Snowman Ornament

I always try to get the Christmas ornaments out with the Thanksgiving boxes. For those of you who hate to see the holidays rushed I agree with you. However, this allows for the ornaments to make it on this year's tree without the pressure of me trying to get the Christmas box out really early so the Christmas ornaments make it to the tree. I don't expect them to see the light until tree day, as I'm sure Mom will put them away, but this way she has them when the day comes rather than having them show up after the tree is done.

I had purchased Amigurumi Christmas Ornaments because I wanted more simple options for amigurumi style ornaments. This always ends up being a busy time of year so having quick to make ornaments that are still cute is a plus.

I started with the snowman as a break from a thread turkey I'm making. It was nice to return to a g hook and worsted weight yarn. This was a really quick project and I was able to use up yarn on hand to finish the ornament. I did not use the metal hooks for the top of the ornaments as these are going to children, I crocheted a hook that a metal ornament hook can be added to as I thought this was a safer option. The metal could be glued in but there is always the option that it can release from the yarn and stab a small one.

I used saftey eyes which differs from the pattern and since I'm currently crocheting with size 10 thread for a turkey thread I used the orange thread for the nose rather than yarn. It made for a more detailed nose.

One ornament down, two to go. I'm going to continue alternating between the smaller Thanksgiving projects and the larger ornaments to keep my hands healthy and happy.

Amigurumi Tree Christmas Ornament

There is nothing quite like getting to the point of almost being ready to mail my annual Christmas box of toys only to realize I forgot to make the Christmas ornaments. Normally I like making Christmas ornaments. They are generally quick small fun projects. However, little is fun when you are rushing to finish it because you forgot to make it. You scramble to find a pattern, hope you have the yarn, and in all it is less than a pleasant experience. This year I am trying to squeeze in some of the holiday projects Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas in between the birthday and charity projects I need to finish to reduce those last minute scrambles.

With that in mind I had borrowed Kawaii Crochetfrom the library to preview it before buying. I quickly determined I wanted the book and purchased it. The first project you might guess was the tree ornament.

I've written before about digging out some old yarn from my stash. I wanted sport weight yarn to keep the tree to ornament size and experimented with different shades of green not really happy with any of them. Then I went and looked at a stash of old red heart sport yarn I've had since the days I made Barbie clothes. This year I rediscovered the supply and I've been targeting it for a variety of projects. I liked this green for the tree. It is darker than the pattern, but I liked it better than my other options.

Notes:

I used a D hook

The hanger is crocheted behind the star

I added more branch rows to make the tree fuller

Koala Christmas Ornaments

I love making unbreakable ornaments for people with kids or those who have kids that visit because its nice to have ornaments little ones can help hang or you don't worry too much about them touching.

I inherited my Mom's Christmas ornaments when she moved and I have a box labeled unbreakable ornaments from our childhood that were boxed separate for this purpose. When we were little these were the ornaments we were allowed to hang at the bottom of the tree. Safe for us to put on and safe for us to touch during the excitement of the holiday. Some were hand made, others purchased.

As we got older and grandchildren appeared the unbreakable still was an important feature of holiday celebrations. I can say in my own home I've been grateful that these distractions have kept other ornaments safe from little hands.

That being said as I've learned over the years unbreakable doesn't always mean unbreakable. My plastic childhood ornaments that seem to have been made of steel have been broken as I've dropped them in my adult years. However, they have been less likely to shatter than the beautiful glass ornaments from my grandmother's time that I've inherited.

So how does this all relate to the Koalas you may ask? I've tried to pass on this tradition to other family and friends with little ones who want/need their own "unbreakable" ornaments for little hands by making crocheted ornaments for their trees.

This year I opened my holiday binder to the Christmas section in search of an ornament I wouldn't mind making 2 of to send out in my Christmas package. I struggle when I need to make duplicates in short periods of time. I can duplicate doll outfits yearly, but not one after the other. So I needed a pattern that was quick, simple, and interested me enough to make 2 in a close time frame.

I've learned over the years that while it may seem a good idea to make different items for different ones sometimes it can create problems if one item is deemed to be the "better" item. So I decided why not try to make the same item slightly different for the ornaments. Thus I bring you this years Koala ornaments.

This is a free pattern found here. Now the original pattern uses sport weight yarn and I primarily work in worsted weight yarn. The patterns author kindly provided a link to someone who built on the pattern to make it the same size but using heavier weight by adjusting the rows. You can find that here. You will need both patterns if you decide to use the second pattern for the worsted weight option as the second pattern refers to directions only found in the first pattern. The pattern sets include directions for a panda bear and a brown bear too.

This is a fun project and a great way to add a little holiday cheer.

Gingerbread Girl Ornament

I've made this ornament a couple of times for swaps or just a quick item to add to a package. She is adorable and the pattern was free. Sadly it has disappeared from the Internet so I can't share the pattern with you. Should she reappear as a fee or paid pattern I will try to update the post so you can find her too.

I've always been a fan of kid friendly ornaments that they can decorate with or play with as the season progresses. I have a bunch from my childhood that my Mom gave me when she moved. It keeps small hands away from the ones you don't want them playing with or breaking.

This ornament went along with the Santa Bear Lovey as part of my Christmas package. I'm already pondering my Valentine's Day lovey options. So far I think I'm going to need to find a Valentine's ami and turn it into a lovey. I suppose I could try to adapt a lovey into a Valentine's creature. I will get through Christmas before I work on that theme. I actually have found a patterns for St. Patrick's Day and Easter Loveys. That just leaves me with the July 4th holiday to consider once I've solved my Valentine's issue. Then she will indeed have a full set of holiday lovey blankies.