Free downloadable tags for your amigurumi!

My free holiday gift tags were such a hit that I’ve made some more!

For your downloading and printing pleasure, I introduce to you… the amigurumi tag collection!
ree download gift tags for amigurumi crochet

Making some amigurumi? You’ll want to download these adorable tags!

I designed these tags specifically for your cutie stuffed animals… and even included a few tips for display!

Once you download and print the tags, you’ll want to fill out the tag with all the crucial info. Check out my example:

example tag for your amigurumi

The tag easily folds in half… and is ready to adorn your cutie!

Enjoy!

Pledge to Ten (minutes, that is…)

We all know that most New Year’s Resolutions fail. Do you know why? They’re too grand… too lofty. And they often seem impossible.

So here’s what we’re going to do: we’re going to set a practical crochet goal, and dedicate 10 minutes a day to reaching it. You have ten minutes a day, right?

And I’m going to give you a handy worksheet to use. Sounds do-able, huh?

Set realistic expectations, and remove roadblocks

If you’ve never knit before, then you’re probably not going to knit your first sweater this month. (Sorry if I’m the one who had to burst your bubble on that one).

But, there’s good news… the needle arts (knitting, crocheting, sewing) are all about putting in practice. I can pretty much guarantee you that if you practice in a consistent way (even if it’s not for huge blocks of time), you’ll get better.

help for reaching your crochet goals mantra

So, step one: pick a realistic goal that you think you can accomplish in a month.

Okay, onto step two (and I think this bit is really important!). You’re going to remove any possible roadblocks that you can think of that might come in between you and your goal. How many times have you sat down, ready to work on a project… only to discover that you don’t have the right hook?

The best way to guarantee success is to solve all of your roadblocks in advance. Before you begin working on your goal, gather all your materials and tools. This means downloading your pattern, getting your supplies, and even bookmarking resources that you might need. Then, when you need help… you won’t be slowed down. You’re prepared.

The Worksheet

easy crochet goals worksheet download

Now… here’s your helpful worksheet. Go ahead and download the pdf version.

Notice that there are 4 weeks, with 6 boxes each. Can you commit to spending 10 minutes a day, 6 days a week, to working towards your goal?

And if you find a little spare time… buy all means, keep going!

What’s important is that you consistently spend a little bit of time working towards your goal.

Let’s have a peek at an example:

goal setting for crochet, help

Look at how I came up with a list of concrete and helpful steps that will remove roadblocks and help me reach my goal. Nothing crazy… just little things that will help make the goal easier.

What’s your goal?

Notice this worksheet isn’t about setting your goals for all of 2013… it’s about picking one thing that you’d like to do within a month. Easy. No pressure.

If you’re feeling daring, you can print out 12 worksheets, one for each month. But, that’s optional! Start with the first month, and see how you go!

Crocheting should be fun, right?

Tell me about what you’re going to start with… I’m excited to hear your goals!

How to Replace the Cover on Your Ironing Board – video

There’s no reason to settle for the bland fabric that comes on most ironing boards – making a new cover is super easy!

I loved my old ironing board cover, but it had gotten badly waterstained and really faded in the sun. Plus – I made all kinds of new sewing room accessories using the Ed Emberley Happy Drawing fabric collection and I wanted my ironing board to match. So time for a new cover!

This time I needed to replace the pad too, so it was a great time to shoot a video showing you how to do the whole thing from start to finish.

If you want even more padding, I recommend a couple of layers of 100% cotton terry cloth. A towel won’t fit the length of most ironing boards, but you can buy it by the yard at the big box fabric stores.

Here are handy links to all the posts about quilting tools and supplies.

Sewing Machine

Iron

Rotary Cutting Tools

Scissors

Other General Sewing Room Supplies

One More Hugely Popular Post that Seems to Fit Here Better than Anywhere Else

Return to the Let’s Make a Quilt main Table of Contents.

Move on to the posts about choosing your quilt pattern.

Happy sewing!

Options for single crocheting in a chain

“Sc in each ch” is an instruction you’ll often see in a written pattern.

But exactly how do you crochet into a chain? It’s a great question, because there are actually two different options for crocheting into your chain stitches. I’ll show you both options and compare the finished look!

Meet your chain

When you crochet your chain (also called a ‘foundation chain’), it should look like this:

chain

Yarn: Ella Rae Classic Wool, color #70

Hook: Knitter’s Pride Dreamz, size H (5.0mm)

It should look like a bunch of ‘V’s, laying on their side.

Does your chain not look like this? Let’s troubleshoot:

  • Look at the back… you might just be looking at the wrong side!
  • Is your chain forming a ringlet curl? That’s normal! Mine is just flat because I’m pulling on it. The ringlet will come out once you continue crocheting.
  • Is your chain zig-zag-y? This typically happens when you pause in between your chains, which allows the chain to twist slightly.

Okay… let’s do our first row!

Option 1: Crochet through the back loop only

Remember how we talked about those ‘V’s? The first option is to crochet only through the top half of the ‘V’ (also called the ‘back loop’):

back loop action

When you’ve completed single crocheting, your piece will look like this:

back loop finished

Option 2: Crochet through both loops

The second option is to insert your hook under the entire ‘V’ (also called crocheting through ‘both loops’):

both loops action

When you’ve completed single crocheting, your piece will look like this:

both loops finished

Comparing the two methods

Let’s look at the two options side by side:

comparison of ways to single crochet

As you can see, crocheting through both loops creates more of a ‘bump’, while crocheting through both loops is straighter along the bottom edge.

There’s no right way! And once you know the two options, you’ll be able to pick the one that best suits your project!

7 tips for planning travel knitting & crochet projects

The holidays are a typical time for traveling. And of course, you don’t want to set out without a project… but picking the right project for your travels can be tricky. In this blog post, I’ll give you some tips for picking the right project for you, and I’ll give you a peek at the travel knitting projects I’m planning!

airplane

Tips for picking the right project, and preparations

  • Think about your travel itinerary. Are you going to spend most of your time chatting with family or are you going to be alone on a plane? Thinking about your situation will help you decide whether you want a mindless project or one that can hold your interest.
  • Keep size in mind. Especially if you’re traveling by plane, luggage weight & space is important. Choose your travel knitting project accordingly. I tend to pack a shawl, since one skein of fingering weight yarn is fairly compact.
  • Keep notions to a minimum. If possible, you’d like a project that only requires one needle size, to keep your supplies to a minimum. If you require a large number of needles, consider a compact set, like an interchangeable set.
  • Do gauge swatches and investigate techniques in advance. This is an extension of the previous point: you want to keep your pack small. So, go ahead and do your gauge swatch so you know what needle you need. Also, look up any tricky stitches and print your pattern in advance, so you’re ready to roll!
  • Think about your seating situation. Have you ever lost a double point needle under an airplane seat? Or do you get carsick reading a pattern in the car? These things matter! Plan accordingly.
  • Investigate yarn shops in advance. Is there a yarn shop where you’re going? Jot down the address even if you’re not planning on a visit. You’ll never know when you’ll need more yarn!
  • Bring a back-up project. I can never decide on just one project. It’s easy to get bored or get stuck. Bring a backup just in case.

My travel projects

Tomorrow, I’m departing for Australia, which involves a 2 hour drive to the airport, a 6 hour domestic flight, a 5 hour layover and a 14 hour flight over the Pacific. Talk about needing a travel knitting project, huh?

My first project is Spectra by Stephen West. It’s been in my faves forever, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve selected my two skeins of yarn:

Blue Yarns

I’ve even done a swatch! The pattern calls for two fingering-weight yarns. The multi-color yarn I’ve chosen is listed as a worsted, but it looks quite thin to me. Fortunately, a swatch reveals that the two will play together nicely:

gauge

My second project is the There and Back Again Socks, a lovely pattern given to me by my friend Hollie. I’ve picked two close-in-color yarns:

purple yarn

Socks are a great portable project, and the color changes will keep the pattern exciting.

For these projects, I’ll bring along a size 6 24″ circular and a size 1 9″ circular. (I love 9″ circular needles so much that I wrote a whole post about them here.) Not too much needle baggage!

Plus, if I run low on projects, I can pick up a new skein of sock yarn and either knit another shawl or pair of socks!

What are your travel tips?

Do you have any tried-and-true travel planning tips to share? I’d love to hear them!

Tips for Teaching Kids to Crochet

It’s a question I get asked quite often: “Is my child ready to learn to crochet?”

Of course, children develop skills at different ages, so you’ll need to pay attention to your child’s skill set, instead of waiting for them to ‘hit the perfect age’.

rainbow yarns

Today, I’ll chat about some tips for teaching children to crochet, what to expect from different age groups and profile an adorable young crocheter, Laurel!

What to expect from different age groups

In general, if your child can sit for a short period of time and manipulate a pencil, then they’re ready to learn to crochet. I’ve been crocheting since I was about 5 or 6.

It’s important to keep in mind that children at different ages will learn crocheting differently. Here’s a bit about what to expect from different age groups.

Age 4-8 years old

Children at this age are still mastering their fine motor skills and can’t confidently learn instructions by reading a book. They’ll learn best from hands-on teaching (i.e. you sit next to them, show them steps and guide their hands if needed).

It’s very typical for children at this age to spend a considerable amount of time chaining before moving on to stitches like single crochet, and that’s fine! Chaining is a perfect way to practice manipulating the hook. It’s important not to push children onto skills before they are ready, as this can lead to frustration.

Age 9-12 years old

Children at this age have quite good fine motor skills, and may be ready to learn semi-independently. It’s a great age for children to attend a crochet class, learn from an online video (see Laurel’s story, below!), or venture into learning from books. Learning to crochet solely from written instructions can be difficult for any age group (even adults!), so even if your child is a keen reader, expect to invest some one-on-one crochet time to demonstrate the basics.

Child Crocheting

It’s Laurel! Read her story, below.
Children at this age are often excited to make a finished product, so they’re less likely to spend oodles of time chaining. Don’t worry if they want to move straight to an advanced stitch: they’ll naturally feel excitement about learning a new skill. It’s important to emphasize that crochet takes practice, and that stitches won’t look perfect immediately.

Age 13+

Children of this age can’t drive and don’t pay taxes… but in the crochet world, they’re basically adults. They often take adult crochet classes (since they don’t have the attention difficulties or fine motor troubles of younger children) and are happy to learn unsupervised.

As is true of dealing with teenagers in any domain, the most helpful thing you can do is provide help if they need it, check in on their progress and show enthusiasm for their work.

Tips for teaching children to crochet

While there’s no curriculum that will work for everyone, there are a few basic tips that will help you teach your little one to crochet.

  • Pick a suitable yarn and hook. Aim for a smooth, plain yarn. Avoid novelty yarns like thick & thin and eyelash. Even though they look fun, they’re difficult to learn on.
  • Let the child pick their yarn (within reason, see above point). Children will be more excited to learn when they’re excited about their project, so let them pick out their favorite color!
  • Allow children to move at their own pace. It’s most important that the child likes crocheting, because that’s the only way they’ll keep going! So, if it’s fun for them to make a really long chain, let them! They’ll move on to a new skill when they feel like it!
  • Be positive. No matter how old you are, your first projects might look crooked and wonky. As the adult, be encouraging and marvel over the skills that have been acquired. Practice will make perfect!

Meet Laurel

As a teacher on Craftsy, I get the honor of ‘meeting’ oodles of fabulous students in my courses.

One of the students in my Amigurumi Woodland Animals class (a course designed for beginners) is Laurel, who’s just 11 years old!

Laurel crocheting

Laurel’s mom is Joanna Johnson, a knitwear designer and author of a fabulous series of children’s books.

Laurel and Joanna obviously know a thing or two about successfully teaching/learning to crochet… and they were sweet enough to stop by for a chat!

Stacey: Do you have any advice for parents to encourage their children’s crafting?

Joanna (the Mom): Children, from a very young age, will take an interest in what interests you if only you allow them to. When Laurel was just 3, I gave her a small scrap of muslin stretched over a little embroidery hoop and a needle and red thread. While I sat and quilted, she sat and “scribbled” in stitches, which was really cute. As she got older, she tried her hand at a few different crafts, and it became apparent that although knitting is my favorite hobby, it isn’t hers. She was really interested in weaving, beading, and crochet, which I know little about, so I looked for resources for her to explore her own passions. It is important to let them explore different mediums, and to understand that what they love may not be what you love!

Stacey: How did you decide that you wanted to begin crocheting?

Laurel (11 years old): I knew a little bit about crochet and I wanted to expand my knowledge of crochet. Something I like about crocheting is that it is fun. It’s not always easy, but it’s really fun to finish something that you make.

3

Stacey: Was any part of the process difficult/frustrating?

Laurel: The first time I made the bluebird I had trouble getting started on the very first round, but then I figured out what I was doing I found crochet to be a good way to pass the time.

Stacey: Do you have any advice for other kids who are just starting to learn a craft?

Laurel: Just don’t panic if you make a mistake! If you get tired or frustrated just take a break and, for example, read a book. Then when you are ready, continue or replay the lesson to see it again.

4

And look at Laurel’s fabulous creations! Rock on!

Thank you so much, Joanna and Laurel, for giving your advice! I think they both hit the nail on the head. Parents: be supportive and encouraging. Kids: don’t panic and keep trying.

Tips and Tricks for Working with Fleece – video

Tips and Tricks for Working with Fleece - video

I love making softies with fleece. It’s sooooooo soft and cuddly and (mostly) easy to work with.

I say mostly. There are a couple of things you need to be careful of when you sew with it, and I show you in this video.

Update: After making this video I discovered sewing clips. Most people use them for binding quilts but they are AMAZING for holding fat fleece together – without distorting it like pins can. If you work much with fleece – get them. You will love them.

One thing I didn’t mention – buy the good stuff. It’s called no-pill or anti-pill fleece and it costs $1-2 more a yard and is totally worth it. Some of the less expensive fleeces can start to pill after only a little bit of play and they look pretty dang grubby pretty dang quickly.

 

I designed the Franklin the Fat Cat pattern especially for fleece – and that’s what you see me working on in this video. If you want to make your own you can get the pattern here.

Happy sewing!

Best,
Wendi
Applique Wendi (with fabulous hat)

 

How to fix an incorrectly-attached amigurumi part

It’s inevitable. We all make mistakes. Maybe you attached a part on your amigurumi in the wrong place. Maybe you crocheted the piece in the wrong color. No problem! I’ll show you how to fix it!

In the example I’ll be showing you today, I attached an orange beak on my owl… when the customer actually wanted a yellow beak. Ooops! But as you’ll see, it’s a problem that’s not too hard to solve.

Step 1: Remove the incorrect piece

The first thing you need to do is cut off the incorrect piece:

If you’re very careful, you can cut through the attaching thread, and preserve the piece (here, a beak) for re-use. However, the most important thing is to not cut your main body (here, the head). If you cut through the stitches on the head, it will be nearly impossible to repair.

Therefore, I err on the side of caution: I would much rather cut through an important piece of my beak (and re-crochet it), than to cut a stitch on the head.

Once you’ve cut the piece, pull it off:

Ta da!

You’ll notice that a little bit of orange remains, that’s where I tied the knot to secure the beak. It’s okay that it gets left behind: it’ll be covered up by the new beak. Remember: the most important thing is to not cut through body stitches, and the risk of doing so would be too high if I tried to remove this knot.

Step 2: Attach the new piece

Attach your new piece where you’d like it to go:

When you’re finished attaching, tie a knot. It’s not possible to attach the knot on the inside (the preferred way of making sure the knot is invisible), since the piece has been stuffed, so you’ll have to do your best to make the outside knot as invisible as possible.

Now, insert your needle through the body, and pull… this will pull the tail in and help to hide the knot a bit:

And you’re finished! No one will ever know!


What does ‘amigurumi’ mean?

Today’s guest post is written by Alyssa, MonstersToyBox on Ravelry.

Alyssa is a student in Linguistics and Japanese, as well as a very talented knitter and crocheter. Who better to tell us what ‘amigurumi’ means?

What does the word ‘amigurumi’ mean?

You probably know that amigurumi are incredible cute toys made from yarn. And you probably know that amigurumi was originally Japanese.

A collection of amigurumi knit & crocheted by Alyssa
But what exactly is amigurumi? There are a couple different answers for that, and one of them is looking at what it originally meant in its native Japanese:

The first kanji (Japanese symbol of writing) is the character for “knit”; it can also mean several other things, but the knitting is what is important here.

And it is not just knitting; this character can apply to both knitting and crocheting. Japanese does not have two different words for knitting and crochet like English does. In fact, to crochet in Japanese is actually “to knit with a hook”.

So now we have the “knitted and crocheted” part of amigurumi. However, the second kanji is a bit trickier. One of its meanings is “wrapped”. At first, it doesn’t seem to have a lot to do with toys, however, “wrapped” implies that there is something being put inside. What is put inside amigurumi? Stuffing, of course! So perhaps a better meaning for this part, at least as it applies to amigurumi, is “stuffed”, although a native Japanese speaker told me that it is not limited to just stuffing. All sorts of things could be put inside amigurumi to give them shape, rubber balls, for example. The toy part here is assumed… what other knitting or crocheting is stuffed?

Does it have to be worked in the round?

Almost all translations will say that amigurumi means “knit or crocheted stuffed toy”, however, the majority of amigurumi (and especially Japanese amigurumi) is crocheted. That doesn’t exclude knitting as a valid form of amigurumi nor does amigurumi have to be worked in a particular style. I have found that many Japanese amigurumi are worked in joined rounds, but not all amigurumi has to be worked that way, and it certainly does not make it any less of an amigurumi!

Ready to start looking for Japanese amigurumi?

In Japanese, amigurumi is rarely written using the kanji anymore. Instead, it is written using the much simpler, syllabic hiragana (a phonetic alphabet):

If you are interested in looking for amigurumi in the original Japanese, this is what you are most likely to see.

Highlight this piece of text: あみぐるみ and pop it into Google… it’s your trick to finding oodles of images and even Japanese amigurumi books. Most Japanese books are charted, so they’re accessible to you even if you don’t speak Japanese!

Free Felt Chicken Pattern

A row of three colorful felt chickens made with a free hand sewing pattern from Shiny Happy World

Make a sweet little softie with this free felt chicken pattern.

These simple little hens can be so many things!

Fill them with heavy aquarium gravel and you have some pretty dang fancy pattern weights.

Fill them with lightweight Poly-fil Stuffing and add a loop to the back and you have a pretty ornament for your tree.

Fill them with plastic pellets and you have a pocket-sized softie that sits in the palm of your hand.

These felt chickens are hand-sewn from scraps and a bit of embroidery thread and take about an hour to make. Want a little quiet handwork for couch-potato time? This is the perfect project. And it’s FREE!

Here’s what you’ll need. . .

  • download the pattern here
  • scraps of wool felt
  • freezer paper (optional)
  • stuffing (gravel, Poly­fil and/or plastic pellets)
  • embroidery thread and needle
  • your favorite embroidery pattern transfer tools
  • sharp scissors

Step 1

Cut out all the pieces. I don’t like to trace onto felt, because I don’t want even a tiny bit of that marking line to show on the finished piece. I trace or print my pattern pieces onto freezer paper, cut them out roughly, fuse them to the felt, and then cut around the edge.

It’s a nice way to cut clean, precise shapes.

Step 2

You’ll need two body pieces, one gusset, one beak, and one comb.

All the pieces needed to make a felt chicken

Step 3

Transfer the dots you’ll use as guidelines for stitching the wings.

chicken pieces with guide-dots marked to show where to embroider the wings

I don’t like to draw the whole wing shape because the thread of my U­stitches might not sit right on that line, so I just mark the dots where each stitch will start, stop, and be tacked down.

Step 4

Stitch the wings in a contrasting color (I like to match the beak and comb color) using the U-­stitch and four strands of embroidery thread.

chicken sides with embroidered wings

If you want really precise lines you can use backstitch, split stitch, or stem stitch, but the tight curves at the tips of the wings won’t be loads of fun in any of those stitches.

Step 5

Lay the gusset along the bottom edge of one of the body pieces and stitch the two layers together using a running stitch and four strands of thread. If you use 36 inches of thread you’ll have enough to sew the whole hen without having to knot off and start a new thread. Sneaky. :­)

partially sewn felt hen

I would normally use thread that matches the chicken body. I used contrasting here just so you could see it better.

You could use whipstitch instead of running stitch -­ choose the look you like.

Step 6

When you get to the end of the gusset piece, layer the second body piece with the first one.

adding the beak to a chicken softie as you sew

Pin the beak between the two layers and start stitching your way up the front of the hen’s face.

Step 7

Stitch up to the top of the hen’s head.

partially sewn felt hen

Step 8

Slip the comb in between the two layers at the back of the head and stitch the rest of the way across the top of the body.

chicken softie sewn up - waiting for stuffing

A little felt chicken – all finished. Right? It looks like it’s done, doesn’t it?

Step 9

Not quite. Turn it around and you can see that you still need to sew the bottom part of the other side of the body.

Unsewn side of a chicken softie

Line up the body edge with the gusset edge and keep stitching.

Step 10

Sew most of the way along the bottom edge.

When the opening is just big enough to slip your thumb inside, stop stitching but leave your thread tail there. I even leave it threaded on my needle.

Step 11

Tuck a tiny pinch of Poly­fil stuffing in the head and another in the tail. Work it right up into the points.

partially stuffed chicken softie

If you’re making a tree ornament, fill the whole body with Poly­fil stuffing.

If you’re making a pattern weight, add two tablespoons of aquarium gravel.

If you’re making a softie, add two tablespoons of plastic pellets.

Step 12

Pick the needle and thread back up and finish stitching across the bottom of the chicken. Tie a knot and bury the tail inside the hen.

You’re done! Better make another ­- chickens don’t like to live alone. Now even felt chickens!

Happy stitching!

Play with some felt! Try the Oddballs – a fun pattern for silly monsters.