I spent weeks (during my break from designing in December) researching all the different types of succulents to try to find a selection that would look interesting and varied, are fairly common, and would work when translated into crochet. I narrowed it down to 10, to give me a little wiggle room if a couple of them didn’t work out the way I was hoping. And here are the final 8:

Succulent Collection 1, L-R: Spoon Jade ‘ET Fingers’; Sempervivum ‘Hen & Chicks’; Euphorbia Obesa ‘Baseball Plant’; Adromischus Cooperi ‘Plover Eggs Plant’

Succulent Collection 2, L-R: Gasteria ‘Ox Tongue Plant’; Senecio Rowleyanus ‘String of Pearls’; Lithops ‘Living Stones’; Kalanchoe Luciae ‘Flapjack Plant’

While I didn’t know this at the time I began my succulent project, I learned through my research that while cacti are a type of succulent, cacti come from the Americas, but other succulents come from Africa. And, beyond that, it turns out that 7 of the 8 species I ended up making are actually native to South Africa – such a coincidence! I had no idea, although I do see succulents all over the place here; it makes sense to have water-retaining plants in a predominantly hot dry environment.

I’ve come up with all kinds of new crochet tricks and techniques for these patterns, and, as always, they are explained in fully illustrated detail in the patterns, so you can feel confident about tackling these even if you’ve only made very simple amigurumi before. As with the cacti, each Succulent Collection is available separately for $8, or you can get the second collection for almost half price when you buy both together for the ridiculously low price of $12.50.

Click through to see the super-sized version at Flickr
Back L-R: Cactus Collection 2, Cactus Collection 1
Front L-R: Succulent Collection 1, Succulent Collection 2

Just to make things even more exciting, as you can see from the picture above, I’ve made the Succulents on the same scale as my Cactus Collections 1 & 2, so now you can mix-and-match between all 4 plant collections to make a completely customized cactus/succulent garden, or a cute selection of mini pots with individual plants! (Or even a mini jungle like mine!)

Handy links to the patterns:
Succulent Collections 1 & 2
Succulent Collection 1
Succulent Collection 2
Cactus Collections 1 & 2
Cactus Collection 1
Cactus Collection 2

And, in a case of excellent timing, the PlanetJune February CAL will be a Plant-Along, so please join us at the PlanetJune Ravelry group if you’d like to participate in the crochet-along and make succulents and cacti (and any of my other plant patterns) with the rest of the group! The CAL officially starts on Feb 1st, but if you want to pick up the patterns now and get a head start, I won’t tell

I’ve spent a huge amount of time making these succulent patterns into something special, so I really hope you’ll enjoy them! Please let me know what you think of them…

I decided to rise to the challenge and develop a circular box, worked in one piece in the round, that still looks square. I actually thought I’d already come up with the perfect technique, but, after testing it, I wasn’t happy with the result, so I went back to the drawing board. I created at least 10 cornering techniques and compared samples of each to find the ultimate corner, but I think it was worth the effort, because these boxes undeniably have real square corners:

I chose rich peacock hues for my boxes, with a lighter shade of each colour for the trim, but of course you can change the look by using traditional Christmas colours, or any other colours you like.

Each box has a removable lid, and they are sized so that, with the lids on, the three can nest neatly inside each other. The smallest is 2.5″ (6cm) wide and the largest is 4.5″ (11cm) wide.

You can also use them, with or without lids, as pretty little desk or bathroom organisers, or to display trinkets…

3 of the small boxes without lids

If you’d like to try out my special no-sew, worked-in-a-spiral, square corner technique, the Gift Boxes pattern includes full written instructions, and a bonus 3 page step-by-step photo tutorial at the end of the pattern. I laid it out like this so you’ll have plenty of photos to make sure you’ll definitely be able to understand how to make the corners, but you can save on ink by not printing the last 3 pages!

The Gift Boxes crochet pattern is now available in my shop, or you can bundle it with any other 2 PlanetJune Accessories patterns by picking up a custom set of any 3 Accessories patterns.

Note ready to make it yet? Add it to your Ravelry queue!

I hope you like them!

Before I get into the roundup though, I’d like to ask a quick favour: I’ve been shortlisted for Inside Crochet magazine’s 2011 Blog awards and, if you enjoy my blog, I’d really appreciate your vote. It just takes a click to vote; no signup necessary. Vote here – thank you!

PlanetJune Christmas Crochet Patterns

My 2011 holiday pattern isn’t quite finished yet (thanks to a gardening accident to my finger which forced me to reschedule my tutorial photography session for the pattern), but I hope to publish it before the end of November, so you’ll still have plenty of time to make it before Christmas!

In the meantime, here are my other Christmas patterns from my regular ranges:

Top row: Christmas Trees, Christmas Baubles
Middle row: Poinsettia (donationware), PocketAmi Christmas
Bottom row: Christmas Pudding (donationware), Candy Cane (donationware)

And from PlanetJune Accessories:

Reindeer Antlers, Lip Balm Holder (donationware – and a perfect stocking stuffer!)

By the way, there’ll be another Christmas CAL for all my holiday patterns in the PlanetJune Ravelry group from December 1st, and I think I’ll throw in some prizes like last year. You’ll find crochet-along details on Ravelry from Dec 1st, and I’ll post with a link here too once it’s all set up

PlanetJune Christmas Craft Tutorials

Top: Punchneedle Embroidered Poinsettia, Polymer Clay Poinsettia
Bottom: Felt Poinsettia, Pom-Pom Christmas Tree

I think that’s it! I hope you’ll find a project (or a few) that you’d like to try for your Christmas crafting this year. And please, don’t forget to vote for me

You’ve probably seen simple lip balm holder patterns before, but not like this one! Why?

• It’s worked in a fine yarn/thread with a small hook, so it looks subtle and elegant, not bulky and only appropriate for kids (although it’s great for kids too!)
• Don’t be put off by the tiny size: this pattern is designed to be easy on the hands! Only the base is worked in single crochet; the sides are worked into chain-spaces, so it’s much easier to insert your hook to begin each stitch.
• The sturdy hanging loop will keep your holder safe*.

*In case you’re wondering about that ‘sturdy hanging loop’ part, I know what I’m talking about! I first made myself lip balm holders from crochet thread in 2006. They lasted well, but I’d attached each to a metal ring by crocheting the ring to the top of the holder:

After prolonged use, the strands of thread attached to the ring frayed through, as you can see, so I determined to give my new design a sturdy loop so the thread isn’t stressed at any one point.

I tested this pattern using 4 different thicknesses of thread and yarn, so you can see how versatile it is. L-R: size 5 crochet thread, size 8 pearl cotton, size 10 crochet thread, fingering weight yarn (Bernat Baby).

It works up very quickly, and if you add a yummy flavoured lip balm inside, it’ll make a perfect stocking stuffer gift!

This is a donationware pattern, and I’ve changed things slightly this time by adding some additional info that you’ll only find in the PDF version (which you’ll receive as a thank you for your donation):

• A modification to make the holder slightly wider (in case you crochet tightly or have a non-standard-width lip balm tube)
• A simpler edging (in case you don’t get along with reverse single crochet)
• Tips for attaching the various types of hardware that you see in my photos

But, as always, the pattern is free for your use and donations are entirely optional

Enjoy!

Go to Lip Balm Holder pattern >>

Send me a donation and receive the easy-to-print PDF version of the instructions and stitch pattern (with bonus assembly photos and instructions on how to wear it) as a thank you!

Donations of any size are much appreciated. Just add the amount you wish to donate, and, once you have checked out and paid, your pattern will instantly be available to download from your PlanetJune account.

The complete pattern and instructions are available below, regardless of whether or not you choose to pay for them

This is a PlanetJune original crochet pattern. Feel free to use items made from this pattern however you wish, but I’d appreciate credit as the pattern designer. Please do not reproduce the pattern anywhere else; instead post a link to http://www.planetjune.com/scarfsweater

Not ready to make it yet? Add it to your Ravelry queue:

***

Wow, I really didn’t expect such a great response to my Scarf Sweater – I linked it up on Ravelry and over 60 people have queued it already! Of course, you can use any stitch pattern to make a scarf sweater, but I’ve been getting questions about the eyelet ripple stitch pattern I used, so I thought I’d share some info about ripples and the pattern for my eyelet ripple.

Ripple Basics

Ripple (aka chevron) patterns in crochet take 2 basic forms:

• Solid Ripple: the peaks and valleys are formed by increases and decreases, giving a solid fabric with no holes
• Eyelet Ripple: the peaks and valleys are formed by chains and skipped stitches, leaving a hole (an eyelet) at the point of each direction change

Note: these are my names for them; other people may call them by other names or not distinguish between the two types at all!

All ripples are formed by a section of straight stitches, a peak to change direction, another section of straight stitches, and then a valley to change direction again. This forms a zig-zag pattern. The number of stitches in the straight sections determines the width of the ripple, and the number of increases/decreases or chains/skipped stitches determines the angle of the ripple.

June’s Eyelet Ripple Pattern

You can use this pattern to make a scarf, a blanket, or a scarf sweater like mine! This is a generic pattern, so you can make it any width you like. N is the number of repeats, not including the half repeat at each edge. So in the stitch diagram below, N=1 and the ripple has 2 complete zig-zags. (For my Scarf Sweater, I used N=3, so I had 4 zig-zags.)

Terminology

Pattern

Ch 12xN + 15.

Row 1: dc in 4th ch from hook (unworked chains count as dc), dc in next 4 ch, skip next 2 ch, (dc in next 5 ch, ch 2, dc in next 5 ch, skip next 2 ch) N times, dc in next 4 ch, 2 dc in last ch.

Row 2: ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in same st, dc in next 4 st, skip next 2 st, (dc in next 4 st, [dc, ch 2, dc] in next ch2-sp, dc in next 4 st, skip next 2 st) N times, dc in next 4 st, 2 dc in last st.

Repeat Row 2 until your piece is as long as you want.

Stitch Diagram

Scarf Sweater Joining

If you’re making this into a scarf sweater, when you come to seam the two short ends together, you won’t be stitching two straight lines; you’ll be matching up the zig-zag shapes at the ends of the scarf, as shown below. If you stitch neatly, the zig-zag disguises the seam very nicely – I tried to find my seam so I could take a photo of it for you, and I can’t actually find it!

When you join the two layers across the back, do take a moment to make sure you continue the zig-zag pattern across both layers, to make the seam less visible. You won’t get the eyelets along the seam, but at least the zig-zags can flow down across both layers.

I hope you enjoy this pattern. Please leave me a comment below if you do, and consider leaving me a donation. Thanks!

More PlanetJune Accessories patterns

If you’ve enjoyed this post, you might also like my PlanetJune Accessories crochet patterns: they all include stitch diagrams and clear written explanations so you can easily crochet elegant wearable accessories for yourself and to give as beautiful gifts. Here’s a taster of the range:

We’re also having a PlanetJune Accessory CAL on Ravelry throughout November, and you’re very welcome to join in!

Send me a donation and receive the easy-to-print PDF version of the instructions and stitch pattern (with bonus assembly photos and instructions on how to wear it) as a thank you!

Donations of any size are much appreciated. Just add the amount you wish to donate, and, once you have checked out and paid, your pattern will instantly be available to download from your PlanetJune account.

The complete pattern and instructions are available below, regardless of whether or not you choose to pay for them

This is a PlanetJune original crochet pattern. Feel free to use items made from this pattern however you wish, but I’d appreciate credit as the pattern designer. Please do not reproduce the pattern anywhere else; instead post a link to http://www.planetjune.com/scarfsweater

Not ready to make it yet? Add it to your Ravelry queue:

***

I saw an intriguing knitwear idea on Pinterest a few weeks ago, and had one of those ‘I could make that’ moments. Here are some examples I found on Etsy (the first picture is the one I first found – uncredited – on Pinterest, and used my Google Search by Image trick to track down):

Photo (and inspiration) credit L-R: Max & Melody, Pilland, Rumina

I just wanted to test the basic concept to see how it worked – it’s essentially just a scarf turned into a sweater by wrapping and stitching it together. It’s very simple, so while I won’t be creating a full pattern, I’ll share the basic method (below), in case you’d like to make one too! I crocheted mine, but you could easily knit one if you prefer.

My version is very simple – I just crocheted a long rectangle like a scarf, wrapped it around myself, seamed the two short edges, and seamed across the back. I used worsted weight yarn for speed and crocheted a basic eyelet ripple to add a subtle chevron pattern. I also made it a bit wider than knitted ones, as an experiment to see if that would make it more snuggly.

Update: I’ve published free instructions for my eyelet ripple stitch pattern, in case you’d like to use it to make your own Scarf Sweater, or to make a scarf or ripple blanket

I think it’s pretty cute, although a little chunky on my short figure. The nature of the design makes it a bit of a challenge to get into, and the shoulders are a bit constrictive – I won’t be raising my arms above my head while wearing this! But the best thing about it is that wearing it feels like a warm, soft hug; despite having no sleeves, it’s really warm and cosy.

If I planned to take this further, I’d refine the concept to make a more elegant, less bulky version. But I think this is the end of the line for my experiment – it was fun, it worked, my curiosity is satisfied, and I have a new handmade garment to keep me warm.

If you want to try making one of your own, here’s a mini tutorial to get you started. You can knit or crochet this, in any stitch pattern you like – all you’re doing is making a long narrow rectangle, just like a scarf:

Basic Scarf Sweater Instructions

1. Measure your back from where you want the bottom of the sweater to sit, up to your neckline (add an inch or two if you want to make a little fold-over collar like mine has or keep it shorter to be more fitted). Divide by two to get your width measurement.
2. Pick a stitch pattern and start crocheting (or knitting) a rectangle with the width you determined in Step 1.
3. You’ll be making a very long rectangular scarf, but the length depends very much on your figure! The easiest way to figure out how long you need it is to wrap it around yourself: it should go across the back of your shoulders, cross over down your front, around your back above the waist, and cross over again up your front to meet the starting edge. It’d be easiest to get someone else to arrange it on you and make sure the two wraps meet across the middle of your back, or you can do it yourself in front of a mirror and expect to wriggle a lot to get it into position (guess which I did!)
4. When it’s long enough, pin the two short ends together while it’s on your body, then seam together (or make a double twist and then seam the two short ends together).
5. Arrange it nicely with the seam in an inconspicuous place – mine lies on the lower wrap so it’s hidden. Ask your helper to pin the top and bottom wraps together across your back (or figure out where to stitch by yourself – it’s possible; I managed!), then seam them across the back, stopping just before each underarm.

Update: It just occurred to me that although you can use any yarn (and a suitably sized hook), it may be helpful for you to know the details of what I used for mine, as a starting point for yours: I used an H (5mm) hook and worsted weight yarn (Bernat Satin, in Denim Mist Heather). I used 2.7 skeins and I wear a size XS-S top.

This is probably the simplest ‘pattern’ there could be for making a sort of sweater, don’t you think?

I hope you enjoy this pattern. Please leave me a comment below if you do, and consider leaving me a donation. Thanks!

Emperors are the largest of the penguin breeds, and probably what most people think of when they hear the word penguin. They’ve seen some extra popularity in recent years as they feature in the cute animated movie Happy Feet and the stunning documentary movie March of the Penguins.

I’ve been wanting to make a proper, amigurumi-style penguin for years, but until recently, colour-changing tehcniques weren’t up to what I had in mind. If you look at other penguin designs, they either have a white back, or a white oval (crocheted or felt) stitched onto their tummy, and neither of those options appealed to me. I’ve pioneered a new technique for creating smooth colour changes between a tummy and back (debuted with my Kingfisher pattern) and the beauty of this technique is that all the magic is in the actual pattern – you don’t need to learn any new stitches or methods to be able to follow it! I love innovating

So now I have a clever emperor penguin design, but I couldn’t resist making a little fluffy baby penguin too. I love how they look so different to the adults, but equally distinctive. And, of course, brushed crochet is the perfect technique to bring this little one to life.

If you’d like to make your own sweet pengys, you can buy the Emperor Penguin and Baby Emperor Penguin crochet patterns from my shop, and I’ve also put them together as an Emperor Penguin Family multipack for a special price.

I hope you like my penguins!

The detailed patterns include full written instructions, photos, illustrations, and large, clear charted stitch diagrams where needed, and, as always, are backed up by unlimited support by email, should you have any questions.

So now, please allow me to present the PlanetJune Accessories Fall 2011 Collection! (By the way, there are lots more pictures of each design, if you click through to the individual pattern pages.)

The Diamond Flowers Scarf/Wrap can be worn as a shoulder wrap to show off the stunning diamond flower pattern to the full, or as a lacy scarf. Take advantage of a beautiful sock yarn colourway to make yours look spectacular! I used a bamboo sock yarn for mine, so it’s beautifully silky and soft against my skin. This pattern includes two complete versions: the standard width (as pictured), and an increased width option that allows you to make a wrap of any width.

The elegant Climbing Eyelets Triangular Shawl is worked upwards in rows from the bottom tip, which means the size is infinitely customizable – from a cute and tiny child-sized version to a giant oversized shawl to snuggle into, you’ll just keep crocheting until it reaches the size you want, then add the simple border. The lace pattern has a 2-row repeat, so you’ll pick it up in no time and be able to enjoy crocheting without having to worry about a complicated pattern. I made mine long enough that it covers the gap between the bottom of my shirt and top of my pants when I’m sitting at the computer (like right now)!

The Banded Lace Wrap continues my ‘easy crocheted lace’ trend from last year’s popular Gossamer Lace Wrap. Wear it as an elegantly light and lacy shoulder wrap, or as a frothy lace scarf (the layers make it surprisingly toasty as a scarf!). It’s easy to crochet in any width you want, from a skinny scarf to a full-width rectangular shawl. Although each pair of bands uses an 8-row repeat, there are only three different stitch patterns to memorise, so you’ll be flying through it in no time.

I think the Reindeer Antlers speak for themselves! For an instant cute costume for the kids (or a costume party for adults), crochet these reindeer antlers and ears. All you need is a wide plastic headband and your crochet supplies. Make this lighthearted design and everyone will want to try on the antlers and be instantly transformed into a real-life amigurumi – how can you resist?

And finally, my Chunky Elegance Rug Trio is three crochet patterns in one! Not just resized doilies, this trio of rug patterns has been specifically designed for comfort: they are soft and cozy to sit or stand on, and there are no large holes that your foot could slip through to touch the cold floor. Each round is different, to keep your interest up as you crochet! The pattern includes coordinated designs in 20″, 30″ and 40″ (50cm, 75cm, 100cm) sizes.

There is one more pattern in the making that was intended to be part of this collection, but I didn’t want to delay the launch any longer. The ‘missing’ design will be my next donationware pattern, and it’ll be perfect to make a few as quick stocking-stuffer gifts, so remember to look out for it nearer to Christmas

*****
Launch Week Discounts! These discounts are valid on all my Accessories patterns, not just the new collection (excluding last year’s Scalloped Scarf pattern as it’s donationware, so you set your own price anyway).
These automatic discount codes are valid until this Sunday, October 9th.

Buy any PlanetJune Accessories pattern, save 5% with code PJAC05
Buy any 2 PlanetJune Accessories patterns, save 10% with code PJAC10
Buy any 3 PlanetJune Accessories patterns, save 15% with code PJAC15
Buy any 4 PlanetJune Accessories patterns, save 20% with code PJAC20
Buy any 5 or more PlanetJune Accessories patterns, save 25% with code PJAC25

You’ll find all the PlanetJune Accessories patterns in my shop.

*****

I really hope you like the new collection – I’ve worked so hard for the past couple of months to make it as good as possible. Please let me know what you think in the comments and, if you have requests for future accessories designs, ask away!

Can you spot which is the real pear?

Crochet a bowlful in greens, browns, yellows, and/or reds, to make a stylish decorative centrepiece, or add a pair of safety eyes and an embroidered smile to make a sweet toy

The perfect pear shape

I’ve also included instructions for making a delicious-looking blushed pear:

Mmm, doesn’t it look sweet and juicy?

The pears crochet pattern is free for you to use. If you’d like to thank me with a donation, you’ll get a handy printable PDF version of the pattern as a thank you

Enjoy!

Go to Amigurumi Pears pattern >>

I don’t know why the idea to crochet an aardvark popped into my head, but, once it did, I had to drop all my other projects immediately and get to work – that’s the way my crazy brain works. The aardvark is just so cute and funny and distinctive looking, I thought it would be the perfect subject for a one-colour design, where all the magic is in the shaping.

It was easy enough to draw my aardvark sketch, but turning that 2D shape into the 3D reality involved a lot of trial and error to get it smooth and perfect and in proportion. I think I succeeded though!

I also went for a change of scale with this design: I think Aardvark is one of my largest worsted weight amigurumi, at 13.5″ long from snout to tail.

Aardvark Fun Facts

• Aardvarks are found all over Africa.
• The name “aardvark” means “earth pig” in Afrikaans.
• Aardvarks live in burrows and eat ants and termites.
• They weigh over 100lbs and their tail alone is 2 ft long.
• Aardvarks independently evolved similar features to the unrelated Anteaters (who come from South America) – isn’t nature amazing?!

I hope you like my funny little ‘earth pig’. I’m hoping he’ll be a talisman to keep the ants out of my house; he doesn’t seem to be making much difference so far, but I love him anyway

If you’d like to make an aardvark of your own, pick up the Aardvark crochet pattern from the PlanetJune shop!