Brother Rabbit Finger Puppet

With Brother Rabbit we come to the end of the Rabbit Finger Puppet project. You can purchase the pattern for this project here.

This project took me longer than I anticipated when I started it. In fact until I picked up the pattern to start it I hadn't realized it was a thread pattern. I had wrongly thought it was sport weight cotton when I had requested it as a gift. That being said I'm glad I took up the challenge because it has renewed an interest in working in thread and I really like the detail that came out in these rabbits.

In my quest to keep using thread I had on hand brother had green overalls instead of the suggested blue. I rather liked the color change. I didn't mention this in the sister post but I changed the bib portion of the pattern to make it easier for me. Instead of making the bib and sewing it on, I crocheted the bib directly on to the outfit. I tried the suggested method first but I found I ended up with better shaped bibs when I crocheted directly to the outfit.

No holiday boxes until Halloween. However, I have summer and fall birthday boxes to prepare. This is also a great time to get the doll donation projects underway.

Baby Rabbit Finger Puppet

When I finished the Mother Rabbit finger puppet I made a decision that I needed to pick up the pace if I wanted to be able to mail the package the Saturday before Easter. My choice was to make the last 3 heads all at once and then finish off the puppets individually.

One of the lessons I learned with Baby Rabbit is I make mistakes more easily the later it gets at night. I had no trouble finishing the heads without mistakes. However, you will notice Baby bunny's ears have a bigger block of pink than all the other bunnies. That was a result of making them late at night and sewing them on and finishing them off. It wasn't untl the next morning when I looked at all the bunnies lined up that I realized the baby had different ears but I wasn't going to cut them off and replace them. Baby Rabbit is just different from the other bunnies.

For those of you interested you can purchase the pattern here. The pattern suggests size 20 thread I used Red Heart Crochet, Thread Size 10 white, Aunt Lydia's Crochet Thread Size 10, Orchid Pink, and Aunt Lydia's Crochet Size 10 Thread, French Rose. I changed the bib color to Aunt Lydia's Crochet Thread, Size 10, Maize because I had left over yarn from an Our Generation doll project that I've been trying to finish off and I didn't have the color suggested by the pattern. The suggested 1.25mm hook worked with the size 10 thread.

Sister Rabbit Finger Puppet

I had hoped to finish more Easter themed projects this year but the holiday crept on me while I was working on doll donation projects. I also discovered these "quick" finger puppets I thought I'd add to the Easter box were some of the most time consuming projects I'd made in a while. They weren't hard but making all those tiny stitches is time consuming and there were a number of rabbits to be made.

The bunny base is made with Red Heart Crochet Thread Size 10 and the dress with Aunt Lydia's Crochet Thread Size 10, French Rose with Tulip Etimo Rose Steel Crochet Hook-1.25mm.

The eyes are standard 6mm but the pink nose comes from CR Crafts where I've discovered they have a remarkable selection not only of colored noses but of smaller sizes as well. I've found larger pink noses in the past but these are nice for the smaller amis.

Notes:

I added rows to the skirt as I wanted it to lay a bit better. I preffered this look to suggested pattern directions. I love the heart buttons. Slightly larger than needed but I need to find a source for smaller doll buttons as I plan to get back into making Barbie clothes.

Yes, I said it. After writing the blog about Barbie patterns and saying I wasn't planning on making them, I had a feeling something would change my mind. It was actually this project. One of the most challenging problems I've found with working with thread is working in the round with ami style projects. With my new hooks, I seem to have met the challenge and decided I'll be adding Barbies to the donation, if not this year than the following year. It all depends on how much I get done between now and Thanksgiving which is my deadline for finishng. I've dug out the binder and dusted it off so I will be experimenting.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Egg-cellent Romper

It's hard to believe it but I started this holiday doll project with Lots to Love Bunny Suit last year. For my second Easter doll, I turned to another Amy Carrico 5-inch doll pattern Egg-cellent Romper. I first came across this pattern as an April 2010 Crochet World bonus pattern. However, it is currently available for free here.

Notes:

In order to get the top of the outfit to fit I used light worsted weight 4 yarn. However once the arm holes were completed I switched to sport weight yarn as the worsted weight proved to be too heavy. I used an e hook with the worsted weight yarn and a D hook for all other items including the hat and booties.