My Amigurumi Teddy Bear

What inspires you to create something new?

Dear friends of mine recently had a baby.  And to celebrate, I wanted to give something unique,
something special, something very ‘me’.

I had a whimsical scene in my mind.  This little girl, barely able to walk, pattering through the house in a linen and lace dress.  The beams of morning light dance on the floor all around her.  She is carrying her favorite teddy.

This teddy is not just a toy to her, it is her friend, the one who gives her comfort when mum is beyond her reach.  This teddy is always with her.

She often holds Teddy by just one arm, or leg.  But Teddy doesn’t mind.  After all, she was once just a ball of yarn in a craft box, but now she means so much more.

And now, let me introduce to you the teddy that my whimsical thoughts inspired me to make.

Her crochet pattern is available here and here.

Happy Crocheting!  🙂

Free Crochet Pattern – Easy iPhone Sleeve

Here is a sample of some of the iPhone sleeves I have made, to give you a little inspiration. They were all made using my free pattern.  The pattern is very easy, and you can use any yarn you choose.  An experienced crocheter will whip this up in a very short time.  It would also be a great first crochet project for a beginner.
Why not grab some yarn and give it a try.  🙂

Tiny Amigurumi Cats

I made these as gifts for some friends.  I used a 1.5mm crochet hook and the equivalent sized yarn.  At 2.4cm (or 3cm including tail) these tiny cats were the perfect size for attaching to a mobile/cellphone or key ring.  Although not in the pattern, I also crocheted a length of chain stitches to use as the strap and ran it through the body and secured it at the bottom.

They are so adorably tiny!

My Amigurumi Koala

This little guy was so much fun to design and make. 

Free Crochet Pattern – Tiny Phonestrap Cupcake

This cutey little cupcake is super quick and easy to make.  I made my mini version using a 1.5mm hook and equivalent sized yarn.  My finished cupcake is 15mm tall.  Perfect to attach to your cellphone/mobile phone or keychain.

Free Crochet Pattern – Tiny Amigurumi Platypus

I made this adorable little fella using 2 strand crochet cotton (14wraps/cm) and 1.5mm hook.  The finished platypus is 3.8cm tall, and super cute!    I think he will probably end up attached to my mobile phone.  😀

The awesome free pattern is available here on Craftster, courtesy of Beavisfreak.  (You may need to register on Craftster to view the pattern, but that only takes a minute 🙂 ).  The platypus in the photo in her pattern is considerably larger than my little guy.  I did not have any trouble following the pattern exactly to make this tiny, scaled down version though.

Happy Crocheting!  🙂

Free Crochet Pattern – Tiny Jointed Thread Teddy Bears

I crocheted these two cute little fully-jointed bears recently.  They are 5cm high sitting and 7cm high standing up. 

Free Crochet Pattern – Easy Laptop / iPhone Sleeve

My man needed a sleeve for his new 11 inch netbook.
After searching the net for a pattern, I came to the conclusion that there really isn’t much of a pattern to making a laptop sleeve, so I tried my hand at making one free hand.  Of everything I’ve ever crocheted, this is one of the easiest things I’ve ever made!  🙂

Yarn: Your choice.  The thicker the better.  If your yarn is thin, consider using two or three strands together.  

Free Crochet Pattern – Tiny Amigurumi Coffee Cup

This is my mini phone strap version of the free pattern available here.  I followed the pattern as described, but used thin yarn/crochet thread and the equivalent crochet hook (I think I used a 1.5mm).  My finished cup is just under 2.5cm/1 inch across the top.

The other change I made 

Free Icons to customize your desktop or website

I wanted to share a great website for high quality free icons for desktop and web use, compatible with Windows, iOS/Mac and Linux operating systems.  They currently have 200 000+ icons available.  Nearly all are free for personal use, and some are even free for commercial use.

Head over to www.iconarchive.com to have a look.

By the way:  I have not affiliation with this website at all.  I just like their stuff!  🙂

Free Crochet Pattern – Tiny Amigurumi Penguin

I made this cute little fella with some thin (3ply) crochet yarn/thread I had lying around, and its equivilant hook.  He is 3cm tall.  I have since attached a loop to the top of his head and made him into a mobile phone charm. 🙂 

Free Pinyin Table with Audio

Hi guys,

I’ve come across a really useful tool if you’re trying to learn mandarin chinese.

It’s a Pinyin Table complete with native chinese recorded sounds available here.  This is provided free of charge by the good people at ChinesePod.  (While you are over there you can sample a ChinesePod lesson for free and see what you think.)

This Pinyin Table would be especially useful if you are trying to learn how to say the sounds without having a teacher to copy.

I’ve found it helpful when teaching others pinyin, and I hope you find it useful too.  🙂

Learn Some Basic Survival Chinese Words – with Audio

There comes as point in many people’s lives, when they find themselves staring face to face with the language of China.  Maybe you are planning to travel, and would like to know a few basic words and terms.  Maybe your company is sending you to China to scout out business opportunities.  Or maybe your just adventurous and feel like a new challenge.  🙂  Whatever the reason…we all have to start somewhere.  🙂

Here is some basic survival words you may find useful.

Hello
nǐhǎo
你好
click to hear this said:  slowly or  at native speed

Oven Dried Tomatoes Recipe (SCD Legal)

You can eat them on an antipasto platter, use them in cooking (like here) or bottle them in oil.   Any variety of tomato can be dried, so why not give this recipe a try!  🙂

Ingredients

• tomatoes – you can use the variety you have or prefer  

Italian Muffins Recipe (SCD Legal)

These yummy muffins are legal on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD).  They are also gluten-free, if that’s more your thing. 🙂

Ingredients: 

• 3 cups in total of the following – grated or chopped finely.