Reunited and It Feels So Good

Hey, y'all!

This should be my last Christmas post, as far as I know.  I make no guarantees that I won't find something else down the line that was never documented.  :)

You all remember Sam the Dragon and Corny the Unicorn, right?  Well, this Christmas, they were reunited.  They now reside - together - with my lovely four-year-old niece, K.

K, kissing the new addition to her play-time family

The Hubbs, creator of the comic strip, hangin' with the boys.

And that would be me, showing off my handiwork.

Reunited and it feels so good!

Little does she know that she'll be receiving the last two pieces to this plush set during 2013.  I'm working on prototypes for Ms. Flutterby and Zen the goldfish so I can give them to her later this year.

Oh, and in case you've been living under a rock, these are all the characters from The Hubbs' comic strip.  Check it out, won't you?  Giggles are good for the soul.


'Til next time,
OCB

Bulky Fiber Necklace: Teal

I'm a hot-blooded person.  You know, one of those gals you see wearing only a tee shirt in weather that prompts others to don hoodies, hats and gloves?  Don't get me wrong; I love me a good hoodie, but my point is that I don't do well with heavy stuff all up in my grill.  I get hot, I get cranky.  I get cranky, you don't want to deal with me.  Capisce?

With that said, I've come up with a solution for fall and winter accessorizing.  I can't walk around in a full-out scarf all day, but I love the idea of the bright colors and fun drapey quality. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the first in what I'm sure will become a series to include many colors of the Bulky Fiber Necklace:

This necklace has been constructed completely by hand using acrylic yarn.  I can't wait to share the other colors with y'all!

Interested in one of your own?  Let me know...these will be for sale soon.

Short-Sleeved Shruggy Sweater Thing

Mm-hmm.  I'm gettin' all technical on ya with the names, now.  :)

I love cardigans and sweaters of all kinds.  My problem is that I tend to run warm, so here's my solution...at least for the summer months when all I really need is a little something for when the office AC tries to turn me into a girl-sicle.

When I decided what I wanted to do, I visited the ol' Mountain-O-Yarn in the basement and picked out one of my favorite colors of Red Heart Super Saver.  It took about 3 of the 5-oz skeins to complete, and I'm typically a 2X or size 18-20.  In my neck of the woods, that would make the total investment about $9, plus time.
The really cool part?  I already had this yarn from a trade or previous craft store raid, so it was essentially free.  Bonus!

It's really comfy, too.  I think I'm going to end up making another one or two in different colors.

If you want one, you know where to find me.  ;)

Sam the Dragon Amigurumi Prototype

In case you haven't heard, The Hubbs is an aspiring comic strip artist - has been since he was a kid - and he's amazing (and I'm not biased at all).

My very favorite of all of the characters he's created is Sam the Dragon.  Sam was born in 1984 as a way to entertain The Hubbs' little sister, Jello, and he's been drifting in and out of The Hubbs' life ever since.  We are now working as a team to put Sam out there for the whole world to see, and I'm working on a new blog featuring Sam a few times a week.

Naturally, with Sam on the brain, he's managed to seep into my crochet as well.  Here are some (okay, way too many, but I can never choose) pics of the prototype.

I'm ridiculously proud of his fingers, toes and elbows.  They all turned out better than I had hoped, and all on the first try!

Some slight modifications are needed before I'm totally happy with the final product, but this little guy should do nicely as a fourth birthday present for Jello's little girl, K-Bear.  K recently found a book of Sam strips that The Hubbs published about five years ago, and she's been running around the house pretending to be Sam ever since.  Thanks to the wonders of the All-Knowing Internet, this post should be appearing on my blog as we are still at her party.  Here's hoping Sam and K-Bear will be very happy together. 

And if he ever gets lonely, he can always hang with the Totoro I made for her birthday last year.  :)

Olivia's Baby Gifts

One of my good pals at work is about to become a grandmother.  She recently commissioned my services to make an oversized baby blanket, and the shower was this past weekend. 

When I realized the amount of yarn I had left over after the blanket was done, I decided to contribute a couple of gifts of my own as well.

The blanket measures 48" by 48" and the dress is sized or a newborn baby girl.

Here's a close-up of the stitch pattern on the blankie and the dress.

I love working with this stitch, and I think I'll be making something for myself using it soon.  The fabric is so soft and cozy.

Olivia's one-of-a-kind dress.

The granny-to-be saw the dress and blankie, and apologetically asked if I might be able to make a headband to go with it.  Giggling, I told her that I had already started the process...it just wasn't done yet. 

I'm hoping to see a picture or two of the little one with her new loot when she sees fit to join us.  With her family's permission, of course, I'll try to post at least one here for all to see.

Ooh-Ooh the Monkey

My brother's step-grandson turned one recently.  I wasn't sure what little A would like, so I went to Hambone for ideas.  He said they call him "Monkey."

This seemed as good a time as any to see about modifying that kitty I've been making into a different animal. 

Here's Ooh-Ooh's  sweet little face.

Ooh-Ooh side view



Ooh-Ooh's caboose  :)



I'm pretty happy with how little Ooh-Ooh turned out.  I have a few other animals I'd like to try making in this simplistic style, and I'll post each of them as they're completed.

And if, by chance, you're in love with Ooh-Ooh here, I can make one especially for you.  Just let me know.  ;)

Variation on the "Little Angel"

When coming up with the pattern for my Little Angel dress, I wondered what it would look like as a top for an older child.

Not a bad idea, if I do say so myself.  The Princess loves this top with all its textures and holes that are the perfect size for poking with her grubby little grabbers.

Custom Kitties on Etsy!

Hey, y'all!

I've had tons of people asking about the kitties I made for my pal in OR, so I thought it'd be a good idea to put up a custom order listing in my Etsy shop.

Check it out and let me know what you think. And, ya know, if you wanted to order one, I s'pose that'd be okay, too.


Happy Friday!
~One Crafty Broad

The Whole Kitten Caboodle

Editor's Note: This post was originally entitled "The Whole Kitty Brood."  My mother-in-law pointed out the fact that I missed out on an amazing pun opportunity, so the title has since been changed.  :)

If you can't tell by now, I'm kind of proud of these little guys.  Here's a family picture, taken just before they left on their long journey home.

Good luck, guys.  I'll miss you!

Amigurumi Kitty Friend: Beige

Here's the third and final kitty in the brood that will be traveling across the country to live with their real life counterparts.  He's based on K's beige kitty, and I think I love him.  Just a little.  No, really.  I'll be okay when he moves on.  There comes a time in every momma's life when her kids grow up.  It helps that I know he's going to a good home.  :)

Like his brothers, this little guy stands about 6" to the crown of his head and is hand-crocheted using acrylic yarn.  His mouth is hand-embroidered using floss, and he has safety eyes and nose.

My kitties can be custom-ordered in any color combo.  Let me know if you're interested!

Amigurumi Kitty Friend: Calico

Here's the second kitty in the brood I'm trading on Etsy.  He's based on K's calico real-life cat.

Like his brother, this little guy stands about 6" to the crown of his head and is hand-crocheted using acrylic yarn.  His mouth is hand-embroidered using floss, and he has safety eyes and nose.

My kitties can be custom-ordered in any color combo.  Let me know if you're interested!

Amigurumi Kitty Friend: Orange

A friend recently asked me if I'd ever made an ami kitty.  I hadn't, but I was willing to give it a shot!  Here's my first attempt, very cleverly named Orange Kitty:

Not bad, for a first attempt, if I do say so myself.  This little guy stands about 6" to the crown of his head and is hand-crocheted using acrylic yarn.  His nose and mouth are hand-embroidered using floss, and he has safety eyes.

The really cool part is that this friend has an item I'm in love with on Etsy, so I'm trading her three kitties for some of her beautiful work.  All of the kitties I'm sending to her are based on her real-life cats.

This guy can be custom-ordered in any color combo.  Future versions will also feature safety noses, because - frankly - they're cute and I don't particularly enjoy embroidering noses.  The design will likely evolve a bit as I get more used to working with it, but the general idea will be based on this little cutie pie.

Fatty Handbag: Cottage

It's been a while since I posted a new Fatty bag.  I know y'all are probably sick of lookin' at my purses, but that's the beauty of being the administrator of the blog...I get to pick what you see and when you see it! ;)

This is one of my favorite color combos thus far:

  

The entire bag has been lovingly constructed by hand using 100% cotton yarn with bamboo handles.  The finished product measures approximately 7" high (not including handles) by 11" wide by 6" deep.

Buy it on Etsy!

Amigurumi: Momma Squirrel

This momma squirrel is sweet, cuddly, and just a bit mischievious. She likes to explore the house when no one's looking, and her very favorite thing to do is torment dogs.

I made her completely by hand using acrylic yarn, embroidery floss, safety eyes, and polyester fiber filling. She stands about 6.5" tall to the top of her head, and 8" or so if you count her poofy tail. Her pretty little face measures almost 4" wide at the cheeks.

Adopt her on Etsy!