Tag Archives: yarn

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.

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WIP 1 of about 10…

Crochet bag (free) pattern

This is a bag that I’m working on for a friend. I’m loving the way that the colours work together. I was a bit apprehensive at first, because colour-matching is something that I really struggle with. I just seem to miss that gene…

Yarn used: Drops Big Merino in 06, 07, 09, 10, 16, 20

The original pattern can be found on Attic 24, for free!

What do you think of the colours?

Rainbow Cozy

Mug cozy - links to a free pattern

Here’s something I whipped up the other evening on the couch.  I’ve been so in love with this rainbow yarn from Hjertegarn since I stumbled across it in my local yarn store last year.  But it was one of those yarns that looked beautiful as a ball, but terrible when made into anything.  In the end I managed to make a woolly hat for myself, and some gorgeous ombre owls, and finally the yarn has found it’s place in my heart as this beautiful mug cozy.

Beautiful mug cozy - links to a free pattern

The colours work wonderfully together, and it was just the right length that I could miss out the mustard section of the yarn.

If you’d like to make this one for yourself, you can find all the instructions (for free!) here.

Wow! MissNeriss Featured on Hookin On Hump Day

Moogly

Imagine my surprise and delight upon waking this morning to discover that my Beautifully Stashed post from last Wednesday has been featured on Hookin On Hump Day by Moogly and My Merry Messy Life.

featured on hookin on hump day

Be sure to check out the other links:

Thanks so much for sharing the love ladies!

Now to think about what I should submit today….

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Summer beanie

Summer beanie

When my daughter Raina grew out of the first hat I made her it was the middle of summer. Because I was (am?) obsessed with crochet, I had to make her a replacement straight away. But because it was so warm – well, warm by Dutch summer standards – I had to come up with a cool alternative.

So, using cotton yarn, I whipped this together using a pattern I made up as I went along (must start writing these down) and a butterfly I found on Pinterest.  Raina is about six months old in this photo, and it fits her perfectly.

So far it has also been one of the most requested items I make, so I’m busy making more!  Want one for the warmer weather?  Just send me a message or comment below.

Oink Oink

Look at this little guy:

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I’ve made this for a friend who requested a hot pink pig. Lets hope she likes it!

The pattern I used is a (paid) Ravelry download, by a crafter whose blog is hilariously named Fugly Crochet.

Don’t you just love the tail?

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