Pack Bunnies

I hope you can appreciate how hard it is to get a bunch of bunnies to line up and stay in place for this group photo!

I'm getting ready for spring craft shows, and everyone expects...BUNNIES! Actually, even in the winter season, people ask me if I have any bunnies, but everyone knows they explode in numbers in the spring.

So I came up with this little "pack bunny". It's a bunny head with funny looking ears and a plastic hook so you can hang him on your backpack, purse, keys, etc, etc.

And yes, you can expect a free pattern for this sometime in the future. ;)

Hand Sanitizer Holders...Huh?

Whew!!!! All my holiday craft shows are finished, so I have a chance to slow down a bit. I was able to spend a few hours in my neglected garden today. It was beautiful today after the few days of rain, so the soil was soft and the weather cool. Perfect for pulling the 4 huge bags of weeds.

I still have a few special orders to complete before the end of the year and one of them was for some hand sanitizer holders. I've been making them to hold small, refillable bottles of Purell hand sanitizer. They are convenient for strapping onto your purse, backpack, stroller, sports bag, etc. I made the buttons out of Asian fabrics and crocheted the holders out of different colors of cotton yarn. The holders also have a keychain hook in the back in case you want to attach some keys.

Okay, time for an ice cream break...

Cupcake Ornaments

This weekend I decided to make some ornaments for the holidays, but what to make? Last year I made little kokeshi doll ornaments, but I wanted to try something different.

Have you seen those adorable amigurumi baked goods? Cute crocheted cakes, cookies and cupcakes. Well, they're cute, but what do you do with them? Hmmm, maybe perfect as an ornament????

I used a free pattern from Red Heart yarn here and embellished them with beads and sequins. Don't they look yummy?

Catnip Fishies

Okay, time for a free pattern!
These are easy and fun to make, and your cat will appreciate them too. They are little fishies filled with catnip, an herb they go nuts over. I like to make them with 2 colors of Lily Sugar and Cream cotton yarn. I crochet both colors at the same time. It's a great way to use up scraps of yarn.

Supplies:
Lily Sugar and Cream cotton yarn in two colors or your choice. Scraps work great!
"J" crochet hook
a little bit of polyfiber stuffing or cotton balls will work
catnip
yarn needle

CATNIP FISH
Crochet 2 strands of yarn at the same time.

Make magic ring*, ch 1
Round 1: 4 sc in magic ring (4 st)
Round 2: (1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next st) 2 times (6 st)
Round 3: (1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next st) 3 times (9 st)
Round 4: sc around (9)
Round 5: sc around (9)
Round 6: (sc2tog, sc 1 into next sc) 3 times (6 sc)
Start forming tail
Round 7: sc 2 around (12 sc)
Round 8: (sc 1 into next sc, then sc 2 into next) 6 times (18 sc)
Join with sl st to next st. Fasten off, leaving long end of yarn.
Stuff lightly with poly fiberfill. Put a pinch of catnip inside the fiberfill.Sew the tail together with end of yarn and yarn needle.

* How to make a magic ring http://www.ehow.com/how_4750999_crochet-adjustable-magic-ring.html
Enjoy!

It's a new litter of kittens!

For those of you who think I'm not really working...think again! I've got a new litter of kitties. As usual with alley cats, you end up with a mixed litter. There are black ones, gray ones, orange ones and even pink ones! They are all different from the tips of their ears to the pads of their paws.

These little kitties are crocheted with acrylic yarn and they stand about 3 1/2 inches tall. They have cute little cat eyes, a yarn nose and yarn whiskers. I've been making these kitties for a few years now and they are from my own pattern. If you would like to make one, check out my pattern shop at
www.mutts.etsy.com.

Now it's time to work on the mutts...

Boshi Boys - 2 Adorable Cats!

Meet Oscar, (in the baseball cap) and Felix, (in the top hat). They are the "Boshi Boys". Boshi means "hat" in Japanese and they are 2 very talented cats that belong to my friend Susan. She asked me to make these amigurumi version of her cats. Unfortunately, Felix passed away recently and to make things worse, someone stole amigurumi Oscar. Is that not just horrible????? So I made her another one, but the one in the photo is the one that was stolen. People can be so disgusting sometimes.

Susan is very talented herself. She has created some really cute cards and stationary featuring her cats who love to dress up and pose for her. Here is her website so you can check out the "real" Felix and Oscar.

http://www.boshiboys.com/about.html

Asagohan Fabric Line

I can't express how much I freaken love this fabric design called "Asagohan" by Hokkoh fabrics. I mean seriously, my heart starts beating faster when I look at it. I am obsessed to the point that I am buying up every scrap of it I can find. I am HOARDING this fabric!

Asagohan means "breakfast" in Japanese, and as you can see, the fabric has a bold, contemporary design of traditional Japanese cuisine elements. There are Japanese veggies and eating and cooking utensils. The colors of black, green and red speak to me. In fact, it is the green that really drew me to this design. I am a green freak. I got my first shipment of 7 yards and the cotton is so, so, so, soft with a hefty weight, and the scent of clean raw cotton. Oh my. I went back online to SuperBuzzy and bought out what was left in stock. The photo is a picture of the second shipment I received today.

What am I going to do with it? Well, it fits my home decor style to a "T" so I intend to make some cute placemats and maybe even frame some of it as wall hangings. But for now, I am just savoring them...

Freaky, I know.