Doggies for Natalie

Today's addition to the world of plush is a pair of wiener dogs with sweaters! They were super fun to make and I am glad that Natalie needed two because they look so good together!



They just look like they could get into trouble together, don't they?

Now, I am off to make a leaf for the International Fiber Collective. Check out the site to see what the fuss is about. We're doing leaves as a Plush Team activity so check back to see what we come up with.

Bunny Big Buns and her Carrotship Amigurumi

I finished the spaceship for the bunny. It resembles a carrot and includes a bunny sized pouch for the bunny to ride around in. The ship is well over a foot tall and pleasantly squishy.


Please feel free to head on over to the Plush Team blog to vote on your favorite New Years Resolution creation.

For those of you wondering about the Yarn Spinning class, it is going to be rescheduled for sometime in March. So check back here to see when we'll be doing it again.

Esther Amigurumi New Years Resolution

We had a plush team challenge for January and February in which we turned our new years resolutions into plush. My resolution is twofold, to make more monsters and to attempt to make or remake 50% of the clothes I will need this year.

I created Esther because she is a monster and she is wearing handmade clothes, which are removable.

You can see what other people on the plush team have made at the plush team blog.

You can learn to spin yarn!

I am teaching a class on spinning yarn this weekend and I am really excited about it. I'll be making up kits with drop spindles, fiber and a booklet on the how to's and resources. It's going to be awesome. So if you are in the vicinity and want to learn how to spin you can sign up on the studio at rush creek site.

And if you can't make it to the class I will be offering spinning kits, so let me know if you want one.

Have a great day!

Rats!

Rats! I love making rats. So far I've made four in this style. The possibilities are as endless as the number of rats there are and there are a lot of rats.

Let's talk about some books on rats. I read the Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nihm by Robert C. O'Brien sometime after college and loved it. I had seen the animation when I was younger, but didn't really grasp what it was about until I read it. A picture book that recently came out on rats is Bad Rats by Eric Drachman. It's got great illustrations and a cute story.

Heart Shaped Bunny

Last night I had an idea to make a bunny out of a heart. Here's the bottom of the bunny .Bunny from the front.

Bunny from the top.

Bunny from behind with a big butt.


The next step is to make her a carrot spaceship. Don't you think that would be totally awesome?

I am reading a great book by Patrick Rothfuss called The Name of the Wind. It's a great new series and the next one comes out in the next couple of months. I am also catching up on the Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. I am on #2, Roderick Rules. The third one came out last week.

Class and a Rock in a Penguin Costume

My class on Sunday at the Studio at Rush Creek was really fun! There were 4 people there and here is what they created.

Becky made an amazing octopus.

Sarah, made some good progress on what she calls her quarter doily.


Katie and Katie have stuffed little balls of fun.


Dave asked for a rock in a penguin costume a while ago and I finally made him one. He's one of my larger rock costumes. I feel that I could go even larger, so we'll see what I can come up with next in the realm of rocks in costumes.



I am finally finishing what is out in the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. I am almost through Titan's Curse and soon I'll be starting Battle of the Labyrinth. Looks like I am right on track because the Demigod Files comes out next month.

Ode to Rats

Rats are wonderful creatures that can make sweet lovable pets. As an ode to rats I have crocheted one. In my opinion this is my best rat yet, though I haven't yet named her. Any thoughts on what I should call her?

New Patterns!!

I've got the patterns I'll be using for my class on the 18th of January at the Studio at Rush Creek up in my Etsy Shop now! Here's a peek at the owls, octopuses, and bunnies. They are going for $2.50 a piece or $6 for all three. They look great in pairs and I can imagine that they would look amazing as an army.

A bear and a bunny

This special pair is a custom order for a pair of twins. One is a bear and the other is a bunny, if you hadn't figured that out from the title of this post or the pictures. Both have removable clothing and non-removable underwear.


I am kind of into this cowl thing. I like the way they look, but I don't know if I can wear one for a day. I don't like things close to my throat. Maybe I'll have to make one and try it. I like the construction of the green cowl on the bunny. It's braided and there are three rings intertwined. I am thinking about spinning up some yarn to see how it translates into a human sized cowl.

**Studio at Rush Creek class update - The class has been moved to January 18th. So if you weren't able to come or thought you missed it you still have a chance to sign up at the Studio at Rush Creek website.**

My First Official Class!

I will be teaching a beginner amigurumi crochet class at the Studio at Rush Creek in Maple Grove, MN on Sunday, January 4th from 1-4 pm.

There are three creatures to choose from: an owl, an octopus and a bunny. You can sign up for the class at the studio website and if you are unable to come to the class patterns will be available in my etsy shop shortly. I'll be posting pictures of the creatures this week, too.

And since I don't like posts without pictures, I added this cute little sheep. Enjoy!

Lots of critters

This little guy was super fun to make. I really didn't know where I was going and in fact I set out to make a teeny robot. He didn't have the right feel for a bot, so he became a gremlin and then a gremlin with a scarf. And what does a gremlin with a scarf need more than anything else? A plane, of course! So here you have it. Shatner (I had to name him that thanks to my wonderful hubby's naming skills) is living and flying somewhere near Maple Grove, MN.

Stormy and Ralph came about when I had the need to make something with long, skinny arms and legs. I made Ralph the unicorn first and keep going with Stormy the dog. They are the perfect handful and make a great tag along pal.


Twinkle lights are great and abundant at this time of year. But how many of you have seen crocheted ones? I'd guess that there aren't too many of you...yet. This one might become a year round favorite. I confess that we have Christmas lights up in our living room all year round. They make for great even lighting. The great thing about crocheted ones is that they won't die on you and you don't have to worry about those tiny little fuses.


The narguin is back! And this one's for Chelsey. You may remember the narwhal penguin I made last year for the Etsy Minnesota Street Team winter challenge. His name is Manuel and he looks a lot like this guy. He was adopted in the Spring at the Crafstravaganza event. Chelsey requested one for herself and I made her one. He's over a foot tall and super hugable. Doesn't everyone need a Narguin?

Ribbon yarn makes a great octopus. The tentacles spiral in such a magical way and the texture is a little rougher than normal yarn. The neat thing is that she's just a squeezable and loveable. Harriet only has one eye, which makes her a cycloptopus. You can adopt another one of these great cycloptopuses at the Plush Team Etsy shop. The entire adoption fee for Jane will go toward the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.

A dog and a contest

A dog and his bone. This is a custom dog I made for Abby's daughter Kalli. He's a Patterdale Terrier with a removable collar and bone. He's a foot long and 10 inches high. He even sits, stands and lays down.

Feel free to go check out the Plush Team site and vote for the Halloween plush there. Check out my ghost kitty, Jesmin, in her ghost costume.

Handmaiden Show

The Handmaiden Show went well this weekend. There were quite a few people funneling through during the day. And my table was quite a bit emptier as the day went on. I am thinking about making a new banner, but I'm still kind of attached to my hand sewn one. I confess that the black fabric on the table has sequins on it and initially served as a cape for the Harry Potter book 7 release Party. Now I've used it on the table at 3 shows. :)
I made these cute little heart gremlin key chains for the show this weekend and they went quickly. I'll definitely by making more.

These guys are in the picture from the last post because I brought them to Chicago. I sold the Octopus in Chicago and the rest went to their new homes this weekend. The rocks in costumes are a big hit and they are fun to design. Speaking of which, I need to make Dave a Penguin :)

better late than never

So, I realize that it's been over a month since the Renegade Chicago show, but here are some pics of the booth and all the great plush that I got to spend the weekend with. To find out more about the creatures here check out the Plushteam blog.


And the last picture here is what I brought with me on the bus to Chicago.