutorial.

My next job is to write it out and hopefully post the pattern. Oink Oink!

Sean the Sheep

Sean the Sheep

Ever since I created my first Crochet project "Mr Red" back in 2010 I promised to make my father-in-law a soft toy. He is an avid collector of soft toys so after a little think I opted for a sheep. It was also an opportunity to mastered another technique - loop stitch  - I like to set myself a challenge.
The pattern has been adapted from Craft Passion 'Little Timmy'. Thank you.
Luckily Bob has a soft spot for slight mishapen toys so my wonkey legged sheep (ran out of yarn) will feel right at home. He now sits pride of place on the mantel piece. Aaawwww! Or should I say Baaaa!
Check out the link for ear muffs at the bottom of the Craft Passion page - So cute!

Crochet | Bunny

Meet Jay my new crochet bunny - another present for my nephew. His Mum and Dad have bought absolutely everything for him so a hand made gift was in order...and its in their favourite colour black so extra brownie points for me.

JJ is worked with two strands of Sirdar DK black crepe. I wanted to use cotton but there was none in my local shop so opted for crepe remembering my Grandma's tip that it doesn't split like other yarns. To minimise holes and unsightly white filling against the black I doubled the yarn thickness and used 3mm hook.

As per usual I like to freestyle. So made the pattern up as I went along. I've added extra details such as the 'J' on the bum, an 'X' for the tummy and cross stitch for the ears.
If you would like to make one too...

Amigurami Tips

#1 Handy guide on making toys from Craft Passion... yarn type, tension and more.
#2 Another great guide from Fresh Stitches featuring a slip knot and alternative magic ring for ensuring your rounds have no holes. Yeah!
Also, top tip from Fresh Stiches... Use a piece of fabric or felt to prevent wadding from escaping whilst finishing your crocheting. Stella. I wish I'd known that when making my bunny. White wadding on black yarn...hard work.

Crochet | Cactus

More crochet....
Found this blog by elf luvs dwarfs featuring some super cute crochet cactus. The pattern is worked in rows using the back loops to form the ridges. Genius!
{photo credit}

Book Binding

I've always wanted to have a go at book binding but never managed to get round to it. Here is a simple tutorial from Diane Gilleland Crafty Pod with an additonal link for the book binding stitch technique.

{Photo Credit}

Toy Box...Cut and Sew

Hi, here are some snipets from my cloth baby book: Toy Box.

Its a cut a sew pattern on spoonflower's competition. A perfect idea for for my new nephew. It has images of layered toys to look like you've cut and appliquéd them yourself. Also, I've created a linen texture on the fabric to give it a hint of realism and clipped the toys in felt. Check out Niki's Photoshop Tutorial. It's also entered at spoonflower's cloth book competition.