Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween. Time to celebrate by remembering all the Halloween projects.

Mr. Pumpkin

I wasn't sure I was going to finish the set of mini Halloween ami's but with one left it just seemed like something that should be done. You can purchase the pattern set here. It also gave me a chance to work on some sock yarn I'd won years ago in a giveaway that I've slowly been throwing at projects to finish it off since I don't make socks.

This ami works up really quickly and is one of the easier pumpkins I've made. Mine is slightly smaller than it would have been had I gone with cotton sport yarn but size wasn't an issue for me with this project, using up unwanted sock yarn was more of a priority.

I'm very excited that I was able to pick up 3 more of her pattern sets during a sale so I have the Halloween set I was missing, the 2 Christmas sets I wanted and to get the discount I threw in the Valentine set. While I'm a big fan of her work the Easter set isn't calling to me. I am holding back an Amazon gift card for the release of her new book coming out December 1 Mini Kingdomwhich is perfect for the Castle I made and am in need of villagers to fill before I send it off for Christmas.

Frankenstein

For a village to be fun to play with someone must live there. So far we have a Pumpkin Witch and a Candy Corn villager. Now Frankenstein moves to the Halloween Village.

Frankenstein was created using the Halloween minis pattern which can be purchased here. This is one of the most detailed pattern sets I've ever purchased. I will warn you the set is 47 pages. The directions and pictures that accompany them are amazing.

Lately it appears my hobby has been yarn hunting. This designer uses Schachenmayr Catania Originals yarn. The only place I was able to get most of the colors, the orange appears to be unavailable, was Love Crafts. I hit them at a crazy 50% off sale and items were disappearing from my cart as fast as I could order. However, I did get most of what I needed for the set. That being said while I will finish up the yarn I ordered I think I'll be sticking to the Sinfonia from now on. This yarn splits more than other and I found it more frustrating to work with over all. My ami's may end up being slightly larger but that isn't a huge issue for me.

I will be picking up more patterns from this designer. In fact she has a new book coming out in December Mini Kingdom: Crochet 36 Tiny Amigurumi Royals! that will be on my Christmas wish list. I'd love to see a collection of her holiday patterns in book format.

Mouse and Pumpkin

As I'm working on my doll donations, and the dino baby blanket, I also have to keep an eye on the calendar as the beginning of the next round of holiday boxes will need to go out in the not to distant future as well. I finished the first Halloween item, the Mouse and Pumpkin pattern that was again a gift from DH. You can purchase the pattern here.

I liked this set because it added a little fun play to the idea of safe decorations for little hands. The mice have made a home in the pumpkin and the child can place a mouse in the hole or play with them around the pumpkin, but there is more than just a pumpkin that won't break should little hands pick it up and drop it or want to hug it.

This pattern was well illustrated and the directions were clear, which was great since I was trying some new things with adding the mouse tunnel. Once you see the directions it does make sense, but it wsan't something I guessed. I will say when she says cut the yarn, cut the yarn, don't do what I did the first time and think you can avoid sewing in ends with slip stitches, the hole ends up being much to small. While I dislike sewing in ends, it is even more frustrating when your realize your efforts to save yourself work made more.

I've started the 3rd dino block and I'm working on another Halloween ami project. I've got to get started on another doll donation project as well. Summer sped by so fast and the deadline is creeping up faster than I can possibly believe on all the projects.

Dachshund Witch

I recently discovered a fellow dog blogger is relocating and I wanted to send her a fun house warming gift. Every Christmas she writes about the Dachshunds revolting against the Snowmen invasion, so I thought it was time to even the field. It was time to have some of their own holiday decorations.

I decided to start with a Halloween themed Dachshund. During a recent Annie's sale I purchased Terri Crews' Dachshund's pattern found here. I reworked a free Barbie witch hat pattern found here to give the Dachshund his holiday costume.

I didn't get quite the expression and shape I wanted out of this pattern, so I am continuing to explore different ami Dachshund patterns, even combining some to get the best effect possible.

The Pumpkins

I'm going to finish off my Halloween posts with my last two pumpkin projects. The first was adapted from Crochet Village's Fall Visitors pattern pack. I got creative and added the Turkey's hat to the pumpkin's head. The witch was an extra pattern I received free when I ordered the Fall pack. I'm not sure if it is still available.

I am not sure I will have any Thanksgiving projects to post this year. I'm already at work on December birthday and Christmas gifts. I have one ready to post as soon as I get the pictures taken and the post up. However, I was pleased to hear that the kids were very excited when their Mom took out the previous years Thanksgiving ami's out so they could have them to play with this holiday season.

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

Pictures may not be used without permission.

Crow

I had great ambitions for getting my Halloween projects posted last month. However, given a choice of finishing and mailing them on time or getting them posted, I will take getting them to the kids.

This was a fun project and is part of Crochet Village's Fall Visitor's pattern pack. It worked up quickly and while it is being used as a toy, I hope to eventually have one to use as a decoration.

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

Pictures may not be used without permission.

Purple Bat

I pulled my Halloween patterns at the end of the summer. I am getting a late start on my Halloween package. The bat pattern is from Crochet Village's Halloween Goblins set that includes the bat, a ghost trick or treater, and a vampire. I would love to finish the set, but it may have to wait until next year as I'm working through another fall Crochet Village set Fall Visitors. I adapted one of the pumpkin patterns. Now I am working on the crow from the same pattern set. I made the turkey for last year's Thanksgiving box. I also used Suncrafter's yellow eyes. The pattern would work with standard safety eyes or sewn eyes, too.

This was a great scrap project as I was able to use up some left over afghan yarn for the bat. I love being able to work through my yarn stash for these projects.

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

Pictures may not be used without permission.

Candy Corn Man

Candy Corn Man is the second item I have made from Crochet Village's Halloween Ghoulies pattern set that I received as a birthday present. I had barely finished the head when it became clear this amigurumi would not be making it into the Halloween box for the trip. This is to be an office Ami. I will need to complete a second one for my Halloween package. Once the high top sneakers emerged, there was no question that this guy was not leaving the state.

I have seen several candy corn patterns, but it was the tennis shoes that made this pattern make the cut off list for my Halloween package. I already have some patterns that are being put off until next year. It never hurts to have something new to work on each year.

I used Red Heart Super Saver and Caron One Pound Yarn to complete the project. Instead of crocheting the eyes, I used safety eyes. After having finished another dinosaur I will be blogging about this week another candy man is next on my crochet list along with an afghan I am experimenting with for Christmas.

Mummy Amigurumi

As I mentioned in my birthday post, I had been looking for a Mummy pattern when I found Halloween Ghoulies at Crochet Village. I put the pattern on my birthday list and was very happy when it was one of the ones my husband selected.

This was the first of my birthday patterns I crocheted. I used Caron One Pound yarn. One change I would make next time is to use sports yarn and adjust the required stitches to make the bandages. The worsted weight yarn made the bandages just a little to thick to work with when wrapping the mummy body.

I did change the pattern by adding saftey eyes instead of crocheting the eyes. My wrapping pattern was different than the one in the pattern picture. Another pattern alteration I made is that my Mummy stands. The one in the picture is sitting. I am looking forward to making more mummies in the future.

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

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

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Teddy Bear Patterns and Clothes

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Pictures may not be used without permission.

Scarecrow

This is my latest addition to my Halloween projects. This was originally a free pattern available from Fiber Doodles. This is a lesson in always downloading and saving patterns you like even if you are not ready to make them. When I went to find the pattern today I realized the link on my Halloween page was dead. I do try to go rotate my checks through the links every few months so I am not sure, when this one was taken out, but if it comes back, I will add it as I thought this was a wonderful pattern.


This was an interesting pattern to work on. The feet are created separately and then joined together with crochet. This is different from the normal pattern of sewing the legs to the body. I thought it was interesting that the knee was designed to be bent and I liked the large shoes that provide balance for the body. The pattern creates a shirt and overalls for the scarecrow. It was more complicated than it appeared, but it created a cute amigurumi when it was done.

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Valentines

St. Patrick's Day

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Bride of Frankenstein

Like Frankenstein, this was not made from a free pattern. My husband purchased the Bride of Frankenstein pattern from Crafty Deb.

This was a fun pattern to work on. I loved the hair and her bridal hairpiece. Even her shoes were fun to work on. I suspect the adults will enjoy these creatures as much as the children they are headed off to see in October.

Having had success with these two patterns Dracula
, Snap Dragon, and the Pirates are on my birthday list to give to my husband.

I am almost finished with a birthday Yoda and hopefully will finish a birthday candle to go with it. I will post pictures when they are finished.

Free Holiday Patterns Available on the Following Blog Pages:

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Valentines

St. Patrick's Day

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Frankenstein

Last week I continued my Halloween project with Frankenstein. This pattern was a present from my husband. He purchased the pattern from Craft Deb.

I would recommend using the larger colored eyes Deb used in her Frankenstein. I did not have any on hand, so I used the smaller eyes I had already purchased. When I have the chance to purchase the larger eyes and make a Frankenstein with them, I will post my results.

Last year I made Gourmet Crochet's smaller Frankenstein from Monster Mash Amigurumi. Crafty Deb's pattern solved the problem I had with Frankenstein pattern's feet from Gourmet Crochet. Crafty Deb's Frankenstein will stand. The feet and legs are designed to hold Frankenstein's body.

I am currently working on Crafty Deb's Bride of Frankenstein. I will post my results when I am finished.


Free Holiday Patterns Available on the Following Blog Pages:

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Valentines

St. Patrick's Day

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic



Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Amigurumi Witch

This is the last new pattern I will be making from Gourmet Crochet's Monster Mash Amigurumi for this Halloween season. There are two more patterns in the book a spider which I tried and could not make look like a spider despite repeated attempts and a cat which for the longest time I thought was a mouse. I may try the cat/mouse pattern at a later date, but I still have to create multiple patterns of the other items from this book before Halloween and I have not even touched on Thanksgiving yet.

I finally fixed the shoe problem with this doll, but realized hair had to be added to the hat prior to sewing it on not after, so my story is she her hair is all under the hat tucked up nice and neatly. Either that or she's shaved her head and not tied to the conventions of hair. I do know I am not destroying the hat or the head pulling them off to add the hair. I will make sure the next one has hair. I also realized when I made the female vampire I added a few rows to her dress. I does pay to write down your changes when you make them.

If you arrived here looking for free Halloween patterns please check out the Halloween Knit and Crochet Page or the Halloween Plastic Canvas Page.


Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Female Vampire Amigurumi

I find it comforting to read on other blogs that people share my challenges. It does not solve my problem, but it means I am not alone. While I have not yet started doing craft shows or making items for sale online, I do have a need to make multiple projects for family members and I find it challenging to stick with the same pattern for multiple projects unless I mix things up. Before anyone panics, I am not contemplating selling work made from other people's patterns without permission. I am just contemplating the work involved with committing to making multiple items for sale purposes.

This female vampire is actually a modified version of the witch pattern from Gourmet Crochet's Monster Mash Amigurumi. I used Dracula's cape instead of the witch version because it was longer. I had already made two Draculas. I needed a third vampire character to balance out my Halloween packages. I just did not want to make another Dracula that day and decided to play with the witch pattern and create a female companion for Dracula. One package requires two of each doll. I already have three Frankensteins. The first blue one has already left for his new home. I have made one blue and one in a more traditional green for the package that requires two of each item. The female vampire now balances the vampire requirements.



If you arrived here looking for free Halloween patterns please check out the Halloween Knit and Crochet Page or the Halloween Plastic Canvas Page.


Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Ghost Amigurumi

These ghosts are another product of Gourmet Crochet's, Monster Mash Amigurumi. These were quick and easy to work up and I suspect will be all over my house and several others this Halloween season. The size and simplicity of the pattern make them an attractive option for crocheting for decorations and gifts for the season.




I love the fact that they blend so well into making scenes. These were posed for maximum light. However, until they ship to relatives, they currently are residing on our piano. Surrounded by pumpkins there, they are even cuter than in these photographs. I am going to have to make sure we have our own supply once the family decorations ship. I am thinking about finding or creating a gravestone to go with them and it would make for a great Halloween scene.

For free Halloween patterns please see the Halloween Crochet and Knit Page.

Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Frankenstein Amigurumi

Frankenstein is another project from from Gourmet Crochet's, Monster Mash Amigurumi. As I mentioned when I wrote about Dracula, Frankie's head was much easier to crochet because it was made all in one piece. I was confused about Frankie's color. The picture looked like the color in this picture so I decided to copy it. However, the book calls for a more traditional green. So I think I will make a couple and give the kids a chance to have multiple colors. Perhaps Frankie wears color on Halloween as his costume?



Frankie will soon be joining Dracula and one of the pumpkins in preparing for a trip out of state. One pumpkin and Dracula have already left with their transport. Now that Frankie is finished and has posed for pictures he will likely be off soon as well. The second batch will make a trip across country by mail closer to Halloween. I have promised my husband their will be a set for the house, too. The ghost will be up on the blog soon.


For those interested in free Halloween patterns please visit the Halloween Crochet and Knitting Free Pattern Page.


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My Holiday Projects

I love decorating for the holidays and sending packages of toys to my younger relatives to celebrate the many holidays during the year. I have been blogging about those projects and decided to create a page so I could find those projects quickly when I wanted to show them to friends and family.

Birthday:

Birthday Candle

Birthday Candle with Dishcloth Yarn

Valentine's Day:

American Girl Doll:

American Girl Doll

Barbie:

Barbie Valentine Ball Gown

Barbie Pink Valentine Gown

Other Decorations and Toys:

Bear

Chocolate Valentine Kiss

Dishcloth

Heart Cookies

Hello Kitty

Hugging Hearts

Mouse Finger Puppet

St. Patrick's Day:

Barbie 2012

Barbie Dress

Barbie Irish Lass

Free Shamrock Dishcloth Pattern

Hello Kitty Free Pattern

Leprechaun Ami

Leprechaun Toilet Paper Cover

Leprechaun with Pot of Gold

Lucky Clover Dishcloth

Shamrock Dishcloth

St. Patrick's Day Crochet Dishcloth

St. Patrick's Day Hello Kitty

Easter:

Carrot Rattle

Easter Ducks and Chicks

Easter Eggs

Granny Square Dishcloth

Patriotic Projects:

American Girl Patriotic Outfit

Barbie Patriotic Outfit

Kelly Colonial Outfit

Ken Colonial Outfit

Parade Car

Patriotic Baby Blocks

Patriotic Hello Kitty

Skipper Colonial Outfit

Halloween:

American Girl Doll Witch Costume

Barbie Ghost Costume

Bat Bell

Bride of Frankenstein

Candy Corn Afghan

Candy Corn Man

Cat Bell

Count Dracula Ami

Female Vampire

Frankenstein

Frankenstein Ami

Ghost Ami

Ghost Dishcloth

Halloween Lovey Doll

Hello Kitty Witch

Kelly Cat Costume

Ken Ghost Costume

Mummy Amigurumi

Pumpkin Amigurumi

Pumpkin Bell

Pumpkin Dishcloth

Scarecrow

Seahorse Witch

Skipper Witch Costume

Witch Ami

Mom's Contributions:

Barbie Witch

Thanksgiving:

American Girl Doll:

Blue Pilgrim

Pilgrim

Pilgrim Version 1 2011

Barbie:

Barbie Fashion Doll Pilgrim

Barbie Pilgrim Free Pattern

Barbie Pilgrim Shady Lane

Kelly Pilgrim

Ken Pilgrim

Other Decorations and Toys:

Chester the Turkey Boy

Cornucopia Bell

Hello Kitty Pilgrim

Mr.Pilgrim Bear

Mrs. Pilgrim Bear

Pilgrim Ami Female

Pilgrim Ami Male

Pilgrim Female Finger Puppet

Pilgrim Hat Bell

Pilgrim Man Finger Puppet

Pilgrim Turkey

Pilgrim Weeble

Turkey Amigurumi

Turkey Bell

Turkey Dishcloth Knitted

Thanksgiving Lovey

Turkey Finger Puppet

Christmas:

Alphabet Block Ornament

American Girl Doll:

American Girl Doll Santa

American Girl Doll Santa with Holiday Yarn

American Girl Doll Christmas Dress

Barbie:

Barbie Santa

Barbie Santa One Piece

Barbie Christmas Caroler

Barbie Christmas Caroler Black Jacket

Kelly Santa

Ken Santa

Decorations, Toys, and Ornaments:

Christmas Bell Ornament

Christmas Toy Ball

Gingerbread Dishcloth

Gingerbread Girl

Gingerbread Scarf

Gingerbread Tissue Box

Hello Kitty Christmas Caroler

Hello Kitty Santa

House Ornament

Reindeer Ami

Reindeer Ornament

Rocking Horse Ornament

Santa Bear Ornament

Seahorse Pilgrim

Seahorse Santa

Seahorse Witch

Snowmen

Boy

Colonial Lady

Female

Green Hat Lady

Victorian Boy Christmas Caroler

Victorian Christmas Caroler Girl

Victorian Christmas Caroler Lady

Victorian Christmas Caroler Man

Victorian Lady

Victorian Man

Graduation:

Graduation Bear

Check the Holiday Posts for Free Patterns:

Valentine's

St. Patrick's Day

Easter

Patriotic

Graduation

Halloween

Thanksgiving

Christmas


Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Pumpkin Amigurumi

This is the second pattern I used from Gourmet Crochet's, Monster Mash Amigurumi. Before I knew it a Pumpkin Patch was emerging in my living room. I have several more to make, but these work up very quickly and are so cute when finished. The first one I made had balance issues as the bottom was not flat when completed. However, after the first the rest were great. I love the fact they are small and do not take up too much room. Kids can use these are part of their fall playsets or they make great decorations. For people with small kids they have the benefit of being adorable decorations that can fall to the ground multiple times without breaking.




This pattern book does not have a scarecrow, but I am think with some color changes the patterns for Frankenstein and Dracula would adapt easily enough to put a scarecrow in my pumpkin patch. It may not be this year, but by next year the kids will find one in their Halloween packages.

For those interested in free Halloween patterns please visit the Halloween Crochet and Knitting Free Pattern Page.

Pictures may not be used without permission.

Count Dracula Ami

As I have mentioned before I love to send out packages for all the holidays to the nieces and nephews. I have been splitting my time preparing my Christmas projects and finding Halloween items that are in my project range.

I had ordered a book through Gourmet Crochet, Monster Mash Amigurumi, a while back and had not had the chance to make any of the patterns. While it is only June, I have several packages to prepare for shipping. I need to start early. Normally I would have started with the ghost, but I have worked with lots of white lately and was looking for relief from all white projects. Since I had the required colors on hand, I started with the Count.




I did struggle with his head and his wig. The head is not crocheted as one piece. I think my gauge was off because even using a smaller hook for the hair, the wig was larger than it should have been. I think his head was just small. I have been working on the Frankenstein pattern that creates the head as one piece and have not had any problems with sizing which leads me to believe that I just crocheted the head too small. I have several more to experiment with so I will have a better idea how to adjust. The other thing I will change is I will make the chain for his cape shorter. I thought that might be the case at the time, but decided to finish the pattern and adjust on the second attempt.



He is already receiving rave reviews and will be one of the first off to a new home.

For those who are looking for free Halloween crochet and knitting patterns please check out the Halloween Crochet and Knitting Free Pattern Page.

Pictures may not be used without written permission.