PlanetJune

It seems to be a commonly held belief that it’s difficult/impossible to crochet with fuzzy/eyelash/fun fur yarn. As you may have noticed, I’ve been working with fuzzy yarns a lot recently, so I thought I should share some advice on how to crochet fuzzy amigurumi toys.

I’ve created a main page - Fuzzy Yarn Tips - which is linked in the sidebar on the right. I have 2 pages of info in there right now - General Tips, and Starting Amigurumi with Eyelash Yarn. I’m hoping to add more pages as I have time and think of more tips!

Please let me know if you find this useful, or if you have any questions or suggestions for tutorials

The Mini Fuzzies Woodland Creatures pattern is now available! You can order it directly from PlanetJune.com and the pdf will be e-mailed to you.

This pattern includes full instructions to make a mini Fuzzy Squirrel, Hedgehog and Mole. Mini fuzzies work up quickly and are fun to make - this pattern would make an excellent introduction to amigurumi and to working with fuzzy yarn.

I saw this post on Craftzine yesterday about the new Japanese fashion of wearing colourful haramaki aka ‘belly warmers’. I think this is the best idea I’ve seen in a long time! Ever since the advent of low-rise jeans, women have been stuck with a little cold gap between the bottom of our shirts and the top of our jeans. This is a cool way to cover that gap, and why import one from Japan when we can all make our own?

I whipped this one up this morning as a prototype, so I left it plain, but just imagine how amazing it could look if you freezer paper stencilled a funky design on the fabric before sewing it…

When it was finished, I tried it on and was surprised by how warm I felt - it really does work, even when it’s just made from 2 layers of t-shirt fabric.

To make your own haramaki:

You can use any fabric with some stretch, so you can pull your haramaki on and off. I used a knit jersey (i.e. t-shirt fabric).

You will also need a sewing machine with a stretch stitch (pictured below).

1. Work out the dimensions you need. The height is up to you - I decided to go for an 8″ tall haramaki but you could make it longer if you want. The length of the haramaki depends on the size of your tummy..! Of course it would be easier to estimate for a skinny straight up-and-down Japanese model than for a regular curvy lady. I decided to make mine 30″ around (without giving too much away, that’s halfway between the measurements for my waist and my hips). If you want to wear it high up, make it a bit shorter than your halfway measurement, and if you want it to cover your hips, you may need to make it a little longer, depending on how stretchy your fabric is.

   To get the fabric dimensions, the length is 1″ over the length you decided (mine is 30″ + 1″ = 31″) and the width is double the height plus 1″ (mine is 2×8″ + 1″ = 17″). Cut your fabric to these dimensions and lay out as shown (right side up):
   

2. Fold your fabric in half so the top meets the bottom, as shown below:
   
3. Pin the 2 long sides together, all the way along. It’s better to space the pins more closely than you normally would, as the stretch fabric can get out of alignment more easily than a regular fabric:
   
4. Sew along the line you’ve pinned. You have 1/2″ seam allowance, but that 1/2″ includes the full width of the zig-zag stitch, so you may need to practice on scrap fabric first to see which guide line to follow on your sewing machine. Trim the extra seam allowance after sewing:
   
5. You have just made a long tube. Stick your arm through the tube and grab onto the far edge of the tube:
   
6. Pull your arm back out of the tube, bringing that far edge of the tube back through the middle of the tube. Stop when the raw edges meet up, and align the edges:
   
7. Pin the inner and outer layers together, all around the raw edge:
   
8. To clarify, you should now have a tube that is half as long as before, made from 2 thicknesses of fabric. The pins should not close off the end of the tube:
   
9. Sew around the pinned edge (again, 1/2″ seam allowance), leaving a gap of about 3″. Turn the harimaki right side out through this gap:
   
10. Fold the edges of the gap under, and hand-sew the opening shut. That’s it! All finished!
    

I’ve been wearing mine all day and it’s warm and comfy and like having a hug all day long
Please leave me a comment if you like this idea or if you make one!

Look what I got in the mail today! A lovely package of kimono fabric scraps from Eloise in Japan, so I can finally make some of the lovely projects from my chirimen Japanese craft book.

There are 23 pieces in all, in a huge variety of colours, textures and prints. They are all so lovely! Some of the pieces are tiny, so I’m going to have to plan carefully to make the best use out of them. What fun! This will take my mind off my poor hurting wrist.

Eloise… thank you, thank you, thank you!

The Fuzzy Penguin pattern is now available! You can order it directly from PlanetJune.com and the pdf will be e-mailed to you.

Look out for the Mini Fuzzies Woodland Creatures pattern in the next few days too.

I thought it might be a nice idea to make some themed series of smaller toys, so here’s my first set, Woodland Creatures (click pic for larger version):

Squirrel, Mole and Hedgehog crocheted Mini Fuzzies.

The mole is a different kind of fuzzy… I used chenille yarn so he feels very velvety and mole-ish.

One of the most popular suggestions in my contest (with 12 votes!) was for a penguin pattern, so… Look who I just finished making:

The Fuzzy Penguin pattern will be available some time this week!

A huge thanks to everyone who entered my contest over the past two weeks! I have so many fantastic ideas now, it’s hard to know where to start… I have 2 new patterns in the works already, and plenty more ideas percolating. I’d love to make all the suggestions, but that may be a little ambitious!

The winner of a free pattern (randomly chosen using a clever Excel formula) is… thegothicl! Congratulations - I’ve sent you an e-mail with details so you can choose your prize.

And as a runner-up prize for all the other entrants, here’s a sneak peek at one of the new patterns I’m developing:

Thanks again to everyone who entered, and don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list if you’d like to be notified whenever a new Craftybits @ PlanetJune.com pattern is released

I try to stay away from much personal stuff on this blog, but I’ve been tagged by Kari for the ”6 weird things” meme, so here’s a little dose of my weirdness.

RULES: People who get tagged need to write a blog post of 6 weird things about them as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.

1. When I was in primary school, we always used to try to peel our satsumas/tangerines/small-orange-type-things so the peel would come off in one piece, for good luck. There was even more luck to be acquired if the fruit had 10 segments. I still try to peel them in one piece and *always* count the segments. Hey, a little extra luck can’t hurt, can it?
    
2. I am left-handed, but use my computer mouse right-handed. It wasn’t until I got carpal tunnel in my right wrist that I learned to mouse left-handed. So now I am just about mouse-ambidextrous (although I still prefer to use my right hand when my wrist is up to it). Luckily, I crochet left-handed…
    
3. When I exercise, my pulse goes very high. VERY high. Around 200 bpm. I’ve had tests for it but they haven’t been able to find anything wrong with me.
    
4. I like to eat frozen vegetables… while they are still frozen. Peas, green beans, or sweetcorn; my sister and I have always eaten them that way. Put them in a bowl and eat them as a snack - it’s also healthier than a bowl of peanuts. Sometimes my teeth are too sensitive to eat a whole bowlful these days, but I still always grab an extra handful to eat while I’m cooking the rest.
    
5. I am insanely competitive and can’t stand to lose. But I also feel terrible whenever I win - I know how badly I feel when I lose, and I don’t want to make anyone else feel that way. So I try to stay away from competitive games and situations because I always feel bad, whatever the outcome.
    
6. I love playing adventure games on the PC and all sorts of games on Nintendo Game Boy. I have owned a Game Boy since the original black and white version, and I’ve upgraded to almost every iteration since then: Pocket, Color, Advance, and now Micro.  When I bought my original one I couldn’t afford any extra games, so I am a Tetris master and can probably still run through Super Mario Land with my eyes closed.

And that’s my six! It was disturbingly easy to get there… 

Tagging time: I nominate Mia, Rina, Mindy, Claire, and I have 2 more spots up for grabs - let me know if you want to be tagged for this one too!

Whilst venturing deep into the heart of the jungles of Ontario, I managed to photograph these two monkeys in their natural habitat (click for full-size images):

…Okay, so what gave it away? The ’natural’ floor lamp the monkeys are clinging to?  

I decided to try making something a bit different for a change. Don’t worry, the cute fuzzy patterns will still keep coming; I just wanted to see if I could make a more realistic animal (as more of an ‘art’ thing).

I made these from Patons Carmen (possibly the softest yarn in the world!) with Bernat Satin for the faces and feet. I wired all the limbs and the tail so the monkeys are poseable, and daddy monkey can carry his baby on his back, just like in the real world.

I know these won’t have the same universal appeal as the Fuzzies, but what do you think of them? Please let me know in the comments or by e-mail…

And, on another note, thanks to everyone who has entered my contest so far! You’ve given me some great ideas for my next patterns. Current favourites seem to be cat, dog, monkey, skunk and penguin. There’s still time to enter, if you haven’t got around to it yet - the contest is open for another week, and remember, there’s a free pattern of your choice up for grabs for the winner!