Tag: amigurumi
Raising the Sushi Bar
Coordinating shared meals can be tough enough with just one or two family members, but when everyone’s home at the dinner hour at once, it can be nearly impossible. Greatly disparate tastes define us, ranging from the fairly healthy vegan (hi there!) to the vegetable-hating omnivore, making it challenging to get a universally agreeable meal on the table, to say the least. In a pinch there is at least one safe haven where we can all find something good to eat, however: The sushi bar.
Topping this list of “must order” items is edamame. Those young soy beans are one of the only green edibles that said vegetable-hater will actually consume, and even willingly most times! Trust me, that’s a big deal in our household. Thus, a big bowl of edamame always graces our table, to be shared communally.
Vegetable gyoza are another staple found on most menus, and what’s not to like about chewy wonton skin stretched around a savory filling? Steamed or fried, plump parcels or dainty half-moons, even bad gyoza are pretty darn good.
And of course, the main event, the sushi. There’s so much more than just the standard cucumber and avocado, but there’s nothing wrong with those reassuring staples either. Nigiri is usually off the menu for me, but hey, when it’s made of this much fiber, it’s got to be vegan!
Tiny sushi bar pattern by Anna Hrachovec
Every Bird Gets Their Day…
My little birdies are lucky enough to get two!
As much as I’ve already been enjoying the 2010 Crochet a Day Calendar, I’ve got to say, it gained about a hundred extra awesome points this morning when I revealed the latest page, and remembered that my work has been included this year. Though it’s one of my oldest patterns, those simple feathered friends of mine continue to be one of the most popular patterns on the blog, and I’m so happy that they could get another moment in the spotlight. An extra little bonus of this whole deal is that now everyone gets a lovely little printable pattern card, to print and cherish, to have and to hold… Er, well, at least to enjoy and share around, at least! Just click the pictures above for a full view.
Cupcakes Take Over the World!
A couple of weeks ago now, I found an adorable pattern to make a stuffed cupcake on Blah, Blah, Blahhhg, and completely fell in love with it. It seemed like the perfect thing to make for my nutritionist – She seems to really get a kick out of the knit sweets I bring her in particular.
And so it began innocently enough. A cute little chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting, sprinkles, and a cherry. I was so pleased with it, I began to think it might be nice to have another little guy on hand, you know, in case of birthday present emergencies? Yeah, that’s it…
Almost as soon as the thought had formed in my head, my first cupcake seemed to almost morph over night. All of a sudden I now I had two, the second one with mint frosting no less. It all happened so fast, I wasn’t sure if I had even knit them. That’s when I knew I was in trouble, and that was only the beginning…
I woke up early one morning to the sounds of a struggle coming from the kitchen, and was horrified to discover… Not another cupcake, but something much worse. Something that threatened the very existence of cupcakes, something so evil, so maniacal, it could only be…
The Blueberry Muffin of DOOM!!!!
I was horrified; What was I to do? The muffin was insane, he didn’t even know what he was saying. Preaching some gibberish that muffins were just unfrosted cupcakes, and that soon regular cupcakes would be obsolete. After all, muffins are more acceptable as breakfast food anyway! As I watched in terror, things only became worse by the minute.
With a hostile look in his… er.. blueberries, he swooped down upon my helpless little cupcakes, intending to destroy each offender of his plan for world domination. Luckily I was there, and I held him off, his potential victims trembling in his wake. Still struggling, I had a long chat with the muffin, explaining that we needed both types of baked goods in our world to be whole, that there’s no need to be sore over their gorgeous frosting because you have so much to offer on your own.
It took a while for my words to get through to him, but after a few hours of soul search in the quiet of the oven, the he emerged a changed muffin.
Now that they each accepted each other as their own, special and unique pastries, they all became the closest of friends and lived happily ever after.
Aww.
Erm, anyway. I added an extra increase row at the beginning of the frosting so that they would puff out a little bit more, and (obviously) added little beads for sprinkles. With the muffin, I just supersized the pattern – Which came out a LOT bigger than I had intended – And added random bits of chunky blue yarn for the blueberries.
Just remember… Friends don’t eat friends!
Smarter Than Your Average Fish
Another fishy project from… Well, I think you know what book it is by now.
I chose this pattern based mostly on the fact that it looked easy as pie, and I could whip it up in an evening. This certainly proved true, and I’m fairly happy with it. The only issue I have is the ugly seam running along the side opposite… I don’t have a worthwhile picture of it, so you’ll just have to trust me when I say that I need to work on my finishing skills.
This book is really beginning to grow on me. While it was initially a huge disappointment, maybe I was too quick to judge, and just picked the wrong pattern to base my review on. I’m glad I didn’t give up and return it, as my mom had suggested when she saw me on the verge of meltdown after struggling to shape my duck for nearly 45 minutes.
Taking this into consideration, I think I will give it a final grade of 4/5 stars. I highly recommend it for beginners; Even the newest knitters will be able to follow the simple instructions and basic techniques.
Clowning Around
Another attempt out of The World of Knit Toys. I like this one a bit better, as it was much less frustrating to shape. It was just knit flat and then stuffed and sewn together, very simple and fairly rewarding.
I didn’t like how they gave it that ugly embroidered mouth, so I left it out, but under-stuffed it a little to give it a little kisser. Oh, and I decided to omit the bottom fin, since it would just get in the way / look funny, or you would just never even see it.
My little cousin absolutely adores the movie Finding Nemo, so I’m thinking that I’ll save it as a birthday or holiday gift for her.