Happy Crafty New Year.....

     It has been a great holiday season!  Lots of time with family and friends, good food and a general feeling of joy and peace!

      But it's a new year with new ideas and creativity.   I wish I could find more time to work on my crochet projects!  Yes, I am retired from my job, but I have so many things I would like to make!  My Pinterest boards are full of potential projects!  Where to begin?  

     My latest original YarnVarmint creation is pretty cute.

This pair of mischievous raccoons took a while to  design.  I ended up changing several of the features and still think I like the eyes on the left one better than the right.  But overall, they turned out pretty good.  They are both made using the same pattern with just a few minor variations.    

     I like that they are not overly big, but just a good size for little hands to hang on to.  Of course they could be smaller just by using a smaller size crochet hook.  This pair were crocheted with a #4 or G hook.  In a sitting position they are about 8 inches tall.

     If you would like to check out my original patterns, visit my Etsy store at: 
           https://www.etsy.com/shop/YarnVarmintsPlus

     Also, check out my Facebook page at:
        https://www.facebook.com/Renycrochets/

     Right now I am working on a couple of projects, one that has been in progress for several months, a kimono for my grand-daughter. It is crocheted in Cleo cotton yarn and has a gorgeous diamond pattern worked into the fabric.  It will be one of the finest garments I have made yet.  The cleo yarn has such a beautiful drape and sheen to it!  I will try to post a pic when it is finished.

 The other is this cute stuffed Pikachu for another grand-daughter. He was a bit of a challenge, even though the pattern is easy to follow.  I have made a couple more of them since this one, and they do get easier and better with each one.  I must say, though, that the tail is quite unique.  It has an armature of plastic canvas to help it keep it's shape.

 Since I have 9 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren you can understand why those Pinterest pins will have to wait.  

     All in all, I don't see myself running out of projects any time soon.  But that's OK with me.  I love blessing these kids!  It's my function!

     So I hope your new year will be filled with fun projects and lots of love.  Have a Happy, Crafty New Year!

For the Love of Cats....

I know, I know!  I've been missing in action for a few weeks.  Truth is, I've been pretty busy and my crochet hook has been hot with activity.  I have crocheted 2 shawls, 2 pair of wrist warmers and twisted headbands and 1 adorable fat cat for a wonderful cat-loving friend.

I don't have pics of all these things, but I do have a pic of the cat for you.  While I did not actually use a pattern, I did get inspiration from this awesome Etsy shop.  Her cats are definitely
the cutest I've ever seen and this one doesn't come close to capturing the cuteness factor of hers, but I do think that he is kinda cute anyway.

I hope my friend will like him.

Seeing Stripes...

Making a crochet zebra look authentic is quite a challenge.  Lucky for me that my characters are not supposed to look authentic!  They just need to look cute and be easily identified as the animal they are meant to represent.   The fun thing about 'Giggles' is that they are intended to look goofy, silly, colorful and happy.  I invite anyone making these little critters to let your imagination run wild and make something unique!

While I intended the arms to be striped, they turned out to look more checkered.  Interesting.  I did single rows of single crochet on the arms and used 2 rows together on the stripes of the body.  I must remember this in the future.  That checkered effect may come in handy on a different project some day.

I love the googly eyes on this one!  He's a bit cross-eyed on purpose.  It just adds to the 'giggle' factor.

However, I'm just not quite satisfied with him.  Let's see if I can make him look better.  I'll shorten the ears and change the arms.

                    Hmmm,  still not exactly what I want.  Think, think, think!    Oh, I know!

There's just nothing like a big toothy grin to elicit a giggle from even the most somber being.  Leave a comment and let me know which one you like the best!

The pattern for this guy can be found here at Ravelry or at Craftsy.com

Gorilla, Gorilla.....

Whew!  This guy really gave me a challenge.  The challenge was to keep him simple enough to be easily done and detailed enough to make him resemble a gorilla.  I repeated the pattern in full twice to be sure my pattern was correct, and repeated different parts of the gorilla several times before I was satisfied with the result.  The giggle criteria was finally met.  He has all the whimsy of my original 'Giggles' and the features of the wild that we expect in a jungle animal.  And with his silly grin, we couldn't help but smile.  'We' refers to my hubby (Mr. Loving) and I.  Mr. Loving is my main 'Giggle' critic and advisor.  His specialty is the 'cuteness factor', and no Giggle pattern get's published without his final approval.  He also helps with the pictures, as photography is not my gift.   Oh, and did I say he is also my main admirer?! Thanks, Loving, for your help and encouragement.   I don't know what I would do without you!

A Mischievous Menagerie...

     The invasion of zoo animals continues!  My goal is to design a new amigurumi pattern each week.  Is that too lofty?  Perhaps, but I think I'll still give it a try.

     The stripes on this little guy make him quite handsome!   I hope his friends don't tease him too much for looking a bit like a bumble bee.  ;-)    He looks so cute and innocent, but I do believe he has a mischievous streak.  And I know some of his friends are little pranksters!  I hear strange noises in the night and I suspect this gang may be responsible.

     I'm not sure I trust that Lion and Elephant to behave themselves.  Things may get interesting around here!

So Much Yarn......So Little Time!

Well, I've been quite busy the past week with several projects.  I have planned for some time to to crochet a new rug for my bathroom.   I was set on making an oval rug and finding the right pattern has been a challenge in itself.   While this pattern is close to what I wanted, I had to tweak it in several ways to make it suitable for the spot where it will live.  Of course, I started this rug from my yarn stash, but have made 2 trips to the yarn shop already for just the right accent color.  But I believe the finished rug will look great with my brown and blue decor.

Not quite finished, but coming along!





Another project I have been working on in my mind for some time, but am now getting ready to publish as a pattern is this cute little 'Elephant Giggle'.      His trunk is actually posable.  I have it twisted for this pic to show that.    It's amazing how much time and energy goes into even a simple pattern. ( I do try to keep my patterns simple so that even a beginner can make them).  I must have remade those ears half a dozen times to get the effect I wanted.    In keeping with the design of the original 'Giggles' he had to be small, (he's a little over 4 inches tall), colorful and cute enough to elicit at least a smile, if not an outright giggle.   I don't know how many different patterns I will make, but I do have a few more ideas swirling around in my mind.

Giggles!

    While working from patterns is very rewarding, there is also great satisfaction in working up my own designs.  I love making cute, whimsical little creatures that bring a smile to faces.  ‘Giggles’ is one of those creations, and I offer this free pattern to all my fellow crocheters.  This little creature is pretty simple and works up fairly quickly.    I think these would make an adorable addition to an Easter basket or any festive occasion.  I may decorate my tree with them this next Christmas.

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn

G crochet hook

fiberfill for stuffing

felt for eyes (or may use safety eyes if you like)

needle and thread to sew on eyes

yarn needle for weaving in ends

This pattern is worked in rounds and I used a running stitch marker to keep track.  An understanding of basic stitches and general crochet terms is helpful.

   If you are not familiar with how to make a magic ring, here is a great tutorial to explain it.

Rnd 1:  In a magic ring make 6 sc.

       2:  Make 2 sc in each st.  (12 sc)

       3: *Sc in next st., 2sc in next st.* Repeat to end of rnd.  (18 sc)

       4:*Sc in next 2 sts., 2 sc in next st.*  Repeat to end of rnd. (24 sc)

       5 *Sc in next 3 sts., 2 sc in next st.* Repeat to end of rnd.  (30 sc)

       6:*Sc in next 4 sts. 2 sc in next st.* Repeat to end of rnd.  (36 sc)

      Rounds 7 through 11, Sc in each stitch around.

Rnd 12: *Sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog*  Repeat to end of rnd.  (30 sc)

       13 and 14  Sc in each stitch around.

       15: *Sc in next 3 sts.,  sc2tog*   Repeat to end of rnd.  (24 sc)

       16 and 17  Sc in each stitch around.

       18: *Sc in next 2 sts., sc2tog*  Repeat to end of rnd. (18 sc)

        19: Sc in each stitch around.

        20: *Sc in next stitch, sc2tog*  Repeat to end of rnd. (12 sc)

        Stuff your ‘Giggle’ and then sc2tog around until opening is closed. 

        Fasten off and  weave in the yarn end.

To make the arms and legs visit this website  for a great pictorial tutorial. 

Attach your finished curlicues to the sides and bottoms of your ‘Giggle’ for arms and legs.

Now, let your creative juices flow as you envision and create unique facial expressions.  I used felt shapes for the eyes and stitched them securely onto the ‘Giggle’.  If you decide to use safety eyes, attach them before you stuff and finish off your ‘Giggle’.  I used yarn to embroider on the mouth.  You can make the face as simple or as detailed as you like. 

Tip: I have found it easier to sew on the face before stuffing the 'giggle'.

For the hair I attached strands of yarn as if attaching fringe.  This tutorial does a great job of showing how to do this.

I hope you enjoy making these as much as I did!  I would love to see pics of your ‘Giggles’ in the comments below.

                                                                                    Blessings!

                                                                                       Reny

T-SHIRT YARN

I have to say that making t-shirt yarn is fun.  I love the idea of taking something that appears worn out and useless and turning it into something useful and completely different than the original.  However, t-shirt yarn is not the best choice for the dishcloths I was hoping to make from it.  It is at least as thick as rug yarn if not thicker.  While it is not difficult to crochet with, it is more suitable for a project that loves bulk.  I'm thinking rugs, totes, coasters, baskets, maybe placemats.  Things like that will be fantastic with t-shirt yarn.  But I like my dishcloths to be easy to handle and not so bulky.  Terry cloth is my idea of an ideal weight for washing dishes with.  Maybe that's just because it's what I'm accustomed to using.  But I think I will just stick with it.

So, I will be shopping for my dark colored kitchen textiles in the next few weeks.  And as for the old t-shirts begging for new life, I will continue to search the web for fabulous ideas for projects.  With so much creativity floating around the web, I'm sure there will be a plethora of projects to be found.