The Craft Club Charity Yarnbomb

If you crochet or knit you've probably come across the concept of yarnbombing, where you decorate an outdoor space with a bit of crochet or knitting. I've always thought it was a cool thing to do, but haven't tried it myself yet. However, now I and anyone else who wants to can join in with a charity yarnbomb organised by The Craft Club in Essex. They are asking anyone who can crochet to try to help them break the world record for the largest display of crochet sculptures. They need 4061 items which will be displayed in the Little Havens Hospice Garden on 25 August 2014. Here's the details:

"We want to creater a magical garden scene for the children to discover, and so our theme is Enid Blyton's The Magic Faraway Tree stories. Any crocheted items that fit our theme would be welcome... woodland creatures such as hedgehogs, squirrels, rabbits and owls, fantastical characters such as goblins, fairies and troll, flora such as flowers, cherries, acorns, strawberries and mushrooms."

You can contact them for more information (see the poster above for the email) and you can  find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecraftclubyarnbomb/timeline

I've got lots of free patterns that should be perfect for this, and most of them are small, so they'd be quick to work up. Here are some ideas, click on the patterns on the list to the right for the details of each pattern.

All the Totoros:

 

Mini Fuzzy-haired Troll:

Fierce Little Dragon:

Pet caterpillar or worm:

Tiny Rabbit:

Easter Bunny:

 Wizard's Owl:

Mini Frog:

I also have several patterns in my shop that would be good. I think I'll make a creature using the Little Folk pattern (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/85800576/pdf-of-little-folk-amigurumi-pattern-elf?):

There's also Flappy Owl (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/94316165/pdf-of-flappy-owl-amigurumi-pattern?):

The Wee Mousies (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/127288010/pdf-of-wee-mousie-amigurumi-pattern?):

Mother and Child Spirits (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/79959886/pdf-of-mother-and-child-spirit-amigurumi?):

Small Spirits (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/62106076/pdf-of-small-spirit-amigurumi-pattern?):

Halfling (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/150079653/pdf-of-halfling-fantasy-amigurumi?):

Or the Chubby Gnomes (https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/71474468/pdf-of-chubby-gnome-amigurumi-pattern?):

I hope that's inspired some of you to make something (or things) to help with this, it'll be fun!

Fantasy Amigurumi - Elves

You may have seen from my previous post that I'm working on a series of Fantasy amigurumi characters. I've already designed a pattern to make Halflings, and now my pattern to make Elves is finished. Elves originally came from European mythology and folklore and have now become part of modern fantasy books, films and games.

I've made four different Elves, two male and two female, to give a selection of options for people who want to make their own Elves.

Elf Warrior: He has long blond hair, pulled back into a braid, and a green tunic. He also has a separate hooded cloak and a sword.

 

 

 Elf Archer: He has dark, mid-length hair and a tunic with wrist guards. I made him a cloak and a bow with a quiver full of arrows.

Elf Princess: She has long dark hair with a silver head-dress, and a long blue dress.

Elf Sorceress: She is wearing a short top, a long skirt with splits, arm protectors and shoulder armour. She has pale mid-length hair and long pointed ears, and she carries a staff with a magical orb at the top.

 

 

All the Elves are about 6.5" tall, compared to the Halflings that are 5.5" tall. I'm now working on a Dwarf pattern, but I'm not sure whether to make a female Dwarf. As a Discworld fan, I always think female Dwarfs should look the same as male ones, but I don't think this is the case in various games, or in The Hobbit from the glimpses we saw of Dale at the start of An Unexpected Journey. I'd really appreciate hearing people's views on this.

The Elf pattern is available to download from my Etsy shop.

Fantasy Amigurumi - Halfling

For quite a while now I've been wanting to design some patterns for various fantasy characters; peoples and creatures that appear in all sorts of folklore, books, films and games. I decided they needed to be a bit bigger than my Star Wars characters (about 3.5" tall) so they would have a bit more detail, but it's taken a bit of experimentation to come up with the right body shape.

 

I made myself a little Frodo some time ago (see him in this post) and so the first pattern I started work on was for a Halfling. This is a generic name for the 'little folk' that appear in folklore, that often keep themselves hidden and can either be helpful or mischievous towards humans. In modern fantasy stories and games these little people often live alongside other fantasy races and have a variety of names and customs. Usually they are good-natured, not too war-like, and enjoy their food and home comforts. They are often portrayed with curly hair and wearing slightly more modern clothes - waistcoats and jackets rather than tunics - than other fantasy races. I think this comes from the fact that belief in hobs, brownies and similar creatures was still around relatively recently, so they are imagined in clothes from the 17th and 18th Century rather than the more medieval costumes favoured by Elves and Dwarfs. I've noticed that Halflings in games often appear as engineer or rogue-type characters; due to their size they're not obviously great warriors but they are quick and good with their hands so those sorts of professions suit them better.

 

My Halfling pattern, available now in my Etsy shop contains all the information needed to make a male or female Halfling, about 5.5" tall, with a choice of clothing. You can make a male Halfling with or without a waistcoat, and with a separate jacket, hat or cloak.

The female Halfling comes with the option of the traditional look with a bodice and skirt, or you can go for the engineer/steampunk look and make a Halfling with spiky hair and goggles.

 

 

I'm now working on a pattern to make Elves, again with a selection of looks, and then I will probably work on a pattern for Dwarfs. After that I welcome any suggestions, though I'd like to do orcs/goblins, perhaps some classical creatures such as minotaurs and fauns, and some human warriors, maybe with a few historical ones (Roman, Viking) mixed in with the fantasy.

Little Folk

There is lots of folklore regarding the 'little folk', and they have many names - elves, fairies, sprites, imps, brownies and hobgoblins. They are often described as being mischievous creatures, although sometimes they like to help humans, even doing chores around the house for them. Dobby the house elf, from Harry Potter, seems to be inspired by these stories, as they often state that the creatures become insulted if given clothes and will then leave. In fact, in Sussex (where I live) there is folklore regarding 'Dobbs' or 'Master Dobbs', a house fairy who would help with the housework.

Dobby

As I mentioned in a previous post I made a toy Dobby for my son. I have been working on the pattern, and with a few variations, have made several other creatures.

Fire Imp

Fire Imps are attracted to bonfires and campfires, and are very partial to snacks cooked on them such as sausages. If you have an open fire in your house they may sneak in and sleep by the embers at night. He is made with mohair brushed to make hair and has fingers and toes.

Brownie

This Brownie is a happy little fellow who likes eating cakes and dancing, a bit like a Hobbit or Halfling. He is has curly hair and a separate waistcoat and scarf.

Autumn Tree Sprite

This little nature Sprite lives in the trees and likes to stay hidden. His colouring helps him to stay secret when the trees are losing their leaves, then he finds a nice big pile of of them and hibernates through the winter. He has hair made from eyelash yarn and a scarf to keep him warm.

Forest Fairy

This little forest-dwelling fairy is well camouflaged among the trees with her pale green skin and mossy hair. She has antlers and wears a dress made of leaves. Her long hair is made of lots of different yarns.

  
The pattern is now available in my Etsy shop, and contains all the information to make the different Little Folk described above, with details on how to make the different kinds of hair and their clothing. All the variations can then be used to design your own creature made the way you want.

Mother and Child Spirits

I made a set of Mother and Child Earth Spirits about two years ago, and they've always been one of my favourite creations. I've also had quite a few requests for me to write up their pattern, and now I've finally got it finished, and available in my shop.

One of the problems with making these is getting hold of nice mohair yarns that are the right thickness. The yarn I originally used, Patons Spirit, is no longer being produced, although I've still got a small stash of it. It is also thicker than most of the other plain mohair yarns I have, many of which I picked up from charity shops without labels. I bought some Luxury Mohair by King Cole, which has lovely colours but is comparatively thin, and when I tested my pattern using this yarn, the Water Spirits ended up quite a bit smaller than the Earth Spirits I made using the Patons yarn. In the end though, despite the size difference, I was happy with both yarns and the creatures I made with them.

I think that what I like most about these creatures is the way they seem to interact when you put them together. It feels like the mother is looking after her child, or even listening to him telling her what he's been up to!

Chubby Gnomes

I was thinking of something to make for Easter that was egg-shaped, when I realised that Gnomes, with their pointy hats, were perfect. I wanted them to be chubby and simple, so I started with one with a classic red hat and a little beard.

I was really happy with the way he turned out, and I decided that he needed a little girl friend. I couldn't give her a beard (she's not a dwarf!) so she's got cute little pigtails.

I made another to check the pattern and changed the colours for a bit of variety.

I think Gnomes like gardens so they seem appropriate for spring when everything starts growing so madly. These little Gnomes are only 3.5" tall and fit nicely in your hand.

They'd look cute on a windowsill next to some plants, or maybe they'd like to go travelling? And they have another, more modern, talent. My 10 year-old son discovered that they're the perfect shape for break-dancing!

The pattern is now available in my Etsy shop.

My patterns for sale on Etsy

Just for reference, I'm putting a list here of the crochet patterns I usually have for sale on Etsy. These are all normally available, with all the details about the materials and skill level needed to make them, at lucyravenscar.etsy.com. If any of them are missing from my shop, just contact me and I'll relist them.

You can also buy most of my patterns, and download several free ones, from Ravelry. and  LoveCrochet


**Updated May 2016**

Star Wars Mini Amigurumi Patterns:

 Slave Leia

Dragonet Amigurumi Pattern:

More details here.

Adorable Monster Amigurumi Pattern:

More details here.

Small Spirit Pattern:

More details here.

Flora the Elephant Amigurumi Pattern:

Witch and Wizard Amigurumi Pattern:

More details here.

Woolly Jumpers Amigurumi Pattern - Rabbit and Lamb:

More details here.

Chubby Gnomes Amigurumi Pattern:

More details here and here.

Tooterphants Amigurumi Pattern:

More details here.

Mother and Child Spirits Amigurumi Pattern:

More details here.

Flappy Owl Amigurumi Pattern:

More details here.

Little Folk Amigurumi Pattern:

More details here.

Finn and Jake Amigurumi Patterns: 

More details here.

Woolly Monkey Amigurumi Pattern:

More details here.

Wee Mousie Amigurumi Pattern:

More details here.

Baby Elephant Pattern:

Halfling Pattern:

More details here.

Elf Pattern:

More details here.

Dwarf Pattern:

More details here.

Alpaca Family Pattern:

More details here.

Yeti and Bigfoot Pattern:

 More details here.

Cuddly Dragon Pattern:

More details here.

Little Monkey Pattern:

More details here.

Bracken The Fox Pattern:

More details here.

Mini Pets Patterns - Snails, Bugs and Frogs:

More details here.

Roman Soldier Pattern:

More details here.