Have you found anything to make for Valentine’s Day from the previous 2 round-ups, sewing and recipe? Today, I am still doing round-ups and this time it is for valentine’s project using yarns. There are so many awesome projects out there. I was inspired and wanted to share them with you so you can have more choices to choose from. Be it a little gift or for home decor, I wish you will find something sweet to make with yarns.

1. Teeny Tiny Hearts at Attic 24.
2. How To Crochet A Heart at Cornflower Blue Studio.
3. Tiny Crochet Hearts at Kundhi.
4. Crocheted Heart Pattern at Hinzpired.
5. Granny Heart Tutorial at Cherry Heart.
6. Happy Little Heart at Two Hands Healing And Creative Arts.
7. Crochet Heart Valentine Craft at Handmade.
8. Heart Shaped Potholders at Coats.
9. Whimsical Heart Doily at Ravelry.
10. Knit A Heart at Craft Passion.
11. Knit Valentines at Flax & Twine.
12. Crochet Chocolate Box at Favecrafts.
13. Sweet Heart Crochet Pattern at Bella Dia.
14. Heart Shaped Candy Purse at Sugar’n Cream.
15. Pop Heart Pattern at MyGurumi.
16. Soft Crocheted Heart at Craft.
17. Love Letters at My Sister’s Suitcase.
18. Sunkissed Heart Wreath at Michele Made Me.
19. Valentines Day String Art at Make Grow Gather.
20. Yarn Love at Family Chic.

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Knitting Pattern For Little Fur Shrug

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Over the Christmas holiday, while having good time with friends and families, I managed to knit another quick project. I knitted this little fur shrug with the eye lash novelty yarn again since I still have some after the Slouchy Beanie Hat. Couldn’t believe that this yarn is quite economical to use. I bought 4 skeins, after the hat and this little fur shrug, I still have 1 1/2 skein left in my stash. With less than US$9 (in material cost), I made 2 projects with this yarn, wow, that’s amazing.

This shoulder warmer little fur shrug can be done pretty fast and all you need to know is knit (K), purl (P) and knit 2 stitches together (K2tog). I was able to finish this fur shrug in about 2 hours while watching TV. I designed the fur shrug in 2 sizes, a little girl or kid size and an adult size. You can make a pair to get a mother/daughter set.

Knitting Pattern: Little Fur Shrug

Materials & Tools
1. Yarn: Bella Baby – Spoil, Super Bulky, 50g / 45m, 100% Polyester, Eye lashes type, qty= Kid / 1 skein, Adult / 2 skeins
2. Knitting needle: 8mm
3. Ribbon, Kid = 1 1/2″ x 16″, 2 pcs., Adult = 1 1/2″ x 20″, 2 pcs.
4. Sewing needle

Knit Tension
11 sts x 14 rows (10 cm x 10 cm / 4″ x 4″) stockinette stitch

Dimension

Download the printable version in PDF document.

Abbreviations
K – Knit
P – Purl
st(s) – stitch(es)
tog – together
RS – Right Side
WS – Wrong Side

Knitting Pattern
Toddler Size
Row 1 : Cast on 82sts on 8mm needle.
Row 2-3 : Starting with a P row (WS), work in stocking/stockinette st for 2 rows.
Row 4 : (WS) P19,*P2tog, P19* repeat 3 times. (79 sts)
Row 5-6 : Starting with a K row (RS), work in stocking/stockinette st for 2 rows.
Row 7 : (RS) K19,*K2tog, K18* repeat 3 times. (76 sts)
Row 8 : P row
Row 9: (RS) K18,*K2tog, K17* repeat 3 times,K1. (73 sts)
Row 10: P row
Row 11: (RS) K18,*K2tog, K16* repeat 3 times, K1. (70 sts)
Row 12: P row
Row 13: (RS) K7,*K2tog, K7* repeat 7 times. (63 sts)
Row 14: P row
Row 15: (RS) K7,*K2tog, K6* repeat 7 times. (56 sts)
Row 16: P row
Row 17: (RS) K11,*K2tog, K9* repeat 4 times, K1. (52 sts)
Row 18: P row
Row 19: (RS) K10,*K2tog, K8* repeat 4 times, K2. (48 sts)
Row 20: P row
Row 21: (RS) K8,*K2tog, K8* repeat 4 times. (44 sts)
Row 22: P row
Bind off, fasten and hide yarn end.
Sew ribbons to the shrug.

Adult Size
Row 1 : Cast on 110sts on 8mm needle.
Row 2-4 : Starting with a P row (WS), work in stocking/stockinette st for 3 rows.
Row 5 : (RS) K21,*K2tog, K20* repeat 4 times, K1. (106 sts)
Row 6-8 : Starting with a P row (WS), work in stocking/stockinette st for 3 rows.
Row 9 : (RS) K18,*K2tog, K20* repeat 4 times. (102 sts)
Row 10-12 : Starting with a P row (WS), work in stocking/stockinette st for 3 rows.
Row 13: (RS) K20,*K2tog, K18* repeat 4 times,K2. (98 sts)
Row 14: P row
Row 15: (RS) K18,*K2tog, K18* repeat 4 times. (94 sts)
Row 16: P row
Row 17: (RS) K18,*K2tog, K17* repeat 4 times. (90 sts)
Row 18: P row
Row 19: (RS) K8,*K2tog, K7* repeat 9 times, K1. (81 sts)
Row 20: P row
Row 21: (RS) K8,*K2tog, K6* repeat 9 times, K1. (72 sts)
Row 22: P row
Row 23: (RS) K11,*K2tog, K10* repeat 5 times, K1. (67 sts)
Row 24: P row
Row 25: (RS) K10,*K2tog, K9* repeat 5 times, K2. (62 sts)
Row 26: P row
Row 27: (RS) K10,*K2tog, K8* repeat 5 times, K2. (57 sts)
Row 28: P row
Bind off, fasten and hide yarn end.
Sew ribbons to the shrug.

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Knit Pattern for Simple Slouch Beanie Hat

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I thought I will be having my dream come true to have a cold Christmas holiday this year. I have bought the flight tickets to fly 1,400 miles up north where it should be about 50ºF during the Christmas week, though no snow but it is cold enough to make me happy. So, I knit this simple slouch beanie hat for my daughter to keep her warm since it will be her first coldest temperature experience. But… things didn’t turn out to what I have planned… that’s a long boring story…..

This simple slouch beanie hat is quite easy and fast to complete. Get the knitting pattern after this. I used eye lashes texture yarn which I bought at Spotlight during my recent trip to Singapore. The yarn is classified as super bulky, but you may use any similar yarn to replace it. If you want to have a longer slouch behind the hat, just increase the stitches. You can also add a pom-pom at the back or attach your favorite brooch to decorate this simple hat.

Wish you have a warm Christmas celebration with friends and family members…. Merry Christmas!!!

Knitting Pattern: Simple Slouch Beanie Hat

Materials & Tools
1. Yarn: Bella Baby – Spoil, Super Bulky, 50g / 45m, 100% Polyester, qty= 1.5 skein or 75g or 68m
2. Knitting needle: 8mm
3. Dummy yarn
4. Tapestry needle

Knit Tension
11 sts x 14 rows (10 cm x 10 cm / 4″ x 4″) stockinette stitch

Dimension
To fit head circumference: 53 cm / 56 cm, / 21”/22″
Height: approx. 30 cm / 11 3/4″
Circumference: approx. 50 cm / 19 3/4″

Knitting Pattern
33 sts x 70 row stockinette stitch, work in row

Start with a dummy yarn, cast on 33 st on a 8mm needle.
Row 1 (Right-side) : Knit 33 sts with Bella Baby Spoil yarn
Row 2 (wrong-side) : Purl 33 sts
repeat Row 1 and 2 until row 70. Cut yarn at about 2′ length.
Remove dummy yarn at the beginning row and insert needle into every stitch.
Stitch up both horizontal seams to resemble a row of knit stitches to join the up.
Run stitches at one side of the hat, pull yarn through the stitches, tighten and fasten.
Add brooch to decorate or leave it

Start with a dummy yarn, cast on 33 st on a 8mm needle.
Row 1 (Right-side) : Knit 33 sts with Bella Baby Spoil yarn
Row 2 (wrong-side) : Purl 33 sts
repeat Row 1 and 2 until row 70. Cut yarn at about 2′ length.

Remove dummy yarn at the beginning row and insert needle into every stitch.
Stitch up both horizontal seams to resemble a row of knit stitches to join the seam up.

Run stitches at one side of the hat, pull yarn through the stitches, tighten and fasten.

Keep you little one warm and cozy this winter with a pretty hat. Add a brooch or corsage to personalize your own beanie hat.

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How to knit pom-pom scarf [with video]

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This pink pom-pom scarf is quick to knit by using the Sirdar’s baby snowball yarn I bought recently. It can be done in an hour or within 2 hours. The straight yarn between the pom-pom is shorter than the previous yarn, so this time I am going to make only 1 stitch in between pom-pom (instead of 2 for the previous pattern). This scarf is intended for my daughter, so I made it to have 2 bigger pom-pom dangling at both of it’s V-shaped ends.

In this knitting pattern, I added 2 types of knitting stitches (as shown below). If they are new to you, don’t worry, the video tutorial shown in detail how to make these 2 stitches too.

1. Kbf – Knit in front and back of stitch. This is an increment stitch where after you knit the 1st stitch, make another stitch at the back loop before take out from the left needle.
2. Ktbl – Knit through back loop. This is to make a normal knit stitch “twisted”.

The video has caption on it with a relaxing background music. You can leave the speaker off if you prefer to watch the video quietly. Sit back and enjoy this 12 minutes knitting tutorial video to make a pom-pom scarf, including how to join the yarn in between. Try one for this cold winter.

There is a written pattern below, just in case you want to print it out to keep.

Watch the video in Vimeo
Watch the video in YouTube.

Knitting Pattern: Pom-Pom Scarf

Materials & Tools:
1. Yarn – Baby Snowball [Sirdar], 2 x 50g balls(approx.25m/27yds), color shade: 113
2. Pom-pom – white, 2
3. Knitting needle, 5mm
4. Tapestry needle
5. Strong thread or lace thread
6. Scissors
7. Lighter

Abbreviations:
K – Knit
Kfb – Knit in front and back of stitch [increment stitch]
Ktbl – Knit through back loop
st(s) – stitch(es)
tog – together

Knitting Pattern:
Start at approximately 6 pom-poms away.
Row 1: Cast on 2 stitches on the needle by making each loop at each straight part of the yarn respectively, turn. {2 sts}
Row 2: Kbf in next 2 sts (Kbf is an increment stitch), turn. {4 sts}
Row 3: K, Kbf in next 2 sts, K, turn. {6 sts}
Row 4 and onwards: Ktbl for next 6 sts, turn.
Knit until almost finish the 1st ball of yarn. Join yarn by tying a dead knot at the yarn end, cut excessive yarn and burn them lightly to prevent it from unraveling.
Continue to knit with the 2nd ball until you have about 12 pom-pom left.
Last 4 row: Ktbl, Ktbl 2 tog for next 2 sts, Ktbl, turn. {4 sts}
Last 3 row: Ktbl 2 tog for next 2 sts, turn. {2 sts}
Last 2 row: Ktbl next 2 sts, turn. {2 sts}
Last row: Ktbl 2 tog, pull yarn end through to bind off.

Sewing & Assembly:
Sew 2 white pom-poms at each end securely, hide threads into pom-poms.
Hide yarn ends into scarf, trim off excess yarn and burn the end lightly with lighter to prevent it from it from unraveling.

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Crochet Turkey Coasters And Ornament

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I was inspired by a flower potholder found in Pinterest to come up with this turkey coaster crochet pattern. Using some fall color yarns to crochet the base of the turkey, then outline it to give it a magical touch. The outlining and detailing on the tails really make the different and brighten-up the whole crochet piece. If you wish to turn the turkey to peacock, just use change the yarn colors to green, light blue, dark blue, black and brown.

Wish you all Happy Thanksgiving…. say “Thank you” in any language you know!!! 谢谢 (Chinese), terima kasih (Malay), arigato (Japanese), kamsamnida (Korean), doa jeh (Cantonese Dialect), kamsia (Hokkien Dialect)….

Crochet Pattern: Turkey Coasters And Ornaments

Pattern adapted from Jennifer Martin’s pattern in Ravelry after being inspired by 178/365 Flower Potholder.

Dimension:
Finished size: Approximate 6 1/2″ (W) x 5 1/2″ (H)
Gauge: not important as long as the yarn label said it is suitable for 2.5mm to 3.5mm hook.

Materials & Tools:
1. Yarn, acrylic baby yarn, 5 – 6 colors.
2. Crochet hook, 3mm
3. Felt – White, Black and Red
4. Sewing thread – White, Black and Red
5. Sewing needle
6. Scissors

Abbreviations:
sl knot = slip knot
st = stitch
slst = slip stitch (to fasten)
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
dc = double crochet
fo = fasten off
Rnd = round

Crochet Pattern:

Work on right side only, unless stated otherwise.
FRONT
Body
sl knot on hook to begin.
Rnd 1 – ch 4, 14dc into 1st ch, slst to the 4th ch at the beginning rnd. This will give you a total 15 sts in a rnd, counting the 3chs at the beginning rnd as the first 1 dc stitch. (15 sts)
Rnd 2 – ch 3, dc in same st, 2dc in each st around. slst to the 3rd ch at the beginning rnd. fo. (30 sts)
Rnd 3 – New color: ch3, *2dc in next st, dc in next st, repeat * around. slst to the 3rd ch at the beginning round. fo. (45 sts)
Rnd 4 – New color: ch1, sc around. fo. (45 sts)
Tail
Row 1 – New color: ch3, dc in same st, ch1, 2dc in same st, *skip 2 sts, (2dc, ch1, 2dc) in next st, repeat * until you have made 10 sets. fo.
Row 2 – New color: start at the ch1 space of previous row, ch3, dc in same space, ch1, 2dc in same space, *(2dc, ch1, 2dc) in next ch1 space, repeat * until you reach to the end. fo.
Row 3 – New color: start at the ch1 space of previous row, ch3, 2dc in same space, ch1, 3dc in same space, *(3dc, ch1, 3dc) in next ch1 space, repeat * until you reach to the end. fo.
Row 4 – New color: start at the ch1 space of previous row, ch3, 5dc in same space, *6dc in next ch1 space, repeat * until you reach to the end. fo.

BACK
Follow the front pattern with 1 color only.
When making the tail, you can either follow the front pattern by working on right side only, that is fo at every rnd and start at the first ch1 space of previous rnd.
Or,
Turn your piece to the other side to work without have to fo at each rnd. Make 2 to 3 slst at the beginning of each rnd to get to the ch1 space before beginning the first ch3 for the new rnd. Don’t fo and continue with the next step by joining the front and back pieces up.
Hook Loop: Make a loop at the middle of the tail with ch 10 and slst to the last sc.
Weave in all ends to neaten both front and back pieces.

Joining Front & Back
(Sew facial assemblies on the front before joining the front and back piece. Detail on sewing, please read further down.)

The tail outlining and detailing are made while joining both front and back pieces. All stitches must go through both pieces for joining up.

Place the front piece on top of the back piece, with wrong side facing each other. Line up edges.

Side edge of the tail: *1sc (at the corner to the tail and go through both layers), ch 1, repeat * until you reach the body.
Body & feet: sc in next 7 sts, [make foot: ch 2, *ch 2, sc on 2nd ch from hook, slst to 2nd next ch, repeat * 3 times, sc on next st, sc in the same st of last sc before making foot], sc in next 4 sts, repeat make foot, sc in next 6 sts.
Side edge of the tail: *ch 1, 1sc, repeat * until you reach the corner of the tail
Tail outline and joining:
* sc in next 7 sts. sc in between the 2 shells.
Ch 1, sc around the row below (in between the same 2 shells you just did, only on row 7).
Ch 1, sc around row 6.
Ch 1, sc around row 5 (there are 2 skipped sts available, 1 sc into the closest one, ch 1, then sc into the other).
Ch 1, sc around row 6.
Ch 1, sc around row 7.
Ch 1, sc around row 8.

Facial Assembly: Do this before joining the front and back piece.
1. Cut 2 pcs. of 3/4″ diameter of white felts, 2pcs. of 1/2″ diameter of black felts, 3/4″ red beak and 1 1/4″ long snood.
2. Sew on the front of the turkey with respective color thread.

Get ready some fall color yarns, for example shades of brown, orange, yellow, grey and white.
Cut eyes, beak and snood from felt.

Plan the color combo and arrangement or refer to above photos for suggestion.
Slip knot on crochet hook, crochet 4 chains.

Follow crochet pattern above (rnd 1 to rnd 4) to make the turkey body.

Begin to crochet turkey tail by making 10 sets of “2dc,ch1,2dc” for row 1.
Always begin each row from right hand side with right side facing you.

Follow crochet pattern above (row 1 to row 4) to make the turkey tail.

Once the front is done, weave in all ends to neaten.
Sew facial of turkey to the body.

Crochet the back with single color yarn by repeating the front pattern, except that you can choose to either follow exactly, or, turn your piece as you work on the the tail.
Make a 10 chains hook loop at the middle of the last row.

Place the front piece on top of the back piece, with wrong side facing each other. Line up edges.
Crochet along the edge towards the body. Stitches must go through both layers.
Crochet feet.
Crochet towards the turkey tail.

Single crochet 7 stitches on the shell and 1 stitch between the 2 shells.

Crochet 1 chain, then single crochet again between 2 shell on the following row.

Repeat the stitches until you get to the bottom.

Single crochet in the first skip stitches of round 5, chain 1, single crochet on the second skip stitch.
Go up to the top again.

Continue to crochet by repeating the stitches for the rest of the tail details.

Slip stitch and fastern off the yarn when you reach the first stitch of the joining process.
Weave in the end.
Done!

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Indigo Dial Trivet - Locker Hook

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If you remember my recent book review and introduction about Locking Loops, you should remember Theresa Pulido, the author of the book. I have been a big fan of Theresa Pulido’s locker hook crafts & projects, and her books “Locking Loops: Unique Locker Hooking Handcrafts to Wear and Give” and Hook, Loop ‘n’ Lock: Create Fun and Easy Locker Hooked Projects are really creative and inspiring. Theresa has brought me to the world of locker hook and I love this craft ever since.

I’m so glad for the opportunity to share one of my favorite locker hooked projects to make. When I first started teaching locker hooking, I wanted to create something easy to make that was fast, beautiful and useful in various ways. This is one of the easiest projects you can locker hook and it is featured in my new Locking Loops book. You can customize it to have your own colors and a favorite tile (you can find different tile designs at colorcrazy.com). You can also give it away as a beautiful hand crafted gift. This makes for a great trivet, mat or a wall hanging. I have several in different colors hanging on my office and studio wall. I hope you enjoy creating your own version of this lovely trivet.

Locker Hook: Indigo Dial Trivet
Make: 1
Pattern: Download here.

Materials:
1. 52 x 52 square piece of Locker hooking canvas 5-mesh
2. 22 yds. (20.1m) ½”W (1.5cm) Indigo color (or your own color choice) cotton strips
3. 12 yds. (11m) ½”W (1.5cm) Natural cotton muslin strips (or your own color choice)
4. 24 yds (21.9m) ½”W (1.5cm) Blue Rayon seam binding
5. 4” x 4” Ceramic Tile
6. Locking Medium: either a sturdy yarn or cotton twine that matches the fabric strips
7. Locker Hook
8. Tapestry needle
9. Permanent Adhesive
10. Scissors

Download pattern here. Print it if you prefer to have a hard-copy in hand.
{the pdf download will either open in new tab or open a small window asking you to save it as file. If you can’t find the saved file in your computer, the default folder usually is in “/downloads”}
{If you can’t download the pdf pattern, probably you don’t have acrobat reader, download the latest version for free, here.}
Prepare the Canvas: Cut and prepare the canvas by folding over 4 squares on each side. Crease the 4th row shown in gray on the pattern in half so you have three squares folded over. Transfer the pattern to the canvas with a permanent marker if desired.

Frame the Edges: Frame the edges of the canvas with blue seam binding by threading through tapestry needle (thread about 1 – 1/2yds at a time) and whip stitch to wrap the folded edges. Stitch around edge through each square. Corners may need two or even three stitches for proper coverage. Use fingers to adjust strip to cover edges properly.
Begin Locker Hooking: Locker hook the design starting at the outer edge and working in a spiral around the edge toward the middle. Change fabric strip colors or add more as needed to follow the pattern leaving a 2 inch tail with each new strip you use. Leave an unhooked area in the center for the tile as indicated by the pattern.
Thread the locking medium (use black or matching yarn) through the needle eye end of the locker hook. Push locker hook through the top of the canvas starting at the very edge where you whip stitched the frame. Pull up the 1^st loop and give it a tug. Loop should be about ½” high. Continue pulling up loops and making sure they match the height of the 1^st loop.
TIP: Give your loops a tug every time you pull them up to make sure they are the same height.

Secure Loops: Once you’ve pulled up 4 or 5 loops or more, pull locker hook through loops along with locking medium to lock loops in place. Leave a 2 inch tail of locking medium hanging. Secure locking medium by tying to canvas if necessary. Continue locker hooking pattern and securing loops on canvas until design is complete.

Finishing Techniques: Once pattern is locker hooked, begin finishing the design by sewing in tails. Trim all fabric tails to approximately 2 inches with ends cut diagonally. Take the needle eye end of locker hook and working from the top, push locker hook end through the top to the bottom where tail is located.

Thread tail through needle eye and pull through to the top.

Sew in each tail by taking the needle eye and threading through about five loops away from the tail.

Thread tail through needle eye again and pull through the loops to hide.

Use scissors to snip any visible end of tail close to the last loop. Repeat with all fabric tails and do the same with locking medium tails.

Glue On Inset Tile Piece: Protect your work surface and add permanent adhesive to the back of the tile and place in the center of the trivet.
Pull out any loops caught underneath the tile. Let the glue dry completely and enjoy your new trivet!

But, before I am allowed to go, I took one of the ghosts from the ghost lights and toss it in a glass jar. He has been naughty lately and not following the rules. This time he ain’t going with me, I hope he learned a good lesson and behave well when I am back.

Along with the ghost lights decoration, I found a bunch of mini mandarin oranges holiday lights in my store room which I have been decorating for my Chinese New year since years. Now, they become part of my Halloween light decorations. All I have to do is to draw the oranges with permanent marker, easy and quick!!!

Here is the round-up of Halloween crafts of 2009-2011:

1. Pom-Pom Jack ‘O Lantern
2. Pom-Pom Black Widow Spider
3. Sock Skeleton Couples
4. Skeleton Costume
5. Pumpkin Costume
6. Pumpkin Treat Basket
7. Ghost Lights
8. Mummy Holder
9. Candy Corn Memo Holder

Not enough Halloween crafts to inspire you? Here are some more from others which I think you might be interested:
That’s all for now… till then…. BOO!!!

Halloween Egg Carton Bats and Leaf Ghosts by Happy Clippings.

Pipe Cleaner Yarn Spiders by Make And Takes.

Pipe Cleaner Spider Ring by Crafts By Amanda.

DIY Spider Sacks by Modern Parents Messy Kids.

Orange Jack O’ Lantern by Momtastic.

Flexi Mummies by Family Chic.

Black Grape Vine Pumpkin With Lights by Jen Goode’s 100 Directions.

Halloween Candles by Fresh Home Ideas.

Ghost Jug Lights by Family Fun Crafts.

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Halloween Candy Corn Memo Holder

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This candy corn memo holder is perfect for desk decor during the creepy October. You can make the mummy pencil holder to pair with it and they make wonderful companion on your desk while you work. Or, as a table number holder or menu holder on your dining table if you are having friends and families coming over for a Halloween dinner or party.

It isn’t hard to make and I have gotten this candy corn idea after drinking from a disposable paper cone cup of a water dispenser machine. While I was drinking, I think: “Can I do anything with this paper cone cup?” The idea struck and so I took some of the clean cone cups and put them inside my bag… shhhh… don’t tell the manager that I st*le some cups from him yay… lol… As a reward for not telling him, ahemmm, here you are, the method to make the Candy Corn Memo Holder made from a paper cone water cups.

Candy Corn Memo Holder

Make: 1

Materials:
1. Paper cone cup or make your own cone from card stock
2. Yarns – white, orange, yellow and short length of black
3. Googly eyes
4. Wire – Aluminium or white floral wire 18 – 20 awg (I didn’t measure the length but I guess 2 feet should be sufficient, you can always join the wire if you don’t have enough for 1 length)
5. Craft glue
6. Cellophane adhesive tape
7. Long nose pliers
8. Scissors
9. Wire cutter

Get ready all the materials and tools as per the above list.

Use a pair of long nose pliers to make a few rounds of spiral memo clip.
Cut a small hole at the tip of the paper cone and insert the straight wire end into it.
Bend the wire to follow the shape and size of the base of the cone.
Total height is 6″, from clip to base.
Cut away extra wire.

Secure the wire to the cone base with some cellophane adhesive tapes.
Use your hands to press the round cone base to an oval shape.

Apply craft glue to the entire cone outer surface. You can add glue as you wrap the yarn on it or you can do it as once.

Wrap the yarns to the cone, start from white , orange and lastly yellow.

Attach googly eyes and some black yarns to give your candy corn an unique expression.
Leave it overnight for drying.
Done!

Not only spiders, seems like the pingpong ball ghosts are getting to this pity candy corn memo holder tooo… oh no!!!
Happy Halloween!!!!

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Amigurumi: Bunny Pencil Holder

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My first back to school craft for this year – Bunny Pencil Holders. They can be done by using some stash yarns and the free crochet pattern below.

This amigurumi bunny pencil holder is not quite an usual “amigurumi” that we stuffed with poly-fill. I crochet a cover following the shape’s of the vitagen bottle, then decorated it into a bunny. It is an amigurumi craft because of the tight stitches and its toy-look, but not quite an amigurumi because it is not stuffed Therefore, I called it “non-stuff” amigurumi, agree?

I started making amigurumi since I know how to crochet, some 30 years ago during my childhood years. I wasn’t even told the crochet I did has a name “amigurumi” which was meant for crochet stuffing toys. With the affluence of Japanese craft, the first non-stuff amigurumi I made was using this empty vitagen bottle. I remember I also made a bunny out of that, similar to this bunny but of course not so welly done. Too bad I didn’t keep that precious first amigurumi piece to show you.  Well, it is not a nice good looking one to show off, but it was my first piece which deserved a place in my craft museum. What do you think a 10 year-old school kid can produce on her very first crochet toy?

I hope you like this bunny pencil holder. It doesn’t need to be for putting pencil, it can be used as a utensil holder for toddler’s utensil, or as a vase for flowers, or just anything you can think of.

Difficulty Level: Amigurumi Beginner

Materials & Tools:
1. Empty Vitagen bottle
2. Yarn stashes of pink & white colors (medium worsted weight), red & blue (light weight baby yarn)
3. 3mm, 1.5mm crochet hook
4. 5mm wiggly eyes
5. Tapestry needle
6. Stitch marker
7. Strong multipurpose adhesive
8. Scissors
9. Beads and string for the necklace.

Note: I am not sure if you can get Vitagen worldwidely but it is popular in SE Asia. Find alternative if possible. Another brand you can look out for is Yakult but different country will have different bottle shape.

Dimension:
Empty Vitagen bottle: 2″ base, 3 1/2″ tall. The neck begins at 1 1/2″ from base.
Finished size: approx. 2 1/4″ wide (exclude bunny tail), 6″ tall (include ears)

Abbreviations:
st = stitch
ch = chain
sl st = slip stitch
sc = single crochet
sc2tog = single crochet 2 together (decrease) [suggest to use invisible decrease]
mm = move marker
fo = fasten off
[ ] = the number indicated in the bracket is the total sts in the round

Crochet Pattern:
(from bottom to top)
Bottle [make 1]
Base
PINK medium worsted weight yarn with 3mm hook
R1: ch2, 6sc in 1st chain, mm [6]
R2: 2sc in each st around, mm [12]
R3: *2sc in first st, 1sc in next st, repeat from * around, mm [18]
R4: *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 2 sts, repeat from * around, mm [24]
R5: *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 3 sts, repeat from * around, mm [30]
Body
R6 – R13: sc in each st around, mm [until you reach the bottle's neck]
R14: *sc2tog decrease, 1sc in next 3 sts, repeat from * around, mm [24] {do invisible decrease}
Change to WHITE medium worsted weight yarn
R15: sc in each st around, mm
R16: *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 3 sts, repeat from * around, mm [30]
R17 – R19: sc in each st around, mm
R20: *sc2tog decrease, 1sc in next 8 sts, repeat from * around, mm [27]
R21: *sc2tog decrease, 1sc in next 7 sts, repeat from * around, mm [24]
R22: *sc2tog decrease, 1sc in next 6 sts, repeat from * around, mm [21]
R23: *sc2tog decrease, 1sc in next 5 sts, repeat from * around, mm [18]
fo & hide yarn end.

Ear [make 2]
WHITE medium worsted weight yarn with 3mm hook
R1: ch2, 6sc in 1st chain, mm [6]
R2: *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 2 sts, repeat from * around, mm [8]
R3: *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 3 sts, repeat from * around, mm [10]
R4: *2sc in first st, 1sc in next 4 sts, repeat from * around, mm [12]
R5 – R11: sc in each st around, mm
fo with 4″ – 6″ tail.

Red Flower [make 1 for female bunny]
RED light baby weight yarn with 1.5mm hook
R1 – ch2, 6sc on 2nd st from hook, slst to the first ch to make a ring.
R2 – *slst on next st, ch3, dc, ch3, slst, repeat * 6 times to make 6 petals.
fo with 4″ tail.

Blue Necktie [make 1 for male bunny]
BLUE light baby weight yarn with 1.5mm hook
Row 1: ch2, 1sc on 2nd ch from hook, turn
Row 2: ch1, 3sc on next st, turn.
Row 3: ch1, 1sc on 1st st, 2sc on next st, 1sc on next st, turn.
Row 4 – Row 10: ch1, sc in each st, turn.
ch around the neck, slst to the last row of the necktie.
fo with 6″ tail.
Stitch the necktie to the male bunny body, and make another stitch on the necktie for the knot shape.

Crochet Vitagen Bottle cover

Get ready a clean empty vitagen bottle, medium worsted weight yarns (white & pink), 3mm crochet hook, stitch marker, tapestry needle and scissors.

Crochet a base according to the “base pattern” above. The base should be slightly bigger than the bottom of the vitagen bottle.
Getting the right tension is important in order to follow this pattern. For intermediate amigurumi level, if you can’t get the right tension, you might need to do some modification on the pattern to suit the bottle size.

Work upright with the “body pattern”. By R13, you should reach slightly above the groove line of the bottle.

R14 is the decrease round to make the cover follows the contour of the bottle.

Change yarn to white at the last loop-over of the of R14. Continue to crochet with R15.

Follow patterns from R16 to R23, if the tension is right, you should reach the mouth of the bottle.
Cut and fasten off the yarn, hide yarn end into the body.

Bunny In The Making

Crochet the ears by following the “ear pattern” above.
Make a mini pom pom by following this tutorial.
Spare some pink yarns for facial features.
Get ready a pair of wiggly eyes, multipurpose adhesive, tapestry needle and scissors.

Shape the ear by folding the 2 sides to the center and make a few stitches on 3 rows of the sticthes.

Sew the ears securely to the bunny body.

Sew some wiskers on the cheeks and a nose at the center.

Attach the mini pom pom to the back of the bunny.

Attach the wiggly eyes to the bunny, set it aside to dry.

Crochet a red flower by following the above pattern, sew it to the ear.
Make a beads necklace and put in on.
Alternatively, crochet a blue necktie for the male bunny.

This is rather a fast and easy tutorial to make mini pom-pom with your own 2 fingers, some yarns and a pair of scissors.

It started when I need some mini pom-poms urgently for a crochet craft and I was lazy to drive tenths of miles just to get to a shop that sells them. Just in case you are like me and have some stash yarns at home, you can easy make your own mini pom-pom with just 2 of your fingers. If you use the same yarn to make the mini pom-pom, it matches perfectly to your project.

Material & tool:
1. Stash yarn
2. Scissors

Wrap a significant amount of yarn onto your 2 fingers. The more yarn you wrap, the fuller the pom-pom will be. But, be moderate and don’t go beyond what your 2 upper part fingers can take.

Tie the yarns in between your 2 fingers. Tie it strongly and securely. If you need someone to help, please ask, but I can do it just with my other hand and my teeth.
Take out the yarns from your fingers, cut the loops and trim it to round shape. Trim a little at a time so that you won’t over trim it. Gauge the roundness of your mini pom-pom from all angles.

Apply this mini pom-pom to make Angry Birds crafts. Photo and tutorial from Make And Takes.