PlanetJune Craft Blog

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sea lion + contest time!

Here is the second design for my new pattern range (the dolphin is the first). The sea lion was more challenging to design because I wanted to crochet it in one piece, and build the curve of the neck and chest in. That’s quite a challenge using only single crochet, but I’m really happy with how it turned out. I think she looks very sweet:

crocheted sea lion by planetjune

Now, it’s contest time!

As you may have read from the dolphin post, this new range is all about water animals (but not fish) and the style is simple and sleek with just one colour per piece, to focus on the streamlined shape of these animals.

I’d like to know what you think, so please leave a comment on this post with one or more of these suggestions:

  • The name of this range (I’d like something short and distinctive, like my AmiDogs range)
  • Other animals you would like to see in this range

There will be two winners:

  • Whoever first comes up with the name I like best for the range
  • One other commenter (chosen randomly from all entrants; only one entry per person will be counted)

And the prizes? Each winner will receive a pattern of their choice from the PlanetJune range. Winners may either choose from one of the new range of patterns, or one of my existing Fuzzy Friends or AmiDogs patterns.

The contest will run for a week, so entries will be accepted until 7am EST on Monday January 21st 2007.

Good luck and thanks in advance for your suggestions!

UPDATE: Looking for the pattern? You can find the AquaAmi Sea Lion crochet pattern in my shop.

93 Comments »

  1. spyderkl said

    The names so far look great – I don’t think I could come up with another.

    As for animals – sea horses, squid (not sure if you could do that in one piece, but maybe without sewing), walrus, octopus – if I asked my daughter I know she’d have a lot more suggestions. I know she’ll love the sea lion.

  2. Angela said

    The sea lion is so adorable! I like sea ami-mals for this new range.
    An otter would be cute, too.

  3. Julie said

    Adorable!

    Lots of great names already!

    Not sure what all has been suggested (hope I don’t repeat)-
    MarineAmis
    AmiSurf (or SurfAmi)
    AmiAquatic

    Loch Ness Monster would be cool…:-)

    Thanks for all your beautiful work.

    Julie

  4. Mandy said

    * Sea Ami
    * “Hooked” on the Sea (or “C”)
    * Ami Waves
    * Ami Water Pals

    Sea otter would be amazing. My boys would be in HEAVEN!

    Sea Turtles.

    Manatee.

    I know you said no fish, but there is the Box or Puffer that might be neat and would not be a “fish” shape.

    Hmmm, what about a lobster? Well, that might not be done in one pieve though, but would be really cute and could be done in one color.

    Star Fish but that too might be hard in once piece.

    Could maybe go into the air about the ocean and try a Pelican or Sea Gull.

    OYSTER! LOL (then you might need a name like Pearls from the fuzzy sea HA)

    Crab.

    What about Sea Horses? I am a huge fan of them!

    What you have so far looks amazing! Love your things!!

  5. Gail E said

    I LOVE both of them! Your work is so perfect and beautiful. It is going to be so much fun gifting the ami animals to children.

    As for a group name, I rather like SeaAmi Friends

    And for more creatures in the group, I would love to see a walarus, an otter, a whale of any species (the Orca would work up well), and maybe a polar bear.

    One more thing, Thank You! for sharing your talent with all of us.

    gail e

  6. Patti Newlin said

    I love your water creature ideas. A friend of mine recently got the chance to swim with dolphins and I would love to make one for her. The sea lion looks great too! For a name maybe . . . Water Buddies.

  7. Kathy said

    Sammy the sea Lion. He is adorable.

  8. Valerie said

    These are great…just like all your designs.

    For the name, how about SeaAmi or AmiH20

    As for others in the sea ‘mammal’ range, how about a killer whale or manatee…both have striking appearances. The manatees face with those whiskers and cow like appearance….and the killer whale has wonderful body color contrast.

    If you chose something NOT a mammal, a Great White would be a neat subject because of its coloration………..

  9. jeannette said

    i love your sea lion! what a wonderful piece!
    would love to see a leafy sea dragon & whale

  10. Deanna said

    how about water wonders? I think someone else has already given you the name that will win, several of them are very good!!

    would love to see walruses, beluga whales, killer whales etc.

    Deanna

  11. Tina said

    Wow. I like some of the names already picked. I couldn’t think of any better names…. I love the sea lion, and would like to see a sea turtle, too. All your designs are so neat. 🙂

  12. Jani said

    Love the Ocean-ami suggestion for a series name … also think a polar bear would be amazing & very popular. How about an octopus as well??

    Good luck with this – whatever you come up with, I’m certain it will be adorable!

  13. Kathy said

    I just found your patterns on Etsy and came straight to your site to join your email list. Beautiful designs!

    Aqua Club
    sharks, sea otters, blue whale

  14. I love your dolphin & sea lion. They are both so cute!

    Everybody has come up with such cute names. How about Sea Anem’ami’?

    I’d love to see a pattern for a seahorse, walrus, starfish, sand dollar, or an oyster.

    Can’t wait to see what is up next 🙂

  15. Christine said

    AquAminals. Marinamals.

    A polar bear would be awesome, since they are considered (semi aquatic) marine mammals.

  16. Eliea said

    I love the aqua pals name that a previous poster suggested but I also like:
    Aqua Animals
    Aquarium Friends
    Aquar-imals?
    Crochet Sea Pals
    Sea Pals
    etc.

    Can’t wait to see the next one the sea lion is just soooo cute!

  17. kris said

    water AMImals

  18. Peggy said

    So cute!
    How about Sea-Ami?

  19. Brooke said

    I am really digging the sea life that you are creating. So many people have given you good ideas for names and suggestions for critters. I would like to see maybe a whale. They are pretty streamline in their design and color but can be challenging depending on the speicies you choose. You could design Moby Dick (sperm whale) and fun loving beluga whale or even a large humpback (ever a challenge if I saw one). If you wanted to stay under the sea but will relent on making a fish, you could have a shark of some manner or an eel or a more realistic squid or octopus.

    As for a name depending on which way you lean:
    Creatures of the deep
    Swimming with Ami
    Wet and Wild Ami
    Good Luck!!

  20. Martha Maloney said

    Hello June,
    Love all of your lovely creations, I see most of the good names are taken, but for my 2 cents worth, I like the name Amis from the Deep Blue Sea, which could add up to a very large group!
    Thanks and looking forward to more creatures,
    Martha

  21. dolores said

    As mentioned before me, a seahorse would be awesome!!
    and a walrus!! and “sea -amis” if you made two they can be sea amis twins lol well not too clever i guess

  22. Jessica said

    So many comments already!

    I thought AmiOcean would work quite well – it’s not restricted to just mammals and I love the fact that this would open up a huge number of possible ocean animals.

    I would love to see a little ray (they are such a lovely distinctive shape), a few whales (humpback, blue, etc), and to really challenge you how about a seahorse!

    Good luck with the contest – I can’t wait to see the finished range.

  23. Sally said

    I love all of your patterns, your new sea lion is perfect!!!

    I would just love to see a manatee in your collection!!

    For a name for the collection, I like AmiSeaPals

  24. Debby said

    There are so many cute and clever names already listed here, that I can’t think of any others, but I would love to see a manatee pattern. They are just so sweet and gentle.

    Debby

  25. Talvi said

    The sea lion is so cute!

    How ’bout Aqua Ami (or Aqua Amis)?

    I like everyone’s suggestions for animals. 🙂 I’d like to see a killer whale (just because it says ‘killer’ doesn’t mean it can’t be cute!) and an otter and a walrus and and and… 🙂

  26. Clare said

    Your seal is fabulous, your use of shaping to create the outline is spot on.

    How about OceanAmi or SeaPals?

    Clare 🙂

  27. For names I suggest
    Sea-amis
    Oceanigurumis
    Mermies

    I’ve always loved sea-horses. I don’t know if they qualify as sleek but I would love to make one.

  28. Kari said

    How about a polar bear or manatee? Both pretty sleek, I think! I like Ami of the Sea (although not my own idea! Dang!) I’d love to see you add sea otters and seals, they’re adorable!

    For the group name, the only new one I can add is – AmiSea Mates. Something about AmiMarine Mammals that has just a *bit too much* M; plus then you couldn’t use sharks, cuz they’re fish! LOL

    It’s great to see you so consistently productive, you’re so amazing and inspiring that way! I can’t wait to see what you come up with next! ;D

  29. Kristi said

    Since there are some really great suggestions, I’ll be silly and say “SeaMaGumi” for the collection name, and also add a vote for a whale to be included in the group! Just think, a tiny whale! (yay for an oxymoron!)

    The sea lion is adorable!

  30. I can’t think of a new name other than what others have already mentioned. I love the sea lion. I’d like like to see a whale and a sea turtle.

  31. Courteney said

    What about a starfish? THat would easily be one color, not sure how easy it would be to do it in one piece though. A sea otter would be really cute in your fuzzy yarn as well. You could do an eel or a sting ray, both I think would be easy, not sure how cute either of them are though.
    As for names, what about AmiSurfers or June’s Sea Surfers, something like that:) Good luck!

  32. I love the manatee idea. I see a lot of names I like. Especially Ami-Mammals and Under the C or Sea.

    How about…

    Ami-sea life
    Ami-creatures
    Water Amis
    Ami-creatures of the sea
    Ami Sea creatures
    Friends from the ocean
    PlanetJune’s ocean friends/creatures/buddies/stuffie
    Swimming with the stuffies

    I’m sure you will find just the right one!

  33. Melanee said

    Your sea lion and dolphin are incredible! I’m excited to see what else you come up with :]

    The AmiUnderwater Club is the first thing that came to my mind, or how about Beach Buddies… its got the same alliteration sound to your Fuzzy Friends range :]

    I would definitely lovvvve to see you try a manatee– I’ve been in love with them for years and they’ll definitely go with your one color/pattern mode! A white whale or a narwhal would be awesome to see, especially with a little crochetted narwhal horn! A sea otter on its back perhaps, and if you want a definite challenge, I think hammerhead sharks and seahorses [or even pufferfish! althought I’m not sure how you’d get the spikes down… hehe] will give you one lol. And although these aren’t the cuddliest things in the ocean, oysters and mollusks or any type of shells would be pretty too :]

  34. E. Smith said

    Aminals, LOL!

    So cute!!!

  35. Sheryl said

    Awesome seal, so realistic.
    How about “Oceanami” for a name.
    It would be great to see a sea turtle, they are so different, with their big flippers.
    I always look forward to your patterns.

  36. Kiirs said

    Wow, the sea lion is awesome!!! The shape is just perfect! I love the way the flippers bend out so perfectly. My kids went wild yelling “I want that!” as soon as they saw it, which I was surprised about–they’ve never been enamored of sea lions or seals before. But of course, all your patterns are great!

    Everyone already has such good suggestions that I’m stuck for name ideas…how about something like…
    *Ami ocean pets
    *Ami ocean animals
    *Ami ocean friends
    *Sea friends
    *Ami ocean life
    *Ami swimmers
    *Friends from the sea
    *Wave Riders
    *Ocean Critters
    *Sea life

    For other characters, you already did a dolphin, our favorite ocean denizen. My kids and I also like orcas, sharks, whales, sea turtles, and sea horses.

    Great job!

  37. cat3crazy said

    I love them both. You did a great job designing them. I’m not very clever coming up with names but… how about Water Ami.

  38. Tina Leigh said

    Wow. You did a great job creating these two animals. What about a startfish, a whale, and maybe a crab….??

    I need to think about a name…..

  39. Christina Coghill said

    I would love to see an otter, a manatee, and a seal.

  40. kris said

    well i don’t have anything quick and easy for a “tagline” but am trying to think of somthing with “marine life” in it. but i also love someone elses suggestions of aquapals!

    and i have already told you – i think – a whale – would love an orca but i know that is not as streamlined as you are looking for – how about a starfish? seahorse? jellyfish? hmmmm – you already have your penguin – beluga whale? i guess thats all for now. will keep thinking and try and remeber to ask a sick kassie tomorrow.

    kris

  41. Julexia said

    Hello,
    Your Sea Lion is lovely! I was thinking a Sea Otter or a Blue Whale would fit right in with the ones you have so far.
    Names for the line I have come up with are:

    SeaBuddies

    OceanAmi

  42. Rachel said

    I vote for “Ami Sea Mammies”

    My four-year-old saw this on the screen and she’s begging me to make one…She LOVES sea lions and whales!

    Oh, and I vote for a humpbacked whale to be the third member of this trio.

  43. Linda said

    Sorry, thought of something else. I am all for conservation, what about using them for educational purposes to. Like when you get them made up, on the pattern maybe you could talk about the animal and where they place on the endangered species list. Along that line, maybe you could call them PlanetJune’s AmiConservation-Education line. =)

  44. Linda said

    How about AmiMammels. Also, whales and sharks are mammals. I’d love to see a whale!

  45. Crystal said

    Wow you did an amazing job on the seal! The shaping is perfect. It would be cute in a fluffy white yarn as a baby harp seal…
    Are you sticking to mammals for this collection? If so I thought Ami Aqua Mammals…, or Sleek Marine Mammals…or fluid marine animals..Just some thoughts..If you dont want to restrict yourself to mammals you could use animal or wildlife.
    My daughter loves dolphins so I am going to have to get that pattern to do for her. Other ideas for the series would be whales (baluga, killer!, blue, narwhal), walrus, sea cow, turtles, penguins, starfish, seahorses, sharks, platapus…Ok now I have run out of ideas..
    Hope some of this helps.. I am excited to see what you come up with. Good Luck.

  46. Sin esperanza said

    Hi there,

    I loved this sea lion!

    Oooh and here are names for the range:

    1. Under the C (as in under the sea but crochet!!)
    2. Sea Menagerie
    3. Bubbles

    And creatures that I’d love to see:

    Otter
    Walrus
    sea turtle

  47. debi blaw said

    what about a whale. ami mammals. how about a shark, hammer head to name a few.

  48. Christal Friend said

    How about Aquapals?

  49. Maureen Hegedus said

    She is very cute. For the series I suggest Ami Of The Sea.

  50. Laurie Edvardsson said

    The sea lion is so cute. I thought of Ami Sea Mammals for the title of the series.

    My daughter has always been interested in sea mammals so I can’t wait for your series to become available so I can make the set for her.

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