Fantasy Creatures Design Contest

Amigurumipatterns.net are holding a competiton to find the best cute fantasy amigurumi, and I've entered several of my patterns. I'd love you to vote for any of them that you like (or any of the other designs in the contest if you like those better). You get 10 votes so you don't have to choose just one.

Here are the designs that I've entered, just click on the 'Vote' link below each picture to go to the voting page with that pattern as the first one listed. If you want to vote for more than one of my characters you will need to stay on the same page and scroll through all the patterns. Voting ends at midnight on 10th December (UTC + 1), and everyone who votes gets entered in a raffle to win 100 Must-Have Minis yarn balls by Yarn and Colors.

Yeti and Bigfoot Families: Vote

Cuddly Dragons: Vote

Little Dragon Hatchlings: Vote

Tiny Baby Dragons: Vote

Chubby Gnomes: Vote

Bumble the Brownie Troll: Vote

Mini Pets in Eggs - Dragon Hatchling Amigurumi Patterns

Dragons are generally portrayed as fearsome monsters in the myths and legends in which they appear, but I was always more attracted to them as magical creatures that humans could form a bond with. As a child I imagined finding an egg and hatching my own dragon friend, which is why I wanted to create these little dragon hatchlings and their eggs.

I have designed three different dragons, all of which can be made with minimal sewing together. The small size means that legs, horns and spines can be made as you crochet. The smallest is the Tiny Dragon Hatchling at 1.5”/4 cm tall, a cute, chibi-style dragon with tiny wings (that are also made as you crochet), and a cheeky smile. 

The other two Dragon Hatchlings are slightly larger with a more classic dragon shape and larger wings. One has little horns and is long and thin (about 5”/12 cm long), and stands on four legs. The other has horns and ears, sits up on its hind legs with wings instead of front legs, and is 2.5”/6 cm tall. 

Included in the pattern are details to make eggs to fit each of these dragon hatchlings in a choice of designs. You can make a simple egg in one colour (or use a variegated yarn for a more interesting look) for the Tiny Dragon Hatchling.

Or you can use two colours of yarn to make eggs that are a bit stiffer, and in two sizes to fit all the smaller and larger dragons. You can hold the two colours together to give a speckled effect, or follow the pattern that uses spike stitches to make an interesting mottled pattern, a little like scales. 

There's even a pattern to make a solid mottled egg.

These dragon hatchlings will make great presents for anyone who loves dragons, especially anyone who is a fan of the Dragonriders of Pern books, with their little firelizards. Or if they're a fan of the magical world of Harry Potter, or of Daenrys from Game of Thrones and her three dragons. They would be great to make as gifts for children’s parties - having an egg to open adds an extra layer of excitement - and would be good alternative Easter presents. They’re not just for children – I have a couple of dragons perched on my monitor, and a Tiny Dragon Hatchling would look great turned into a keychain.

They only use small amounts of yarn, 5 - 10g in total, depending on the size, and the eggs use about the same, so you can make lots of them, in lots of different colours. The pattern is available to buy on Etsy, Ravelry and LoveCrochet. Have fun, and let me know about any that you make!

Dwarf amigurumi pattern

My latest pattern, to make a selection of crochet Dwarves, is finally finished. I started working on this pattern nearly two years ago, but it kept getting put aside for other projects, and I rather lost the urge to get on with it. Then recently, when I was deciding which pattern to work on next, I looked at the one dwarf I had already made, and figured I might as well finish what I'd started and design a few more companions for him. Once I got started I really enjoyed coming up with different looks for the dwarves, and was very glad that I had chosen to work on this pattern!

I made five different dwarves, two female and three male, with all sorts of different looks and accessories. They fit with my other fantasy amigurumi characters, the slightly taller Elves and the smaller Halflings. Dwarves are another classic fantasy race, originally found in Norse and Germanic myths, that have become solidified in modern imagination from books such as The Hobbit and C. S. Lewis' stories of Narnia. They now feature in all sorts of films, books, and especially role playing games, both computer ones and table-top versions such as Dungeons and Dragons.

Dwarves are usually portrayed as being short and stocky, with impressive beards. Female dwarves do not appear so much in literature and film, and so there is no tradition of how they appear. Sometimes, as in Terry Pratchett's Discworld, they are indistinguishable from male dwarves, but games usually show them as bare faced. They don't feature except as background characters in Peter Jackson's Hobbit films, but I was interested to see that he gave them just hints of facial hair. I made my female dwarves without beards, just to show what they'd look like, and so as not to hide the different shape of their bodies, but there's no reason they couldn't have beards as well.

Most stories about dwarves tend to agree that they live underground, and are experts at mining and working metal. They are usually considered to be tough, and good at fighting, so I made my dwarves with warm, practical clothes (mostly crocheted as part of their bodies), including leather belts and wrist guards. I also included extra items that are made separately, such as a sleeveless coat, a simple cloak and a warm hat.

The pattern contains all the details to make these five characters, with different clothes, three different hairstyles (pulled back, loose, and spiky and shaved at the sides), and two sizes of beard. You can also make armour and weapons for them - there is a pattern for a helmet, with or without wings, a round shield, an axe and a war hammer.

You can buy this pattern from Etsy, Ravelry or LoveCrochet. Use all these details to make a dwarf look the way you want, by mixing and matching the different elements and accessories. If anyone makes one themselves, I'd love to see what your dwarf looks like!

Cuddly Dragon Amigurumi Pattern

I really do love dragons, and I love to make crochet patterns for them. One of my very first patterns was my Fierce Little Dragon and then I made a larger Dragonet  initially inspired by my love of the dragons and fire lizards of Pern. With my latest pattern I've tried to make dragons that are cuddly rather than fierce or majestic.

 

 

Cuddly they might be, but they still have horns, claws and spikes down their backs, along with a pair of cute little wings. They're fun to make in any colour you like - I found yarns with a bit of a mix of colours, like James C Brett Marble, gave a really nice effect.

The pattern is available on Etsy, Ravelry and Loveknitting - if you make one I'd love to see it!

Robin of Sherwood amigurumi

I'm a big fan of various SF and fantasy shows, and one of my favourites is Robin of Sherwood, the HTV/Showtime series from the 1980s. If you've never seen it, it's a wonderful take on the Robin Hood legend, including a lot of magic and mysticism. I've loved it since I first saw it as a teenager, and I've stayed a fan ever since, going to various conventions over the years. In fact my online name, Ravenscar, comes from one of the episodes. There's a character called Morgwyn of Ravenscar, an Abbess who is in fact a devil worshipper! I own an original prop from the episode, a banner, and that inspired my choice of name.

There hadn't been a dedicated convention for the show for a few years, so when one was announced, to be held this May, I was very excited. I booked up immediately (a couple of years in advance), but then almost forgot about it in the busyness of life. When I started getting ready for it shortly before, I realised I'd left it a bit late to get a costume ready, but I thought I could at least crochet a character or two to take along with me.

I started work on my favourite character, Nasir, a Saracen assassin who joins the group at the end of the first episode (Robin of Sherwood was the first time a Saracen/Arabic character had become part of the band of 'Merry Men', but this idea has since been used in various films and TV series), as the actor who portrayed him, Mark Ryan was going to be at the convention. I used my Elf pattern as a base, and was very happy with my mini Nasir. I did think of making his signature two swords, but I thought he'd be easier to carry around without any accessories.

Mini Nasir with the original for comparison.

Then I began to make Robin himself. He was played by Michael Praed, the only man to grace my teenage bedroom walls (in poster form!), who was also attending the con. Sadly, I didn't quite get him finished before it was time to leave. I took all the parts, that just needed sewing together, but I couldn't manage to do it in the car, it made me feel queasy. However, I finished him up as soon as I got back, and took photos of them both in the greenwood garden.

 

Mini Robin and the original - it took a while to work out how to make that hair.

I was pleased I'd at least managed to finish Nasir though, as I got a photograph with Mark Ryan, along with the mini version. I also had a wonderful time at the convention, and afterwards I helped to start up a discussion forum - Nothing's Forgotten - so I could keep chatting with all the Robin of Sherwood fans.