A little Christmas Star Wars Cheer

So procrastination has gotten the best of me and the rush to finish a few crocheted Christmas gifts has kept me without much sleep in the last day and night. I have finished one of the gifts today (after burning the midnight oil until about 6am and starting all over again at 11am today...whew!) This FO was well worth the hours of work and sleeplessness as this lil guy turned out awesome. This gift is for my brother who is one of the biggest Star Wars geeks I know, who just so happens to be one of the few loyalists who like and appreciate those adorable butt-kicking Ewoks of Endor from Return of the Jedi.

So you ask, what better gift for a fan of the Ewoks and a fan of the 6th installment of Star Wars....of course...an Amigurumi Wicket!!


The pattern I used was manipulated from an original pattern ("Wicket-the-Ewok") by Lucy Ravenscar found on Ravelry. The Pattern is also available at Craftster. I switched up a few things, just to make it my own and to adapt to my style of crochet.

This project was challenging in the following ways:

• The torso is worked in 1 piece from the bottom up. This is a different technique that was very effective for the shape of the lower body, but not one I am accustomed to using, I plan on using similar methods in the future for legs/feet. The single torso structure aids in stability and form.

Wicket Torso with toe detail

• The pattern called for using a 3 dc bob stitch for the hands/arms and a 3 dc pop stitch for the feet/toes. Both of these stitches were a first for me. I ended up scrapping the 3 dc bob stitch for the fingers/hands and utilized a basic arm in the round instead. The finger work was a bit cumbersome to work with and I felt they ended up a tad too busy. I kept the special stitch 3 dc pop for the toes as they were great for the balance and overall look of the ami

Standard Arms worked in the round

• There were 2 options for creating the face/head of Wicket. I opted for the more detailed and challenging of the two: Head #1 which uses embroidery detailing for the face and mouth. This was the most time-consuming aspect of the project, but all the time and effort that went into the detailing was well worth it! 

Wicket Head with embroidery detail

• There were 2 options for creating the cowl. I originally was going to move forward with using felt for the cowl, which would have been a bit quicker, and the color I had picked out was nearly spot-on...something just told me to go for the crochet method for the cowl. Even though the yarn I had in my stash was a dark burnt orange vs a lighter russet color (which is more accurate) I think it makes the Ami a bit more unique & crocheting it was a blast! The cowl was worked in 2 parts (front/back) then whip stitched together & slipped over the head (So yes...it can be removed!)

Wicket Cowl

Overall, I am super excited to give this gift to my brother tonight, as I know he will be excited! The only hard part is giving Wicket away, as he turned out so cute, & a part of me wants to keep him for myself....I guess I can always make another one!!

Wicket!

Wicket (Back view)

Now onto the next gift....

    

Thanks for reading!

Secret Project #2 WIP

I had a lot of fun with my last Secret WIP posts that I thought I could start up another one here. Quite a few of my friends/family have caught baby fever over the past year and lil ones are popping up all around me. My last Secret FO was an 'Under the Sea' themed baby mobile that was unveiled at my Sister in Laws baby shower. I am super excited about my next Secret WIP for the next lil one! I plan on posting the components of the project here as they are completed. I cannot unveil exactly what I am cooking up, since it is a gift, but it will be fun posting lil "glimpses" of the project along the way.

Here is the first glimpse:

What could it be?

The picture is a bit dark, but this is the start of the Amigurumi.

Stay tuned in for further glimpses of my new Secret WIP!!!

Thanks for reading.

Plush Team January Giveaway

Well...it is time for yet another Plush Team giveaway! This month, Inga, of SunnyPlum is hosting the team giveaway with a way too adorable Love Monster named Nibble! Here are the details from the Plush Team blog:




"Nibble stands 5 inches tall. Although a bit short in stature, his/her cuteness is quite potent. Nibble is the perfect gift for your sweetheart, and just in time for Valentine's Day!"

Here are the details on how to enter to own this cutie:

So what do you need to call Nibble your own? Just visit the SunnyPlum shop and then fill out this form.

But Wait! You can earn even more chances to win!

• Become a Plush Team blog follower. If you're a new follower, let us know that you joined when you complete the form. If you're already following us, you can let us know that too and score one extra entry!
• Follow the Plush Team on Facebook and/or Twitter. Again, let us know when you fill out the form if you're a new follower or an old friend and you'll receive one extra entry for each follow.
• Tweet this giveaway. Make sure to give us a link to your tweet when you fill out the form to get one extra entry.  
• Repost the giveaway on Facebook. Make sure to give us a link to your Facebook post when you fill out the form to get one extra entry.
• Blog this giveaway. For an extra TWO entries, tell folks about this giveaway in your blog. Please make sure to use the Lavender's in your post and leave us a link when you fill out the entry form to get your entries.
• Buy something from SunnyPlum or the Plush Team shop during the month of January. Get another FIVE chances to win by making a purchase from SunnyPlum or the Plush Team shop. Don't forget to let us know which new piece of plushie love you're calling your own!

Last day to enter is January 31, 2011 and we'll announce a winner on February 1. GOOD LUCK! 

12 days of Handmade Holiday Giveaways: Day 7 featuring Yarn Harvest!!

So I love to blog about special yarn/craft/crochet/knitting giveaways from others blogs! I think these giveaways are not only a good way to receive AWESOME handmade gifts, but they are also a wonderful outlet to connect with other crafters, and local businesses! So, I was SUPER excited when I came across this giveaway on the blog Think Liz and that the giveaway was from Yarn Harvest. For those who may not know about the company, here is a bit about them:

Yarn Harvest is an eco-friendly yarn company located right here in Austin, TX (my hometown :)) that specializes in taking second-hand sweaters and frogging them, "to make new, affordable, high-quality yarn products." Super awesome right? This eco-friendly company is truly inovative, and is taking green steps for our environment. According to their website,  "Every year, thousands of pounds of sweaters are discarded. Some get donated to charity; the rest end up in landfills across the U.S." Never thought about it, right? I for one am glad that Yarn Harvest has. Here is a mission statement of sorts from their site:

"Here at Yarn Harvest, we pride ourselves on our environmentally friendly status. We're also a pretty creative bunch, and by combining the two, we've found a way that gives those old sweaters a second chance. Through Yarn Harvest yarns — proudly produced in Central Texas — we offer you the chance to turn this yarn into your own, new creations."

So, needless to say I am proud that Yarn Harvest is stationed in my home town, and that Liz of Think Liz, was thoughtful enough to include their product as a giveaway on her blog.

Here are the details of the contest from Think Liz:

"Here are the two beautiful hanks of yarn – itching to be turned into something new!"




Yarn Harvest giveaway yarn

 So here are the details of entering the contest. Make sure you hop on over to Think Liz' blog and do this! I already have ;)

"So how do you enter for Day 7? Three different ways:

1. Leave me a comment and tell me what you would do with this yarn – gift it away, make a scarf, you know, something along those lines.
2. Reblog the giveaway and leave me a separate comment with the link.
3. Subscribe to my blog via RSS Reader or e-mail and leave me another separate comment saying you subscribed (top left corner of the blog) or tell me that you already subscribe.

What are you waiting for? Enter now because this giveaway will end on Monday, December 13th at 10pm. This item will only be shipped to a winner within the US."