What to Watch While Stitching – an Awesome List of Reader Suggestions

January 28, 2019

Last week in the newsletter I asked for reader suggestions for what to watch while I stitch embroidery samples for my new book. The response was AMAZING! And lots of you said you watch while working too so I thought I’d share all the suggestions in one awesome list. I’m adding a star to the ones I’ve watched and can also recommend. 🙂

Here are all the shows that got multiple mentions (in order of number of mentions) . . .

  • Doc Martin
  • *Father Brown
  • *Midsomer Murders
  • *Downton Abbey
  • Doctor Blake Mysteries
  • *The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
  • Shetland
  • Anne with an “E”
  • Outlander
  • Vera
  • Lark Rise to Candleford
  • Scott & Bailey
  • *West Wing
  • A Place to Call Home
  • *Sherlock
  • *Great British Baking Show
  • *Death in Paradise
  • *Frasier
  • *Longmire
  • Broadchurch
  • McLeod’s Daughters
  • Murdoch Mysteries
  • Home Fires
  • Agatha Raisin
  • *Bletchley Circle
  • Line of Duty
  • The Incredible Dr. Pol
  • Bodyguard
  • *Inspector Morse
  • The Paradise
  • Endeavor
  • *Rosemary and Thyme
  • Hinterland
  • Grace and Frankie
  • Vikings

And here are the rest (in alphabetical order). . .

  • *Arrow
  • Artful Detective
  • Back Roads
  • Being Human
  • Blue Bloods
  • *Bones
  • *Cheers
  • The Closer
  • Darkest Hour
  • Denver Pet Show
  • Derek
  • Designated Survivor
  • Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
  • Doctor Foster
  • Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman
  • Drop Dead Diva
  • *Elementary
  • Escape to the Country/Escape from the City/Escape to the Continent
  • *Flash
  • *Friends
  • Game of Thrones
  • Girlfriends
  • The Good Cop
  • Home Fires
  • Homecoming
  • Indian Summers
  • Inspector Lewis
  • Jack Irish
  • Jack Ryan
  • Jamestown
  • Keeping Faith
  • Kids’ Baking Championship
  • *Kingdom
  • Land Girls
  • The Last Kingdom
  • Last Tango in Halifax
  • Legends
  • Little Dorrit
  • Little Women
  • Love Child
  • *Madmen
  • Mercy Street
  • The Miniaturist
  • Misfits
  • Mr. Selfridge
  • *Monk
  • Mozart in the Jungle
  • The Mysteries of Laura
  • Mystery Road
  • The Nature of Things
  • NCIS
  • Offspring
  • Ozark
  • The Palace
  • *Poirot
  • Rake
  • Reign
  • Ripper Street
  • *Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
  • Schitt’s Creek
  • The Science of Stupid
  • Secret Agent Selection WWII
  • Silent Witness
  • Striking Out
  • Sugar Rush
  • *Supergirl
  • The Supervet
  • This Is Us
  • Time Goes By
  • The Time of Our Lives
  • Timeless
  • The Tudors
  • The Unforgotten
  • The Waltons
  • Watership Down
  • We Will Meet Again
  • White Collar
  • Wolf Hall
  • Yukon Vet

Oh – and for those who don’t get the newsletter, here are the shows I mentioned that I’ve already watched and loved to stitch to. . .

  • The Crown
  • Call the Midwife
  • Victoria
  • Foyle’s War
  • Miss Fisher Mysteries
  • Poldark
  • Law & Order
  • Grey’s Anatomy

You guys – this is an amazing list! Please keep adding suggestions in the comments so we have a continuing resource. 🙂

Best,
Wendi

Ho Ho Ho Holiday Accessories – free crochet Christmas tree and Santa hat pattern

December 7, 2018

Crochet Christmas dog with Santa hat and Christmas tree ornament, holiday crochet accessories.

Milo Mouse is all decked out for Christmas!

I’ve got free patterns below for both the tree and the hat – plus some extra fancification ideas for both at the bottom of the post. Have fun with these!

You can use these patterns for any holiday decorations – the repeat pattern is easy to follow to make them larger if you need. Or just use thicker yarn!

Abbreviations

  • ch: chain
  • sc: single crochet
  • sc2tog: single crochet 2 stitches together
  • st(s): stitch(es)

The tree and the hat both start the same way. . .

Ch 2 (I like to start with a sloppy slip knot. This video shows how. And this video shows how to chain.)

Round 1 sc 4 in 2nd ch from hook (4) This post will help you find that second chain from the hook.

Round 2 sc twice in next st, sc in next 3 sts (5) This video will help you if you find it tricky to start the second round.

Round 3 sc twice in next st, sc in next 4 sts (6)

Round 4 sc twice in next st, sc in next 5 sts (7)

Round 5 sc twice in next st, sc in next 6 sts (8)

Round 6 sc twice in next st, sc in next 7 sts (9)

Round 7 sc twice in next st, sc in next 8 sts (10)

Round 8 sc twice in next st, sc in next 9 sts (11)

Round 9 sc twice in next st, sc in next 10 sts (12)

Round 10 sc twice in next st, sc in next 11 sts (13)

Round 11 sc twice in next st, sc in next 12 sts. (14)

Round 12 sc twice in next st, sc in next 13 sts. (15)

Round 13 sc twice in next st, sc in next 14 sts (16)

Round 14 sc twice in next st, sc in next 15 sts (17)

Round 15 sc twice in next st, sc in next 16 sts (18)

Round 16 sc twice in next st, sc in next 17 sts (19)

This is where the pattern changes, depending on whether you’re making the tree or the hat.

For the Santa Hat. . .

Round 17-20 Change to white yarn and sc in each stitch (19, 4 rounds) This video shows how to change colors cleanly.

Fasten off and weave in the tail.

Make a small white pompom and tie it to the end of the hat. There’s a video showing how to make a pompom here. I wrapped mine around the times of a fork for a nice small puffball. 🙂

Finished!

Crochet mouse plush wearing a Santa hat, holiday-themed handmade toy, Christmas crochet craft. If you’re making a hat for a larger softie, just follow this pattern of increasing one stitch per round until the hat is big enough to fit, then stitch at least four rounds of straight single crochet for the contrasting band. You may need to add more rounds of contrast to feel like it’s in the right proportion with the hat, depending on how much bigger you make it. Trust your judgement. 🙂

For the tree. . .

Picking up after round 16 above.

Round 17 sc twice in next st, sc in next 18 sts (20)

Round 18 sc twice in next st, sc in next 19 sts (21)

Round 19 sc twice in next st, sc in next 20 sts (22)

Round 20 sc twice in next st, sc in next 21 sts (23)

Round 21 sc twice in next st, sc in next 22 sts (24)

Stuff the tree and slip a large washer across the stuffing at the base of the tree. This will give your tree a nice flat base and the washer adds a nice weight.

Round 22 [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts] 6 times (18)

Here’s what it looks like after that first decrease round wraps around the edge of the washer.

If you don’t have a metal washer, you can cut a circle of cardboard. It will give you the flatness without the weight.

Round 23 [sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times (12)

Round 24 [sc2tog] 6 times (6)

Use the drawstring method to close up the last hole. 

Finished!

If you want to make your tree bigger, keep following the same increase pattern after round 21. To make your decrease rounds easier to calculate, make sure to make your last increase round one whose stitch count is evenly divided into 6.

I dressed up my tree with some simple white-headed pins – but there are tons of possibilities to dress up both the tree and the hat!

For the tree. . .

  • Use multicolored instead of white pins.
  • Wrap it in tiny fairy lights.
  • Sew (or pin) on buttons.
  • Add beads as you crochet! That link goes to a video showing how.
  • Use sparkly or glitter or eyelash yarn.
  • Pin on garland from the trim section of the fabric store – braid or cord or rickrack.

For the hat. . .

  • Sew on a bell or tassel instead of making a pompom.
  • Surface crochet the contrasting band on the hat with eyelash yarn. Yep – that’s another video link. 🙂
  • If your hat is kind of stiff and you want it to flop down like the one in the photo, you can drop a metal nut into the tip of the hat. The weight will keep it dipping down. I use a surprising amount of hardware store items in my softies. 🙂

If you decide to give a holiday Milo Mouse as a gift, I suggest pairing it with these books.

  • The Night Before Christmas – I had the line “Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse” in my head as I designed Milo. There are so many beautiful editions of this story available – the link goes to one with very traditional illustrations.
  • Mr Willoughby’s Christmas Tree – I just love this story about the tippy top of a Christmas tree. 🙂

Have fun with these patterns!

Best,
Wendi

 

Squishy Monster – a free amigurumi pattern

October 31, 2018
Colorful crochet squishy monsters with big eyes, perfect for kids’ toys and crochet craft projects.

These squishy monsters are fast and easy to make – and super fun to play with. 🙂

The skills you’ll need for just about any amigurumi are. . .

This project uses just one fancy skill – stitching one row below to get that mouth. Don’t worry – there’s a link in the pattern to a video showing how, right at the spot where you’ll need it.

You can go through all those posts now, or just hop to them as you get to those points in the pattern – whatever works best for you!

Yarn

This pattern can be used with any weight yarn. The samples are crocheted with Big Stitch worsted weight yarn, and all yardage/hook recommendations are calculated based on the sample. If you use a different weight yarn you may need to adjust how many plastic pellets you use to fill it.

Materials

  • Size H crochet hook (or size needed to get a tight fabric)
  • two 12mm black animal eyes
  • tapestry needle
  • 1/2 cup plastic poly pellets (optional – can use polyester fiberfill instead)
  • nylon knee high (optional – only needed if you use plastic pellets for squishiness)
  • yarn

Gauge Notes

This pattern doesn’t specify a gauge. It’s a stuffed toy, and you don’t need to be too picky about exact sizing. The most important thing is that you use a hook size that creates a nice looking fabric for your yarn. If you use the recommended hook size, and your fabric looks very loose (so that stuffing would show through), then you will want to use a smaller hook. Other than that, no measuring required!

Stitch into the Back

All stitches in this pattern (that are worked in the round) are worked through the back loop only, unless otherwise directed. Look at this picture.

Stitching in the Back Loop

See how one loop is highlighted in black? This is the back loop, and it’s what you’ll stitch into. Stitching into the back loop creates ridges on the right side of the piece.

Want to see crocheting through the back loop in action? Check out this blog post. It talks all about why Stacey crochets through the back loop and even has a handy dandy video showing how to find that loop. đŸ™‚

Abbreviations

  • ch: chain
  • sc: single crochet
  • sc2tog: single crochet 2 stitches together
  • st(s): stitch(es)

Ready? Let’s jump in!

Ch 2 (I like to start with a sloppy slip knot. This video shows how. And this video shows how to chain.)

Round 1 sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook (6) This post will help you find that second chain from the hook.

Round 2 sc twice in next st (12) This video will help you if you find it tricky to start the second round.

Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st.] 6 times (18)

Round 4 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 2 sts.] 6 times (24)

Round 5-6 sc in each st. (24, 2 rounds)

The next two rounds give your squishy monster that lip. If you’re just getting started and want to skip that – no problem! Just repeat rounds 5-6 instead of following the instructions for rounds 7-8.

Round 7 sc in next 7 sts. Sc in next 10 sts, one row below. Sc in last 7 sts. (24) This video will help with stitching one row below.

Round 8 sc in next 7 sts. Sc in next 10 sts, back in the original (inner) round of stitching. Sc in last 7 sts. (24)

Round 9 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 3 sts.] 6 times (30)

Round 10-11 sc in each st. (30, 2 rounds)

Insert the eyes in round 4, centered on the lip, with 3 stitches between them.

Round 12 [sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts.] 6 times (24)

Round 13 [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts.] 6 times (18)

Fill a section of nylon knee high with 1/2 cup plastic pellets. Tie the end closed in a knot.

Brown fabric gift wrap tied with brown fabric on bright green background.

Stacey has a post here about using plastic pellets in amigurumi. Again, if you’re a beginner and want to skip the plastic pellets this time, that’s just fine. Just use some polyester fiberfill stuffing instead. Your monster won’t have that squishy beanbag feel, but it will still be adorable.

Stuff the bag of pellets into the monster body. It will be a very tight fit.

Round 14 [sc2tog, sc in next st.] 6 times (12)

Round 15 [sc2tog] 6 times (12)

Use the drawstring method to close up the opening and fasten off. Here’s a video showing how to do the drawstring close, and here’s one showing how to fasten off.

Bury the tail.

Congratulations! You have squishy little beanbag monster. Make some more! They’re so much fun to play with!

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi

Monster Pattern Sale – 20% Off

October 2, 2018

Colorful plush monster toy, handmade adorable stuffed animal for kids.

October is Monster Month (of course) so we’re having a Monster Craft-Along and a Monster Pattern Sale!

Stacey and I both LOVE monsters, so you’ve got a lot of patterns to choose from. 🙂 Those images up there are just a tiny sample.

Shop all the patterns here.

Use the discount code SILLY for 20% off.

Sale ends Monday 10/7 at midnight eastern time.

Stacey and I both have really terrific monster classes on Craftsy. The Shiny Happy World sale code doesn’t work on them, but Craftsy has sales all the time and if you use these links you’ll get the current sale price.

Crochet monster toy and children's craft book page featuring monster design ideas.

Stacey’s Design Your Own Monster class is fantastic – my favorite of all her classes. Get that class here.

Cute Quilt-As-You-Go Applique Monsters - a new Craftsy class with Wendi Gratz of Shiny Happy World

My Cute Quilt-As-You-Go Applique Monsters class includes my Mix & Match Monsters pattern. It’s so much fun to make! Get that class here.

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi

Summer Beach Ball – a free crochet amigurumi pattern

July 13, 2018

Get ready to have fun in the sun with this great stuffed beach ball! This beach ball measures about 4 inches tall when completed with worsted weight yarn – the perfect size for lots of different amigurumi softies. 🙂

To complete this pattern, you will need. . .

  • 7 colors of worsted weight yarn (assign each a number, C1, C2, C3, etc.)
  • size H (5 mm) crochet hook – or size needed to get a good tight fabric with your chosen yarn
  • polyester stuffing

The skills you’ll need for just about any amigurumi are. . .

You can go through all those posts now, or just hop to them as you get to those points in the pattern – whatever works best for you!

Yarn

This pattern can be used with any weight yarn! Just use the hook recommended on the ball band, and adjust as needed (see ‘gauge notes’ below). For a bigger, human-sized beach ball, try a bulky weight yarn! Just keep in mind that you’ll use more yardage than recommended. The sample is crocheted in worsted weight yarn, and all yardage/hook recommendations are calculated based on the sample.

Materials

  • Size H crochet hook (or size needed to get a tight fabric)
  • 7 colors of worsted weight yarn (fewer if you’d like to repeat colors)
  • a couple of handfuls of stuffing

Gauge Notes

This pattern doesn’t specify a gauge. It’s a stuffed ball, and you don’t need to be too picky about exact sizing. 🙂 The most important thing is that you use a hook size that creates a nice looking fabric for your yarn. If you use the recommended hook size, and your fabric looks very loose (so that stuffing would show through), then you will want to use a smaller hook. Other than that, no measuring required!

In case you’re curious about getting the exact gauge Stacey does, it’s 5 rounds=2 inches.

Stitch into the Back

All stitches in this pattern are worked through the back loop only. Look at this picture.

Stitching in the Back Loop

See how one loop is highlighted in black? This is the back loop, and it’s what you’ll stitch into. Stitching into the back loop creates ridges on the right side of the piece.

Want to see crocheting through the back loop in action? Check out this blog post. It talks all about why Stacey crochets through the back loop and even has a handy dandy video showing how to find that loop. 🙂

Abbreviations

  • ch: chain
  • sc: single crochet
  • sc2tog: single crochet 2 stitches together
  • st(s): stitch(es)

Ready? Let’s jump in!

The Pattern

With C1, ch 2 (I like to start with a sloppy slip knot. This video shows how. And this video shows how to chain.)

Round 1 sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook (6) This post will help you find that second chain from the hook.

Round 2 sc twice in each st (12) This video will help you if you find it tricky to start the second round.

Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st.] 6 times (18) This video shows how to increase with single crochet.

Round 4 With C2 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 2 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (24)  This video will help make those color changes cleanly.

Round 5 With C2 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 3 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (30)

Round 6 With C2 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 4 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (36)

Round 7 With C2 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 5 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (42)

Round 8 With C2 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 6 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (48)

Round 9 With C2 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 7 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (54)

Round 10 With C2 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 8 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (60)

Round 11-20 With C2, sc in next 10 sts. With C3, sc in next 10 sts. With C4, sc in next 10 sts. With C5, sc in next 10 sts. With C6, sc in next 10 sts. With C7, sc in next 10 sts. (60, 10 rounds)

Round 21 With C2 [sc2tog, sc in next 8 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (54) This video will show you how to decrease with single crochet – that’s what that sc2tog is.

Round 22 With C2 [sc2tog, sc in next 7 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (48)

Round 23 With C2 [sc2tog, sc in next 6 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (42)

Round 24 With C2 [sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (36)

Round 25 With C2 [sc2tog, sc in next 4 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (30)

Round 26 With C2 [sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts.] 6 times, each time using a different color C2-C7 (24)

Round 27 With C1 [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts.] 6 times (18)

Stuff the ball.This post has tips for stuffing amigurumi (it’s a little different from sewn softies), and this video has some terrific help for closing up those last few rounds.

Round 28 With C1 [sc2tog, sc in next st] 6 times (12)

Round 29 With C1 [sc2tog] 6 times (18)

Use the drawstring method to close up that opening.

Ta da! You have a finished little beachball!

Aren’t you proud? You should be!

Snap a photo and share it with us over in the Shiny Happy People group! If you share it on social media, tag with with #shinyhappyworld so I can see it. 🙂

Want to make something else now? You can find some more free crochet patterns here. Shop for even more crochet patterns here. 

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi

Olivia the Sea Otter – crochet amigurumi pattern

July 5, 2018

Adorable crocheted sea otter plush toy, handmade crochet amigurumi pattern.

Have you guys seen sweet Olivia the sea otter yet?

I love her little ribbed seashell – there’s a new video tutorial showing the easy stitch you use to get that fun texture.

Amigurumi crocheted teddy bear holding a white heart. Perfect for handmade plush toys and crochet projects.

She was designed by the awesome and talented Alyssa Voznak and she’s the new Ami Club pattern for July!

You know about Ami Club – right?

For just $4 a month, members get. . .

  • an exclusive new amigurumi pattern on the first of every month (like this sweetie)
  • a permanent 10% off discount on all eyes and noses
  • an exclusive members-only sale every month – 50% off select amigurumi patterns

Join here!

And if you’re already a member – don’t forget to go download your new pattern. 🙂

There’s an #OliviaCAL happening in the Shiny Happy People group and I can’t wait to see what you make!

Happy stitching!

Best,
Wendi

Burnie Bee – Free Crochet Bee Pattern

June 29, 2018
Yellow bee crochet amigurumi pattern, cute handmade insect toy, free crochet tutorial, Shiny Happy World.

It’s a bee… but he doesn’t sting! Make a cute little bumbler with this free crochet bee pattern!

This is Burnie. (His full name is Vanburn von Bumble Bee.) He’s 3” tall and 4.5” long when made with worsted weight yarn. He’s super quick and easy to stitch up!

The skills you’ll need for just about any amigurumi are. . .

You can go through all those posts now, or just hop to them as you get to those points in the pattern – whatever works best for you!

Yarn

This pattern can be used with any weight yarn! Just use the hook recommended on the ball band, and adjust as needed (see ‘gauge notes’ below). For a bigger, super-cuddly animal, try a bulky weight yarn! Just keep in mind that you’ll use more yardage than recommended. The sample is crocheted in worsted weight yarn, and all yardage/hook recommendations are calculated based on the sample.

Materials for this crochet bee pattern

  • Size H crochet hook (or size needed to get a tight fabric)
  • two 9 mm black animal eyes
  • tapestry needle
  • a bit of stuffing
  • three colors yarn – black, yellow and white

Find links to sources for all my favorite supplies here.

Gauge Notes

This pattern doesn’t specify a gauge. It’s a stuffed animal, and you don’t need to be too picky about exact sizing. The most important thing is that you use a hook size that creates a nice looking fabric for your yarn. If you use the recommended hook size, and your fabric looks very loose (so that stuffing would show through), then you will want to use a smaller hook. Other than that, no measuring required!

In case you’re curious about getting the exact gauge Stacey does, it’s 5 rounds=2 inches. Note that you will need to have this gauge for the yardage suggestions to provide an accurate estimation.

Stitch into the Back

All stitches in this pattern (that are worked in the round) are worked through the back loop only, unless otherwise directed. Look at this picture.

Stitching in the Back Loop - crochet

See how one loop is highlighted in black? This is the back loop, and it’s what you’ll stitch into. Stitching into the back loop creates ridges on the right side of the piece.

Want to see crocheting through the back loop in action? Check out this blog post. It talks all about why Stacey crochets through the back loop and even has a handy dandy video showing how to find that loop. đŸ™‚

Abbreviations

  • ch: chain
  • sc: single crochet
  • sc2tog: single crochet 2 stitches together
  • st(s): stitch(es)

Ready? Let’s jump in!

Body

With black yarn, ch 2 (I like to start with a sloppy slip knot. This video shows how. And this video shows how to chain.)

Round 1 sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook (6) This post will help you find that second chain from the hook.

Round 2-3 sc in each st (6) This video will help you if you find it tricky to start the second round.

Round 4 sc twice in each st. (12)

Round 5 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st.] 6 times (18)

Round 6 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 2 sts.] 6 times (24)

Round 7 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 3 sts.] 6 times (30)

Rounds 8-11 With yellow yarn, single crochet in each st. (30) This video will help make that color change cleanly.

Round 12 With black yarn, single crochet in each st. (30)

Round 13 [sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts.] 6 times (24)

Round 14 [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts.] 6 times (18)

Fasten off with long tail.

crocheted bee body - free Burnie Bee pattern from Shiny Happy World

Wings

Make 2

With white yarn, chain 2.

Round 1 sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook (6)

Round 2 sc twice in each st. (12)

Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st.] 6 times (18)

Round 4-5 sc in each st. (18)

Round 6 [sc2tog, sc in next st.] 6 times (12)

Round 7 [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts.] 6 times (6)

Fasten off with long tail.

crocheted bee wings - one step in the free bee crochet pattern from Shiny Happy World

Head

With yellow yarn, chain 2.

Round 1 sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook (6)

Round 2 sc twice in each st. (12)

Round 3 [sc twice in next st, sc in next st.] 6 times (18)

Round 4 [sc twice in next st, sc in next 2 sts.] 6 times (24)

Round 5-6 sc in each st. (24)

Round 7 With black yarn [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts.] 6 times (18)

Fasten off with long tail.

crocheted bee head - one step in a free crochet pattern from Shiny Happy World

Insert two safety eyes into round 3 of the face and embroider a little mouth.

crocheted bee face with plastic craft eyes and an embroidered smile

Antennae

Make 2.

With yellow yarn, ch 2.

Round 1 sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook (6)

Round 2-6 sc in each st (6)

Fasten off with a long tail. (This post has some tips for crocheting skinny pieces like those antennae.)

two crocheted yellow bee antennae - part of a free crochet pattern

Time to start putting the pieces together!

Stuff the head and the body and attach. This post shows you how to attach the head to the body and keep a shapely neck.

Flatten wings in half and attach one wing to each side of the body, in the black stripe just behind the head. This video shows how to attach a flattened piece.

Attach the antennae to the top of the head, just behind each eye, using whipstitch. This post shows how to attach with whipstitch.

Finished!

finished Burnie Bee - made with a free bee crochet pattern from Shiny Happy World

Here’s a side view so you can see that cute stinger!

side view of finished crocheted bee

I’m so glad he doesn’t sting. 🙂

Congratulations! Please post a photo over in the Shiny Happy People group! We’d love to see the adorable bumblebees you make with this free crochet bee pattern!

Happy stitching!

Front Post Double Crochet – video tutorial

June 28, 2018

Front Post Double Crochet is a nifty technique that you can use to create raised ribs on the front of your fabric.

And it’s easy!

Alyssa Voznak shows how to do it in this video.

See? Isn’t that pretty?

You can use front post double crochet on hats and scarves – but it can also be a handy skill for amigurumi too! You could use it to create textured seashells, fins on a fish’s fins or tail, veins in a leaf, the look of corduroy pants, a ribbed-looking hat – the possibilities are endless!

I used this stitch to add raised ridges on the hair on this doll.

Handmade crochet doll of Becky in blue dress, perfect for kids' toys and amigurumi enthusiasts.

Here’s a view of the hair before I attached it to the doll – shown from the top down so you can see the ridges. It adds a nice extra texture that I really like.

crocheted doll and her crocheted hair (before attaching) showing the ridges created using front post double crochet

(I also really like that you don’t have to permanently attach the hair to the doll – make the same “wig” in a few different colors and lengths so kids can swap it out as they play. Fun!)

Related videos. . .

Vibrant handmade crochet toys and patterns from Shiny Happy World.

Here are handy links to all the posts teaching more fancy crochet stitches. . .

Return to the main table of contents for Let’s Learn to Crochet Amigurumi.

Move on to the posts about working with crochet patterns.

Happy stitching!

Vibrant handmade crochet toys and patterns from Shiny Happy World.