ToyDesigningVashti

Handmade Cords: Easy Crochet for Boys

2011-04-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

This post is an update of one that I wrote in 2007. I'm writing an issue of my Crochet Inspirations Newsletter about crochet cords, braids, lanyards, etc., and how they work out well for boys and men too.

Just sent it, here's the link! Crochet Inspirations Newsletter: Fancy Cords in 360º - http://eepurl.com/dBav1

At left is a simple lanyard that my son needed as soon as possible for his new school ID. I chained a bunch, then for Row 1: *hdc, ch 1, skip next ch, repeat from * to end of row.

It's holding up really well.

The 2007 post concerned a commemorative lanyard for a younger Toytester Bob, who was deeply involved in his new Nintendo DS Pokemon games. Here's another image of that lanyard that I photo-edited a bit for clarity:

A third cord I've crocheted for him might be called a fob? No--a tether. It is the simplest chain of extra-fine Jelly Yarn (r) in black (so that it looks like leather!) and it permanently tethers a special screen pen to a Nintendo DS XL device.
I'll upload a photo when I have day light!

Crochet Helps Make Chores Cheerful?

2011-04-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

(Bottom of Bank)

What is that?

Toy Tester Bob's endorsement, while looking back on his earlier years with Cheerful Chores:

Toy Tester Bob

"It was fun and not complicated. It was easy to keep track of my money. It made me feel like I was earning something real because it was physical."

The basic idea: crochet as many "coins" as you need, a Parent Bank, and a Child's Bank (one for each child) using craft foam sheets and a small amount of colorful yarn. Everyone starts the day or week with some coins in each bank. Coins can be color-coded for each child to prevent accidental mixing. As the day or week goes on, the child can earn more coins, or may have to pay some fines or behavior "taxes."

It's great for recycling containers, leftover yarns, and scraps of craft foam sheets. Older children who know crochet basics will enjoy helping with this project.
I've created 4 site pages about this downloadable crochet pattern: at my DesigningVashti pattern shop, in my Ravelry shop, and the original "Crochet Family Banking!" project record. It also has its own Flickr photo set (most of the photos in it are fully public; a few, such as the template images and assembly, are accessible via a link in the pattern).

I was inspired by the philosophy of these books: Playful Parenting (1993) and Playwise (1996), both written by Denise Champman Weston & Mark S. Weston (published by Tarcher in the USA). I wish I had developed it sooner. In my limited experience (with one son), I imagine it would have worked well when he was as young as age five or so; however, I started using it when he was age eight, after trying other methods. It gradually lost out to the power of real money by the age of ten or so.

Best of all: It appealed to his innate good nature and strengthened it. It rewarded Toy Tester Bob for considering other family members. It seems that the fair-minded purity of a young child responds beautifully to the idea of "taxes" as a negative consequence, rather than some type of punishment.
Even a young child can understand that if s/he doesn't do chores, a different family member has to. The "tax" is the price the child pays to reward someone else for doing that chore. I found that this cultivates compassion and empathy for others. The real message is that one's actions impact others, and when you love your family, you want to be responsible.

Inside of Bank

I wanted to hold off on using the traditional weekly allowance system of real cash for several reasons. Using crocheted coins remove the risks of careless handling of real cash. When someone gave my son cash as a gift, he preferred that I convert it into crocheted money and I was very happy to do so!

Children aren't born taking real money seriously the same way that adults do, so they're likely to do crazy things like:
- Leave cash sitting out in the open
- Stuff it partially into little pockets with no awareness of when it falls out
- Make unequal trades; for example, give someone a dollar bill in return for five pennies, because the five "pieces" of money look like more than one "piece."

Other advantages of this system for a parent like me:

The “taxes” consequence is simple and easy for a child to comprehend. Parent sees real results faster, saving parent from that “wasted breath” feeling.

It's low maintenance. Parent can see at a glance how child is doing.

It seems to encourage saving! A pleasant surprise in my experience was that crocheted coins were rarely cashed in. Perhaps because there was something cozy and satisfying in the handmade coins themselves? They are pleasantly thick, so a stack grows in size quickly.

The appeal of this system for a child like mine:

It’s playful, cheerful, and tactile. It seemed to charm him into making better behavior choices. It also made character-building life lessons more enjoyable, less punitive and bossy.
A crochet coin is big and colorful, so it feels like a lot of money to a young child. It seemed to change the experience of money, making it look and feel cozier, more substantial and satisfying.
It's simple and easy to understand: adults forget how confusing and abstract money is. Teachers of young children know how much struggle it takes to distinguish and memorize the meaningful differences between seemingly look-alike coins and bills. During this developmental stage, Cheerful Chores served as a kind of money that Toy Tester Bob could relate to, and start to understand basic concepts about earning, saving, and budgeting.

Happy Birthday to Toy Tester 'Bob,' Fan of Carnivorous Plants

2011-04-08T14:11:00.000-07:00

Toy Tester Bob kicks back with his tiny cousin

As of his birthday yesterday, Toy Tester Bob received by mail the last installment of his exciting collection of carnivorous plants. They are small and delicate when they arrive, and need special care. Bob set to work researching how he could help them feel more at home here. When he heard that music can help plants thrive, he said,

"If any plants like rock music, it would have to be Venus Flytraps."

I knew I had to blog that! (After researching it, he learned that classical music is a safer choice for any type of plant.)

Venus Flytrap Toy with suspenseful lace-up action

My birthday boy has been captivated by carnivorous plants for most of his life. When he was his tiny cousin's age, we learned about them from picture books.

During elementary school years we created a batch of these crochet Venus Flytrap toys for his school's "Mini-Mall" day. As I've previously blogged, Bob conducted extensive toy testing and delivered a sales performance report to me on the way home from school: the Venus Flytrap Action Toys SOLD OUT to a wide age range after a BIDDING WAR for the last one. (Crochet pattern for Venus Flytrap toy is available at my website.)

Toy Tester Bob is now completing his first year in middle school. If the Venus Flytraps weren't dormant right now, I'd provide a photo here so that you could appreciate the compelling realism of the crocheted version :-) Here's a pic of two pitcher plants, in relation to the size of the Toy Tester's fingers.

Bob notes that the larger pitcher ate a small ant the other day. He also learned that although they are often called "Monkey Cups" (because monkeys really do drink from them), it's better to call them by their botanical name, Nepenthes, when searching for information on them.

Toy Tester Bob is having a great first year in middle school. Last week he performed in a musical review called Brand New Day. (This is the best photo I could get with my cell phone, no flash permitted. He's wearing a microphone headset.) He did great on stage: not only did he speak his lines clearly and loudly, he had a solo in a song! I'm very proud.

Crochet Toy/Amigurumi Pattern NOMINATED FOR AWARD!

2011-03-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

"What an incredibly creative way to teach measurements of this sort!"

--Carol in Ravelry

I'm pleased and excited to report that one of my crochet toy patterns is an award finalist! The Teacher's Gallon Friend, an educational toy that helps teach the relationship between cups, pints, quarts & gallons, has been nominated by the Crochet Liberation Front for Best 2010 Crochet Design for Children!

Here's what people have been saying about it in Ravelry since the Teacher's Gallon Friend pattern PDF was released in November 2010:

"This is really clever! I need to make one for my small granddaughters. They will love it."

"Awesome idea! Love it!"

"This is totally cute and a great learning device! Every child should have one. (And maybe adults, too! LOL) I’m going to try to make one of these from your pattern. And kudos to your son for his amazing drawing!"

Wonderful! I think I need one for my kitchen."

"cute + brilliant!!!"

My son was a part of it from the very beginning (starting at age 9). So it's a special feeling for both of us to announce it in this toy designing blog. When I began this blog a few years ago, I didn't imagine that the things I crochet for my son and his friends would qualify for awards, I was just keeping a journal of how crochet is play and adds to the fun that I can have as a mom. I hope that as my son grows up, this blog will become a record of how crochet grows along with him.

I do have other crochet toy patterns in mind, and you can bet that just being nominated, and seeing the wonderful designs in this category, inspires me to design more and to blog here more too ;-)

Please visit this Crochet Liberation Front page to see all nominees. (It may take a while for all images to load.) The CLF founded the annual Flamies Awards about three years ago. You will be amazed to see all the wonderful crochet designs. Starting tomorrow, Mar. 15, you can cast your votes in all award categories.

Crochet Accessory Wins First Place....

2011-02-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

....in son's heart as padding for the strap of a musical instrument.

A tenor saxophone is a heavy instrument for a kid! All of the weight is felt at the neck.

It only took about 20 minutes to crochet a rectangle of puff stitches with the softest yarn from my stash: one full skein of Moda Dea Aerie yarn. Then I seamed it into a tube while it was wrapped around the strap.

Longer practice times are now enabled with this simple solution.

The fire red color probably has something to do with its success. It has been his favorite color most of his eleven years, with time out for blue and electric turquoise. Also, briefly in preschool years, sunshine yellow. Well, I should call it "Spongebob Yellow."

Crochet for the Classroom: 'Teacher's Gallon Friend'

2010-11-21T14:24:00.000-08:00

Sometimes my son brings home school assignments that strike me as crochet-worthy. Maybe it's my imagination, but doesn't this look like a crochet design waiting to happen?

The body is a gallon and the arms and legs are the four quarts. They each have 2 pints, and each pint has two cups (or "fingers").

Surely this diagram would also help metric-using visitors to the United States who are confused by the strange logic of pints and quarts :-)

Here's what I worked out, and uploaded the downloadable pattern PDF today to my pattern shop at DesigningVashti and in Ravelry:

My son wanted to keep the original prototype (red at the center). We presented the new yellow-centered one it to his third grade teacher, Mrs. Karen Newhall.
It now hangs at the front of her classroom.

Sock Alien Chooses Crochet for Fall Accessories Line

2010-10-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

This young alien sees crochet in the stars

News Item!! The younger extraterrestrial populations (that we know of) seem to be turning to crochet for the practicality, fashion looks, and feel of luxurious comfort against their alien skins.

This is an important developing trend for crochet. The number of crocheters will skyrocket (so to speak) if this popular hobby catches fire on other planets. It will then become a beloved tradition across the galaxy in just a few generations. [Or however it is that aliens reproduce.]

Human crocheters can look forward to new crochet patterns by alien designers. Hopefully it will be easy to substitute Earth yarns.

Even aliens can catch a chill

Some extraterrestrials use fashion to express their individuality

The Venus Flytrap Action Puppet

2010-08-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

The main thing is (pick one for me, I can't decide!):

A bidding war broke out at the elementary school holiday event for the last one
It's an ideal beginner's crochet project; a kid can make one
It uses foam sheets to make a crochet project extra fast and easy
It's educational: true-life flytrap "zipper" action

This is one of the educational toys available at my new crochet pattern website, and now also in my Ravelry store.

Crochet Rings for Cuties

2010-05-10T08:57:00.000-07:00

I had a visitor:

She was entranced with my craft supplies and it was her idea to put a pom pom bead at the center of a crocheted rainbow flower.

I love it when kids design their world!

View to another one: http://ravel.me/vashtirama/t5zd9

Toasty Crocheted Jacket Gets Extensive Testing

2010-01-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

Just in time for a record cold front, this yarn stash buster is holding up pretty well (though in unexpected ways) under rigorous kid testing.

'Bob' requested a new crocheted sweater and rifled through my yarn stash to be helpful. He liked the bright twists of color in the Lion Brand Landscapes. The challenge: only 3 skeins and no time to track down more. I like its wool content and it's a fun crochet yarn.

So, to make the most of the first yarn, I did strips of Tunisian Simple Stitch (TSS) because it gets the most mileage out of the yarn. Yes! Eva Owsian once posted a comparison of yarn used for a knitted stockinette swatch, TSS swatch, and single crochet stitch swatch. (Can't find the link but Angela refers to it here.) Would you believe that with the same amount of yarn, the TSS swatch was bigger than the knitted one?

Yeah! Totally.

So then, based on the Marco Jacket I did (my first TSS strips experiment), I found yarns that coordinated with the Landscapes colors. Lion Brand Suede colors were great but I had to add strands of a worsted wt. yarn to beef up the yarn thickness so that it matches Landscapes. Naturallycaron Country adds a nice sheen, and some Brown Sheep wool looked great.

The yarn is actually holding up better than the blocked finished shape. As time goes by, the bottom hem is hiking up a bit, and the shoulder seam is growing--relaxing and creeping down his arm as if it's not his size. It's not supposed to! I was counting on the inelasticity of the TSS return rows to support the weight of the sleeves without stretching! Perhaps part of this relaxing is the air built into crocheted chenille, especially when worked with another yarn strand.

But I'm enjoying seeing these rich textures and more mature colors on him, rather than the primary colors. So on my Ravelry project page I call it "Velvet Motley, A Midwinter Coat."

Crochet Stitch Close-ups of Club Penguin Puffle

2009-12-27T12:03:00.000-08:00

For amigurumi and toy crocheters who'd like a closer look at the Rare Orange Puffle, here's the starting shape, which you can see here at the base of the toy:

I hope that you can make out that the first rounds of single crochet stitches were worked in a rectangular shape. I did this so that it would sit flat, not wobble or tilt. Also, a Puffle body is not perfectly round.

For the hair I unearthed my old latch hook rug making skills. (I don't have the handy latch hook tool anymore but a simple crochet hook worked fine.) Here's the revealed hairline:

You could really just tie on the yarn pieces with simple overhand knots. (It looks like that's what I did in this photo anyway.) I'm thinking that I should trim the hair slightly shorter. It's a bit too flat'n'floppy.

And here's a close up of the face. Crazy cartoony looking features, huh? I'm proud of the satin stitching of the pupils.

Rare Orange Puffle Sighting!

2009-12-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

Kids who are members of Club Penguin know how rare an orange Puffle is. I even found a GetOrangePuffle Blog! One day Chippy the cat must have captured one in the wild because look:

The Puffle seems as comfy as Chippy and Bob, so maybe "befriended" is a better word than "captured."

This is a 99% crocheted Puffle, even the eyeballs! The remaining 1% is whatever embroidery stitches I was able to recall on the fly from childhood. I was able to do the Satin Stitch reasonably well for the eye pupils--they came out nicely once I rimmed the stitches with short chained stitches. I watched my fingers do that stitch (for the mouth too) with wonder, because my mind doesn't remember it even though my fingers do!

What do you think of the eyes? I like the embroidery but don't know if I like the white part. My son loves it :-)

Free Crochet Patterns from the School "Mini-Mall"

2009-05-31T04:57:00.000-07:00

If kids were crochet designers....we'd just plain have different designs for kids!
Bob the Toy Tester put on his Toy Developer hat last week. He needed to make products for his classmates to buy with class dollars at his school's "Mini-Mall" event.

This is Bob's second Mini-Mall and he was anxious to create something that would thrill enough kids to bring about bidding wars. He had also seen other "vendors" be successful with raffles (he calls them "rambles"), so he needed a special item to feature.

He decided that a '70's hippie theme would have wide appeal. For him this means rainbow colors with beads and peace signs. The key specific items for him were headbands and peace sign necklaces. I came up with simple, speedy designs which were officially tested and approved by Bob.

The next step was Toy Production. Bob could prep the materials for mass production but by the time we knew what the products would be, I had to make them myself quickly. I was able to make roughly:

10 headbands
1 peace sign necklace
2 hemp bracelets for certain teachers
10 diamond "Bow-Tie" rings (an idea we had before the '70's hippie theme)

Sales Figures:
100% SOLD OUT.
Under what sounds like extreme peer pressure, Bob took orders for more.

Sales Trends:
Any obvious crowd pleasers? He could have sold 3 times more headbands, and the peace sign necklace was a clear sales incentive.

Bob's instincts for what kids will want most were better than mine! I humbly offer it as a free crochet pattern:

Children's Choice '70's Hippie Headband

I-9 (5.5mm) crochet hook
Any cheerfully rainbow-colored and soft medium-weight yarn (I used Universal Yarn's Reef: A slightly stretchy, chenille-like novelty yarn made of 31% Polyamide, 44% Acrylic, 25% Wool.)
2 medium-sized wood beads

Chain 12.
Insert hook in second chain from your hook, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through one loop (1 chain made; place marker in this stitch, or pinch it with your fingers). Yarn over, pull through both loops on hook (1 single crochet made). *Insert hook in marked (or pinched) chain, yarn over and pull up loop, mark that chain, yarn over and pull through both loops on hook (2nd single crochet made).
Repeat from * 43 times (or to fit a child's head comfortably).
Join headband into a ring without twisting: slip stitch in first single crochet and chain at the base of it. Then chain 7 and fasten off.
Slide a bead onto each yarn tail, knot bead in place, and trim tail close to bead.

As promised on my DesigningVashti blog, here is the Hippie Hemp Teacher's Bracelet.

Crocheted '70's Hemp Teacher's Bracelet

1 ball of craft hemp cord available at Wal-Mart or craft stores
I-9 (5.5mm) crochet hook (aluminum is better with hemp)
6 small Jesse James Company's Dress It Up "Tiny Collection Retro" buttons
1 larger flower button (same brand) for clasp
2 small wood beads (optional)

String the 6 small buttons onto the hemp and then string on the larger button.
Chain 1. Slide up the larger button close to hook and chain 1 so that the button is locked into the stitch.
Insert hook in 1st chain made, yarn over, pull up a loop. Yarn over, pull through 1 loop on hook (1 chain made; place marker in this stitch or pinch it with fingers), yarn over, pull through both loops on hook (1 single crochet made).
*Insert hook in marked (or pinched) chain, yarn over and pull up loop, mark that chain, yarn over and pull through both loops on hook (2nd single crochet made).
Repeat from * once.
Insert hook in next marked chain, yarn over and pull up loop, mark that chain, slide up a smaller button close to stitch, yarn over and pull through both loops on hook (beaded single crochet made).
Alternate #5 and #6 until all buttons are used. Then repeat #5 twice.
Chain 3, double crochet in last marked stitch, turn, slip stitch in the chain space you just created. This is the buttonhole. Fasten off.
String a small wood bead onto each yarn tail, knot end to secure bead, clip yarn close to bead.

Holiday Frolic with Jelly Yarn: Free Pattern!

2008-12-24T07:57:00.000-08:00

Silly me, after using Jelly Yarn to make some personalized bungee bookmark gifts for my son to take to school (see pattern below), I rather foolishly left it sitting out on the day that he had two friends sleep over. That's right, 3 grade school boys in a room with 1 ball of Jelly Yarn and a tempting pair of scissors. Everything and everyone got wrapped and tied. You could try counting all of the cut ends in the photo but you'd miss some :-)

I'd say there's less than a half of a skein left. Note to self: if providing Jelly Yarn as a party favor, allow 1 skein for every 3-4 kids.

Ready for the....Happy Holidays 2008 Free Pattern? This pattern is very simple and easy and requires only the most basic crochet skills. Full copyright held by Vashti Braha; for personal use only, please share the link to this pattern, not the pattern itself. Thank you.

Book Bling Bungee

Supplies Needed:

5mm/H/US8 aluminum crochet hook
Jelly Yarn, fine weight: small amount
Some bling (I found these giant acrylic 'crystals' in a holiday display at Michaels)
2"x2" (approx.) scrap of Foamies (foam rubber sheet-also at Michaels); I cut mine into a tree ornament shape and punched a hole in the top.
Hand lotion, small amount (for hook)

Don't use hand lotion yet. String bling onto Jelly Yarn ("JY"). Make a very tight slip knot with a loop to fit over your hook. Chain 3.
Don't use hand lotion yet. Pull up one bling bead close to hook, chain: this is a beaded chain stitch. Repeat for the rest of your strung bling. You can use hand lotion now.
Insert hook into hole that you punched into your foam piece, pull JY strand through, chain 1.
Chain about 54--it depends on how tightly you chain and the size of your book. Finished bungee will stretch.
Stop using hand lotion (so that your fastening off will stay tight.) Slip stitch into each of first 3 chain stitches to form a ring, slip stitch into the next 2 beaded chains, chain 1, fasten off as tightly as possible. Hide ends behind bling. Write something on foam piece with magic marker if desired.

Peacocks Visit Their Ancestral Home

2008-05-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is fresh stuff today. The toydesigningblog lives! Soon after this entry I'll be posting a free crochet toy pattern, so stay tuned. I have a lot of designs that I need to start publishing, some for free and some as instant pdf downloads via Paypal, yay!

I appreciate the diehard faithful readers of this blog; some of you may recall when I blogged here about a peacock nest that hatched in our back yard. The peacocks have been roaming the neighborhood since, and they do visit occasionally. This morning I looked out my back window and this is what I saw. Can you find all 7?

The original mottled white babies are all grown up now! Unless they're males; in that case, their tail feathers have not come in yet; but it looks to me like the white ones are females. The 3rd white one that was born here could have been a male and therefore might have been stolen.

2007 saw new color combinations in other peacocks too; a few have some striking black mixed with the trademark peacock-blue and iridescent greens. Really stunning. Inspires me to design jewelry, actually....

Meet Togepi, the Crocheted Christmas Pokemon

2007-12-28T07:25:00.000-08:00

!!This is a BIG HIT with Toy Tester Bob and friends!!

I finished it in time for Christmas and frankly, at first I wasn't sure I would. The pattern was in all Japanese. The diagrams are fantastic though and after a few false starts, the rest fell into place quickly. For example, the diagram that I thought was for the head was actually for the bottom. I should have realized that the diagrams are color-coded, so since the head is yellow, so is the diagram. The feet and crown points are not perfect spheres and that threw me off at first, but there is no better way to explain it than the diagrams that were given.
The yarn is Bernat Cottontots because that's what I have in pale yellow and white. (Classic amigurumi is made with worsted-wt acrylic but I think I like Cottontots yarn better for this.)
Was unable to get felt pieces in the right shades of red and blue, and I have a thing for fabric paint anyway, so I went my own way and used it for the details. In the third photo it is freshly applied and very wet. It dried well as you can see in the first pic.
I actually prefer the fabric paint for the surface decorations--it has a durable and shiny-rich surface, but I wish I had embroidered the face so that I could've ripped it out until it was exactly perfect.

Pokemon Commemorative Lanyard

2007-12-21T14:35:00.000-08:00

This custom Nintendo accessory, which commemorates game earnings in Pokemon Pearl, Diamond, and Emerald, has been thoroughly tested and approved by Toy Tester Bob.

Meanwhile, I used it to explore some crochet jewelry-making moves--mixing chaining and braiding and different kinds of beads and closures.

The prized Squirtle bead dates from the early days of my son's infatuation with Pokemon; he was about 4 years old and I don't remember what kind of toy it was a part of.

Shaun the Sheep: Yarn Saves the Day

2007-12-10T06:05:00.000-08:00

I'm such a fan of Shaun the Sheep that my son looks at me funny. He'd probably pat my head if he could reach! Shaun the Sheep is created by the Wallace and Gromit folks. I discovered them way back when my son was captivated by claymation. This is 21st century claymation, friends!

I looked all over for a legal video clip or photo still of the Shaun the Sheep episode called "Timmy in a Tizzy". The whole episode is great and I love how a ball of yarn saves the day! Above is Timmy, the youngest of the flock.

The website has preview clips, games, activities, and other downloads. Play Woolly Jumper! It's not as easy as it looks!

First Baby Cardi I Ever Made

2007-11-26T12:16:00.000-08:00

I just found this cardi, it had been packed away. I crocheted it while newly pregnant and back then I was in the dark as to whether I was pregnant with "Bob" or with "Olivia Genevieve". I wanted to get started so I looked in my stash for 3 yarns that might work ok. One is Peachesn'Cream cotton, one is Sugarn'Cream cotton, and one is a fancy expensive silk and rayon of which I had a single skimpy-skein. The pink yarn is supposed to be peach, and I figured that if I had a boy, peach with brown shades and real leather buttons would work fine; I like peach more than mint green.

In the photo, "Bob" is ONE DAY old. I was in heaven just resting in the garden with him. It was April and those are red banana stalks behind me.

Blogs Collide

2007-10-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

Boo! I have two posts on my main blog that I could post here instead, so this is a heads-up about them. I guess otherwise this Toydesigningvashti planet really does orbit the sun on a different path than the Designingvashti planet.

One post is a conference report about the toys I brought home for Bob. I don't usually find Bob-worthy toys at crochet conferences so I hope this is a new trend. Here's a bonus pic of Bob with the goods. That's my cutie.

Today I just posted a Halloween crochet report over there because it involves The Chaps of Fashion 2007, but if I had any pics of the kids in costumes too, I would have posted them here.

At any rate, I will pick up the pace of posting to this blog. I've been doing toys for publication and haven't been able to blog about those.

Pokemon Crochet Book ARRIVED

2007-08-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Straight over from JAPAN where some of my MOST FAVORITE crochet books originate:

I bought it from an eBay seller named Megs Favorites, a great source for Japanese crochet books. Not only did it arrive fast and in great shape, but Meg also speaks English, a big plus for me over ordering books through Japanese Amazon.

About half of the projects are knitted (basically the sweaters). Most everything else is first-rate happydance-worthy crocheted amigurumi, YAY!

My toytester "Bob" is shiny-faced for a Togepi first and a Poliwag second. In case you've somehow managed to avoid learning about Pokemon, Togepi is white with blue and red triangles, and Poliwag is blue--won't that spiral be fun to make?! Like most kids, he would have chosen red-cheeked Pikachu first but already has some. Togepi toys are less common.

All right, I admit it, I like Pokemon too. I love Clefables, all the Evees, Bulbasaur, and the legendary ones. I love it when lightning comes out of Pikachu's cheeks and what happens when Jigglypuff gets mad. I love that in battle, some Pokemon can use Friendly Look or Heart Swap to confuse.

Fireside Boy's Cardi finished

2007-08-17T12:15:00.001-07:00

Finally took some pics of a sweater my son requested back in early Spring. One reason I tend to crochet toys is he hates wearing sweaters. So when he requested a crocheted sweater, even picking out the yarns and colors from my stash, I got right to it.
I winged it (as you can probably tell) and it was my first time using tunisian stitches for the modified drop sleeves. They feel soft and cozy and drape so nicely! The fun-to-do color pattern is Stitchdiva's 3-Color Tunisian(TM).
The overall silhouette of it makes me think of a '50's camp jacket. If there were some orangey or brown tones in place of the white, I think it would look even more so.
He loves dragons, volcanoes, fiery reds, fireworks, etc., so I tried out different stitches that might look like spiky flames as I went. He also loves angora and found a partial ball of Tahki Jolie (the white stripes). It's the same yarn I used for this bunny and this teacher's gift.
Other yarns used are: Karabella Aurora 8, S. Charles Collezione Victoria, Caron Simply Soft, Red Heart Plush, and Lion Brand Wool-Ease. When it cools off outside I'll put the buttons on. It also has pockets!

When Your Kid is the Designer....

2007-07-09T19:35:00.000-07:00

....that makes you the contract crocheter! "Bob" drew up a firebunny plan for me to execute (this was 3-4 years ago). He shopped in my stash for firebunny-appropriate yarns. I drew a simple bunny outline. He ok'd the outline and then "designed" it by coloring it in to show me how he wanted the finished bunny to look, based on the available yarns. We ended up going with the top, side view sketch when we realized that he needed to pick a color for the tail.
It was a fun game! I enjoyed the challenge of trying to match his color changes!

I remembered last night that I never blogged about this toy because at bedtime he looked at it affectionately and said, "This is a special bunny. I'm glad you made it for me. I wonder why the ears don't stand up?" (I said, "Because it was the first time I'd ever tried to crochet bunny ears.")

G'morning Peacock Babies!

2007-06-10T08:31:00.001-07:00

Seven hatchlings have their first breakfast in the corner of our backyard. Cheerios brought excited sounds from mom and babies. I managed to catch 6 babies in this photo.
Looks like 3 will be white! I don't know if there's a way to tell the girls from the boys yet. Here's a photo of mom's face. Can you find all 4 bebes in this photo?
The round red thing in the center foreground is a peach. These peacocks are dining in the shade of a peach tree and since we don't live in Georgia, these are nowhere near as large as Georgia peaches, but the flavor is outrageous! Concentrated peachiness. The cool thing about peaches fresh off of the tree is that the fuzz is warm and dry, and if you smother them in heavy cream, there's something about the fuzz that turns the cream into thickened "clotted" cream in 5 minutes or so. It seems more like a chemical reaction than a simple fiber thickening and it doesn't happen if the peach is rinsed or storebought.

None of this has anything to do with crocheted toys....yet....

10-Minute Fishin' Belt

2007-05-15T18:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight 'Bob' was in a school play. He played the part of a boy who just wants to go fishin' all summer vacation. Only problem was, his jeans wouldn't stay up. Well, it's not a problem if yer ma crochets.

His ma figured, if jute's good enough for the hamster, it's good enough fer my boy! And with a P hook, she did 65 foundation single crochet stitches in the 10 minutes it took fer Pa to drive to school.
(Photo tutorial here for the fsc.)

Guest Designer "Bob"

2007-04-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

My guest designer for today, "Bob", invented a toy for his crochetin' Mom:

It's a helpful caddy that has a large well to hold the yarn or thread, smaller wells for beads, stitch markers, buttons, tape measure, yarn needles, etc., and clay loops for crochet hooks and scissors. This one is v.3 and includes Bob's signature feature, a tensioning hole through which the working strand of yarn/thread can be fed. (The 2 earlier designs are smaller with fewer pockets and loops).

"Bob", a longtime clay builder, just turned eight and his wish for a pottery wheel came true:

Crochet for the Classroom

2007-03-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

National Crochet Month revelry has not abated! As suggested by #12 on the list, "Crochet something for your child or child's teacher to be used in the classroom so that everybody sees some crochet at school", here is an angora pencil cup freshly crocheted for my son's teacher. She likes to put interesting things on her desk for students to explore.

She also likes my son's stories. One of them concerns a leprechaun who wanted an angora coat. The teacher asked him to explain the word "angora" to the class. He said that his mom crochets with all kinds of yarns and her favorite is angora because it's super soft and comes from bunnies. He came home glowing because his teacher praised him for using a special new word.

You can see why the pencil cup had to be angora.

Hamster Hemp Hammock

2007-03-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

(update on jute yurt follows)

It's a hammock when suspended horizontally, and it kind of hugs the hamster, which I think pleased her. It doubles as a ladder when hung vertically as in the photo, and she put it to use right away. But get this: she might associate it in her wee hamster mind with the yurt because as she experimented climbing up the "ladder", she made a detour to check in on the yurt before climbing up the ladder some more (see photo below).

It has some design elements that could make it salable/publishable. I didn't set out to design hamster accessories professionally so I have to think about whether I want to try submitting designs like this and if so, to whom!

Update on the yurt: Bob and I are so excited! Just when you think National Crochet Month can't get any better, there are signs of nibbling on the jute yurt! This is like when you crochet gifts for people and they either USE them or they store them. Crocheters usally want the recipient to USE the gifts (so that they can make MORE gifts to replace them, right?). When a hamster uses a crocheted gift, it shows its appreciation by nibbling on it and you know it's sincere, not just trying to make you feel good.

As you can see, we tried flipping it over to become a nest-like nook and then added some fluff. It gets lots more action this way. She also loves to find a nut or seed in it here and there.

Jute Yurt

2007-02-09T05:41:00.000-08:00

What's the difference between a yurt and a hut? One's a better Scrabble word. What they have in common though is being a hamster magnet.

According to a hamster handbook I just read, jute appeals to them. I happen to have some jute lying around, maybe from the '70's. It smells like earthy hay, it's scratchy and stiff, and sheds all kinds of debris as you crochet it. It also polishes your crochet hook.

Preliminary test results:

1. Bob the tester says, "If you get a hamster and the cage doesn't come with the house, you should crochet a house for it. Hamsters love little houses."

2. It is stiff enough to work as a house. The corners curl a bit.

3. Aisha the hamster explored it right away, hung out in it for long periods (for a hamster), and kept returning to it.

4. The true test is if she nibbles on it lovingly. Also if she furnishes it with fluffy stuff and nuts.

Hoppy's Party Frock

2007-02-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

Hoppy is a special friend. Bob has lots of friends, but only Hoppy got a crocheted gift commissioned by Bob--Bob informed me that Hoppy said that she would like something to wear, and that the hot pink Moda Dea Bowties yarn caught her eye.

Le frock looked like a simple sundress until I added an organdy bow at the neckline. Now it's a party dress and you should see Hoppy when she's rockin' out in it. She can really get her ears going!

Someday I'll figure out how to upload a videoclip.

Rock Beds

2007-01-31T18:51:00.000-08:00

One way to impress a seven year old with your crochet powers is to make him something in 5 minutes.

Would anyone like the pattern? ;-)

"Massively Mini Media Player" Layer

2007-01-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

Thought of a stocking stuffer for my son at the 11th hour Christmas Eve: a 'cozy' for his Chanukah present, a Massively Mini Media Player. This iPod-like gadget is small and slippery (and expensive) so it needs some kind of protective case. "Bob" is into "hippie" stuff lately (he asked for a lava lamp, tie-dye kit, and a magic 8 ball too), so I figured he'd wear something crocheted as long as it didn't look girly. Luckily I finished it just in time--it maybe took me 2 hours. He wears it proudly (red is his fav color) and I wish I had a photo of his face when he unwrapped it and realized what it is. He is most impressed that the holes allow him to press the buttons on the front and use the headphone jacks at the top. I didn't tell him that making holes wherever one wants them is what crocheters do best.

G-G-Ghost B-B-Bunny

2006-11-17T11:16:00.000-08:00

Halloween being one of my most favorite holidays, it's not over for me until another holiday takes its place. So I introduce to you a joint effort between my son and me: Hector the Ectoplasmic Ectomorph (a.k.a. Ghostbunny).

I crocheted a barrel-chested squat bunny with pure angora yarn. When my son hand-felted it, its body type changed rapidly from endomorph to ectomorph. 'Bob' was so eager to felt it while getting ready for school in the morning that I didn't get a before-felting photo. Knowing this yarn (Jolie) I'd say it's two-thirds felted. A clones knot tail felted beautifully by the way. The ghostly eyes are my first-ever attempt at needle-felting which I did with a size #16 steel crochet hook from Lacis and wool roving from my Mom. Yeah, no paws, isn't it spooky?

Hector tends to float through life better than stroll or sit, so I needed a prop for him. He's the one who requested the tub of Ricemellow Creme. That is just so typical of him.

Vintage Spongebuddy

2006-10-30T14:31:00.000-08:00

When my son was in Kindergarten 2 years ago, he needed a way to carry his juice box or water bottle around throughout the school day. When you live in a subtropical area that only offers full-day kindergarten and the buses are not air-conditioned, your little kindergartner needs to have drinks at hand!

I'm partial to the fingered handle.

That's 3D fabric paint for the face. Sure beats embroidering something like that! It's as durable as the worsted-wt. craft yarns that I used. In fact, this item will probably still look like new when I'm long gone.

Glee Worm Tests Result in a Free Pattern

2006-10-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

That face....that tilt of the head....don't you want to pinch its cheeks? Worms just want a little love.

The final test scores were very high: After showing his Dad what it can do (perch on a pencil, stretch to five times its length, get thrown in the air and bounce a little, etc), Bob took "Pumpkin Worm" to school, lost it, and misses it. [note: we've added two new worms--a blue one and a lime green one--to fill the void left by Pumpkin. They're cousins, Bob could tell by looking at their eyes.]
When a toy survives Bob's tests, the design is reviewed for possible publication; in this case, it qualifies for free pattern status at this blog! See complete pattern below:

Glee Worm
(like "glow worm" because the Jelly Yarn almost glows, get it?)
Pattern is for personal use only, make a copy for your own use but copies of pattern in any form may not be distributed in any way; please link to this site instead, you know the drill. Thank you.

Supplies:

Jelly Yarn (R), fine weight, about 3 yds. (That means 1 skein could net you 28 worms! Yee-haw!)
G/4mm crochet hook
A little hand lotion, or a "Vinylex"-type silicone if hook doesn't glide enough (comes with the Jelly Yarn)
2 seed beads of contrasting color with big enough holes for the yarn.
clear glue (I used Aleene's Platinum Bond for jewelry)
Yarn needle

Commence hooking:

Leave a 3-inch tail and make a slip knot so tightly that you stretch the yarn thinly; put a dab of glue on that knot. Chain 18.
Single crochet in 2nd chain from hook, 2 single crochet in each chain across except last; 1 single crochet in last, fasten off with a tight knot, dab knot with glue, and leave a 3-inch tail.
String 1 bead onto 1 tail. Weave tail in such a way that it positions the bead to look like an eye; you'll probably need to use a yarn needle. Secure with glue and trim. Repeat for other eye.

Introducing the Toy Tester, "Bob"

2006-10-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Since I've moved the "Julio" photo to the top of the blog, here's one of my favorites from about 3 years ago, "Bob" in alien form:

Aren't some of the best toys dollar store toys?? These adhesive eyeballs are just little styrofoam balls with paper irises stuck on them.

So this is my boy and lately he goes by the alias "Bob". In this picture he is in spy mode and then he goes by the name "Julio". (I know it's my son, though, because I recognize the tshirt.)

Freshest off the hook is a worm, so fresh that Bob hasn't even seen it yet. Will be back with an update.