Shelly-Chic

So a few weeks ago, my parents dog, decided to eat a crochet rabbit that I made my sister about 3.5 years ago - not that it really looked anything like a rabbit, being the 3rd thing I crocheted (it would have been the second but my first attempt went really wrong and I turned it into a squid).

Like Butter Wouldn't Melt!

To be honest I wasn't really bothered. Katie however decided that she simply MUST have something to replace it with, so I gave her my copy of Zoomigurumi 3 that I got from my Secret Santa, and let her pick something. She decided on a turtle, but she wanted it to be all green

 And so "Shelly-Chic" (like Shabby-Chic) was created

And while I had the camera out, I decided to try out some of the different backgrounds for my light studio

    

 Then I got a little bit silly















But not as silly as my beautiful sister

Brian the Sheep!

Brian the sheep, (named by Dave because he thought he looked like Brian from the "Go Compare" adverts) is the biggest amigurumi I've ever made. I know that usually amigurumi are small but I've found that people seem to like to order things that are more standard cuddly toy size.

Brian was a (very belated by the time I finished) Mother's Day present for my lovely mum. She has always been very encouraging of my crocheting. More so since I've moved into my own house and no longer leave bits of yarn all over her carpet!

I had a go at making Stephanie at All About Ami's Lambert pattern, The only fluffy yarn I had was purple (didn't like working with it at all) and my sheep ended up looking like a lion/monkey hybrid.

Slightly disheartened I decided to use the Stephanie's pattern as a basis to make a larger sheep and so Brian was made.

I wrote out a basic pattern which was altered several times while I was making it. I didn't actually intend for him to end up so big (he is about 14 inches tall now he's finished!) but by the time I realised I was too far in.

My mum loved him and he has pride of place on top of a unit in their living room.

I've mentioned before that I crochet at work, and many people saw parts of Brian in the making so once he was actually finished he was taken on a tour round the office for people to see.

I will admit I did have another reason to make Brian, he was a trial run. I have several work friends who have relatives who are having children this year (the year of the sheep) and have ordered sheep off me as gifts. One the same size of Brian and one is smaller with a pink face because they know the baby is a little girl (not sure what the feminine version of Brian is? Brianita?).

Lots of happy sheep crocheting to come!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend

xxx

Cupcake Giveaway

I hope you’re all having a lovely Easter! I can’t believe a quarter of the year has gone already. This post is about the crochet cupcake giveaway currently taking place on my Instagram. Below are just the technical bits to cover the outline of the giveaway.

Cake Details

·         The cupcakes are crocheted with double knitting yarn, in a smoke and pet free environment. They are filled with standard toy stuffing.

·         The eyes on the cupcakes are safety eyes but these are not recommended for children. If requested, felt eyes can be sewn on instead.

·         Cupcakes are just under 3 inches tall and just under 1.5 inches wide.

·         Cupcakes are made up of a cake base (usually light brown but you can request a different colour) and then 2 colours for the top (one for the main base and one for the icing “swirl”) and these are up to you.

·         If you would like a zombie/bunny cake you can request one (if you do not state a colour for the bunny ears they will be white).

Competition Details

·         The giveaway is limited to residents of the UK only (due to postage)

·         The giveaway will run from the time the photo was posted on Instagram ( 12:00 05/04/2015) until 12noon on Sunday 11^th April 2015. Any entries after this will not be included.

·         Entry is limited to one per Instagram account.

·         There will be 3 cupcakes to win, so 3 winners will be picked using a random number generator.

·         Winners will be contacted via Instagram on Sunday 11^th April 2015, if one of the winners fails to provide the details needed to send the cupcake within 1 week (18/04/2015) another winner will be chosen at random.

·         Cupcakes will be posted to the address provided as soon as possible by second class royal mail post (this also depends on how quick a response I receive following the winners announcement).

·         To enter the giveaway you need to follow me on Instagram (handle @craftycharlotte) and share the giveaway photo (ensure to include the hashtag #ccgiveaway so I can find the photos), if only one of these is done your entry will be disregarded.

Any questions please contact me, either on here or on Instagram.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend

xx

Hot Dog Costume!

This post is about the hot dog costume I made for the crochet Dachshund that I made for my sister, he is now referred to as Lord Buttons. The pattern for Lord Buttons himself is from Voodoo Maggie's Amigurumi book so all the credit for him goes to her. Once I had made him I then made the costume design up as I went along.

The costume was made in 3 pieces, 2 "bun" pieces and the central piece which I made using the same yarn I made Lord Buttons in. The distance between his front and back legs was 4 inches, which equated to 25 stitches, so I chained 26, and then single crocheted along for 10 rows until it measured 1.5 inches in length. I then crocheted tabs on the edges so it could be buttoned up underneath. I did 9 slip stitches and then 11sc and then crocheted 3 rows of 11 stitches. Obviously I made 2 one for either side. The "sausage" was made by chaining 26 and then repeating 15 rows of 25 stitches.

I used surface crochet to add the ketchup and mustard and sewed the button on one tab and some loops to attach to the button on the other.

He's so cute!

P.s. Apologies for the overuse of "Lord Buttons" my sister would be mad if I referred to him as anything else.

Amigurumi vs "mindless crochet"

Anyone who has had a little nosey on my blog will know how much I love amigurumi. Its quick, uses simple stitches and they're adorable.

Although I love it amigurumi can sometimes be quite stressful, because its not constantly the same pattern each row it requires a fair amount of attention. Sometimes after a long day at work I like to do what I call "mindless crochet", things like blankets and clothing.

This is not to say that this type of crochet doesn't require skill or concentration. I often find these projects more difficult, especially when it comes to putting them together. However they tend to have big chunks in the middle where the same pattern row is repeated over and over again. I think its quite therapeutic really.

Both these are actually for Baby Harvey, I make a lot more amigurumi than I do anything else. However I am looking forward to starting my first project using a pattern chart. One of Dave's colleagues wants a butterfly pillow, I'll keep you updated on my progress

Take Care xx

Cupcakes Everywhere!

Just a quick update! I'm currently on a mission to make as many cupcakes as I can, they're being sold at macmillan coffee mornings to raise money. There quick to make and so cute! I'll let you know how much we raise!