Hook and Needles: Knitting and Crochet Blog (cool stuff, techniques, and things I find)

Cheap Sock Blockers

Alicia — Tue, 06 May 2008 23:33:15 +0000

I’m not a sock knitter, but I though some of you may find the following link useful:

It shows how to make sock blockers with regular wire hangers.

Knitting Calculators

Alicia — Thu, 01 May 2008 20:38:23 +0000

I found a site with tons of knitting calculators (some would work for crochet as well). I have only tried the even decreases, and even decreases ones:

The Knitting Fiend’s Knitting Calculators

It includes handy tools like:

And many, many more. Enjoy, my math resistant friends!

Mochimochi Land

Alicia — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:29:33 +0000

I often get emails or hear from knitters that don’t know how to crochet, but would like to make amigurumis. I usually tell them to just learn to crochet, but being a realist, here’s a site with patterns (some free, some not) for knitted stuffed toys (very cute):

Mochimochi Land

Museum of Kitschy Stitches

Alicia — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:03:23 +0000

The name says it all, but here’s its welcome blurb sans LOL pictures:

We at the Museum of Kitschy Stitches would like to welcome you to our hallowed halls. If you’re a long time visitor, welcome back. If you’ve just found us, come on it and take a look around. We’ve got a little something to horrify everyone. Whether you’re a passive-aggressive pet lover, appreciate fine swimwear, or just enjoy a little clown-on-clown violence, you’ve found the right place. Let your kitsch flag fly!

The link: Museum of Kitschy Stitches

It also comes in a book:

Museum of Kitschy Stitches: A Gallery of Notorious Knits (Hardcover)
By Stitchy McYarnpants
ISBN:
Price: —
(13 Customer Reviews)

Plastic Bag Yarn

Alicia — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:50:45 +0000

I’ve heard of this kind of thing before, but never actually looked for a pattern. One of my friends in Ravelry queued a Grocery Bag Purse. Which is not a bag for groceries, but a bag made of grocery plastic bags. The pattern, in turn, pointed me to a page on how to make Plastic Bag “Yarn”. I’m not particularly “green”, but I may give this a try on a rainy day this summer.

I guess this is my belated “Earth Day” post.

Glow in the dark yarn

Alicia — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:37:34 +0000

I thought it was a joke too, but it isn’t. I fount and online store that sells yarn that glows in the dark. It’s $9.95 for a 50gm ball, and according to the description:

This 100% nylon fiber is infused with a substance that allows it to glow for up to 4 hours when charged under a light source for 1 hour. This yarn is completely machine washable and dryable, so it’s perfect for adding to children’s clothes.

I don’t know… I can see some practical uses for this (hats for runners), but the potential for misuse is enormous. I almost feel compelled to preemptively submit it to whatnottocrochet and whatnottoknit.

Here’s the link: Nightlights Glow in the Dark Yarn

Birdies

Alicia — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:15:59 +0000

Here’s a desktop wallpaper featuring some Birds of a feather. There’s the yellow and purple birds, plus you can choose whether you want the bird on the left or right (pc or mac).

Standard

800×600, 1024×768, 1280×1024 and 1600×1200

Widescreen

1280×800, 1440×900, 1680×1050, and 1920×1200

For instructions on how to install or download, see this post.

Amigurumi game

Alicia — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:32:18 +0000

If you like playing online puzzles, you’ll love this amigurumi based game:

Farm Hustle

The idea is to match three or more of the same amigurumi by swaping them. Quite adictive.

Gooseflesh

Alicia — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:20:42 +0000

I discovered this site through the Crochet Me blog. It’s an Australian crochet artist that has created a coral reef that is currently being exhibited in New York. You should check out the work. It’s quite something. She also has an Etsy store where you can buy a crocheted coral necklace.

Gooseflesh

Amigurumi Tutorial 3

Alicia — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:57:18 +0000

In the first amigurumi tutorial I went over the basic crochet techniques needed to make amigurumis. In the second installment, I explained the most common types of patterns, and how to read them. In this final amigurumi tutorial I’ll cover some additional techniques often used when making amigurumis.

Other Crochet Stitches

Although most amigurumis are made with the single crochet stitch shown in the first tutorial, you are often required to use other stitches to shape your doll. The following is not an inclusive list (for that go to Nexstitch’s crochet video tutorials), but simply some of the stitches that you are likely to encounter when crocheting amigurumis. Next to the name of each stitch I’ve included the abbreviation(s) used in patterns (I’m using the American naming conventions, which differs from the British).

Slip Stitch (sl st)

Download Video

Half Double Crochet (hdc)

Download Video

Double Crochet (dc)

Download Video

Triple Crochet also known as Treble Crochet (trc or tr)

Download Video

Font Post or Front Loop, Back Post or Back Loop (fl or fp, bl or bp)

Download Video

Working with Color

You’ll often want to add a splash of color to your projects. The following video shows how to change color yarns. PlanetJune also has a Colour Changes in Amigurumi tutorial.

Download Video

If you are working in stripes, you’ll want them to be as joggles as possible. To do so, you need to stop working on a spiral and start working in rows. The technique in the next video is not perfect, but it gives better results than working in spirals.

Download Video

If you find a better way to the joggles stripes, let me know.

Adding Faces

Your amigurumi won’t be complete until you add a cute face to it. There are different ways to do this, the following video explains some of them.

Download Video

Keep safety in mind. If your amigurumi is for a small child or a baby, stick to using yarn or felt for eyes. Buttons or safety eyes may be a choking hazard.

Also, as I mentioned in the video, I’m not very good when it comes to embroidery, but I found a needlepoint site that has the best videos and tutorials I’ve seen on the subject: Needle’nThread.com’s Video Library (especially the Satin Stitch tutorial).

As for human dolls, Owlishly has an excellent Amigurumi Hair Tutorial, you should check it out. I’m lazy, so what I’ve done for quick and easy hair is a tassel.

Most patterns will tell you when you need to work on the face. You’ll usually be adding the eyes, mouth, nose and muzzle when you are around two thirds into making the head, but it really depends on what you are making. The key is to be able to do it while it’s still comfortable for you to do so (the opening it big enough).

Finishing your project

Most likely, your amigurumi will be made of more than one piece, so the last step is to sew them together. This process is easier if you leave long tails on every piece you finish (so don’t cut the tail short after you bind off).

Crochet Me has an excellent tutorial on Assembling Amigurumi. Planetjune also has a very good tutorial on Joining Amigurumi. The key is to do it slowly and with care so they join shows as little as possible. Use pins to hold a rebellious piece in palce.

Closing words

My advice to you is to take your time. Start with small projects. Practice your stitches until you get even tension thought your work. It will make your amigurumis look much nicer, and you’ll be happier with the results. But remember that amigurumis are toys, so you should be having fun making them.

Don’t stress, enjoy!

Go to Amigurumi Tutorial 1, Amigurumi Tutorial 2