Wee Mousies

 

My Wee Mousie pattern, which has been published in Inside Crochet and their 'bookazine' The Complete Guide To Crochet, is now available in my Etsy shop

I was very much inspired by my childhood when I made these - I loved tiny toys, but I wasn't very keen on dolls, I much preferred animals to play with, and reading things like Beatrix Potter and watching Bagpuss added to that.

The pattern has all the details to make either a little girl mouse with a dress, or a little boy mouse in a sweater. They're pretty much mouse-sized, just 9 cm (3.5") tall, so they're perfect as a little friend to carry around, or to play with in a doll's house. I can just imagine making them a home out of a shoebox, with furniture made from matchboxes and cotton reels, a bit like the Borrowers. Oh, and I'm sure they'd need a bed with a tiny crocheted blanket!

Wee Mousies in Inside Crochet!

The latest copy of Inside Crochet has just come out (issue 35) and my pattern to make a pair of cute little mice is in it!

These Wee Mousies are only 9cm tall so they're perfect to make for little presents or stocking fillers. They'll fit perfectly in a pocket and it would be sweet to make them a little bed out of a box, and crochet a tiny blanket for them. Their clothes are crocheted as part of their bodies, but you could easily make them little accessories - my prototype has no clothes but he does have a scarf.

If you like to crochet you should check out Inside Crochet, it's always full of gorgeous patterns; clothes that I'm dying to make but will probably never get the time - there's a Ruby Sweater this month that has an amazing texture - and smaller projects that I really want to try. The Milly, Molly, Mandy scarf on the front cover looks delicious and there are some beautful, understated scatter cushions that I fancy giving a go. There are also some great inspirational articles and a 'how to' section that's useful if you're new to crochet.

Flappy the Owl in Inside Crochet!

I'm very excited! My pattern for Flappy the Owl has won a competition to be featured in a UK crochet magazine, Inside Crochet, issue 20. You can see him on their  Facebook page or at Yudu, where you can see the front cover and the first couple of pages. I love the photo of Flappy with a little suitcase.

Here are some of my photos that I took before I sent him off. He's about a cute little owl wearing a stripy sweater and is 6.5" tall. I had fun coming up with various techniques to make the ribbed parts of the sweater, and his claws and beak. I made a prototype which my son claimed - I knew the design was good when I saw how much he like Flappy (he named him too!).

If you're not aware of Inside Crochet, it's a great magazine. In the UK I go into the newsagents and see five or six knitting magazines, but only one crochet magazine. It's only been going for 20 issues, but I hope that it's going to help popularise crochet in the UK - maybe people will eventually stop asking what I'm knitting! It's well put together, modern and up-to-date, and always has a really good selection of patterns - clothing, accessories, jewelry, toys and things for the home. This is not me advertising for them, by the way, it's just my observation. It's not just my opinion either, check out this blogpost from another admirer.