Amigurumi World and Panda Crochet Along

I've been away in amigurumi-land again. Making these little crocheted animals is addictive. I just cannot get enough. I have wanted to make every critter in Ana Paula Rimoli's book Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet.

I have a pretty good start, too. These guys are easy, quick, and I think the cutest out there. There are instructions for large amis, but I like the little guys. This book is well worth checking out.

Also, I've joined a Crochet Along. This is a new experience for me. I know how to crochet, so I was not sure if I would get anything good out of crocheting with other people, but I could not resist the ami. It is a fuzzy panda. The yarn is brushed to make it look like fur. I figured that joining the Crochet Along is worth it, just to learn the brushing technique. If you hate working with those special fuzzy yarns, then this is the perfect alternative.

Check out the first lesson. There are several YouTube videos to demonstrate special techniques for the Fuzzy Panda. The best tip is to give your yarn an extra little tug at the end of completing a single crochet. This makes your stitches tighter so the stuffing does not show through.

Here are some tips that are not mentioned in the lesson videos for brushing your crocheted amis:

1. I found it easiest to collapse the piece so that it was a double thickness. This helped to protect my fingers from the brush and it did not pull the piece out of shape.
2. Be careful when brushing near the edge. Those stitches pull easily.
3. Start with a gentle brush stroke until you get the feel of the yarn's resistence. It is easier to brush more to get the desired look than it is to try and hide pulled stitches.
   

Friendship Bag Swap

When I saw the photo of this bag, I knew that I had to make one. When I saw that this is also a swap, well, I signed up immediately.

This bag is for the Friendship Bag Swap, hosted by the Quilting Gallery.

Here's the run-down,

• Sign ups are going on now and end August 20th.
• You receive your partner's information August 25th. It is a secret swap, so no telling who your partner is.
• People from around the globe are participating, but you have the option if you want to ship internationally or not.
• There is a simple online form to complete to sign up.
• There is an optional Flickr group that you can join to share your journey.
• The instructions are simple to follow with a lot of pictures.
• As of now here are the stats: 221 participants, 23 countries, 6 provinces, and 39 states.
  

Something that is not listed on the swap site, but I found when I looked at the Flickr site - people are filling the bags with goodies for their secret friend. I do not know if there is a dollar limit or any other restrictions. Once my registration is accepted, I intend to ask. -- UPDATE -- See Mishka's comment below. Goodies are optional in the swap.

Even if you do not join the swap, consider making these simple little bags to hold gifts for family and friends. Autumn weddings are starting and the holidays are closer than you think!

Have fun!

Amigurumi! Super Happy Crochet Cute

I am hooked (I swear, the pun was unintentional). I love the Japanese art of amigurumi. It is pronounced ah-MEE-goo-ROO-mee. Previously, I made a Frodo amigurumi. I recently found a book at my local library with several patterns for animals an food. What I like about the book is the introduction information. It details materials needed and helpful tips for working with the smaller hooks and embellishments.

The patterns progress from easy beginner to difficult advanced. I am not fan of decorating the house with crocheted items, but some of the food patterns are so cute, I could see them in little bowls in the kitchen. These patterns introduce working with stitches you may not be accustomed to and working with some embellishments like beads. It is a good place to begin practicing with increases and decreases before you get into the involved and time consuming larger amigurumis.

I strongly advice picking up a book about amigurumi from your local library or bookstore for all the tips and practice patterns before trying those awesome patterns you can find all over the web and esty.

2009 Dear Jane Siggie Swap

I received my blocks from the 2009 Dear Jane Siggie Swap. If you don't know what a siggie swap is, it is a signature block swap. Each person sews a specified block for each person that signed up for the swap. For this one, I made 79 of the same block. I then signed the center block with my name, city, state, and country. The blocks are mailed to the swap hostess. After receiving blocks from everyone, she sorts them so everyone receives one block created by each person.

I love receiving the package in the mail and then looking and touching each one. You cannot look at a block without wondering about the person that created it.

I received blocks from as close as the next city over and as far away as Australia. The creativity in these simple blocks is astounding. My favorites where the ones the used a stamp that represented their state. Such a simple idea, but so effective.

If you have never participated in a quilt block swap, I recommend that you do. Do a little research to make sure that the organizer has done a swap with success in the past. Do not hesitate to email the organizer and ask how many swaps they have organized. Remember, organizing and participating in are very different.

Also, have patience. It always takes longer to receive the packages than what is stated in the swap instructions, but life happens. Sometimes the hostess decides to wait for a few people that are late in sending their blocks. Sometimes the turn-around is too ambitious. Sorting all of the blocks is a very time consuming process and then you have to package and mail. Don't even get me started on shipping international. The hostess deserves all the respect in the world! (Thank you giggles2. I hope you know how much your work is appreciated!)

I am working on a map that marks the location of everyone that participated in the swap. I am halfway done. When I complete it, I'll post the link. It is interesting how a swap can cross seas and bridge language barriers. (Okay, that was a bit sappy, but it is neat!)

Going Green Never Tasted so Good - Candy Wrapper Purses

While on vacation, we stopped at the M&M store which featured Candy Wrapper Purses. The purses were made from M&M wrappers. They were very nice looking, but they were a bit expensive for me. My mom then reminded me that when I was young we would make chains from our of candy wrappers, which is the base part of the purses.

I started looking around on the internet and found several sites for making these purses. First, let me mention that there is a site called Save the World Designs that sells these purses and other fashion accessories made from recycles items, but if you would like to make your own, here is where you can find out how.

• Wrapper Purses - Has step-by-step pictures for creating a purse using potato chip wrappers.
• eHow - High-level instructions but there are several links on the side to other ideas.
• Purse Project - Contains a lot of pictures for different ideas and instruction for making a purse from cigarette packs (Keep our roadsides clean!).
• Nahui Ollin demo video:

• Starburst Chain Tutorial - slower, step by step instructions for making the base chain.

You don't have to ruin your diet to make one of these purses. I plan to pick up wrappers and bags (that aren't too gross) from the roadsides and in the park during my walks.

Gardening, Baking, and Amigurumi

I finished my Square Foot Garden. It was quite easy, though a bit expensive. Since this is my first one, I had to purchase not only seeds and plants, but also the wood and soil. It was fun building and planting it. As the season goes, I'll let you know how it works out. I planted beans, peas, four kinds of peppers, leaf lettuce, spinach, carrots, radishes, and onions. You can get more information about Square Foot Gardens from the book or from the web site Square Foot Garden.

I'm not much of a baker, but I can appreciate a good cake. I came across this blog that lists 26 Cakes Perfect for Geeks. There are Yoda cakes, Mario Brother's Cakes, Kindle and cakes with glasses. There is a cake to satisfy the geek in each of us.
Lastly, the creator of the cute R2 D2 anigurumi I posted about has finally released the instructions. You can find them on Esty.

Dear Jane Additions

I have not been completely inactive these past weeks since my last post. I have completed a few more Dear Jane blocks, but I have spent most of my time reading All New Square Foot Gardening. I am learning how to plant a garden using 80% less space with perfect soil. I have finished the book and intend to start building my new garden this afternoon. I will post pictures when I am done and let you know how it went.

Here are the Dear Jane blocks that I have finished.

C-2 Streak of Lightning	C-3 Rayelle’s Fence
C-4 Tic Tac Toe	C-5 Eye of the Cyclone
C-6 Ashley’s Aura

Oh, I also expect to soon receive my signature blocks from the Dear Jane swap. I'll be sure to post pics of those. too.