Tag Archives: drops

Minion 2.0

My love for minions never ends.  A couple of weeks ago I shared with you a new minion in progress here, and now he’s finished and has relocated to his new Gru!

Minion Madness, found on missneriss.com

I’m so happy with the way he turned out, I think he’s even better than the first one I made.  The next phase is to write a pattern for him so I can share the minion goodness with everyone!

Hello Minion! Found on missneriss.com

 

He’s much bigger than other minions I’ve made, and quite a bit fatter.  He’s the perfect size for a toddler to play with, and sturdy enough that he doesn’t have to sit on a shelf out of reach.  He’s a real toy.

I used Drops Paris in yellow and denim and some scrap in white, grey and black for the detailing.  I used felt for the mouth and a 10mm safety eye.

 

You can also see more pics, and follow me, on Instagram:

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St Patrick’s Day Baby Leprechaun Hat Pattern now Available

It has taken months and months and MONTHS to get there, but I finally have my St Patrick’s Day Leprechaun hat pattern ready to go.

Well, I have it in the newborn size for now.  I’m still working on the toddler size and will post the adult size as soon as I can.

The pattern is available in all of my stores, Etsy, Craftsy, and of course, Ravelry!

Here’s how it looks:

Baby Leprechaun - St Patrick's Day, pattern now available!

To celebrate, I’m giving away two copies of the pattern for free!  All you have to do to win is comment on this original post (on missneriss.com), and I will draw a random winner on Wednesday 12 March!  I will announce the lucky winners here and they will also be contacted by email.

Good luck, and thanks so much for your ongoing support!

Updated 13 March 2014

And the winners are:

Suzy and Patricia!  Congratulations, the pattern is on its way to you!

Crochet Mood Blanket February Progress Report

For the entire month of February it was zero.  That’s right, zilch.  Niets.  Nada.

I don’t know what happened, truly.  On January 31 I was busy and happy and enjoying making my mood blanket, then on February 1 it was like the lights went out.  I put the progress in the cupboard and was busy with other things that interested me more.

But, the guilt became too much.  Be damned if I’m going to give up on this project!  It may not have a years worth of squares at the end, or it may become a cushion (god I hope not), but it will become something!

I spent the last few evenings on the couch trying to catch up as best as I could, so as of today (March 4), I’m only about 12 days behind.  I’ve completely given up on the mood concept, and am just adding random colours and letting it grow.

Here it is:

I still love the colours, and I love the feel of the blanket and it makes me very happy, I just need to be more motivated to finish the bloody thing!

How’s your progress?

Just for your info, I bought the pattern for the blanket from babylovebrand.net and the yarn is Cotton Light by Drops.

#crochetmoodblanket2014 update on missneriss.com

 

Meet Kevin the Minion

Here he is, finished!

Kevin the Minion - as seen on missneriss.com

(click the image to pin it)

I loved making him, and it was a great experiment without a pattern.  Obviously with my critical eye there are loads of changes that I would make, so am considering making even more, and writing the pattern down.  Plus I’d love to make the possessed minion too…

What do you think?  Worth the investment in time?

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WIP Wednesday

It’s taken ages, but finally I get to make Kevin the minion! I’m loving this little guy, and can’t wait to see how he ends up when he’s all done.

I initially went searching for a pattern, but the only one that I loved was All About Ami’s but it was much too big, so I decided to make my own.

He’s working up quickly too, which is what I love about amigurumi projects – instant gratification!

How much do you love minions?  Probably not as much as I do….

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Happy New Year, Crochet a Mood Blanket!

Beste Wensen!

That’s me wishing you best wishes for the new year.  Usually I would be expected to do a lap of the office kissing my colleagues giving them my best wishes, but as I now work from home, consider this my virtual smooch.

2014 is already off to a great start.  I look out the window and it is glorious.  The sun is shining and the temperatures haven’t properly dropped yet, so I’ve never been in such a good mood for the middle of winter, ever!

I’m not usually one for resolutions, as I never keep them, but I decided to have a crack at a few this year.  But instead of starting them on the first of January, I kicked off early.  I started running before Christmas.  Actually, I’ve been going to the gym with a group twice a week and we were on holidays over the Christmas period, so I had to do something to keep active.  Not ever being a runner, I surprised myself by getting out there and doing it.  My husband has been coming with me and although he’s a natural athlete and is nearly walking beside me, he’s amazing.

I’ve also decided to look for more things to be grateful in my life.  I’m a pessimist by nature, so it’s easy for me to find negatives everywhere, especially during the colder months, but that’s not the person I want to be any more so I’m making a change!  Each day I’m going to share something with the world (via FB, Twitter or Instagram) that I’m grateful for.  Perhaps I’ll do a weekly round up here, but we’ll have to see how my motivation and time goes!

In the Crochet world, it’s as busy as ever!  I have orders in the queue for Owl hats, a lion doggie sweater, a pippi longstocking doll, plus slippers that I’ve designed:

I used Sheepjeswol Roma big, and they’re lovely and snuggly. Not only that, because they’re so chunky, the stitches act like a masseur. So massaged, warm feet. What more could a girl ask for?!

Aside from the orders, I’ve picked up a project for myself this year, it’s the #crochetmoodblanket2014 crochet along that I discovered on New Year’s Eve on Instagram. There are more than 1000 people taking part, it’s amazing. I’ve been looking for a community to join that is filled with like-minded souls, and I’ve found it!

This is my mood palette:

And here is my progress for the first couple of days:

And day two:

I’m making a hexagon blanket inspired by my grandmother who makes the most beautiful hexagon quilts. Here’s one she made for my daughter, it’s one of her favourite things:

I found the pattern via Baby Love Brand, it’s a paid pattern, but well worth the (very small) investment. I’m using Drops Cotton Light to make it, and the colours are a mix of my favourites.

What’s inspiring you on these first few days of 2014? If you’re looking for a wonderful project, the crochet a mood blanket group is open to all comers, experts and newbies alike!
 

 

A dog and a monkey walked into a bar…

Well, they didn’t.  But could you imagine where that might lead..?

These are two little guys that I finished last night and are ready to head off to their new homes today.

Johnny the Monkey from #Zoomigurumi on missneriss.com

 

This is Johhny the Monkey from the Zoomigurumi book, produced by amigurumipatterns.net.  It, and it’s sequel Zoomigurumi 2 are my absolute favourite pattern books.  I love the photographs and I LOVE the patterns inside.  All my favourite designers are in there!

And this one I found on Craftsy (or it could have been Ravelry or Etsy, it’s for sale there too) – Pudge the Pup.  Isn’t he just adorable?  My daughter is in love with him.  So much so that there will be arguments soon when it’s time for me to send him off to his new home.

Pudge the Pup - pattern on Craftsy.  Seen on missneriss.com #amigurumi #crochet

 

Both animals were made with wool this time.  Usually I use cotton yarn, but I wanted them to be extra snuggly and fuzzy and they look great.

Johnny the Monkey was made with Drops Merino Extra fine, and Pudge the Pup with Drops Big Merino.

Anyone say headless chicken?

That’s how busy I am.  I’m running around like a headless chicken and only seem to bumping into stuff and making a mess everywhere.

Work has had me run ragged; changing jobs has been a wonderful step forward for me although a couple of weeks ago some of my most trusted and beloved colleagues were made redundant as a by-product of the business’ strategy shake up.  It was devastating to have them sitting across from me one minute and gone the next.  I’m still quite shaken about it all, I can only imagine how they feel about it.

Christmas orders have also been keeping me out of trouble – I’ve been working on some lovely amigurumi projects which I’ll link upon finishing and a load of hats and even a doggie hoodie!  Here’s a peek:

Santa Bust on missneriss.com.  Links to a free pattern by Dendennis!

In time for Christmas, I found this super adorable Santa bust on the Dendennis Facebook page.  Dendennis is a local Amsterdam amigurumist (with his first book coming out next year) and he posted an entire set of winter themed patterns, all for free!

If you haven’t heard of Movember before, it’s an awesome cause I get behind in one form or another every year.  Last year I convinced my dad to shave off his moustache for the first time in years to raise money, and he managed to raise more than $1000 AUD.  Amazing, hey!  This year my husband jumped on the wagon and part of his campaign was to take photos of himself in any pose requested.  He topped it off with an incredible homage to Freddie Mercury: I want to break free #Movember

He’s managed to get himself into the top 100 nationally (Netherlands) and donations are still open for a few more days, so go on.  There’s perhaps no better cause than Men’s Health.

Here’s my mo.

My ode to Movember, free pattern!

Ages ago on the Winkieflash blog I saw a post about an amazing skein of yarn from Knit Collage.  I really wanted to buy it, but at 30 plus euros I couldn’t justify it.  Until I visited KreaDoe in Utrecht and nearly went bananas with all the pushing and shoving and the inability to do or see anything that I really wanted to do.  So I bought myself a skein of Gypsy Garden as a reward, and this hat is the result.  It’s deliciously warm, I’m wearing it every day.  The photo unfortunately doesn’t do it justice, it’s much nicer in person!

Knit Collage BeanieHere’s something I’m extraordinarily proud of; Lucie Bunny.  She began as a pattern from Sidrun that I posted earlier, but over time she has become less someone else’s pattern and much more my own design.  It’s such a shame that I’ll never be able to list her as a pattern for someone else, but that just wouldn’t be fair on the original, original designer.

Lucie BunnyLucie Bunny

I just love her, especially in the muted colours that I’ve made her in.  Such a contrast to many of the amigurumi animals and dolls I see every day.

And finally, an owl hat.  I love making these.  I’ve made quite a few now (but not photographed them before sending them out the door).  This is one that I managed to make too small and still have at home, hence the photograph!  It’s a free pattern that is probably one of the most widely used owl patterns, from Repeat Crafter Me.  She has loads and loads of seriously cute hat patterns, enough to keep anybody busy for months.  And just about everything is free!

Owl hat, made with a FREE pattern from Repeat Crafter Me

I could go on and on with the projects I’ve been busy with, but honestly, it’s just cutting into precious crochet time!  Must get back to it.

My first paid pattern listing!

Several months ago I took my first steps into listing patterns that I have designed on Craftsy and Ravelry, starting with my baby Yoda hat, and they’ve been really successful, into the hundreds of downloads, so I decided that the time has come to see how a paid pattern download will go.

And here it is. My first paid pattern, the Merry Mini Christmas Hat! Right now you can find it on Craftsy and Ravelry. Now, on to world domination!

On Craftsy:

On Ravelry:

Merry Mini Christmas Santa Hat pattern

And just for fun, I’ve linked this one up with Moogly and My Merry Messy Life and Hookin’ on Hump Day

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Angry Birds

Angry Birds

There are two types of people in this world, those who love Angry Birds and those who have never played Angry Birds.

My husband is still obsessed, even after playing the game for a couple of years on his phone. Has to get three stars on all levels. Thinks nothing of working on one level for days (weeks?). I on the other hand just want to get through all the levels as fast as possible and don’t care about my rank.

When a request came in to make this Angry Birds hat for a little boy, I have to be honest and say that I had reservations. I was sure that the end result would be nothing like the actual Angry Birds themselves.

How wrong could I have been?! Even when I was putting the eyes together, you could see that they could only belong to the red Angry Bird and then when it was all finished I couldn’t stop smiling because it looks so fantastic!

I pulled the pattern from Crochet Geek, who is one of the single best crochet resources on the Internet. Clear tutorials, plus videos for both right and left handers; just fantastic.

I used Drops Big Merino for the hat, which is lovely and soft and super stretchy, so will last for ages even on the fastest growing kids. For the face I used Drops Cotton Light.

What do you think? Cool, right?

Click the photo to be redirected to the tutorial.