I've decided to try to document the things I crochet since it seems so many of them are finding new homes once I finish. I want to record my thoughts and pictures of them for when I'm old and can't remember what I've done. Also for my posterity.
Short backstory: I'm 23. I started crocheting about a year ago. My grandmother has been crocheting most of her life, and when I moved to Baltimore I found some friends that crocheted, so I decided to learn too. I picked up a book of instructions and some basic supplies, and the rest is history.
So we're going to start with something super quick that I made. My best friend Nicole gave me a book with some Amigurumi patterns while we were on our cruise last month. She didn't know this, but I'd been dying to try my hand at stuffed-animal making for a long time. It was a very welcome gift.
So here's my first stab at crocheting a stuffed animal:
Aww, the widdle elephant! My favorite animal and, conveniently, the first pattern in the book! I made a couple small alterations from the pattern. Firstly, I thought I wanted the legs to be a little floppy, so I considered adding little plastic beans in the feet to give the whole thing some weight. Except I couldn't find little plastic beans at Michael's. So I improvised and used unscented bath salts. A stroke of brilliance or a crazy alternative? I don't know. But I'm not overly thrilled with the results, so I'm going to stick with stuffing from now on.
The second modification I made from the pattern was the eyes. The pattern calls for safety eyes, which are fastened on securely and considered child-safe. But Michael's, which apparently is becoming increasingly inept at being a craft store, didn't have those either. So I bought these little black things that are supposed to look like buttons, but actually have little metal flaps that you bend in the back to fasten them to stuff. They were in the scrapbooking section. And since I wasn't planning on giving this little guy to any babies, they would have to do.
A few other notes about this project: It took me about an afternoon to do it. I am unhappy with the ears because there is one pattern for both, and two identical ears does not make for perfect symmetry when you have to turn one around. Since they're both snail-shell-shaped, so one is perky and happy and the other is upside-down and droopy. Lame. Also, this was my first attempt at sewing on legs, so I sewed them on much skinner than I should have. In the next project I made sure to stretch the legs more as I was sewing them.
Project number 2:
Both patterns were from this book. The elephant was made using Red Heart Super Saver Light Blue. I don't know what the hippo was, because he was made with leftover yarn. Sorry.
Working on:
2 afghans, one for each grandmother for Christmas. I'm probably 85% done with both of them, and I expect to finish them in the next 2 weeks. Once Michael's gets the color I need back in stock... I'm getting frustrated with them.
A baby blanket for my cousin Kelly's unborn son. I just started yesterday, so I've got a ways to go, but it's coming along quickly, since it's not as big as a regular blanket. It'll definitely be done before the holidays and long before her Jan 9th due date!
Thinking about:
Reworking the Avatar: The Last Airbender blanket I started months ago. I put it on the shelf 1/4 of the way through because I didn't like it. Now I think I'll unravel the whole thing and start from scratch. That'll be a lot of yarn spaghetti to ball up and unkink...
