Hi everyone! I’m finally finished with my side project, my Puppy Beanbag Buddies! The pattern is very similar to my baby Owl and Violet Kitty patterns as they all have nice round, heavy bodies and make fabulous desktop accessories! The body contains polyester pellets to give it that extra heft and stability! They’re perfect for weighing down papers; I’ve even been known to use these little guys as impromptu pin cushions! 🙂
I think the world of amigurumi is more exciting than ever these days! It’s amazing to see how quickly the amigurumi community has expanded since way back when I first discovered this hobby. It’s truly inspiring to see all of the imaginative and creative techniques being used in crochet dolls these days! I’m sure you agree!
To thank you all for continuing to follow me and for your kind words of encouragement, I’ve decided to share this as a FREE PATTERN! Please click HERE!
These little buddies make for a very simple and relatively quick project, so you have plenty of time to make a few to slip into those stockings that are hanging on the mantel! Basic stitches are used so this would be a great project for anyone new to crocheting as well!
This pattern is also perfect for anyone who is interested in getting a head start on making something fun to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year… did you know that it’s going to be the Year of the Dog in 2018? ? I have a feeling there will be a ton of featured doggy designs within the amigurumi community in the next couple of months! 🙂
I wish you all a fantastic, magical holiday season! Cheers!
Wow, I can’t believe the year is ending once again. The weather is getting cooler and I find myself needing to grab an extra blanket before going to bed! It’s been quite some time since my last post and I apologize for that! Ever since school has started for my little ones, it’s been one thing after another and my crochet projects have unfortunately been pushed down my priority list! But I have finally finished writing up another pattern – meet Stanley the Giraffe! Yes, he’s a bit out of his usual element here…I couldn’t find a nice patch of African savannah to use as a background, so the trees in my yard will have to do! 🙂 There are exciting things in store for Stanley! He’s about to be shipped overseas to join a few of his Little Muggles siblings in Belgium. hint, hint! Can you figure out what’s happening to him? If not, you will soon find out..just keep following me on Facebook and there will be an announcement about his adventures soon! In the meantime, you can find my Stanley pattern in my ETSY and CRAFTSY shops!
Bon voyage, Stanley!
It was quite fun making Stanley. I really enjoyed the feedback I got from you guys when I put some work in progress pictures on my Facebook page! I will try to do more of that from now on. You guys can help direct the final look of my dolls… 🙂 If you remember, I was considering making this giraffe with brown ears versus yellow. Ultimately I chose yellow because I felt that the brown made his head look more like a cow. I also loved the suggestions to keep one ear brown and one yellow! I would love to see someone send me their finished doll with that look! How whimsical!
Brown or yellow ear? Thin or thick horn?
Like all of my other dolls, Stanley is a pretty simple project that even beginners can try their hand at! There are no complicated stitches or steps. Everything is fairly basic and there are minimal materials required. When made with the my go-to yarn (Lion Brand’s Vanna’s Choice) and my suggested crochet hook size, Stanley is about 10″ tall when seated. (not including his horns) Anybody can make their own little Stanley for themselves!
A look at his spots
Since I have to send Stanley off to Belgium soon, I wanted to make another giraffe to have for my own. I thought it would be fun to make it pink! I am happy with how she came out, and I liked adding the bow around her neck.
My girly giraffe
Speaking of accessories, you have no idea how difficult it was for me to make the tie around Stanley’s neck!! Unlike some gals I know, I never really learned how to tie a necktie properly, and I really wanted this one to look crisp and perfect. Of course I turned to Google and I was astounded by all the different ways to tie a tie! After much trial and error (Windsor knot! Half Windsor knot! Prince Albert knot! Simple knot!), I decided to go with the Pratt knot. I like the little dimple under the knot and it looks clean and neat. I still haven’t memorized how to tie this particular knot but I bookmarked the site I found and will be sure to try it on my husband one day!
Pratt KnotStanley’s tie
By the way, this has been an exciting week for my Facebook page because I’ve reached the goal of getting 5000 likes!!! I had no idea that my little page would ever become as popular as it has! Of course I intend to keep up the designs so my new goal is now 10,000! 🙂 Spreading the hobby of amigurumi has been amazingly fun! Thank you everyone, for your all of your support!
Phew!! Finally, finally I have finished up Spike! I started him back in May (!!) of this year and never got around to writing his pattern because the color changes were so tricky for me. Remember, I like to make everything up as I go and I really don’t have any good idea of how color changes should formally be written up. Chalk it up to laziness, I guess. I just want to go! go! go! when I’m crocheting and I don’t have the patience to try to sit down and see how others have written up their patterns! For a while now, I’ve been getting many inquiries from interested crocheters about when the dragon pattern was coming out so I am so happy to say “Here it is!!” I will be uploading it to my usual shops by tomorrow at the latest! Thank you all for being so darn patient and as always, I am so grateful for your interest and kind words of support!
And as you may know from my previous post, I am also doing this because my friend had requested a custom order of a dragon doll for his nephew who happens to be born in the Year of the Dragon. So here is my contribution towards my Little Muggles “Zodiac Collection”. I hope you like him!
In my pattern, I’ve also included a little tutorial about how to make color changes with smooth transitions. This is a MUST when making the belly of Spike. A lot of you probably already know the technique, but I made my own picture tutorial. I do intend to add a Tutorial section for my website sometime soon so please check back for it! Until then, have a fantastic day and as usual, Happy Crocheting!!
A good friend came to me earlier in the year and requested I make a few amis for him to give as Christmas presents to his nieces and nephews. He was hoping to give them each an animal that represented the Asian Zodiac year in which they were born. A Tiger, a Dragon, and an Ox/Cow. It’s been my plan all along to one day crochet all the animals of the Zodiac, so what better way to get started, right? Well, I already had a Cow pattern I could use (Clarence), but I had yet to make a tiger and a dragon. Well, after many months, I have finally completed the second animal, the tiger! I am quite proud of my little Cubby. There are already many tiger patterns out there, but I really wanted to make my own Little Muggle-style version of one. (Someone once used the term “muggle-fy”, which I love!) It took me almost as long to write up the pattern as it took for me to crochet the doll!! This past summer has been quite hectic, so my apologies for the lull in new doll production. I hope to be more productive this fall! Anyhow, here are a few shots of my tiger. He’s a shy little guy who enjoys quiet afternoons in the sunshine. Enjoy!!
Gazing out a window…I wonder what he’s thinking?
By the way, my WIP for now is the Dragon. I’d say he’s about 40% complete. I am re-working my Spike doll, which I never formally wrote up a pattern for. Keep your eyes out for dragon updates on my Facebook page! I know there are people eager for his pattern so I’ll try to work quickly for you all!
A number of years ago, I bought a big bag of poly-pellets, which are basically little plastic beads used for stuffing dolls. I found it at my local craft store and thought it’d be fun to incorporate them into my amigurumis. I used them in the bodies of a few of my dolls, but the whole bag just ended up sitting in a box untouched since then. Well, a few weeks ago I came across that bag and started brainstorming some design ideas that would make use of those poly-pellets! Thus my beanbag buddy idea was born. I wanted to make something small and unique, something that could sit on a desktop or shelf and just add a pop of cuteness. A little beanbag doll seemed ideal – they are all nice and stable from the heaviness of the pellets.
Violet the Kitty is my first beanbag creation. She’s made a very soft worsted weight yarn I am very pleased with the color combination here. I like to choose colors that you might not think to put together, just to make things interesting. I toyed with the idea of making these “buddies” with no limbs, which I think would look good too. But the little arms and feet look so cute that I had to include them.
VioletSide viewBottom view
After Violet, I just had to add some colorful friends for her, so I came up with these:
HippoSquirrelOwl
Owls
My final beanbag buddy turned out to this baby owl. I’ve always wanted to make an owl, but there are already so many out there, I wasn’t sure if I could come up with a fresh version of one. I was amazed at all the positive feedback I got for this simple little design! It’s such cute little character and such a fun little project that I’ve decided to release this pattern for FREE! There are endless color combinations and designs that can be incorporated into this pattern! I hope you all remember to post pictures of your owl creations on my Facebook page because I can’t wait to see all the creativity out there!!
As always, thank you so much for your interest, love, and support! I am constantly amazed by all the fantastic creations I see from you all and I am honored and thrilled that so many people seem to like my work! Happy crocheting!
When I was a kid, I spent far too much time watching TV. I loved all kinds of cartoons and I sure watched a lot of them! (Hello Smurfs! Jetsons! Flintstones! Woody Woodpecker! Tom and Jerry! Should I go on? And yes, I realize I am showing my age here) But one of my all time faves has got to be Looney Tunes. Recently, I was randomly thinking about good ol’ Bugs Bunny and his crazy antics and for whatever reason, I was remembering a specific episode with a hurdy gurdy monkey. If you are unfamiliar with what this is, imagine an old fashioned organ grinder who stands on a sidewalk and cranks out tunes while his pet monkey dances around and collects money from passersby. I actually went hunting online and was thrilled to find the actual Looney Tunes episode so here it is in case anyone is interested in watching it! It’s called HURDY GURDY HARE. Funny this is, I even remembered the music from this episode! It’s so strange, the things one recalls from childhood…What do you remember from your own days as a kiddo that you find totally random?
Anyways, the reason I am even bringing all this up is because I wanted to share the inspiration for my newest monkey pattern! I thought it would be really cute to make an amigurumi styled after the old time hurdy gurdy monkeys. My ambition was to make a monkey wearing a hat and a cute little suit, not unlike something you might see on a monkey at the circus. Well, as you can see, I managed a hat. One day, when I develop superior clothes-making crochet skills, I will definitely release amis with fancy outfits. 🙂 Until then, I’ll have to keep it sweet and simple!
Simi the MonkeyHanging out on the shelf
Simi is the name of this little guy ..it’s a short for “Simian”. I think he looks really cute sitting on my son’s bookshelf, along with other stuffed animal friends. I hope you all like him! His pattern is now available in my usual shops! Please take a look at Craftsy or Etsy! Have a great day, everyone! Thanks for stopping by!
Welcome to the first Little Muggles Amigurumi Crochet Along!! This little turtle is fun, cute and simple to create! This design is simple enough for beginners to make, but also has a lot of potential for the more seasoned amigurumist! (Think embellishments, shell patterns, etc…) For those who are not familiar with a Crochet Along, it is very simple. Basically, any number of interested people can use this FREE pattern to “crochet along” with each other! That is, you can share your progress with your fellow crocheters, ask questions, post pictures, basically just share your thoughts and your amigurumi making experience with everyone! The most fun part is seeing everyone’s finished works! Everyone is free to use whatever yarn colors, gauges, decorations, etc.. that he/she prefers! Doesn’t this sound incredibly fun? I encourage everyone to Crochet Along with me!
I have named my turtle Sheldon! He is approximately 4.5 inches(12 cm) high and 6 inches (15cm) long. He makes a cute little decoration for any room or a super unique and adorable gift for anyone of any age!!
There’s more!
As an added bonus to the fun, I have decided to enter everyone who submits a picture of their turtle into a random drawing at the close of this Crochet Along! One winner will receive a FREE pattern of their choice from my Etsy shop! Who can resist another cool amigurumi project, right? The winner will be announced on my Facebook page!
Here’s what you need to do!
Spread the word! Share the news of this Crochet Along with your friends and fellow crochet pals! If you “share” my Facebook post about this Crochet Along and submit a picture of your doll, your name will be entered TWICE into the drawing!! That’s an extra chance to win!
Get your materials and start crocheting!! A list of what you need can be found in the pattern itself!
After you are done, take plenty of pictures and email me your favorite one at LittleMuggles@yahoo.com, or post your best pics on my Facebook page! Remember to include your name, your turtle’s name, and where you are from in your entry!!
For this turtle’s FREE pattern,CLICK HERE to get started!!
Little Muggles’ 1st Crochet Along officially starts Monday, January 14, 2013. Anyone with entries (photos) submitted by February 28, 2013(11:59pmPST) will be entered in a random drawing to win a FREE pattern from my shop!
Jolly the Snowman, Jingles the Reindeer, Pepe the Penguin
Presenting my 2012 holiday collection! Jolly the Snowman, Jingles the Reindeer, and Pepe the Penguin! These little guys all sit at about 7″ high. Little Jolly was the first creation..I just love cute little snowmen, so he was a no-brainer for me to make. Jingles came next. Originally named “Rudy,” he was a bit more of a challenge. I wasn’t quite sure how to make his antlers, but with some experimenting, I think it came out alright. I had a bag of jingle bells that I had bought maybe 3 years ago that I have never opened! I am thrilled to finally put them to use! The ribbon around the neck is also something that I saved from a previous Christmas present. I had been holding onto for a few years now. It’s funny how things come together. I knew everything would come in handy one day! Anyways, a day before I was ready to post “Rudy,” a great amigurumi designer Josephine Wu (from a Morning Cup of Jo creations) debuted a reindeer with the same name! What a coincidence! So on the recommendation of a lovely Facebook fan, I ended up selecting “Jingles” and I think the name fits wonderfully for my little guy!
The penguin is my most recent creation. I wanted another character that reminds me of wintertime and I came up with Pepe. Other characters I considered but didn’t become reality were an elf and a gingerbread boy. Maybe next year, for the 2013 holiday collection! Pepe was a lot of fun to make. I toyed with the idea of using a different color for him, something unusual. I thought of using a light blue, or a purple.. but ultimately I decided to stick with classic black. I have never made anything using black yarn before. It makes photographing a little bit harder, because details can be lost in the darkness. I love how colors just pop against his black body and white eyes. I didn’t think I could go wrong with any color for his hat and scarf set. To keep it festive, I chose Christmasy red and green. I think purple would look great too! In general, after I make a doll, I pretty much have no interest in repeating it again…so I don’t think I’ll see how well other color combinations might work. That’s why I LOVE seeing pictures of other crocheter’s finished dolls from my patterns. It’s so much fun to see the creativity and liberties that others use to modify my patterns to create their own visions.
These three patterns are available in my Craftsy shop, Etsy shop, and on Amigurumipatterns.net! Only $3.99 each! Make your own version today!!
I have FINALLY finished my free pattern for all you lovely fans. I’ve been meaning to do it as a thank you for reaching 100 likes on my Facebook page and it’s taken me this long to put it all together. It took me a while to figure out how to set it up so you can download it off my site. This is not easy for a blogging newbie like myself!!
I present to you, Mochi the bunny – an Amigurumi Gem. I plan to start a new collection of mini dolls that I’m nicknaming “gems”. Has a nice ring to it, I think. 🙂
Thanks so much, everyone! Thank you for visiting me on FB, for leaving kind words, for liking my creations, for all the support! I will try to keep the designs coming!
CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW for the PDF pattern! Enjoy!
Ok, so I’m finally done with the 3rd doll in this collection! Now I’m completely at a loss as to what the 4th character should be… I’ll have to play around with some sketches and figure it out. It’ll come to me…. hopefully! Anyways, take a look at my newest creation! I’m pretty happy with it because all my previous attempts at making cows were pretty disastrous. I don’t know what it is.. I usually mess up the snout part somehow, but thankfully it seems to have come out ok this time around!
Early on, I made this sketch of a few of the dolls I envisioned. See how the 4th doll is missing? Even early on, I had no clue as to what I was going to make. All I know is that I want 4 in the collection. Why? I have no idea! There is no rhyme or reason for it.
Now I’m going to take a short break from this collection to work on a few other crochet projects that I have to finish up! Talk to ya soon!!
