Week 6, Cute Little Monsters Christmas Ornament Crochet-a-long

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 What better way to decorate a Whimsy Tree than with cute little monsters with silly grins and crazy hair. 

In case you missed the beginning of this Crochet-a-long, check out this post for more info.
https://renysplace.blogspot.com/2018/06/christmas-crochet-long-new-ornament.html

This was my very first crochet pattern design and it was so well received that I have decided to offer it again to my readers!

    I absolutely adore bright colors and funny expressions. At our house we call it the 'cuteness factor'.  It is what I strive to achieve in all my varmint creations.  At times this means making several tries before it meets the requirements.  But the satisfaction of finally getting it right is so worth it!

   These little monsters are about 3 inches tall and are just the right size for little hands to carry around.  And I wish I could describe to you the delight we see in every child who has received one of these.  Big smiles, audible giggles as they toss them up in the air or hug them close to their little chests.    The wonder is that such a simple little monster could elicit all that.

    So I invite you to  enjoy this free crochet pattern.  I suggest you make several for adorable Christmas gifts.  And keep some extra's around for little visitors.  I try to do this and it is such a great help to parents when their child has something special to play with during the visit.  And then I send it home with them!

    All you need to make this free crochet pattern are some bits of leftover yarn, stuffing and some felt for the eyes.  Be sure to stitch eyes, arms and legs securely if you plan to give one of these to a baby.

   Once you have completed one, it's hard not to make more.  And the more you make, the more delighted your littles will be!

                                 Giggle Monster Pattern

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, this is a great tutorial to explain it.

  http://www.instructables.com/id/Crochet-Magic-Ring-Adjustable-Ring/

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. 

 http://www.fiberfluxblog.com/2012/07/how-to-crochet-curlicue_31.html

   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.

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

http://rescuedpawdesigns.com/2014/07/10/how-to-add-fringe-to-crochet-projects/#_a5y_p=4486753                            

     So there you  have it!  Happy little monsters that are sure to make you smile!

Blessings!

Reny

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

Lovable Little Critter!

After 3 1/2 years, I'm back.  Life gets busy sometimes and people get sidetracked.  Well, I get sidetracked for sure.  But things are good and now as a retiree I have more time to do all the things I love!

Lately that thing is crocheting, and here is one of my latest critters.  I say 'critter' because he is totally a one of a kind creation.  His name is Frankie and he was crafted randomly and without a pattern.  There will never be another just like him.  Part bear, part fox, part cat?  Use your imagination!

Leave a comment and tell me if you think he is as cute as I do!

Blessings!