UCLA Bruin Plushie

This week is the annual white elephant gift exchange in my department at UCLA. I wasn't sure what to make, but eventually decided on a Bruin (brown bear) which is the mascot of UCLA. I asked the /r/crochet community and they pointed me to the perfect pattern, Winston the Bear, which is free on Ravelry. I made it a tiny scarf from some dark blue and gold yarns to give it some character, otherwise I feared it might not be recognizable as the school mascot specifically.

The whole thing took me only a few nights of working on and off and procrastinating. Every time I see an adorable amigurumi I want to make it, but once I get to doing anything but the body, I start to despise it and usually want to quit working on it. Overall this guy wasn't too traumatizing, but I do hate sewing on those ears and legs. The nose turned out surprisingly well. Usually when I embroider something, it looks ridiculous or downright scary.

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White Baby Elephant Bookmark

After making the large blue elephant bookmark the other day, I wanted to make a smaller one. I decided to use Loops & Threads Woolike White yarn, as it's soft and thin. It's Super Fine (1) weight, so I used a B hook.

It took me a long time to make, longer than the larger elephant, because I had to be very meticulous with each stitch. Attaching the pieces together was even more difficult and slow going, but it was well worth it. The finished product is incredibly adorable. I didn't embroider eyes because I'm not very good at it, and I think it looks quite cute without them.

I took a picture with both the elephants together for size comparison. The small elephant measures approximately 2" across at the ears, 3" long body plus head, and 6" long from trunk to tail.

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Elephant Bookmark

I saw this pattern today on Ravelry, and just had to make it right away! I chose Lion Brand Pound of Love Pastel Green yarn and an F hook, but I'd also like to use Loops and Threads Snuggly Wuggly Big! in Denim, as it's a bit thinner yarn.

It only took me a few hours from start to finish, with many interruptions. The pattern was overall easy to understand, though it did use UK terminology so I had to keep myself in check. The only thing that tripped me up a few times was where to put the stitch where the rows start and stop, but that would have been easily remedied through the use of additional stitch markers. I wish there were fewer gaps where the legs are, and where the trunk is, but I think after some use it'll relax a bit. I used two small, white brads for the eyes.

The bookmark measures 4" wide at the ears, the body plus head are 6" long, and from tail to trunk it measures 11".

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More Tiny Chickens

I made some more tiny chickens for my Ingress group, this time using not only Vanna's Choice Oatmeal yarn but also Craft Smart Desert yarn. For the former I used an E hook and an F hook for the latter.

The Desert chickens turned out a bit larger than the Oatmeal, so I had to improvise the comb and beak a bit to make them more proportional.

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Chicken Tissue Box Cover Pattern

I was trying to think of more projects that could be chicken-themed for my Ingress group, and was considering making Mario themed tissue box holders. The ideas eventually combined into a chicken tissue box! I couldn't find a similar pattern online, so I decided to make my own.

My pattern fits a square tissue box 4.5" x 4.5" x 5.125".

Pattern

Materials
J hook
G hook
Worsted weight yarn - I used Loops and Threads Impeccable for the body and Red Heart Super Saver for the rest
Tapestry needle
Safety pins

Key
sc = single crochet
st = stitch
sl st = slip stitch
ch = chain
MR = magic ring tutorial

Note: body, face, and back pieces are worked all in front loop only. Beak and eyes are worked in both loops.

Body (make three)
Chain 16
R1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each st across
R2-R15: ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across
Bind off

Face (make one)
Chain 16
R1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each st across
R2-R5: ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across
R6: ch 1, turn, sc in next 5 sc, ch 5, skip 5 sc, sc in last 5 sc
R7-R13: ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across
Bind off

Back (make one)
Chain 16
R1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each st across
R2-R13: ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across
Bind off

Feet (make two)
With J hook and brown yarn:
leg and toe 1: Ch 16, sl st in 2nd ch on hook, sl st in next 4 st
toe 2: ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch on hook, sl st in next 4 st
toe 3 and leg: ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch on hook, sl st to end of leg, bind off

Beak (make two)
With G hook and yellow yarn:
4 sc in a MR
R1: 2 sc in each sc
R2: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc) around
R3: sc around
R4: (2 sc in next sc, sc in next 5 sc) around
R5: sc around, leaving a long yarn tail

Eyes (make two)
With G hook and black yarn:
6 sc in a MR
sl st into first sc to join, pull ring closed, leaving long yarn tails on both ends.

Comb (make one)
With G hook and red yarn:
Ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st to end, ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st to end, turn and ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and to end.

Assembly
Using the safety pins, attach the face, back, and two body pieces together as desired, and either whip stitch or slip stitch to attach the pieces together. Make sure the mouth hole is on the lower half of the face.
Take the last body piece and attach using your preferred method to the four sides already assembled.

Attach the beak pieces to the face around the hole, using the long strands of yarn left on the pieces.
Using the tapestry needle and yarn ends, fix the eyes in place by "sewing" around the edges of the eye.
Weave the yarn ends onto the back of the seams on the body to attach feet in place.
Position the comb as desired and run the two ends of the yarn through the body, tieing them in a knot on the inside. Keep about one inch of yarn, in case the knot comes loose in the future.

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Tiny Bear Pattern

Here's an adorable tiny bear pattern that's great for a keychain or charm!

Pattern

Key:
sc = single crochet
ch = chain
sl st = slip stitch
sc2tog = single crochet two together
magic ring = see this video

Materials
Small amount of Very Fine yarn
C (2.75mm) size crochet hook
Blunt tapestry needle
Thread or brads for eyes/nose
Sewing needle to embroider eyes
Stuffing

Body and Head
R1: Make a magic ring with 6 sc, sl st in first sc to join (6)
R2-5: 2sc in each sc around (12)
R6: [sc in next 5 sc, sc2tog using next 2 sc] around (10)
R7: [sc in next 4 sc, sc2tog using next 2 sc] around (8)
Begin stuffing body
R8: [sc in next 4 sc, 2sc in next sc] around (10)
R9-10: sc in each st around (10)
R11: [sc in next 4 sc, sc2tog using next 2 sc] around (10)
R12: [sc in next 3 sc, sc2tog using next 2 sc] around (8)
If you want to use brads, you should attach them now.
Stuff head and use blunt needle to close up the head, secure.

Nose
R1: Make a magic ring with 3 sc, sl st in first sc to join
R2: sc in each sc around
Attach brad if desired.
Bind to head in position desired.

Ears (make two)
Ch 2, turn, sc in 1st ch, bind to head in position desired.

Front Legs (make two)
R1: Ch 4
R2-4:Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across
Bind off, leaving a long yarn end. Use some of the yarn and the blunt needle to form the square into a tube, closed on one end. If necessary, stuff with just a bit of stuffing.
Bind to upper body in positions desired.

Back Legs (make two)
R1: Ch 5
R2-5:Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across
Bind off, leaving a long yarn end. Use some of the yarn and the blunt needle to form the square into a tube, closed on one end. If necessary, stuff with just a bit of stuffing.
Bind to bottom of body in positions desired.

Use your sewing needle and thread to decorate your tiny bear, or fasten

I originally wanted this to look something like Dieter the Polarchuck from Neopets, but it turned out more like a regular bear and nothing like Dieter (mostly because I'm quite terrible at embroidery). His favorite food is snow, which is why I also crocheted some colored snow blocks for him as a snack.

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Tiny Chickens Pattern

I made these tiny chickens for the members of my Ingress Enlightened group, whose mascot is a chicken.

See my previous chicken doorstop here. These chickens are based off this pattern by The Nimble Mouse, but since I wanted to make them smaller with worsted weight yarn, I had to improvise the rounds a bit.

Pattern:

Make a magic ring with 6 sc.
1: [sc, 2sc] around
2: [sc, sc, 2sc] around
3: [sc, sc, sc, 2sc] around
4: sc around
5: sc around
6: sc around
Stuff and close up chicken with slip stitches in the back loops across the opening.

Embroider eyes.

Comb:
In 3rd st from left: sc, ch2, slst in next st, ch3, slst in next st, finish off and weave in ends.

Beak:
Just below the eyes, sc in an edge st, ch2, sc in next st, finish off and weave in ends.

I used an E hook with Vanna's Choice Oatmeal yarn.

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Chicken Doorstop

I had been eyeing this pattern by The Nimble Mouse for a while, but didn't have a good excuse to make it. However, the weather has been very windy lately and I realized I didn't have a door stop for the front door! My house has a great many chicken-themed objects, so I thought a chicken door stop would be a perfect addition!

I didn't want to use white yarn as it would get dirty quickly on the floor. I used Vanna's Choice Oatmeal yarn, and a J hook. I filled the chicken with pinto beans, but you could make an adorable plushie by filling it with fluff instead!

Which chicken is the real one!?!

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See my Tiny Chickens Pattern for a smaller version of this hen!

Little Grey Wolf

As I was browsing the softies on Ravelry, I came across Little Wolf by Kati Galusz! They are just too cute, especially when paired with dolls inspired by the characters from Game of Thrones (examples)!

I like how mine turned out, even if it's not as clean as the ones made my the author. I was going to make a white wolf based on Ghost, but my grey yarn was already out so I decided to just make a grey wolf instead. The legs stick out a bit, and the ears aren't quite as pointy as I'd like, and the muzzle is too long, and the tail is too short, but I love him all the same.

I used CraftSmart Value Gray yarn with a E hook, and used tiny black brads for the eyes and nose. It took me almost exactly 4 hours to make this little guy.

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Thanksgiving Turkey Place Settings

My mom decided to make cute turkey place mats, coasters, and napkin rings for Thanksgiving! However, she couldn't find a pattern she liked, so she came up with her own!

The yarns used for the pattern are Red Heart Cafe Latte, Impeccable White, and CraftSmart Desert. We used felt for the feet, beak and "gobble" (what IS that thing called, anyway?), and black brads for the eyes.

My mom wrote down the patterns, but she lost them! :(

Bumble Hat

This project was made by my mom!

As soon as my mom and I saw this on Ravelry, we knew we had to make one! The pattern is by Rachel Solberg and can be found on Ravelry either on her profile or on the project page itself.

The yarns used for this project were Impeccable White, Lion Brand Fun Fur White (two balls), Caron One Pound Black, and a light blue yarn we had leftover from years ago. For the pupils, we attached black safety eyes to the white yarn.

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Hunny in my Tummy Beanie

I found this pattern after many days of searching, and it was finally posted by JezeBearDesigns on Ravelry (for free, even!) when I had almost given up hope. My friend loves that certain honey-loving bear, so I made this for his Christmas present.

For this project I used Caron Simply Soft in Sunshine, and a small amount of some scrap black yarn. This beanie crocheted up quickly, and the pieces were quite easy to make when I was short on time. I even crocheted part of the hat while waiting for a doctor's appointment! I love this yarn because it's so soft, and I hope the recipient does too!

The only trouble I had with this project was that the yarn is a bit thinner than "normal" worsted weight yarn, so I had to make many more rows than the pattern suggested. This wasn't really a problem, as I simply added more rounds of simple double crochet once the rounds stopped increasing.

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Tiger Neck Pillow

I'd been looking for a neck pillow for a while, and when I saw this one I knew I wanted it! I also want to make it for my mom, who travels on business frequently. The pattern for this project is by Red Heart.

I decided early on that I wanted to make a tiger, so I bought some Red Heart Team Spirit yarn. I couldn't decide if the Gold/Black or the Orange/Black looked better though, so I got both. After finishing about 20 rows in gold, I realized I was supposed to be using two strands of yarn at once. I couldn't decide if I wanted to use the black and orange yarn I have, or which combination of the four, so I decided I'd get all the colors and use both Team Spirit colors. I started over, but didn't realize until later that I probably shouldn't have used two strands, because the suggested yarn is DK weight, and not worsted weight. It turned out waaay larger than it should have, so I changed tactics to alternating Red Heart Super Saver Pumpkin and Caron One Pound Black (also to make sure I had enough yarn; I was running out of the Team Spirits after only 20 rows!). Now it's more stripey, while before it was kinda striped but more splotchy due to all the colors mixing. It was very Halloween-y.

I wish I could get this project done sooner; it seemed like a quick one, but with all my mistakes I hope I ever DO finish it!

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Snow Bear Scoodie Update 2

Snow Bear Scoodie pattern is by Dearest Debi.
See my original post on the Snow Bear Scoodie.

I finally finished the hood and scarf on the scoodie! I had to adjust the pattern by starting the straight edge at round 9 (round 11 of the original pattern). Additionally, I only made 17 rounds total. The hood is a bit large, but I quite like it that way. I prefer it slightly large rather than tight.

The hood used a bit over two balls of yarn. The scarf used the rest of the third ball, plus three more. I ran out of yarn exactly at the end of my scarf, which was lucky. I used black yarn to stitch the pockets together, then I turned the pockets inside out so the "seam" is on the inside of the pocket. I used a long tail I had left on the end of the hood to stitch the hood to the scarf.

The hood by itself took just over two balls. I continued with the same ball of yarn to making the scarf. The scarf took three balls plus the extra from the hood, so the hood and scarf took six balls total. I still need one more skein for the ears. I possibly could have had enough had I further reduced the number of stitches in the hood, but I like it larger.

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Snow Bear Scoodie Update

Snow Bear Scoodie pattern is by Dearest Debi.

I've been busy lately so I haven't gotten to do much with this project. This post is almost more to remind myself to edit the pattern than for anyone else, but I figured people might be interested if they chose to undertake this project the same way I did.

Because the Paton Bohemian yarn is size 6 rather than size 5, my hood is turning out much larger than I think it is supposed to. It seems almost the correct size after only 14 rows, and I know going to 27 rows will make a tablecloth at this rate. What I'll do is measure using the gauge to determine where I need to begin making the straight edge (where the hood attaches to the scarf), and take out rows up to there. I'll also have to determine how many stitches would be appropriate for the length of the edge; 6 stitches might be too many for my yarn choice.

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Snow Bear Scoodie

I've been looking for a hat/scarf/pockets pattern like this for a while, so when I saw it on Ravelry by Dearest Debi, I knew I had to make it! I already had the yarn in mind: Paton Bohemian. I chose Hypnotic Haze, with the goal of making a snow leopard-colored hat. I bought one skein of the yarn to begin with, simply to make sure that I was able to work with the super bulky yarn. I don't know if I'll be able to go back to any other kinds now, because it's just so soft and silky. My first skein of 68 yards made the first 8.75 rounds of the hood. I'm hoping that I won't need a full 10 skeins, so I'm buying them slowly, but I also don't want to mess up my project by getting different lot numbers. The pattern suggests a K hook, so I used that. I would have upped the hook to an L but I don't actually own one still.

Here's the photo from Dearest Debi's project: (Click to see pattern!)

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Pinkloid Yellow/Green

I decided to try again at making a Pinkloid. This time I used pale yellow yarn with spring green wing edges. Because my pink Pinkloid came out a bit too big, I used an F hook instead of a G hook. I hoped that would cut down on extra spacing in order to make the body more compact, and the feet smaller.

This one turned out quite a bit smaller, which I like. The first one was far too large. The feet still seemed too big, but they did look better this time. I wasn't sure how the green would look, but I think it makes the Pinkloid look Tinkerbell-esque!

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Crochet Kitten

I made this crochet kitten a few weeks ago, according to the pattern by MarmaladeRose.

I decided to make it black and white to experiment with changing colors for the first time. It didn't come out perfectly, but then again I was mostly using it as a guide for future kitties if I wanted to do more color patterns. I forgot to make a face in my haste to get it stuffed. The head doesn't quite sit straight because I sewed the chin to the body, then realized the face was leaning forward. I got lazy so I didn't redo it or try to fix it very well. I'm not too sad because it was a good learning experience for me, in attaching pieces. The tail was very difficult because it was my first time working with black yarn in the round, and I ended up with lots of extra and missed stitches. Next time, I might try making a tail stitching together a few rows instead of working in the round.

One quirky thing about this cat in particular is that I used two different types of yarn I found from years ago. The white yarn is quite rough, but the black yarn is slicker and softer, and almost thinner. That made the sizing difficult, as the black rows tended to be more narrow than white rows. The white parts were also considerably stiffer.

In the future I'd like to make more of these kitties in different patterns, with actual faces and heads that don't flop forward.

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