New Years Goal, Make More Books

Happy New Year!   I have a New Years Goal (or resolutions if you prefer) this year to make more coptic stitch books!  I know this is not exactly in keeping with the varmint theme of this site, but I also know that most crafty people indulge themselves in more than one craft.  So this post is for my paper crafting friends.
If you've never made a coptic stitch book HERE is a link to an excellent video to get you started.  The procedure is actually quite simple with SeaLemon's awesome step-by-step instructions.

Once you have created your covers and folded all the pages and grouped them into 'signatures' you will want to go to THIS video to learn the actual stitching procedure.

I made this simple cover with Christmas wrapping paper just because I thought it was pretty.



One of the best features of a coptic stitch book is that when opened it lays flat making it easier to journal or sketch in it.



This particular little book has cut out silhouettes in it of the Nativity and the story was dictated by my seven year old grandson Sam, and hand lettered  onto the pages.



As you can imagine, the possibilities for one of these handmade journals or books are just endless.  I hope you will give this a try.  Bet you can't make just one!

Blessings-
Reny

Christmas Eve and everything is done!

Merry Christmas Varmint lovers!  I hope your holiday preparations are all done and you are relaxing in your favorite easy chair right now.  At our house all is ready for Christmas.    The Christmas crochet projects are tucked in the tree and awaiting notice by 2 awesome boys who are expected to arrive here by Christmas evening.  We are so excited!

This Green buddy and dragon are quite a big larger than most of my own designs, but they were too adorable to pass up.  The link for the Green Buddy can be found in my previous post.

Here is the link for the dragon.  And here are the two of them together in MY favorite easy chair!

This will be my last post of this year, so I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Blessings~
Reny

Crochet Green Buddy is a Winner for little Hulk lovers!

Crochet Green Buddy...Wow!  What a winner for any little guy who admires the Incredible Hulk.  This doll is about18 inches tall and perfect to be a pal to my grandson.

This is the finished project taken from this free pattern by Mary Smith.  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/green-buddy---kid-hero

 He took about 24 hours total to make, but I tend to crochet slower than most.  Many of my crocheting friends would have finished this in less time.

So my next project is a dragon of a similar size for another grandson.  Gotta be fair, right?!

Normally I make smaller items because I get impatient with large projects.  But these are sooo cute!  I just couldn't resist giving them a try.

Check back in a week or so to see the finished dragon.  I think he might be quite impressive.  At least I'm hoping so!  The pattern looks awesome!

So back to my work!  Must get dragon done before Christmas!  Would love to hear your thoughts on this Hulky guy!  Meanwhile, Happy Holiday Hooking!

Blessings~
Reny

Hulk Inspired Crochet Doll...An Adorable 'Green Buddy'.

With just 2 weeks until Christmas, I'm busily working on an Incredible Hulk  crochet doll for my grandson.

Paul loves Super Hero's, and especially the Incredible Hulk.  I searched Pinterest and found this adorable free crochet Hulk 'Green Buddy’ doll pattern.

So over to Ravelry I went and downloaded the pattern.   This pattern prints out to 16 pages complete with detailed pics.  So I was pretty sure this would be a piece of cake  project.

Now, three days later with at least 6 hours a day spent with hook in hand, I am about 50% finished.  This is going to be an awesome gift for my grandson, but wow!  There must be a gazillion stitches in this  thing!  While this hulk crochet doll doesn’t look that difficult in the pic, the pattern has quite a few little details that absolutely make it rock!  The tattered look to the shorts, the toes and fingers, the ears and the hair are all extras that add cuteness to the appearance of this doll. 

The size is perfect at about 18-20 inches tall.  The hair is done separately like a wig and is then attached to the head.  The face has some slight needle sculpting to help give it definition.   And the ears are just adorable!

The big eyes and sweet little smile on this crochet doll  take away from any Hulk scariness and make this a buddy that kids can relate to in a kind and gentle way.

I have learned several new techniques from this crochet pattern and have had to brush up on an old skill or two.  So far the challenge has been totally worth it!

So, I'm not finished with this guy yet, but when completed I will post a pic of the finished project.  Be sure to check back in a few days to see if my Hulk resembles the pattern pic.

In the meantime, Happy Hooking!

Blessings~
Reny