Jingle Ball Ornament

While I make lots of ami's that have a round base, I find that making actual balls is more challenging than I thought. It is a skill I'm working on. This is another pattern from from Gourmet Crochet's Happy Holiday Amigurumi and I added the jingle bells inside to make it more fun for the child who will be getting it next Christmas.

This is the last of my Christmas ami's I have put away for next Christmas. Now I am working on my doll donation project and I already have a few outfits finished and ready to share.

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food

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Crochet Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animal Free Patterns

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Crochet and Knit Amigurumi and Other Dolls

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Rudolph in Red Suit

I fell in love with this Rudolph for his suit. There are many reindeer patterns out there, but the red suit on this one made it a must have for my Christmas box. The pattern is available as a free Ravelry download here. The pattern includes a Santa, which I hope to make when I resume my Christmas ami projects, as Rudolph needs a partner.

This pattern worked up quickly and was fun to make. He would be a cute ornament or quick stocking stuffer if you need one.

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food

Hello Kitty

Crochet and Knit Puppets

Crochet Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animal Free Patterns

Knit Amigurumi and Stuffed Toys

Crochet and Knit Amigurumi and Other Dolls

Knit and Crochet Toys

Teddy Bear Patterns and Clothes

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Santa

I have one nephew that is going through a Weebles stage. I started out trying to make the Santa from this free pattern here. However, as I began stuffing, I ended up with more of a Santa Weeble and decided to go with it. It will be a good size for the child next year and I may take a stab at the original pattern again as I work on my Christmas ami's for next year.



If you arrived here looking for free patterns you may be interested in the following blog pages:

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food

Hello Kitty

Crochet and Knit Puppets

Crochet Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animal Free Patterns

Knit Amigurumi and Stuffed Toys

Crochet and Knit Amigurumi and Other Dolls

Knit and Crochet Toys

Teddy Bear Patterns and Clothes

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

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Mr. & Mrs. Claus

The Christmas box I mail and the Christmas donations I make have to be done by the beginning of December. Most of the time I have no interest in making Christmas projects after I send these items off, however this year I continued crocheting holiday themed items almost up until Christmas and I have a nice start on next year's Christmas ami's.

This first set of Mr. and Mrs. Claus comes from a pattern my DH purchased for me from NeedleNoodles here. These are a perfect size for my nephews who are going through a Fisher Price Little People stage. The only issue I had with the pattern set is there is no stitch count at the end of the rows and the increase, decrease language was different then what I was used to from standard amigurumi patterns. The language difference would not have been an issue with a stitch count. If you have done a few of these you can generally figure out how to get to X number of stitches, even if the wording is different than that which you are normally used to reading. That one addition would make a dramatic difference as the rest of the pattern set has amazing pictures, hints, instructions, and suggestions for making the items in the set.

I finished the Snowman and will be posting him soon. The elves are on my list of projects to work on when I resume my Christmas ami projects.

If you arrived here looking for free patterns you may be interested in the following blog pages:

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food

Hello Kitty

Crochet and Knit Puppets

Crochet Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animal Free Patterns

Knit Amigurumi and Stuffed Toys

Crochet and Knit Amigurumi and Other Dolls

Knit and Crochet Toys

Teddy Bear Patterns and Clothes

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

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Roebuck the Reindeer

I try to add a little crochet cheer to DH's office when I get the chance. With all my holiday projects for 2012 completed, I had time to add one for his office. The crochet pattern for Roebuck is available for purchase at Crochet Village. I am thinking of using the pattern for the lights for another project next year.

I finished a Pokémon ami for a Christmas present I forgot I needed to make and am continuing to work on storing up Christmas themed ami's for next year's box. After Christmas, I have the spring holiday boxes to work on and I do have to get started on the donation doll and food projects for next Christmas. It takes a while to build up a large supply to donate.

If you arrived here looking for free patterns you may be interested in the following blog pages:

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food

Hello Kitty

Crochet and Knit Puppets

Crochet Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animal Free Patterns

Knit Amigurumi and Stuffed Toys

Crochet and Knit Amigurumi and Other Dolls

Knit and Crochet Toys

Teddy Bear Patterns and Clothes

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Pictures may not be used without permission.

Reindeer

I am finally getting started on my Christmas projects again. This reindeer was made using Crochet Village's North Pole Resident's pattern set. The project worked up quickly and I already have the head and body made on the Polar Bear from the same set.

I stopped work on that project to get started on a Nursery Rhyme project from an old Annie's Attic pattern. I'm working on making the Old Woman in the Shoe. So far it is coming along pretty well. I will have to see once it is assembled how well it works. There is a Humpty Dumpty pattern that would go well with my Nursery Rhyme theme in the same set. As always time is an issue. I will have to see how much I can get done before the boxes need to be packed for shipping.

If you arrived here looking for free holiday or toy patterns please see the following pages:

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food

Hello Kitty

Crochet and Knit Puppets

Crochet Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animal Free Patterns

Knit Amigurumi and Stuffed Toys

Crochet and Knit Amigurumi and Other Dolls

Knit and Crochet Toys

Teddy Bear Patterns and Clothes

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

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Victorian Boy Snowman Caroler

This is the last family member in the Victorian Snow family made from The Annie Potter Presents The Snowbuddies from Snowville for my last swap. I will post a family photo for Wordless Wednesday next week.

You cannot tell from this picture, but with the addition of snow legs, the boy has a very different format than the previous members of the family. This was a bit more challenging to create than any of the other family members. While it made for an interesting effect, with the balance issues, I might not choose to do it in a second attempt.

I loved the newsboy style hat and may use this for other ami and doll projects.

Free Holiday Patterns Available on the Following Blog Pages:


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Victorian Girl Snowman Caroler

This is the first child in the snowman family. She also comes from The Annie Potter Presents The Snowbuddies from Snowville and I do not have a pattern number for it.

As time was running out for the swap, I was trying to decide how far I would get with this project. Did I just make Mom and Dad? Would I finish the whole family? After finishing the Mother, there seemed to be time to approach the daughter and I was glad I took on the challenge.

The directions for the little girl varied from the larger snowmen and as you will see later, the boy took an even large design variation on the theme.

While I have boxes of Christmas decorations, I am very tempted to make a set of these for myself. They are very hard to resist.


Free Holiday Patterns Available on the Following Blog Pages:


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Victorian Lady Snowman Caroler

This is the second snowman in my Victorian Caroling Family. The pattern for this family is located in Annie Potter Presents The Snowbuddies from Snowville and I do not have a pattern number for it.

I do not usually do much with fancy buttons, but for this project three of the snowmen required more than basic buttons, so I went through an assorted box I had bought a while back to see what unique options I had. I was fun to try to find something that would match.

Free Holiday Patterns Available on the Following Blog Pages:


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Gingerbread Dishcloth

I have tried playing with the picture, but I still cannot get it to upload to Blogger correctly. However, I love this pattern and want to share it. This is the last of the gingerbread items I made for a recent swap. This was made from a free pattern that was part of Maggie Weldon's Dishcloth contest. You can find the pattern here.

The challenge to make this started with finding brown cotton yarn. I am not sure why, but it was hard to find Lily Sugar n'Cream brown. When I found it I bought out the local supply as I have several patterns that call for brown cotton.

This was a fun festive item to make. It makes a nice holiday item if you need an extra Christmas gift.





If you arrived here looking for free patterns please see the following blog pages:

Crochet and Knit Dishcloth Patterns

Crochet and Knit Kitchen/Bath/Home

Free Holiday Patterns Available on the Following Blog Pages:

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Gingerbread Tissue Box

This was my first attempt at a tissue box and I was pleased with it. I learned a good deal and will know more for my next effort. I found the pattern in a library book Annie's Favorite Christmas Projects. I have been searching for this book for a while to add to my collection. I learned the pattern is also available in Issue 90 (Nov-Dec 1997) of Annie's Crochet Newsletter. Sadly, that is one of the ones I still have to collect.

Free Holiday Patterns Available on the Following Blog Pages:

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Gingerbread Girl

I decided to have a theme for the extras I included in my last swap and I was amazed at how many wonderful patterns are available for gingerbread items. This gingerbread girl was made adapting a free pattern found here. I changed the color of the dress and used a bow pattern found from free Hello Kitty Patterns.

This pattern works up quickly and is an adorable decoration or Christmas ornament.

Free Holiday Patterns Available on the Following Blog Pages:

Valentines

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Easter

Graduation

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Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

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Mini Christmas Crochet 20 to Make

I loved the reindeer on the cover of Mini Christmas Crochet Twenty to Make and from seeing the release notice wanted to order this book. I even went so far as to put it on a wish list exchange on a crochet group. Thankfully, I had many Christmas presents to buy and put off buying it until I could preview it from the library.

I really wish designers would make a point of including yarn/thread descriptions in their book descriptions. The patterns in this book are beautiful, but they are thread patterns. In this case they use a slightly larger needle, a B, but if you find thread challenging to work with, this is not going to be the best option for you. Now you can make many of these patterns with sport or worsted weight yarn and end up with larger projects. However, with so many beautiful patterns written for the correct size yarn, I am not sure I would spend the money on this book and then work out all the challenges.

If you like thread crochet than there are some cute patterns in this book. If you are looking for quick ornaments and decorations to fill a stocking or for a swap this may be the book you are looking to buy. The book includes patterns for:

Ornaments:

Pine Cone
Christmas Wreath
Dove of Peace
Glimmering Snowflake
Christmas Stocking
Wishing Star
Christmas Bell
Christmas Bear Head

Amigurumi:

Reindeer
Good Fairy
Baby Penguin
Snowman
Little Angel
Christmas Cracker
Christmas Pudding
Tabletop Tree

Other:

Snowman Fridgie
Yuletide Coaster
Napkin Ring
Poinsettia Gift Topper

Free Holiday Patterns Available on the Following Blog Pages:

Christmas

Valentines

St. Patrick's Day

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Colonial Snowman Lady Crochet

This is an adaptation of Annie's Crochet Newsletter Nov-Dec 1986 pattern, Tiny Snow People. I have been working with different sized hooks and playing with the hat and cloak to get a different look for the snow people. This one struck me as having more of a colonial look. The hat in particular just reminded me of the patriot women even more than the previous one I made.

I made another one as a gift thinking it would have the same look, but a few changes and she has a different historical look. That has been the fun with this pattern. I have a Ken hat I did not end up using for his caroler outfit, so I plan to make a snow couple for my husband's parents who will be here Christmas Eve. I am thinking a black hat and cloak for the man and something more festive for the female. However, these things have been evolving on their own so we will see what happens.

Free Holiday Patterns Available on the Following Blog Pages:

Christmas

Valentines

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Graduation

Patriotic

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

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Female Snowman Crochet

Yesterday I wrote about the boy I made from the same Annie's Crochet Newsletter pattern. I started following the pattern for the hat for the girl and realized I liked the colonial look I got when I made more of a cap for the girl instead of a winter hat. Since the pattern called for giving the woman a cape instead of a scarf, I continued to play with the theme and I liked the way the pattern looked.




The Christmas box went out without Kelly or Ken's Christmas caroling outfits, so I have a Ken hat to play with and I am going to try to use it on one of the male snowman I still have to make. I am thinking about trying to individualize the snowman and add them to some of the Christmas packages I am giving out locally. I have one to finish to ship with a gift card. Since I am posting ahead, it should be mailed if all goes well by the time this post appears.

These two are happily providing some festive cheer in my husband's office. I may even be able to finish a few for the winter season for my own house. No guarantees they will be finished by Christmas, but I leave my snowmen out all winter long.

Snowman Boy Crochet

As I have mentioned many times I have been collecting vintage patterns and magazines. This snowman was made from a vintage Annie's Crochet Newsletter Nov-Dec 1986 pattern, Tiny Snow People.

I have had a great deal of fun experimenting with this pattern and have had several requests to make more. The pattern comes with directions for a boy and girl with winter outfits. The boy has a winter hat and scarf, the girl an winter hat and cape. As you will see in later blogs, I opted to do a historical look with the girl while doing the winter look with the boy.

One skill I have never been good with is making good French knots. I have moved to using safety eyes and noses on my amigurumi projects. However, this project called for knots for the "coal buttons." I experimented with safety eyes. One downside is that it was tough to get the crochet holes to line up straight to make the rows look straight. Even looking at the pattern picture, you can see where the French knots have been "adjusted" to account for the holes and even then, they do not line up exactly.

I also changed from worsted weight yarn to cotton dishcloth yarn to make the noses and it worked out well. I had orange left over from some Halloween dishcloths and it made stronger noses for the snowman than the worsted orange I had to use.

Free Holiday Patterns Available on the Following Blog Pages:

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

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Reindeer Amigurumi

As I mentioned in a previous post I have been collecting vintage patterns from books and magazines. This pattern was adapted from Annie's Crochet Newsletter Nov-Dec 1991. The original pattern includes a reindeer with arms and legs. I did crochet a leg and held it up to the reindeer to see how it would look and it did not have the same look as the one on the pattern picture.

However, my husband captured what made this reindeer perfect. He reminded him of the rubber duckie reindeer we had mailed a few Christmas packages earlier. I have a younger relative that loves the rubber duckie creatures and this guy has that look. Another relative is discussing making a sleigh so I suspect there will be a herd of these created before the Christmas season is over.

I of course want at least one like Rudolph here and a couple with black noses as well. In fact I think I may even have a sleigh of my own for them to pull.

For those of you who arrived here looking for free Christmas patterns please feel free to visit the Christmas Knit and Crochet Page or the Christmas Ornament Page for free patterns.

Several people asked me about the toys I was talking about. These are the Rubber Duckie Reindeer Toys I was talking about.




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