Ahsoka Tano Amigurumi Pattern

My latest pattern, to make Ahsoka Tano from The Clone Wars, is now available to buy in my Etsy and Ravelry shops. The Clone Wars series has been responsible for some great serialised story-telling in the Star Wars universe, and for creating a character in Ahsoka who has become a fan favourite. She's introduced as Anakin's young padawan and is enthusiastic and honest, with a good moral compass. She's not perfect, she makes mistakes, but she has great character development over the series, and goes on to appear in Star Wars Rebels as well.

Ahsoka is a Togruta, with orange skin and blue and white head parts, consisting of two pointed montrals at the top and three tails, or lekku, at the bottom. Creating this at a relatively small scale (she's only 11 cm/4.5” tall) was quite the challenge, and it took quite a few attempts to get it right. Because of the complicated structure of the head piece I've added lots of photos into the pattern to explain each stage clearly, so I hope it won't be too difficult for people to follow.

I based this pattern on her look at the start of The Clone Wars, but it would be easy to alter it slightly to look like the outfit she wears from series 3. To make her with the dress and leggings rather than top, skirt and leggings, just crochet the orange skin section in the middle in brown instead, and use two chains of russet brown/dark orange yarn to make her belt. You can also make her an extra lightsaber. Her later grey/blue costume would just need changes in colour for the different parts, and white lightsabers.

I've listed the yarn I used to make her at the end of this post: Star Wars Crochet - yarn used. I hope those of you who are fans of Ahsoka will enjoy making this mini version of her!

Mooncake Amigurumi

Earlier this year I asked my brother for ideas for a birthday present for my nephew (he's in his 20s) and he suggested that I could crochet him something. He sent me a photo of Mooncake, a cute little green alien which appears in the animated series Final Space, which I'd never seen. So, of course, I had to check it out (series one is on Netflix) and really enjoyed it. I fell in love with the little alien that flies around in space making funny noises, and who turns out to be much more powerful than his appearance would suggest.

I thought it would be an easy pattern to design, but in fact it took a lot of tweaking to get the shape and proportions right. As with any amigurumi made up mostly of a large shape, it takes a lot of stuffing, much more than you think. You just have to keep adding the stuffing, a bit at a time, until the it really hold its shape.

If you would like to buy the pattern, it's available on Etsy and Ravelry.

Leesub Sirln

Last year I was contacted by a lady asking if I would make a custom Star Wars amigurumi for a friend. Well, I don't normally make the toys, only the patterns, but when she said her friend had actually appeared in the original Star Wars, I couldn't refuse. Her friend is Pam Rose, and she played an alien in the background of the Cantina scene, called Leesub Sirln. I must have seen the character lots of time creating part of the atmosphere of the Cantina, but I wasn't quite sure what she looked liked so I went to her website to check - a beautiful leggy alien with a large head.

I made the amigurumi to the same scale as my other Star Wars characters - getting the head just the right shape and working out the unusual hairstyle was an interesting challenge, and it wasn't easy to get the detail into her minimal costume, but I think I did it.

Mini Leesub was given to Pam for Christmas, and apparently she was very pleased with it. She very kindly sent me a signed photo, and I'm very happy to have made a figure for the person who actually portrayed the character!

Jabba's Palace

I have just completed my latest Star Wars characters in crochet form; Jabba the Hutt, Salacious Crumb and Slave Leia; and the patterns are now available in my Etsy shop.

I've been meaning to design more Star Wars crochet patterns for a while now, although I always have a very long list of different patterns I want to create. However, last autumn I decided to start working on some new Star Wars characters. I had quite a few requests for Jabba the Hutt, so he seemed the obvious place to begin. He presented a different challenge to most of the other characters - generally I'm trying to simplify a fairly detailed character so that they're cute but still recognisable. Jabba is already quite a simple shape without much detail, and it's hard to consider him cute in any way! I also had to think about what size he should be; the other figures are not in an exact scale with one another, but Yoda is smaller than the human characters and Chewbacca is larger than all of them. I didn't want to make him too big, but he had to be bigger than the others.

In the end I was very happy with the way he came out - he's a simple shape, but the colour change in his face gives a bit of detail, and giving him a proper expression with the eyelids and facial features keep his character. That said, I definitely find him oddly cute in this miniaturised form!

As I was making Jabba it seemed obvious to consider what other characters from Jabba's Palace it would be fun to make patterns for. I decided that Jabba needed his annoying little pet, Salacious Crumb. However, he's pretty small, and I wasn't sure I would be able to give him enough detail. As he's a sort of lizard/monkey I used similar techniques to those I used to make my Mini Monkeys and that approach seemed to work. He seemed too simple a pattern to sell on his own, so I included him with Jabba.

Leia in the slave bikini costume seemed another obvious choice from the Jabba's Palace sequence - I know my husband kept asking when I was going to make her! The original Princess Leia figure I made was quite small, shorter than all the other human characters, and I found it hard to fit in the details of the bikini costume, so I made her a bit taller (the same as Luke). I also decided to change the way I made her hair, and make it as a separate piece of crochet rather than as part of the head.

 

I spent a while deciding how to make her bikini. Looking at the original, the top consists of a metal framework with grey/green leather underneath. I couldn't get the detail in the small amount of stitches I had to work with, so I just tried to show the metal part. The metal is described as brass, but it looks more like bronze to me - I tried to use a yarn that was brass-coloured, but it seemed too pale against the skin, so I settled on a darker bronze-coloured yarn, which I think works.

I was unsure as to whether the skimpy look of Slave Leia would work in a cute mini version, but I think she's turned out looking quite sassy, and ready to strangle Jabba if he causes any trouble!

The changes I made to the Slave Leia figure made me go back to the original Princess Leia figure in her white dress and tweak that pattern so that it was the same height and had hair made in the same way. If you bought the original Princess Leia pattern and you would like the updated version of that as shown here (Slave Leia is a different, separate pattern), just contact me on Etsy and let me know.

I'm now working on a Lando Calrissian pattern, then I 've got to decide which other characters I'd like to do; let me know any suggestions in the comments!

***Latest news July 2014***

The Jabba and original Princess Leia patterns are no longer available for sale, as they are going to be included in a new Star Wars crochet book, due to be published Spring 2015. Keep an eye out in the future as I may release Salacious Crumb as a free pattern.

Happy 50th Doctor Who!

My crocheted Daleks are getting in on the Doctor's 50th anniversary celebrations today - they've got their party hats on and they're having a great time! I've been enjoying all the celebrations so far - I loved the wonderful 'Adventures in Space and Time' about the beginnings of the series, and I'm looking forward to 'The Day of the Doctor' that's on tonight.

If you want to make yourself a Dalek, you can find the pattern in my shops on Etsy or Ravelry

If your Daleks want to get in on the celebrations, here's the pattern to make them tiny party hats:

Party Hat

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
st = stitch or stitches
sc = single crochet (US), double crochet (UK)
FO = fasten off

General instructions:
Work in rounds and use a stitch marker to mark the start of a round - a small piece of different coloured yarn placed under the stitch at the start of the round will do. To start a round, you can use the magic ring method, but I prefer (ch 2, work 6 sc into 1st ch). If you work the 6 sc over the tail of yarn as well you can use that to pull the hole tight. Work through both loops of stitches.
You will need: 
Small amounts of two bright colours of yarn.
3.5mm (E) hook.
Tapestry needle.

Leave a short length of yarn when you start each colour.

Start using colour 1.
Round 1: Ch 2, work 6 sc into 1st ch - 6 st.
Round 2: [2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 st] 2 times - 8 st.
Change to colour 2.
Round 3: Sc in each st around - 8 st.
Round 4: [2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 st] 2 times - 10 st.
Change to colour 1.
Round 5: Sc in each st around - 10 st.
Round 6: [2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 st] 2 times - 12 st.
Change to colour 2.
Round 7: Sc in each st around - 12 st.
Round 8: [2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 st] 2 times - 14 st.
Change to colour 1.
Round 9: Sc in each st around - 14 st.
Round 10: [2 sc in next st, sc in next 6 st] 2 times - 16 st.
FO. Pull the start of the yarn for both colours and the end for colour 2 through the top of the hat to make little streamers. Cut to length.
Weave in the end of colour 1 or use it to sew the hat on (I just pinned mine on).

Dalek at the Doctor Who Prom

This summer there was a concert of Doctor Who music as part of the Proms season at the Royal Albert Hall. Sadly, I didn't get to go, but a crocheted Dalek made from my pattern did! Luckily, the person who made it for her friend's little boy let me know that it might have been filmed, so when the prom came on television I was watching with eagle eyes. I was so chuffed to have spotted it, and I took a photo of the Dalek menacing a Judoon (or was it the other way round?). It's not great quality, but hopefully you can see it.

 

Here's my original Dalek so you can see it a bit more easily:

 



Admiral Ackbar amigurumi

Well, here's the latest of my mini Star Wars amigurumis, Admiral Ackbar. He's a Mon Calamari who leads the Rebel Alliance fleet in Return of the Jedi, and is famous for shouting, 'It's a trap!' when he realises they've been lured in by the Emperor. The Mon Calamari come from a watery planet and I just love their design, with their big, bulbous heads, fish-like eyes and finny hands.

As my Ackbar is pretty small, only 4" tall, I simplified him quite a bit to match with all the other mini Star Wars amis I've made. Even so, I'm pleased with some of the detail I managed to get into his clothes, and I think I might try working on some of my earlier designs to see if I can add a bit more detail to them. Luke, in particular, would benefit from some alternatives outfits, I think.

The pattern to make Admiral Ackbar is now available from my Etsy shop, and you can also buy  all 14 Star Wars patterns I've made to date, or pick and choose selections of two, three or six patterns.

Happy Star Wars Day!

I hope all you Star Wars fans out there are enjoying Star Wars Day - if you don't know it's called that because of the terrible pun: May the 4th be with you (May the Force be with you). Anyway, my amigurumis are enjoying themselves (maybe I need to crochet a Cantina for them to party in!)

You may spot a new amigurumi, a Jawa. I've been working on the pattern for him, and it'll be in my Etsy shop very soon. Just keep checking here to see when it's ready.

Have fun!

Boba Fett - Mini Amigurumi

I was delayed a bit by Christmas, but I've finally finished my pattern for a miniature Boba Fett. This bounty hunter with the fearsome reputation is only 3.5" tall, and the pattern to make him is available in my Etsy shop.

It was difficult to get his helmet right, but in the end I was very happy with it. It was also hard to find the right colour for his armour - every photo I looked at for reference looked slightly different, and for my first prototype I used an olive green. Then I found this colour, I would describe it as a sage green, which I think works well. I decided against making his rocket backpack, because I felt it would overwhelm him, given his size, but he had to have his little ragged cloak.

I'm hoping to come up with a few more Star Wars characters - I'm working on Obi Wan Kenobi at the moment, then I think I'll have a go at Admiral Ackbar and a Jawa.

***Latest news July 2014***

This pattern is no longer available for sale, as it is going to be included in a new Star Wars crochet book, due to be published Spring 2015.

Adorable Monsters

After I made an Adorable Snow Monster way back in January (http://lucyravenscar.blogspot.com/2010/01/adorable-snow-monster.html) I decided to write up the pattern. I made another Snow Monster to test it, and then I was given some lovely extra fluffy mohair so I made a variation which I decided was a Wildly Adorable Snow Monster.

Then I thought I'd better try making one without using a mohair yarn, because they're not always easily available. I wasn't sure what it would look like - using the same pattern apart from the ruff around its face, it ended up quite different looking. Without the fluff the big hands and feet were more noticeable, but I thought it was just as cute. I wasn't quite sure what kind of monster he was, but since he is green and brown he's ended up being an Adorable Tree Monster.

Having bought some self-striping yarn, I though I'd give that a go, and made an Adorable Rainbow Monster.  I thought I was finished then but my son begged me to make him a fire monster. I used three different tones of red (I'm not sure they all show up in the photos, but I used the darkest colour at the bottom) and I brushed the fur on his head upwards to give him a more fiery effect. And so was born the Flaming Adorable Fire Monster.

I really like the way the same pattern can make quite different looking creatures - it would be quite easy to add details like spines, horns, wings or spots to make them even more varied.

The pattern is now up for sale in my Etsy Shop.

Star Wars Mini Amigurumi

Well, I've finally done it! I've designed all my Star Wars amigurumi to my satisfaction, written up the patterns, photographed them, put the patterns together and put them all on Etsy!

I've been working on these little Star Wars guys on and off for a couple of years. Partly inspired by my and my children's love of Star Wars, and the way Star Wars Lego looks so cute, I realised that I wanted to crochet mini versions of all my favourite characters. It's taken so long because of wanting to keep them stylistically similar even though the characters are very varied. I also wanted them to be different sizes, so that Leia is taller than R2-D2, and Vader is taller than Han, for example, but not perfectly proportionally, or Chewie ends up being too tall. As it is, Yoda is 2.5" tall and Chewbacca is 4.5" tall, with the rest fitting in between them.

I made Yoda first, he's pretty simple and easily identifiable, then Leia (my favourite character, the one I identify with) whose iconic hairstyle is perfectly suited to be reproduced in crochet. Neither of these two had legs, Yoda with his robe and Leia her dress, so when it came to most of the other characters I wasn't sure how to make them. I knew I wanted them to have big feet, and to stand up easily, and so I made them without separate legs, but simply defined them with yarn afterwards, a solution which I'm really happy with.

Some of them took longer than others to perfect. I wasn't sure if C-3PO would work, but I was happy with him straight away. Vader, on the other hand, I just couldn't get right. His head, his face mask, how much detail to give him. Since his costume is almost entirely black it's very hard to define any details. I made him several times with a flat triangular mask and it wasn't until I made it more three-dimensional that I was satisfied.

The Ewok was tough, too. I made him in a completely different way with his hood as part of his head, which I thought I liked, but when I came to write the pattern up it just seemed too unnecessarily complicated. since I'd just been making my crocheted cork knights I realised I could use a similar technique to make a simple separate hood, which I much preferred.

Apart from fine-tuning his height, I liked my Chewbacca, which I made with an alpaca mix yarn then brushed, but I realised that finding that particular type of yarn might be difficult. So I also made him using a normal smooth acrylic yarn that had various different browns in it and which brushed up just as nicely with a wire pet brush.

Anyway, I'm very happy with the finished patterns. If they prove to be popular I'll have to work on some more characters - I think I'll do Boba Fett and Obi Wan next. If you want to see more photos, check out my Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/96575205@N00/), and if you'd like to buy any of the patterns just go to my Etsy shop (http://www.lucyravenscar.etsy.com/).

***Latest news July 2014***

 

Not all these patterns are available for sale now, as they are going to be included in a new Star Wars crochet book, due to be published Spring 2015.