Yarn party, and ideas for Christmas

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be invited along to LoveKnitting/LoveCrochet's Flock launch party, a get together for various craft bloggers. You can find more information about it here, but basically it was a great chance to meet the lovely people at LoveKnitting and other designers and bloggers - a real treat for someone who works at home, getting to chat to people who love crochet and knitting. Oh, and there was lots of prosecco!

That's me, checking out all the lovely yarn samples, chatting about crochet, and drinking prosecco!

I've been impressed with LoveKnitting as a company - they sell yarn and all the accessories you need to knit or crochet, but they also sell patterns, (you can find all of mine on there, just search for 'Lucy Collin') and now they've produced their own range of yarn, Paintbox.

Paintbox comes in acrylic DK, aran and chunky, and cotton DK, and all of them in a really good range of colours that makes them perfect for making amigurumi. If you want to try out the acrylic DK they are currently selling an advent calendar with a 10g ball of yarn behind each window (get it here in the sale that ends tonight). They had jars full of these tiny balls at the party, and I think everyone who saw them immediately squealed with happiness at seeing them, they look so cute! They very kindly let me have some to try out, and I really like the feel of the yarn for making amigurumi, soft and smooth.

The cute little mini balls with a 100g ball for comparison

You might be wondering what on earth you can make with such tiny balls of yarn, but apart from the free patterns you get with the advent calendar, I've got loads of free patterns here that would be perfect. There's a full list of my free patterns on the right, but here are a few that you will be able to make with one of those tiny 10g balls, with some of them you'd only use half of one, or even less. Of course, you could just use any scraps of yarn that you have.

Since the point of an advent calendar is to lead up to Christmas, any of my Christmas amigurumi patterns would be perfect to make as decorations, including my Little Christmas Mouse, Tiny Crochet Penguin, Mini Snowman, Tiny Christmas Robin and Mini Father Christmas.

Other cute little things to make, maybe as stocking fillers, would be my mini Teddies, Frogs, Monkeys, Octopuses, Elephants and Turtles.

Hopefully these little things will be quick and easy to make in the 24 days before Christmas. Have fun!

Tiny Christmas Robin - free crochet pattern

Apparently, robins are associated with Christmas, at least in Britain, because of Victorian postmen, who wore bright red jackets and were nicknamed ‘Robins’. As they were a welcome sight, delivering the newly invented Christmas cards, their feathered namesakes soon became popular in the designs of the cards. Of course, robins are also delightful birds, easily visible and seemingly friendly (especially if you’re doing some gardening, when they swoop in and devour any bugs you’ve unearthed), who look particularly striking against a snowy backdrop with their bright red breasts.

With this crochet pattern you can make yourself a tiny little robin, only about 3 cm/1.5" tall. Simple and quick to make, with minimal sewing, he’s perfect to hang on your tree, or decorate anywhere else you like.

 

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
st = stitch or stitches
ss = slipstitch
sc = single crochet (US), double crochet (UK)
dc = double crochet (US), treble crochet (UK)
tog = together
sc2tog = decrease by working two sc together
FO = fasten off

General instructions:

Work in rounds unless otherwise stated and do not join rounds unless told to. 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 to ch 2, and work the appropriate number of sc into 1^st ch. If you work the sc over the tail of yarn as well you can use that to pull the hole tight.

When changing from one colour of yarn to another work the stitch before the change until there are two loops left on the hook. Then use the new colour for the final yarn over hook and pull through.

Work through both loops of stitches unless otherwise indicated.

Special stitch instructions:

3 dc bob: bobble stitch. YOH (yarn over hook), insert hook into next stitch, YOH and pull through loop, YOH, pull through 2 loops, *YOH, insert hook into same stitch, YOH and pull through loop, YOH, pull through 2 loops, repeat once from*, YOH, pull through all 4 loops on hook.

You will need:

Small amounts of red, brown and white yarn, double knitting or worsted weight.
Small amount of black yarn for the eyes and beak.
A length of cotton yarn to hang as a decoration.
Small amount of stuffing.
3.5mm (E) hook.
Tapestry needle.

Pattern:

Start with red yarn.
Round 1: Ch 2, work 6 sc into 1^st ch - 6 st.
Round 2: 2 sc in each st around - 12 st.
Round 3: [2 sc in next st, sc in next st] 6 times – 18 st.
Round 4: Sc in next 8 st, change to white yarn, sc in next 10 st – 18 st.
Change to brown yarn
Round 5: Sc in each st around - 18 st.
Round 6: Sc in next st, [wing: ss in next st, ch 4, miss ch next to hook, sc in next ch, dc in next ch, sc in next ch, ss back into original st], sc in next st, [3dc bob] 3 times, sc in next st, [wing: as before], sc in next 10 st – 18 st.
Push bobbles from the inside out, they will form the head.
Round 7: Sc in each st around - 18 st.
Round 8: [Sc2tog, sc in next st] 4 times, sc2tog, [tail: ss in next st, ch 4, miss ch next to hook, sc in next 3 ch, ss back into original st], sc2tog, sc in next st – 12 st.
Round 9: Sc2tog 6 times – 6 st.
FO, leaving a length of yarn.

Embroider the eyes using three short lines of black yarn for each eye. Make the beak by sewing a French knot with the black yarn. To do this, take the yarn out between the eyes and, with the needle held close to this point, wrap the yarn three times around the needle. Sew back into the head very close to the point where the yarn came out.

Using cotton yarn, sew a loop at the top of the head if you want to hang your robin as a decoration. Finish stuffing and neatly sew up the hole at the back. Don’t cut the brown yarn but use it to keep the wings in place. Sew one or two stitches in the middle of each wing to attach it to the back.