Tag: toy
Indian Summer
Just as suddenly as the cold and darkness descended, a brief respite from the encroaching fall brings us glorious blue skies and gentle 80-degree breezes, as if summer never left us in the first place. Toying with my heart, it’s hard not to get attached to this anomaly of the season. While Canadian friends across the border celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m marveling at children still playing on the beaches, joggers baring all in skimpy outfits, and general summer behavior continuing as if the calendar pages haven’t already advanced beyond July. Even the wildlife are clearly mixed up and confused by this inexplicable shift.
Glass platter provided by Steelite
Lounging about on a placid pond without a care in the world, this little fellow can’t even dream of a time without warm sunshine. So comfortable on that buoyant lily pad, I swear I could see him flattening out, relaxing to the point of loosening every muscle in his tiny green body and becoming a genuine pancake of a frog. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that next week is just as liable to bring a blizzard as it is more of this Indian summer. What’s the harm in pretending it’s still vacation, for just a little while longer, at least?
[Flapjack Frog pattern by Anna Hrachovec of MochiMochi Land]
My Fuzzy Strawberry
Strangely enough, no matter how long I searched, there isn’t a single pattern on the internet [for free] that instructs you on how to make just a plain, stuffed strawberry. Sure, there are pouches and flat refrigerator magnets, but not what I was after.
It’s not perfect, but I’m pretty damn proud of this little guy! Not only did I somehow manage to crochet it, but I didn’t even use a pattern! When I started, I realized I didn’t even know how to decrease with crochet, so I think my ‘skills’ have already come a long way. Nonetheless, the leaves were impossible to crochet, (I tried about 4 different methods) so I ended up cutting them out of felt and sewing them on, carrying over the same thread to attach the little “seeds.”
Sadly, to get it to look that acceptable, it took me about two and a half hours, and in the process I stabbed myself so deeply with the needle that I bled on my shirt before I realized my finger was gushing blood. Still, I’ve never made anything with a pattern before, with the exception of simple scarves, so I’m not complaining.
Wee Bunny
More free stuffed animal patterns? A very generous motion by Wee Wonderfuls – Go take advantage of the opportunity and make your own! It’s even the perfect time of year to make a sweet little bunny, with Easter on its way and all.
I liked the end product a lot more than my rendition of the pointy kitty, and it would have been even better if I hadn’t read the instructions as if I had the brain power of a green bean. Meaning; I didn’t really read them at all. Brilliant, huh? That’s why I ended up with the opening for the stuffing on the bottom, instead of the back. Let me too you, it’s surprisingly difficult to hand-sew in a perfect circle while trying to keep the stitches invisible. The bunny butt looks like it got mangled or chewed on! Bleh! Just… don’t turn it over and it looks fine. I guess.
Another stupid mistake left my bunny with a bit of blush, if you noticed. This is due to… crazy glue. You know how it is… I was busily gluing on the little beady eyes when – Oops! – I hit the side of the fabric with the glue brush. Of course, crazy glue give no margin for error, and it was immediately set in, with only chemicals strong enough to melt through skin that would be able to remove it. Considering my options (None), I decided that this is exactly what I had intended all along. Yeah, isn’t it cuter with blush?! ..Yeah…
Oh, and those ears… I managed to instantly loose the pattern piece for the ears, forcing me to draw my own… Not too horrible, in my opinion. I had a lot of trouble accepting that you were supposed to just zig-zag across the raw edges… I really hated the way it looked. Cutting out new pieces, I made them slightly larger for a seam allowance, and turned the pieces just like the body was made.
At least one thing worked out exactly right: I had just enough matching light pink yarn scraps to make the little pom pom tail.
Sweet ‘n Crafty
Okay, I swear this is the last knit cupcake for a while now. I just couldn’t help it! Can’t you see that it would make a perfect pin cushion? And seeing as that is exactly I needed / wanted / just got tired of the old one, it’s obvious that if I didn’t knit myself my a sweet pin cushion, the gods themselves would would drink my blood. [Don’t question the logic – Just knit!!]
I don’t say this very often about things that I make, but I really love it. I bought the pins onsale a while back, and they look like perfect little candies on top. It’s slightly overstuffed so that it can actually hold the pins instead of having them just slide out. There’s very little that makes me crazier than cleaning up pins I’ve dropped on the floor… Especially since I usual don’t find them until they’re already lodged in my foot.
Part of me wants to keep making these little beauties until I have a baker’s dozen… Or maybe atleast fill my large silicon muffin pan…
…But I’m trying exceedingly hard to restrain that part.
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.