Flint Fox Cowl

It's been a while. And I know it's been a while when my hands start to ache and go numb from crocheting and my computer doesn't recognize my camera anymore. My crocheting has gotten a little rusty. When I started this pattern, I forget how to do certain stitches and how to start a round. That's not good but I was able to finish this recent project. My friend Lisa from the good ol' days at Park's Tae Kwon Do posted a cute knitted cowl on my Facebook page and asked if I knew how to make it. At first, I didn't think I could since I could only find knitting patterns for it. But after a little more digging, I was able to find a crochet pattern.

It came out decent but I am a little disappointed that it didn't turn out the way I was hoping it would. The hood's a little too big and the width is a little too narrow. I think I should've just started off with the child's size but no... I had to make the adult size and spend a bajillion dollars on yarn. Oh well...you live and you learn, I guess.

The pattern was easy enough to follow. I just made the mistake of making my first chain too tight so now it's a little small to go over a full-sized adult's shoulders. And I should have done less rows on the hood but the instructions say that the adult size hood should be about 27 rows. I think it's too big but I know some like their hoods to be on the slouchy side. The child's size hood probably would be enough to fit over an adult's head if you want more of a fitted size.

Flint Fox Cowl - Crochet Pattern

Bunny Baby Blanket

Sorry, it's been almost half a year since I last posted. But during that time, I was slowly working on a new crochet project. I found this adorable bunny baby blanket pattern that I wanted to make and I just finished it! It's a combination blanket and stuffed animal with a little bunny head and arms sewn into the middle of a soft mint green, pink, and white blanket. It's pretty simple to make using a granny square pattern. The blog where I got it from shows you how to make the bunny and provides a link to a granny square pattern. To get the alternating colors in my blanket, I did two rows of each color and then switched to the new color. I did 20 rows in total, making the blanket to measure about 21x21 inches. It's a little on the small side so it would be great for newborns and infants.

The Stitchin Mommy: Bunny Lovey Pattern

You can find this adorable blanket for sale on my Etsy shop: Hello Mon Ami.

And I recently created a new shop on ecrater: http://hellomonami.ecrater.com/p/21649409/bunny-baby-blanket

Baby Beanies

I've added a new item to my Etsy shop. Cute and soft baby beanies with your choice of a pom pom top. Currently the beanies are available in mint green and strawberry pink. The beanies measure to be 16 inches in circumference so it should be able to fit most babies from 3 to 6 months old. And can possibly stretch to fit up to 12 months old.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/197632712/crochet-baby-beanies-mint-green-and-pink

Hello Mon Ami!

I launched my Etsy shop! Finally! This shop has been something I've been wanting to do for some time now but I had been putting it off for so long. During my spring break, I used that time to start building up inventory for the shop. I made several items from crochet patterns I've found online and some that I've created myself. I posted the items that are currently in my shop.

Here is the link to my shop: HelloMonAmi

I hope you love it!

Spring Bunny #...I lost count

I can't remember how many times I've made this bunny. I think it may be my sixth time now. Although this time I made it using a different accent color which is a nice change from the usual pink and tan colors I've done. This bunny has a nice, fresh feeling with its minty green accents. The flower is a cool mint green. The lining of the ears has a pretty green floral pattern. And for the feet, I used soft green fabric since I couldn't find any mint green felt.

All About Ami: Spring Bunny

I have no more orders to complete so I finally have the time to start on my Etsy shop. But after all this crocheting, I think I want to take a short break. I've been drawing some doodles of dolls I might make for the shop. I want to try to keep the patterns simple.

Newborn Bunny Hat

I made another hat! This time it was a bunny hat for a newborn. The request was to make a white beanie cap with blue lined bunny ears and the baby's initial. I used Repeat Crafter Me's bunny hat pattern and omitted the bunny face and crocheted a small E near the bottom as requested. The bunny ears have pipe cleaners in them so it helps to keep them up and allows you to bend and twist them as you wish. I used a fuzzy blue yarn for the ear. This type of yarn is hard to crochet with because it is so fuzzy and it's hard to see the stitches you make. I felt like I was going at it blind, feeling for the stitches. 

I'm hoping the size is right. I don't have a newborn to test it on but I measured the circumference of the hat. Then, I Googled "average head circumference of a newborn" and it seems like the size should be right. (Fingers crossed!)

Repeat Crafter Me: Bunny Hat pattern

Cow Amigurumi

Right after I finished the hats for my paternal grandmother, my mom thought it would be a good idea for me to make one for her mom since her birthday is coming up soon. My grandma is a talented knitter. I originally wanted to learn how to knit and she tried to teach me when she came to visit us one time. But knitting wasn't for me. Having to work with two needles was awkward for me. Crocheting requires the use of only one hook and was easier for me to learn and quickly pick up on. My grandma has knitted a lot of hats, scarves, slippers, and gloves for our family. She's also knitted a shawl with fringing for my mom and rooster dolls for my sister and me. She knits a lot nowadays, sometimes selling what she makes. She's knitted so much for us so of course I should make something for her.

Since she lives in Los Angeles, I didn't think a crocheted hat would be a good idea so I made her an amigurumi. I've saved a lot of patterns that I've wanted to use so I went through my folder and found this cow pattern that I had been wanting to make for a while. It's a cute and easy pattern. Only problem I had with it was that it didn't say which hook size to use so I had to experiment. The creator says she usually uses an H hook for her patterns but I thought that was too big so I tried a size smaller. But after a few rounds, it was getting too big so I tried an even smaller hook. It's still turned out bigger than I wanted but I stuck with that size since using a smaller hook with the kind of yarn I was using was going to be difficult. I was a little short on the white yarn but thankfully I've been trying to be frugal and kept all my leftover scraps of yarn so I had some extra white pieces to finish the pattern.

Studio Ami: Cow Pattern

Hats!

I got a request to make my grandma some hats! She wanted a newsboy style hat in periwinkle and navy blue with flower accents. I started making the periwinkle one but when I finished, the hat was enormous! It was puffier than it looked in the pictures even though I had the correct gauge measurements and used a smaller crochet hook. Not sure what went wrong. It's not bad but much more bigger than I had imagined it would be so I found a new hat pattern that actually looks a lot more like the style she wears.

Newsboy Cap pattern

(Sorry for the poor picture quality. I didn't have enough lighting!)

I made the blue hat's brim a little shorter and I think it looks a bit better that way but it's a pretty subtle difference.

I omitted the strap and button in the pattern since my grandma wanted a flower on the hats. I also omitted the plastic mesh in the brim. I thought it would be too stiff and without it, the brim still holds up fine. And it makes it more flexible to shape it the way you want it.

This was a really easy pattern and a cute style. Next time I might use a smaller crochet hook. The hats fit a little loose.

Spring bunny again...and again

This is my fourth time making the Spring bunny. I've gotten so much better at sewing the limbs and the little details. Doesn't it look cozy in the shipping material?

Looks like I have to make another one of these. This time with the ears upright and without the flower. I'm having a love-hate relationship with this bunny right now. I'm hoping I will be able to start on my Etsy shop soon! I think I'm going to have to stop taking orders after this one to finally crochet items for my shop.

Elephant #3

This is probably the best elephant I've made so far! (I've only made two before, which includes the "elephin") This elephant is much bigger and more realistic with its floppy, folding ears, and thick legs.

I found this awesome pattern for free on a UK site, www.deramores.com. Since it's from the UK, the crochet terms were different but still simple enough to follow. Although it did get confusing since "DC" means double crochet in US terms but in UK, it actually means single crochet. But other than that, it was a simple although time-consuming pattern.

I love this elephant pattern and it's not difficult to make but I do hope I won't have to make it again. At least any time soon. But unfortunately, my sisters already seen it...and now she wants one for herself...even though I've made her two elephants for her before. (sighhhhhhhh) I need to try to put that off for as long as possible. I tend to get bored easily doing the same patterns so I like to try something new and different. My next project, however, is the Spring bunny, which I've done a couple times before; both the white and tan Spring bunnies for my mom and one for a friend. Hopefully I'll get to try new patterns after I do the bunny.

Deramores: Elephant pattern

Giraffe

After taking a break from crocheting, I've decided to start again but this time I want to start selling my creations. I've been putting this off for some time, making excuses that I was too busy to crochet. A lot of my friends and family have been telling me to open up an Etsy shop but I wasn't sure if I was good enough. Last year, I set up an Etsy shop, thinking up a name and building my profile, but I never put up any products. Now I've decided to start taking orders and slowly make products for my shop. I already have my shop name, HelloMonAmi.

A couple of people of made orders already; the first one is a giraffe. I spent all day working on it and it turned out really well. I think I've gotten a lot better at sewing the limbs and the details. This pattern I got from the Vanna's Choice Easy Crochet Critters book; the same book where I got the patterns for the lion and "elephin" I made a couple years ago when I first started. The original pattern uses softer "baby-like" colors but the person who ordered it wanted it to be like an actual giraffe. And luckily, I had the perfect colors for it! I'm really pleased with the way it came out.

I'm still taking crochet orders and I'm open to any suggestions on what I should make to put in my shop. Message me on Facebook or on my blog and we can discuss what I can make you! I can do most animal amigurumi dolls, scarves, hats, and a lot of other things. Tell me what you want and I will see if it is something I can crochet for you! Or you can wait until I have my Etsy shop up, which I hope will be soon!

Panda

It's so nice doing a short project after spending a year on a long, monotonous pattern. After the scarf, Megan asked me to make her a doll. She's leaving for her mission on December 4th and she is pretty much the only friend of Donna's that I haven't made a crocheted doll for. This panda is really simple. The problem I have with these dolls is sewing together all the body parts so that it isn't lopsided. This one looks a little crooked but it isn't very noticeable, especially if you squint.

I really need to work on my sewing.

Angie's Art Studio: Panda Bear

...and on my photography skills.

Claudia Scarf

I finished. I am done...

It's almost hard to believe because I've been working on this for so long but I completed the Claudia scarf.

I started this scarf last December for Donna. I thought I would be able to finish it by Christmas but I had other things to work on and this scarf was so damn long so I told Donna she would have to wait until next winter. Since I had a year, I took my time with this scarf. Did a few rows a day at first. Then it went down to a few a week...then to a few a month. Eventually I would just pick up on it whenever I remembered to do it, which was a couple times a month. The fan pattern is beautiful but requires so many stitches. Just one row would take me about a few minutes. The whole scarf is 166 rows so it got tedious to do every day. And I figured I could take my time since Donna doesn't need a thick scarf to wear in San Diego. Just as long as it was finished by winter break when we go visit Utah.

So here it is. The 11 month long scarf.

Little Slice of Life: Claudia Scarf pattern

Graduation Gifts

The spring semester is ending here at San Diego State University. It's finals week and everyone is trying to finish writing their papers and cramming for their final exams, eagerly waiting to escape for the summer.

This semester I made a few friends at an internship I had for a few months. Most of my fellow interns are graduating this semester with a bachelor's degree. I've gotten pretty close to a couple of girls there so I crocheted a couple of dolls for them.

One doll is the All About Ami's Spring Bunny I made before for my mom on Mother's Day. I just made the "male" bunny and used white yarn and beige felt to make it look more feminine. I made the bunny a carrot too but it's not shown in the picture.

The other doll is Ana Paula's Amigurumi Bear. I added a party hat and a bow tie. For the party hat, I only crocheted a few of the top rows since it needs to be small enough to fit on the bear's head and for the bow tie, I used a smaller crochet hook to make it more miniature. I dressed up the bear because I planned to give it as a gift at my friend's birthday party. I think they both turned out really cute.

Crocheted Christmas

This holiday, I crocheted a few Christmas gifts for family and friends to help save money and also to give something more personal.

1. For my friend, Jerrica and her baby daughter, I made a pair of slippers and booties.

I found the pattern for the blue slippers on All About Ami. All About Ami blogger, Stephanie found the pattern on Calypso Gray's blog, The Little House by the Sea, which she made some modifications on. It isn't shown here but I added some little pearly white buttons as decoration later on.

These baby booties were also found on All About Ami. The original pattern is from the blog Topsy Turvy. These booties are really cute with the scalloped edges and the wrap-around style.

2. For my aunt, I made her a thick headband with a flower.

I bought the pattern on Etsy by Rosedew Creations.

3. I made a few mini snowmen keychains for some friends.

 Here's a picture of them in the snow...

Dapper Toad: Mini Snowman Crochet Pattern

4. And for these two handsome boys, I made beanie hats.

The snowman hat was found on Repeat Crafter Me and the dinosaur hat is the same pattern as the snowman hat but with crocheted spikes found on The Boy Trifecta.

And there were some who couldn't resist trying the hats on for themselves...

Overall, it was a fun, happy, and busy holiday.

Puff Stitch Scarf

I made a scarf for the very first time. I found this really cute pattern for a puff stitch scarf by All About Ami. (I love her patterns!) This pattern isn't difficult but it did take a long time because I wanted the scarf to be really long so it could be worn in different ways. It used up lots of yarn and Stephanie (the creator of this pattern) warned that it used up to 3 balls of yarn. But I saved money by buying one of those huge one pound yarn balls. Whoo!

I didn't run into any problems with this pattern but I did realize after getting halfway through that the yarn didn't feel as soft as I thought it was. It was kinda scratchy so I panicked and tried to find ways to make it softer. I found that a vinegar bath is really helpful and also washing it with conditioner helps too so I tried both and although it's not crazy soft, it did become less scratchy and it smelled really fragrant.

I made the scarf for my cousin's birthday. She always gets me nice accessories for my birthday so I wanted to get her something too. However, since I'm not currently working and am a full-time MBA student, I've been trying to find ways to save money so I decided to make her a gift. And she just got it today and said it's by far the nicest hand-made scarf she's received. :D

All About Ami: Puff Stitch Scarf

Korean Wedding Ducks

It's been a while...

I think it was a couple months ago when Angela unni requested a crocheted doll. She just celebrated her wedding day a few days ago and displayed my creations at her ceremony. At a traditional Korean wedding, there are a couple of wooden ducks that symbolize the bride and groom. Angela unni wanted these ducks but wanted something a little different so she asked me to crochet them for her.

There are absolutely no patterns for these specific ducks. I did a long search for them on Google but couldn't find anything even remotely similar to them. I ended up using a simple rubber ducky pattern I found online and altered it so it was shaped more like the traditional Korean ducks. I made my own wing and tail pattern, lengthened the beak, and added "feathers" using small rounds of different colored yarn. It needed a good base too so I flattened the bottom of the body and added cardboard to the base so it would stand. It turned out pretty good. I did run into some trouble and had to redo them a couple times because they turned out too short or too small. My parents were great help telling me the approximate sizes they should be and how they should be shaped.

Angela unni displayed them at her Korean wedding ceremony and told me they received many compliments.  So it was a success. It'll probably be some time until I work on another project since I've just started grad school. But I plan to make some stuff for the holidays. I already have some stuff on Pinterest that I plan on making.

Here are the ducks...

E for Elephant

In one of my earlier posts I uploaded a photo of an "elephant" amigurumi I made for my sister. It turned out weird so I promised Donna that I would make her something better. She still wanted an elephant and wanted a big one. This was about a year ago. We found a pattern together not too long ago on Etsy and I just finished it now while she was in California for a few days. It came out awesome so I'm really excited to give it to her as she is returning to Utah today.

Ami Amour: E for Elephant Amigurumi

Knight

My good buddy, Brett, is leaving for his LDS mission in August so I thought I would make him a goodbye gift. I made him a little knight from the Creepy Cute crochet book. Working on this pattern, I finally figured out how to do the basic head! I've always had problems with the instructions but the head would always turn out round and that was enough for me. Now, I won't have to struggle because I have finally figured how to do it correctly! I was so happy because the head came out like it was supposed to.

Anyway, I love this Knight pattern. This little guy is so cute and he comes with a shield, sword, and helmet. I figured this was a good amigurumi to make for Brett as a knight is one to go out on quests and  adventures (at least from what I've seen in movies). And Brett is about to go on an adventure himself, leaving home for two years, to share his beliefs with others.

He liked the knight so much I was rewarded with multiple high fives! Whoo!