Go beyond the granny square

My current Internet pastime is the Facebook game, Farm Town.  Every day as I look at my Farm Town avatar, I think to myself, “I could crochet that.”

Well, finally this week I gave it a try. I might do a second one since I learned a few things from the first.

She’s cute and has inspired me to do more amigurumi. They are fun and easy. Plus it’s easy to work on while watching TV unlike some crochet that I wind up frogging two or three times during prime time.

Now here is a cute pattern for a toy moose. He would be a fun toy to give as a Christmas gift. Even though it’s July, for crafters it’s never too early to start planning for the holidays.

This little fella would be a nice decoration for Christmas or a gift. The directions are very clear and plenty of pictures on assembly him, which is always helpful since sometimes a work in progress looks nothing like the finished product.

Ever since my little girl saw the McDonald’s Happy meal teenie Beanie Baby hamster Fluffball in the display at the restaurant, she has wanted one. Alas, we have yet to acquire one of these. The Beanie Babies are McDonald’s current Happy Meal toy - celebrating 30 years of the Happy Meal. So there are 30 Beanie Babies in the set. I have some family on the lookout for the hamster so hopefully we can snag at least one.

Last night I decided to whip up a small hamster amigurumi. I didn’t have a pattern and just fumbled my way through it. Think I only frogged some stitches twice. I couldn’t find the solid black safety eyes so I had to use the ones with the clear back.

The little one really like it, and it gave me a chance to try doing a tighter single crochet especially when decreasing stitches.

Now here is a pattern that I’ve been wanting to try and hopefully will get to it soon. These Kokeshi dolls and are a really cute amigurumi pattern.

This weekend I worked on a zombie amigurumi. Not quite finished with him yet but he’s really looking good. I’m learning that with dolls you really want a tight crochet. The stitches look better than my previous ones. So I’m really excited about creating more amigurumi now that I’ve developed a better technique.

Food amigurumi is so much fun. Forget that plastic stuff when you’re looking for a centerpiece. Find some free patterns of food to really make your bowl of fruit stand out.

Here is a cute free pattern for strawberries. I personally am not a big fan of the fruit. Too many seeds. But these strawberries look good enough to eat even to those who may not enjoy the real thing.

Today we are probably going to see the new Harry Potter movie. I’m still behind on reading to books as I’m up to Order of the Phoenix. Part of me would really like to read at least a few pages of this one before watching the movie while the other part just wants to see Harry Potter.

Here is an easy Harry Potter bookmark to whip up in no time. It would make a cute quick gift for any Harry Potter fan. Just choose their favorite house’s colors and you are sure to give something they will really enjoy.

One of my favorite crochet crafts is amigurumi - especially animals. Here is one that is really cute and is something I don’t believe I have ever seen before.

It’s a fox and it’s just too cute. I may have to try this one as I’m sure the little girl would love a fox to add to her massive stuffed animal collection.

It is July and so I have already begun to think about Christmas gifts. I hope to make all gifts this year. Here is one I’m making for my great nephew.

It’s counting fish from Coats and Clark. I had actually picked up the free pattern flyer at the store, but it’s also available online. It uses cotton yarn which is a good choice since I’m sure he will try to chew on the fish.

You can call me a scrapbook novice. It’s a craft I enjoy doing but just on occasion - usually when it involves other scrappers. It’s fun to visit and to get something done that you enjoy. While gathering my supplies for the pages I wanted to create, I thought about a crochet project that didn’t turn out quite like I had planned.

My first attempt to make a teapot bookmark resembled a watering can more than a teapot. While it didn’t work out well for a teapot, it would make a great addition to my scrap page about gardening.

So from now on, those small crochet projects that don’t turn out just right may have a new found purpose on a scrapbook page.

One of my favorite craft projects is purses. I have several patterns that are just waiting for me to get started on. Here is one I’m adding to the pile. It uses old t-shirts to make a cute Possibly-related Articles:                                        (auto-generated)

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