Wow. Shame on me for letting this thing get away from me. Has it been three months already?
Oops.
I've been busy. Holidays, work, and E starting up the academy again have all gotten in the way. I promise not to let such things come between us again. Friends?
Friends.
In the interim, I have taught myself to knit after 10 years of just crocheting. I have crossed over to the dark side, bitten the bullet, grinned and beared it. It wasn't as complicated as I thought. In fact, I love it. That's not to say I'm hanging up my hooks. I have found a lot of similarities and differences between the two, which means that each has its strong suits, each has its limitations.
Five Things I Have Learned About Knitting as Compared to Crochet:
1) Things That Are Knit are WAY way way more stretchy in all directions than Things That are Crocheted. This makes knits more practical for things that you wear on your body, especially if your body is curve-a-licious like mine. (Rawr.)
2) Conversely, Things That Are Knit are not as stiff and do not stand up on their own as well as Things That Are Crocheted. This is why crochet will always be and forever-more my only choice for toys, dolls, animals, amigurumi in general.
3) Hats knit in the round are made from the bottom up, starting with the exact circumference you need to end up with around your head, and then decreasing. (Of course they can be made from the top down, too.) What a paradigm shift from the top down, increasing as you go method of crochet hats! Very fun to do things "backwards" once in a while. As such, I am still obsessed with making knit hats on my amazing addi circulars, and probably will be for a while.
4) There are so many other knitty things that I have yet to try... intarsia, cables, baubles, lace, ruffles, ridges. I feel like I have mastered everything there is to know about crochet, plus invented some of my own techniques and patterns.
and last but possibly coolest,
5) Knitting is way way WAY older and, consequently, has its own made up words (purl, stockinette, intarsia) that you just don't find in crochet. It simply hasn't been around long enough to build its own jargon (single crochet, double crochet, triple crochet, half double crochet. You get the picture).
Not to disparage crochet. On the contrary, learning to knit has really helped me appreciate the finer points of crochet and overlook its shortcomings.
It's like I have found the Yin to my Yang.
Or Yang to my Yin.
Or something.
You know what I mean. Don't look at me like that.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Sunday, October 3, 2010
New Treasury
My latest obsession: creating Etsy treasuries. Hey, I'm not just messing around, wasting time. It's good for business! Usually I build them around a single item. This one is inspired by this wedding chalkboard made from an upcycled picture frame and pine cones by RevivedVintage.
Browse the one I just made while E was playing guitar in the other room... I don't think he knew I was listening!
Browse the one I just made while E was playing guitar in the other room... I don't think he knew I was listening!
Halloweenums are Here!
The Halloween Collection
handmade by me, amigurumiums
Aren't they sweet? I mean scary!
handmade by me, amigurumiums
Aren't they sweet? I mean scary!
As a crafter and small business woman (where my Mompreneurs at?) I am already in gear for the Holiday Season. First up on our list, of course, is Halloween. Now that it's on your minds, too, I am happy to announce a few new toys I have been working on in secret, amongst the shadows... ooo, spooky!
Fruit Bat
an original design by June Gilbank
planetjune.com
Cutesy Pumpkin
an original design by June Gilbank
planetjune.com
You can find these toys (and so much more!) in two places: if you're local, drop by Made in Chico. It's an awesome store and everyone should go there. You can also find them in my Etsy shop: amigurumiums.etsy.complanetjune.com
Cutesy Pumpkin
an original design by June Gilbank
planetjune.com
A Visit to the Alpaca Farm
Not to fear, denizens of craftiness! For I have been working on several projects at once. The goodness of that is I will have several projects finished at once! The badness of that is it is a long time between postings to show off finished projects.
Additionally, our little family unit went to visit our local alpaca farm to pick up some more yarn. What a treat it was to actually meet these gentle, beautiful animals. They have so much personality, and they are so chill, that I kinda forgot they weren't people, too! Unfortunately, we had so much fun I forgot to actually take some pictures. (Oops. I do that a lot. Sorry!) So, to whet your appetites (read: stave off your hunger) for the main course, here is a shot of the fiber that was acquired by yours truly that day.
What will it become? Tiny alpacas, teddy bears, sheep, anything cute and cuddly and soft and lovely will be perfect for this yarn. My favorite part? These wools have not been dyed. The finished product is in fact the exact same color as the alpaca chillin' at Margie's Feather River Alpaca Farm. How cool is that?! I submit very cool.
If you are local and want to check it out for yourself, you can find Margie's contact information at her website: featherriveralpacafarm.com If you're not really the farmin' type, but still local, I recommend heading down to Heartstrings off of the Esplanade. You can find her alpaca fibers there (roving too, I think, for you spinners and needle felters).
Additionally, our little family unit went to visit our local alpaca farm to pick up some more yarn. What a treat it was to actually meet these gentle, beautiful animals. They have so much personality, and they are so chill, that I kinda forgot they weren't people, too! Unfortunately, we had so much fun I forgot to actually take some pictures. (Oops. I do that a lot. Sorry!) So, to whet your appetites (read: stave off your hunger) for the main course, here is a shot of the fiber that was acquired by yours truly that day.
What will it become? Tiny alpacas, teddy bears, sheep, anything cute and cuddly and soft and lovely will be perfect for this yarn. My favorite part? These wools have not been dyed. The finished product is in fact the exact same color as the alpaca chillin' at Margie's Feather River Alpaca Farm. How cool is that?! I submit very cool.
If you are local and want to check it out for yourself, you can find Margie's contact information at her website: featherriveralpacafarm.com If you're not really the farmin' type, but still local, I recommend heading down to Heartstrings off of the Esplanade. You can find her alpaca fibers there (roving too, I think, for you spinners and needle felters).
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Barn Owl
Well, here she is... Isn't she amazing?!
If you guessed barn owl, pin a rose on your nose! She was so fun to design and create. My favorite feature is her flat face. (Yes, that is intentional!) Google "barn owl" and scroll through the images if you don't believe me. :) Although her opposable claws are neat, too. I made them bendy so she can "sit" on your finger, or a branch, or a pencil, or whatever. It's 12:22am and dark outside, otherwise I'd get you a nice owl-on-branch shot. Maybe next time.
Speaking of next time... Last up in my set of three owlies is going to be a Snowy Owl. I have not yet picked out the yarn for his main body. I just love working with the merino I used for the barn owl, however it is ivory, which is perfectly fitting for a barn owl, but not quite snow-white enough for a snowy owl. Especially a juvenile.
I do love the slightly fuzzy effect the merino gives, though... I don't really have anything fitting in my existing stash... hmm. I am smelling a yarn run in my near future! (Yes, yarn smells... at least, I can smell it... about a mile away!) Don't tell E. ;)
If you guessed barn owl, pin a rose on your nose! She was so fun to design and create. My favorite feature is her flat face. (Yes, that is intentional!) Google "barn owl" and scroll through the images if you don't believe me. :) Although her opposable claws are neat, too. I made them bendy so she can "sit" on your finger, or a branch, or a pencil, or whatever. It's 12:22am and dark outside, otherwise I'd get you a nice owl-on-branch shot. Maybe next time.
Speaking of next time... Last up in my set of three owlies is going to be a Snowy Owl. I have not yet picked out the yarn for his main body. I just love working with the merino I used for the barn owl, however it is ivory, which is perfectly fitting for a barn owl, but not quite snow-white enough for a snowy owl. Especially a juvenile.
I do love the slightly fuzzy effect the merino gives, though... I don't really have anything fitting in my existing stash... hmm. I am smelling a yarn run in my near future! (Yes, yarn smells... at least, I can smell it... about a mile away!) Don't tell E. ;)
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Etsy Holiday Boot Camp Pledge
I, amigurumiums, pledge to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I've learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere!
... What am I getting myself into?
... What am I getting myself into?
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Great Horned Owl
Owls are everywhere lately. I mean, everywhere! It's mostly adults obsessing over them, and although my toys are made for children, we are all children at heart. Plus they are seriously hot this season.
No, hot isn't the right word. Pervasive. Ubiquitous.
So naturally I thought I'd try my hand at creating an owl toy, and since I obsess over crochet, I have designed not one, but three (!) owlie amis. After a little research I couldn't pick just one type (thank you Google images...). They are all so majestic.
My Great Horned Owl was the first one I completed from design to finishing touch. At about three inches tall, the only thing "great" about this owlie is his uber cuteness (if I do say so myself...).
My favorite part is his "horns" which in fact are not horns at all. They look like giant eyebrows, and it was important to make sure to position them just so. If I wasn't careful, he could have ended up looking quite angry. And that's just not becoming of an ami. :)
I hope to have my next owlie up by the end of the weekend. I am looking at her unfinished face right now. What kind of owl is she? Bet you can't guess!
No, hot isn't the right word. Pervasive. Ubiquitous.
So naturally I thought I'd try my hand at creating an owl toy, and since I obsess over crochet, I have designed not one, but three (!) owlie amis. After a little research I couldn't pick just one type (thank you Google images...). They are all so majestic.
My Great Horned Owl was the first one I completed from design to finishing touch. At about three inches tall, the only thing "great" about this owlie is his uber cuteness (if I do say so myself...).
My favorite part is his "horns" which in fact are not horns at all. They look like giant eyebrows, and it was important to make sure to position them just so. If I wasn't careful, he could have ended up looking quite angry. And that's just not becoming of an ami. :)
I hope to have my next owlie up by the end of the weekend. I am looking at her unfinished face right now. What kind of owl is she? Bet you can't guess!
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