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!

Queen Vampire

I made an amigurumi for Donna's friend, Gavon. He asked for a Queen Vampire from the Creepy Cute Crochet book so the Nosferatu I made him a while ago wouldn't be lonely. He asked for this some time ago and I didn't make it until just yesterday. It turned out well although I ran out of black yarn for the hair. It's enough hair as long as the hair is scrunched up a bit to fill in the bald spots.

Mini Octopus

Yay! I really like this latest amigurumi. It's so cute. My friend Jerrica asked me to make her an amigurumi keychain. She decided she really wanted an octopus after I showed her a pattern I found on a blog. It's an easy pattern that looks difficult because of the curly tentacles. When I finished it, I showed it off to others and got "gasps" and "aws" at how cute it is and requests to make more. I hooked a key ring onto the top and voila!.. a cute amigurumi keychain. As always, I've posted the link to the pattern under the photo.

EssHaych: Mini Ami Octopus

Captain America Mask

My friend Tasha's birthday is today so I decided to make her a crocheted piece along with her other gifts: a light saber laser pointer (she is going to be a teacher) & a usb missile launcher (should've gotten one for myself!). She loves superheroes so originally I wanted to make her a Batman mask but I soon found out that she really loves Captain America so I decided to do that instead. It came out really well and it was a pretty simple pattern. I found the pattern on Etsy.com and used a larger crochet hook to make it adult size. Although you can also just add another round of increase.

I wanted to take pictures but I also needed a model to wear the hat. None of my family members wanted to model it for me so I put it on and attempted to get some good photographs of myself. I don't look as good in the mask as Tasha does. For some reason she can pull off geek chic really well ;P

Crochet Jolie: Super Hero Mask Hat