How to ~ Crochet a Hand Towel Ring Holder

Materials List:

~  Wool {I used left over scraps - I think it was 4 ply}

~  4.5mm/5mm hook

~  Needle for sewing in ends

Gauge:  N/A   Hook & yarn chart if you are not sure what to use, or if you wish to make a smaller/large holder.

Abbreviations:  

ch – chain
st - stitch
sk - skip
sc - single crochet
dc – double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
mc - magic circle
* – repeat

The Pattern:

Using two strands of wool at once to make your sts thicker, create a large magic circle loop.

Ch 2, dc 38 sts around mc.  Sl st to join and start the 'top' of the holder.

The aim is to create a triangle shape:  Sc 7 sts across the top of your dc.

Reverse.  Sk 1st sc, and sc 5 across the top.

Reverse.  Sk 1st sc, and sc 3 across the top.

Chain 8, and sl st to the other side of the triangle to form the hanging loop.   To re-enforce the loop you can sc across it.  Sl st to join back into the main piece.

{Optional} Picot Edging:

To do a picot edging ~

Ch 3 and sl st into the same st.  Sc 1, ch3 and sl st into same st* all the way around until you reach the other side of the hanging loop.

Sew in ends and hang your towel up!    (✿◠‿◠)ﾉ

Ta Da!

xox,
bonita

How to ~ Crochet a 1940’s Snood

For some time now I’ve been eyeing off various gorgeous hairstyles around the place that have involved lovely snoods, but I have hemed and hawed about purchasing one for myself.  Why, the ease alone of popping one on and waltzing out the door for the day is very tempting for a busy vintage mother.  The only problem ~ $16.00 or more seemed like a lot to spend on one snood….

And that was the local ones!  Overseas shipping cost a lot more.   I decided to whip out my Google fingers and see what I could turn up, and et voila!  I present to you the “Perky Snood” pattern.   A vintage 1940’s crochet snood pattern for a medium sized snood. 

~ *  Please click on the photo to download the full pattern  * ~

The pattern is very simple, but calls for a long treble crochet stitch which is rather old fashioned and not used that often these days.  Here are the instructions on how to do it:

Long Treble Crochet (long tr.) -  YO 3 times before inserting the hook into the work, YO and draw through 2 loops on the hook 4 times.

Decreasing Long Treble Crochet (dec. long tr.) - YO 3 times, insert hook in next long tr. and YO. Take off  2 loops 3 times in succession, leaving 2 loops on the hook. YO 3 times, insert hook in work (6 loops on hook), YO, take off 2 loops, 3 times in succession, YO and take off 3 loops at once.

Yarn Over -  YO

Now, I have to warn you that although I found this pattern easy to get the hang of in terms of stitches, it doesn’t seem to be easy to put together the right sized hook and yarn ply to get a large enough snood.  I actually repeated this pattern three times before I finally turned out a snood that was large enough to wear!

So I’ll give you my notes so that you don’t make the same mistakes that I did. 

~ *  Second snood on the left compared with the third snood on the right.  The first one was even smaller, can you believe!  More like a bun net than anything else…  * ~

First I tried using a small 1.50mm hook like I thought the pattern called for, and the yarn to match.  That turned out all wrong ~ it was far too small.  So was the next one, with a larger 4.00mm hook and the yarn to match.  I looked like I was wearing a lunch lady’s hair net rather than a snood!  So then I went back to my original yarn, which was actually 2 ply cotton, with the 4.00mm hook and somehow that worked.

I still think that the pattern ended up a little shorter than what I would have preferred, but in this case that’s ok, because my hair is quite short at the moment and won’t really suit anything longer.  If you want a longer snood, simply add more rows in the middle before you start your decreases and you will be all set!

Last, but not least ~ here’s the finished results in action. 

 

Remember to swatch your work, as the gauge is crucial, and enjoy your snood making ladies!

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~ Pictures are from this outfit post ~  Wet & Windy Spring Days

Link Love ~ 2 ply, 4 ply, Why ply??

I found this post from the Purl bee extremely helpful in understanding why the heck all 4 ply yarns aren’t created equally.  So, for my fellow yarnites {nerds of the hook and needle variety!} who find this kind of thing fascinating, please hop on over for the full run down on all things ply.

2-ply, 4-ply, Why Ply?



Simply put, ply is a measurement we use for yarn, like inches, yards, and meters. Unlike these other units of measurement, however, ply has no standard size.   All of the yarns pictured above are made of a single strand of fiber.  As you can see, they are all very different.  An inch is always an inch, but one ply? That's another story.

There are several factors that determine the character of a single ply of yarn: the fiber, the spinner, and the tension…

xox,

bonita

Some awesome tech that I ♥

I have a few websites & iPhone apps that I wanted to share & review with you today.  I having been loving these ever since I found them and I think that they are just too good to keep to myself, so here you are!

Instragram

Okay, so a lot of bloggers already know about this free app for the iPhone, but I want to share it anyway just in case. 

Instagram is a great app for anyone who loves to capture an instant photo, and with the added advantage of a polaroid type picture, it produces some pretty cool snaps.  It’s simple and easy to use, so this app is superb for everybody! 

The thing that I personally like the most about Instagram is that it forces you to work with limited lens and capture technology.  It’s a challenge to get a good picture, but once you do, you can make it look pretty spiffy with the tilt shift function and the awesome range of filters.  I like that I can grab a shot when I see it, and still have to rise to the challenge to put the shot together in a way that looks good.  I think that this is great app for furthering my photography skills and technique so that’s why I am loving it!*

Verdict:

4.5 /5  ~  could be faster to load up into the camera view, other than that, fantastic.

Extragram

And if you are taking all these gorgeous photos how are you going to share them?  Why, with the Extragram website of course!  You can share your photos and follow other people, and much like Twitter, receive the feed of the people you are following on you iPhone.  Sweetness!   There are some great pictures out there and it is really inspiring to see what you can do with a simple phone camera.

Ravelry

Okay, now I heading off in another direction and into another hobby of mine; knitting and crochet.  If you are a knitter or crocheter { or both; like me! } and you’ve looked up patterns on the internet, Ravelry might be old news to you.  However, I only just discovered it recently and I am impressed! 

It provides a nifty way of not only finding patterns, but also storing them, keeping track of your UFOs { Un~Finished Objects! }, your yarn stash, and, of course, the successful projects that you have finished and want to gloat over.   I like that I can put up photographs of my projects and keep them all organized ~ so again, loving this site. 

2Do

Speaking of organization, I have to mention 2Do.  It’s an iPhone app, so it’s limited in availability, and you also have to pay a $7.49AUD fee for it{ it’s gone up since I bought it{ !! }but if you consider how much you pay for an organizer, it’s still worth it and you never have to throw it out or buy new pages }.  If you are wanting something to help you stay on top of things however, and you happen to have an iPhone, I can really recommend this app. 

Usually { as you probably know } I am a traditionalist.  Give me good old paper over tech any time!  But the thing is, I can only fit so much in my tiny vintage handbags and using this app helps me to loose an address book, a to-do list, shopping lists, a social calendar, a blogging calendar, an art & craft ideas notebook, etc ~ basically the brick of paper that is a Filofax/organizer!

I like that I can bundle most of my life into my phone and I am good to go!  Okay, so I still keep a separate journal, but between 2Do and Instagram I am pretty much set.  I have slimmed down the contents of my purse, and as a bonus, feel a lot less “scattered” with all my bits and bobs in one place.  Yay!   > ω <   ~  ♥

Verdict:

5/5  ~  You know what?  No complaints from me.  I was trying to think of a downer, but there just isn’t one.  All in all it’s a really great app!

What apps/websites do you use to help keep you organized?  Are there any that you just love?

xox,

bonita

*All the pictures were taken with Instagram.  Theodore makes the best subject!  ^  U  ^  ~  ♥ ♥ ♥

How to ~ Crochet a flower hair accessory

This is a simple tutorial on how to crochet a flower hair clip like the one above.  You might have noticed me wearing it in my hair in this outfit post:  Happy Feet ~ Outfit Thirty Eight.  Actually, it was pretty hard to miss being the subject of one whole photo all by itself!!!  *side eye*  Anyway, now you can make one just like it for yourself.  ^ w ^

I do not have my usual step by step photos as it mostly about following the pattern, so if you have any questions; please do not hesitate to ask .  : )

Materials List:

~  Wool  in two different colours {I used 2 ply cotton yarn in ivory & pink}
~  Crochet hook in the appropriate size for the ply of your wool 
~  Hair clip finding {I used a mini millinery barrette as the clip}
~  Needle for sewing the flower to the finding

Gauge:

I used a 1.75mm hook with my yarn.  For your standard 3-4 ply wool, a 2.00 - 3.25mm hook is recommended.  Hook & yarn chart.

Abbreviations:

ch – chain
sk – skip
sc - single crochet
dc – double crochet
sl st - slip stitch
* – repeat

The Pattern: 

~  Flower Centre  ~

Ch 21.
Row 1: *Dc, ch1, dc* in fifth ch from hook. *Ch1, sk1. Dc, ch 1, dc in next stitch* till the end (repeat 8 times).  You should end up with 9 double crochet V’s.  Ch 3 and turn.
Row 2: In first ch1 space between the double crochet V’s, dc 4 times. *Sl st in next ch1 space between the double crochet V’s. Dc 5 times* till the end (repeat 9 times).  Sl st in last stitch in row.

Step 1:  Fasten off and leave long tail for sewing. With the tail on the right side, roll the flower inwards (clockwise motion), placing the petals how you would like and sewing to hold it in place.

~  Flower Petals  ~

Ch 48
Row 1:  Sk 1 ch, sc in next ch and across, ch 3, turn
Row 2: *Sk 1 sc, 2 dc in next sc, sk next sc, 1 dc in next sc, continue from * across, ch 3 turn
Row 3: *2 dc, ch1, 2 dc in space between 2 dc, dc in next dc, continue from * across, ch 3 turn
Row 4: *3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in ch space, dc in next dc, continue from * across, ch 3 turn
Row 5: *8 dc in ch space, dc in next dc, continue from * across – finish off with sl st leaving a long tail to sew the clip on.

Step 2:  Take flower centre and roll the outside petals around it, sewing the petals in place with the rest of the flower centre’s tail.

Step 3:  Using the flower petals’ long tail sew the hair clip finding onto the back of the flower. 

Step 4:   Wear and enjoy your crochet flower hair clip.  ^ U ^

xox,

bonita

Day 22 of 30… It’s a long road.

I thought I would do an update on how I am going with the 30 Days of Creativity challenge. 

So far it’s been pretty fun. I have gotten some projects done that I have been wanting to do for a while and I have also done a few things that I haven’t been planning/that were not on my list.

Yes, being the chronic list maker that I am, I made a list of thirty {Well, really twenty~nine, as the last one sort of does not count.  You’ll see what I mean in a moment.} things that I could do for the 30 Days. 

I think that there are a lot of fun things to do and I have only written down a few ideas.  I do not think that I will actually get to do everything as I have only crossed off a few things and I have repeated a few others, but that’s okay.  So far it has been really cool to participate in this challenge ~ it is my first time to be involved in anything like it, and I am really enjoying it!

Here are some pictures of finished projects:

~* ♥ * ~  Amigurumi Bunny Broach  ~* ♥ * ~

~* ♥ * ~  Crocheted rainbow baby mittens for Theodore  ~* ♥ * ~

~* ♥ * ~   Weekly manicure and nail deco: Mode Cosmetics Polish in Runway  ~* ♥ * ~

xox,

bonita

P.S.  ~  If you want to see all of my 30 Days of Creativity projects I have pictures up on Pinterest.  You can find them here.

How to ~ An Amigurumi Cat Key Chain Fob Pattern

Key Chain Fob Bear/Cat

Materials List

1.  Crochet Hook size of 2.5 mm  {I used a 1.75 mm hook with 2 ply cotton thread}
2.  Acrylic Yarn 4 ply - 1 skein
3.  1 pair of black beads as for eyes
4.  Fibrefill or polyester to stuff the head
5.  Black thread for embroidering the mouth
6.  Jump ring and chain to hang the bear/cat off

Finished Size

Approximately 2 inches wide

Gauge

Recommended: Crochet hook size 2.5 mm. with 4 ply yarn

Abbreviations

ch - chain
sc - single crochet
hdc – half double crochet
dc – double crochet
tr – treble crochet
dec - decrease
sl st - slip stitch
sts - stiches

~ * ♥ * ~

The Pattern

HEAD – Make one

ROW 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in second chain from hook (Magic Ring) (6 sts)

ROW 2: 2 sc, in each sc around (12 sts)

ROW 3: 1 sc, 2 sc in next sc , repeat 6 times (18 sts)

ROW 4: 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat 6 times (24 sts)

ROW 5: 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat 6 times (30 sts)

ROW 6: 4 sc, 2 sc in next sc, repeat 6 times (36 sts)

ROW 7-11: (sc 36 sts)

ROW 12: 10 sc, dec 1 , repeat 3 times (33 sts)

ROW 13: 9 sc, dec 1 , repeat 3 times (30 sts)

ROW 14: sc (30 sts)

ROW 15: 3 sc, dec 1, repeat 6 times (24 sts)

ROW 16: sc (24 sts)

ROW 17: 2 sc, dec 1 , repeat 6 times (18 sts)

ROW 18: 1 sc, dec1 , repeat 8 times, (10 sts) sl st in next sc

Weave in loose end of yarn, stuff head with stuffing, pull yarn tight to close hole, bind off and tuck in the remaining tail

~ * ♥ * ~

BEAR EARS – Make two

ROW 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in second chain from hook (6 sts)

ROW 2: 2 sc, in each sc around (12 sts)

ROW 3-4: sc (12 sts), sl st in next sc, bind off and leaving long tail for sewing with body.

~ * ♥ * ~

CAT EARS - Make two

ROW 1: Ch4

ROW 2: sc in first sc, hdc, dc, tr in next sc, dc, hdc in next sc

ROW 3: 2 sc into next sc, repeat 3 times (6 sts) 2 hdc, 2 dc, tr, 2 dc, 2 hdc, 1 sc, sl st into next sc, bind off, leaving a long tail for sewing to the head.

 ~ * ♥ * ~

Instructions for Finishing Off

Step 1:  Sew ears to the top of the head

Step 2:  Embroider mouth on ~ you can use embroidery thread or yarn.  I used some 2 ply cotton thread in black

Step 3:  Sew or glue eyes in place

Step 4:  Using the tail left from where you start crocheting the head sew the jump ring to the top of the head and attach chain

Step 5:   Enjoy your new key critter!!

~ * ♥ * ~

Credit for this pattern and the inspiration I drew from it to create a variation goes to Nikii who posted her pattern on http://crochetme.com.  Original bear pattern HERE.

I have a bunch of helpful crochet tutorials here if you would like to know about some of the stitches.  I also have a very handy abbreviations guide and stitch instruction guide in my Beginner’s Tutorial for Amigurumi & Crochet if you would like to print it out.

I hope you enjoy making your own bear or kitty to keep your keys company, and as always I’d love to see them if you make one!  Send me a picture at bonita@bdotdepictions.com and I’ll post it on my blog. 

xox,

bonita

How to ~ A Beginner’s Tutorial for Amigurumi & Crochet

Hi everyone,

I thought that as I had a few tutorials already on crochet stitches, and also a crochet project coming up that I want to share with you, that I would put together a guide of the resources that I used to start doing crochet and amigurumi. 

If you have been following my blog for a long time, you might find that some of this information is a repeat of what you have already read, so I apologise if this post is slightly boring!   I still hope that you find it useful though, and maybe you will be inspired to take up crochet and make amigurumi or something else with your new skill.  ^ U ^

What are amigurumi? ~ A helpful description from Holly of Berrysprite

Amigurumi  ~  (pronounced ah-me-goo-roo-me) is a craft from Japan that makes an excellent hobby or passion; you should be forewarned that making amigurumi is very addicting. Luckily, it is a relatively inexpensive craft that does not take much time to complete. In recent years, amigurumi have become increasingly popular and trendy, due to the handmade revolution.  {…}

Amigurumi utilizes crocheting in-the-round, meaning stitches are worked in a circle/spiral (and not joined) to build shapes. The result of crocheting in the round is sculptural yarn pieces that can then be stuffed, joined and embellished to form dolls. Most amigurumi utilize only a few basic concepts of crochet, and most use only the single crochet stitch (sc): increasing, decreasing, and slip stitch, are also vital things to know how to do before starting to crochet.

Although there are many different styles (usually influenced by the individual preferences of the crafter), amigurumi are usually characterized by their large heads and small limbs in proportion to their bodies. These seemingly bizarre proportions often give amigurumi a kawaii (“cute” in Japanese) appearance, and are a distinctive feature that is common to Japanese illustrations and amigurumi designs. Although there are so many inspirations for amigurumi, the most common themes that appear are animals/creatures, people, and food…

~* ♥ * ~   Read More   ~* ♥ *~

Crochet ~ A guide to the abbreviations & Tutorials on the basic stitches.

I have complied a pdf guide on the different crochet abbreviations and a how~to on the stitches to carry around with my crochet.  I find this guide very helpful if I come across a new term I don’t understand, or if I forget how to do a stitch and want to check that I get it right {this happens a lot…  > . >; }.

Download Crochet Abbreviations and Stitches:

If you someone who prefers to watch something rather than read about it, here are a few basic stitch tutorials that you can use.   Bear in mind that amigurumi doesn’t use most of the crochet stitches so it is a really easy beginner project! 

How to do a Magic Circle

The magic circle is an easy, alternative way to starting an amigurumi project.  It is the alternative to crocheting a chain of stitches and joining them together by crocheting back into the end of the chain.

If the amigurumi pattern calls for a chain of 6 stitches to start with, you would do 6 stitches on your magic circle and visa versa if you wanted to start with the chain and not a magic circle.

How to do a crochet chain

If you do not want to do a magic circle, you use a chain instead, as explained above.  You also use chains for other things in amigurumi, so it is a good idea to know how to do a crochet chain.

The basic crochet stitch ~ single crochet

The single crochet stitch is the most basic crochet stitch.   All other crochet stitches are a variation of this stitch and are also relatively easy to learn.

Most amigurumi patterns only use the single crochet stitch, so if it is amigurumi you want to do, you don’t need to learn any other stitch!

Increasing your crochet

Because amigurumi is worked in “rounds” ~ i.e., you crochet in a circular manner, each row building on the last, that means that to make a shape you need to increase or decrease the number of stitches in a row.  

Decreasing your crochet

So to make a ball shape, you start increasing your stitches until you have the diameter you desire, and then you decrease back down again.   Once the crochet is stuffed, you will then have the ball.

This ball can be a head, or a body; it all depends on the pattern.  You can also do more complicated shapes simply by increasing and decreasing, like a cone or a pear shape.  The pattern will tell you what to do to achieve the right shape.

How to slip stitch ~ another basic crochet stitch

 

To finish off your amigurumi, there is often a slip stitch to end the pattern, so you will need to used this stitch as well.   Now you are ready to crochet your own amigurumi!

Your First Amigurumi Project  ~ A Strawberry!

Pattern curtsey of Leanne Fairweather; lyra1 ~ posted on Crochet Me

 

Materials List:

• 4 ply Red Yarn
• 4 or 3 ply yarn in green
• 4.0mm/US G6 hook
• beads for eyes (optional)
• black thread (optional)
• sewing or tapestry needle (optional)
• tiny amount black wool(optional)
• polyester fiberfill or stuffing of choice - smelly stuff, catnip, beans, natural fibers etc.

Finished Size:

Approximately  5cm / 2" without stalk, about 6cm/ 2.5" with stalk straight up

Notes:

The body is worked in continuous rounds, so place a marker in the first stitch of each row throughout to help you keep track of what round you are up to.

Abbreviations:

Ch  = chain
Rnd  = Round; sometime called Row
sc  = single crochet
sl st  = slip stitch
st  =  stitch
*  =  repeat until you have the right number of stitches

The Pattern:

Body (in Red):

Rnd 1:   Ch 2, work 6 sc in ring (6) or make a magic circle with 6 sts

Rnd 2:   2 sc in next sc, * (12)

Rnd 3:   *2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc* throughout (18)

Rnd 4-6:   1 sc in each st around (18)

Rnd 7:   *sc 2tog, 1 sc in each of next 2 sc* throughout (13)

Rnd 8:   sc in each st around (13)

You may want to start stuffing here. 

Bonita’s Note:  You can leave the stuffing until the body is finished,  just don’t forget to stuff before you sew the top up.

Rnd 9:  same as Rnd 7, continue to do this until you have only 6 sc left, ending with the last sc, 2 together (so once you sc 2 together and there is 6 stitches left total).

Continue stuffing.

Next Rnd:  work 1 sc, sc 2 together, fasten off leaving a tail for sewing.

Make sure you have desired amount of stuffing, flatten edges of remaining stitches at the top and sew together. Weave in end.

Leaves and stalk (green):

Ch 4, sl st in 2nd 3rd and 4th ch from hook.

Rnd 1:  In same 4th ch, work 6 sc, join with a sl st to 1st sc.

Rnd 2:  *Ch 3, sc in 2nd and 3rd ch from hook, sl st in next sc of 6-sc ring* around, making six leaves, join with sl st to beginning leaf. Fasten off with long tail for sewing onto body.

Stick your crochet hook through the middle ring and pull the stalk through if you would like it to be right side facing up (strawberries in picture are).

Finishing:

Step 1:  Sew or glue eyes onto body (can be beads like my berries shown or knots in wool etc) , create mouth with either thread or yarn.

Step 2:  Sew leaves and stalk onto the top of the strawberry, varying angles will create different personalities.

Step 3:  You’re done!  You can attach a keychain, ribbon, magnet, string, anything.  One of my friends even suggested filling it with smelly stuff instead of polyester and using it as a car air freshener!

And if you don’t want to do a strawberry ~ how about an acorn in its cup instead?  These cuties are another super easy beginner's pattern to do.   Find the pattern HERE.

 

Free Amigurumi Pattern Websites

Berrysprite  ~  Cute and easy amigurumi tutorials; I did the takochu tutorial for my very first amigurumi ever.  And I enjoyed it so much I made four more and now have a family of takochu sitting on my desk!

Crochet Me  ~  A huge resource of crochet patterns contributed by

Crochet Pattern Central  ~  An amazing resource of crochet patterns ~ some are amigurumi; some are not; but I am sure you will find something cute to make on this site!

Free Amigurumi Patterns  ~  I love this blog; there are so many cute patterns just waiting to be made up! 

Squidoo  ~  Some of these patterns in this link are knitted and some are not technically amigurumi {so they are not worked in rounds} but there are a bunch of patterns for you to browse through and decided if you want to make them up.

Wolfdreamer  ~  These patterns are harder to do and require more than your basic single crochet stitch.  There are some easy ones to try though, so they are worth looking out for.  Otherwise, you might want to save these patterns for later.  Any Mario and Pokémon fans will love this site!

~ * ♥ * ~

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and if you do make anything please show me!  I would love to see your finished pieces.   > ω < 

xox,

bonita

How to ~ Crochet your own amigurumi strawberry charm

Greetings one and all!  I hope your week has been good so far.  Mine has been good and filled to the brim with cute things.  I thought I would share one of them with you in my third tutorial.  {You can find the other two tutorials by clicking on the “tutorial” category at the bottom of this post or in the label  cloud on the left hand side of this blog}.

Note:  When writing this tutorial I actually figured out that it is pretty advanced ~ you have to be a serious crafter to tackle this one I think, because it is quite tricky.  Although the techniques are easy, the process of putting them all together maybe daunting for a beginner DYI or crocheter.

I have put in some beginner crochet tutorial videos, so that if anyone would just like to learn those methods and leave it at that ~ you can do that too.

I hope that everyone, no matter your previous knowledge, will get something out of this. 

Firstly, gather your materials ~

You will need:

~  Green felt at least 1 inch square

~  2 ply red yarn/cotton wool  or to make a large one 4 ply red yarn/cotton wool

~  1.75mm crochet hook  or  2.50mm hook

~  Black flat back pearls or safety eyes 4mm in diameter or chosen size

~  Green thread,  white thread and a needle

~  Scissors and super glue

~  Acrylic stuffing ~ a ball the size of your thumb! 

Have you guess what we are making yet?    Tada!! 

      

Cute as a button and smaller than said article strawberry amigurumi charms to hang off your phone, keys, handbag, etc.

If you do not know how to crochet, please do not worry.  I have posted some excellent instructions below on the stitch that you will need.  That’s right, ONE stitch.  And it is the most basic crochet stitch.  It does not get much simpler than this.  There are three techniques used in combination with the one stitch to make this little guy, but they are really easy to learn too.

If you already know how to crochet, skip this part and the bit that has the abbreviations and go straight on.

Crochet things you will need to know:

~  Single crochet stitch

~  The magic loop/circle technique

~  Decreasing and increasing techniques

~  Crochet abbreviations

Starting with the magic loop ~ do not worry if you can not see what the instructor does at first because they play it back in slow motion.

How to do a single crochet stitch.    Abbreviation:   single crochet  =  SC

Next ~ how to increase.  The pattern will say something like 2 sc into 1 stitch.    Abbreviation:  stitch  = st

And lastly ~ how to decrease.  The instructions in the pattern for decrease will simply say decrease 1, sc 1, decrease 1, etc.   Abbreviation:  decrease  = dec. 

Crochet Abbreviations Used in this Pattern:

stitch  =  st

single crochet  =  sc

decrease  =  dec

*  =  repeat

x 3  =  three times, etc. 

♥  ~ Strawberry amigurumi pattern ~ ♥

Step 1:   Make a magic loop with four sc st.

Step 2:  sc 1, 2 sc into 1 st, sc 1, 2 sc into 1 st, sc 1, * x  3, or until you have 16 st in total

Step 3:  sc around {16 st}, * x 1   

Note:  If you have safety eyes, now is the time to put them one.  We are working from the bottom of the amigurumi to the top, so do not forget to take that into account.

Step 4:  Dec 1, sc 2,    *  until you have 12 st

Step 5:  Dec 1, sc 1, * until you have 6 st

Step 6:  Dec 1 until you have 4 st

Step 7:  Without wrapping any yarn around the crochet hook pull the first loop on your crochet hook through the second one {this is a slip stitch}.    Cut your working yarn into a long tail, thread it through the single loop and pull tight. 

Step 8:  Take the tail and thread your needle with it.  Now push the needle through the closest crochet stitch and back through the next, effectively weaving the tail around the tiny hole left.  Once you have woven it through five stitches it is time to stuff.

Step 9:  Take your stuffing and stuff your amigurumi!  You will probably need to use a thin stick to help with this ~ a bamboo skewer or the end of your crochet hook.

Step 10:  Yank that tail hard to close the hole {as small as it is we still want it closed}.  Now with the needle thread the tail through the top of the amigurumi and back through the bottom.  Leave only a tiny bit of the end to poke through the bottom as the rest will make the loop to hang your strawberry from.  Tie a knot then poke the remainder of the tail in.

Step 11:  Cut three leaves out of your green felt and attach them to the top of the strawberry around the base of the loop with your green thread.

Step 12:  Glue the eyes on.   {If you have safety eye skip this step}

Step 13:  Thread your needle with the white thread and sew little seeds all over the amigurumi by stitching a few stitches close together for each seed.

Step 14:  Enjoy your strawberry amigurumi!!!  ^w^

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I hope this tutorial was easy to understand.  If you have any question or problems please let me know.  I am thinking about doing a video, so if you do want to see that let me know and I’ll do a Crochet your own strawberry amigurumi charm Part II in video!

xox,

bonita