Dragon!

Hey everyone!

Very quick post just to say hello to Mr Aled Jones - the Welsh dragon I've made for a friend's birthday. She moved (abandoned me?!) 8 whole years ago for university and never came back. Hopefully one day she will return, but for now I am coming to terms with it by making tiny amigurumi dragons!

Here he is!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!

Made using a combination of two different patterns, slightly amended for the eyes as I didn't have any beads to use, but I quite like his little smile. I LOVE the wings, I think they are my favourite bit :) Also the ears and arms worked out a little different, more through me not looking at the pattern as I sewed them on than by design, but I think the ears look more Welsh 'dragony'.

Pattern for body is here, and the pattern for the wee wings is here.

My favourite photo from our last trip down to Llandudno - my best friends, fiancee and partners with me behind the camera. We raced up to the top of the Orme for sunset and only just got there in time, it was crazy windy but beautiful. Good times, will try get there again some day soon!

Love

Ali

xx

Peppermint Butler goes Crochet!

Hey y'all it's Alison back again. Today I'm going to be telling you how to make you're very own little Peppermint Butler amigurumi. Peppermint Butler is Princess Bubblegum's butler, in the AMAZING cartoon Adventure Time. If you have not seen it, hunt it out - in the UK it's on Nickelodeon I think (to tell the truth it is usually my other half that puts it on, so I'm not totally certain of location!).

This is what he is meant to look like, very dapper!

He isn't *too* complicated of a shape to make, pretty much a circle with legs! I've only seen one other version (which I think you will agree is pretty impressive - awesome peppermint butler plushie ) but he doesn't have a pattern, and this version should be much quicker to make! He took me a few hours, none of the stitches are complicated and if you can already crochet this won't be the most arduous!

Here is the final product, so you know what you are aiming at.

I used small quantities of white, red and blue acrylic yarn, and a 3.75mm crochet hook.

BODY (basically a big peppermint!)

• Chain 4 and join with a slip stitch to form a ring
• Chain up 3 and 11 double crochet into ring, join with slip stitch
• Chain up 3 and 2 dc in each stitch all around, join with slip stitch
• Chain up 3 and double crochet in same stitch, then *2 dc and 1 dc in each stitch* all around, join with slip stitch
• Chain up 3 and repeat pattern as above row, but for every 4 stitches in white, add 3 in red, join with slip stitch
• Slip stitch all around, keeping scheme with colour, white stitch for white stitch, red for red etc. (This will pull the circle tight slightly and give an 'edge' to your previously flat circle)

• Repeat all steps, stopping before row where you add red.
• Whip stitch this finished circle to the first part, leaving a gap for stuffing
• Stuff and finish stitching

PANTS (blue yarn)

• Chain 34 (approx, stretch and play with this to get it the right size) and join with a slip stitch into first stitch

• Chain up 2 and *double decrease, half double crochet* all around (that might take some 'splainin, for double decrease- yarn over, insert hook and pull through loop, insert hook in second stitch and pull through loop, yarn over and pull over all previous stitches, leaving 1 on hook), join with slip stitch
• Chain up 2 and double decrease all around, join with slip stitch 
• Chain up 2 and half double decrease all around, join with slip stitch
• Slip stitch bottom closed

ARMS AND LEGS (Blue yarn)

• For arms chain 6
• For legs chain 10
• Sew each in place on blue pants

BOW TIE

• Thread a yarn needle with red wool, put a stitch in the middle of the blue pants and tie a bow with thread ends

FINISHING

• Using black thread sew on Peppermint Butler's vacant stare!
• Using white or blue thread, whip stitch blue pants to the bottom of his pepperminty torso.

Done!

Enjoy this little dude!

Love Ali

xx

Crochet Bunnies!

Hey everyone, Laura here!

It's crochet time again! If you're new to the craft, little toys and amigurumi are a fantastic way to learn new stitches, whilst working towards a quick win. 

This cute pair were a birthday gift I made for a Alison a few months ago, modelled after her very own pet bunnies Mac and Horatio (one has sticky up ears, one has floppy ears!).

At the time, I didn't have much experience making little toys like this, but the pattern was really well written and pretty straightforward. I tweaked it a little by using buttons for their eyes, to give it a bit more of a Coraline vibe - they are the 'Other Bunnies'! 

If you fancy making your own, check out the pattern over on Craft. The clever lady who designed them also has a lovely site full of cute crochet patterns, which I urge you to check out!

'Other Mac' and 'Other Horatio'

If you decide to make your own, as always, we'd love to see a picture!