The Year 2011 in Crochet Stuff

First of all, Happy New Year everyone! Thank you once again for your continued support :)

Its been a long while...I took a little trip down memory lane. I went to the Internet Archives and found a view of my old blog:
http://web.archive.org/web/20051231102443/http://mycrochetstuff.blogspot.com/

and here's a not so far away flashback:
http://web.archive.org/web/20080512203610/http://mycrochetstuff.blogspot.com/

Hmm...looks like not much has changed in appearance, since I started in 2005. But I did work on a lot of crochet stuff, when life didn't get in the way :p I have a lot more free patterns now, a lot more published patterns and more patterns for sale :)

Here are some statistics:

Blog followers: 304
Likes me on Facebook: 409
Ravelry Designs: 88
Ravelry Projects: 458
Free patterns: 34
Self-published patterns: 83
Printed patterns by Coats Manila Bay: 7
Published pattern in a magazine: 1
Published patterns in a book: 2
Published in Crochet Calendar: 5 yrs.
Total patterns sold on Ravelry since May 2008: xxx
Total patterns sold on Etsy since Nov 2007: xxx
Total blog visits since May 2005: 1,021,728
Total page views is 1,972,841
Blog advertising income received in 2011: $xxx.

Well, there's still a lot of room for improvement; I'm showing the numbers for comparison at the end of 2012. Hopefully I will get rich in 2012...haha!
As this year ends, I'm just thankful that I'm still doing what I love to do, and promise myself to devote more time to my designs and to teaching and sharing crochet whenever the opportunity comes.

Here's another look at my crochet designs and projects in 2011:

Striped Scarf with Knotted Fringe

Summer Shells Scarf
     free pattern

Lacey Shrug project

Crochet-covered button

     free pattern   

Summer Crochet Band  - free pattern

 

Mini Booties Souvenir

     free pattern

     Blooming Flower Motif Shrug

Flower Accent - free pattern

Coin Bracelet
     free pattern

Dachshund Amigurumi

   free pattern 

Puppy Cellphone Charm project

Scottish Terrier Amigurumi projects

Santa Dog Amigurumi projects

Christmas Star Ornament
     free pattern

I couldn't show here yet some designs I finished...hopefully those will be happily introduced in the coming months :)

Christmas Star Ornament - free pattern

Christmas Star Ornament

by Mimi Alelis, copyright 2011

Hang this star on your Christmas tree, or attach it on a present with your gift card.
This is my original design which was first made as a coaster in 2007.   

Materials:

Cotton thread, size 10, light yellow
Cotton thread, (about 3 yds), gold
Crochet hook size 1.5mm

Finished Measurement: Approximately 3 1/2 inches across at widest point

Star

Ch 4, join with sl st to form a ring.

Rnd 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 14 dc in ring, join with sl st to beginning ch 3. (15 dc)

Rnd 2: Ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each dc around, join. (30 dc)

Rnd 3: Ch 4 (counts as dc and ch 1), dc in same st, *skip 1 dc, (dc, ch 1, dc) in next dc, repeat from * around, join. (45 dc)

Rnd 4: Ch 3, 3 dc in ch-1 space, * dc in next two dc, 3 dc in ch-1 space, repeat from * around, dc on last dc, join. (75 dc)

Rnd 5: * Ch 1, skip two sts, sc in next st, 2 sc in next, hdc in next, 2 dc in next, dc and tr in next, tr and dc in next, 2 dc in next, hdc in next, 2 sc in next, sc in next, ch 1, skip 2 sts, sl st in next st, repeat from * around.

Rnd 6: Ch 1, * sc in each of the next 3 sc, hdc in next st, 2 dc in next st, dc and tr in next, tr in next two sts, ch 2, tr in next two sts, tr and dc in next, 2 dc in next, hdc in next, sc in next 3 sts, sl st on sl st of previous rnd, repeat from * around. Fasten off light yellow. Attach gold thread in same st.

Rnd 7: With gold thread, * sl st in each of the 10 sts up one point, (2 sc, ch 2, 2 sc) in ch-2 space, sl st across each of the 10 sts down the point, sl st in between points, repeat from * around. Fasten off and weave in ends. Dampen and iron to shape. Attach thread for hanging on ch-2 sp at the tip.

Christmas Star Ornament

pattern and photos are original and copyrighted by 

Mimi Alelis

Quick and easy to crochet...

I've always wanted to do projects using the special yarns from crochet buddies from around the world. However I don't have enough time yet as of now to come up with projects that would make the most of the yarns. I could work on it one at a time though, being careful not to waste it on experiments and mistakes. So here's one that I came up with using Bheng's coin purse pattern. Its quick, easy, and turned out cute! The yarn is probably suede/chenille, and it came from Ulla in Sweden a few years ago.

More details here in my project page.

Meanwhile, I've been procrastinating a bit on projects and submissions that I needed to work on. Its the holiday rush that gets in the way :p

So while waiting for inspiration, I decided to work on a Christmas project. I hope you like it!

...pattern coming up next ;) 

Another dog ami and some more FOs...

Now I can show you another dog amigurumi that I recently made...This one's for Tina, whose dog Jetta inspired its creation :)
Actually, I used my basic pattern for a mini dog ami. The head and muzzle are the same as the  Dachshund ami, and the ears are the same as Molly ami. The body and paws are all the same, except for the color.
Btw, I used an inventive technique to add the white fur on the chest. I'll explain on my next post what I did, if anyone's interested...
Meanwhile, I'd like to share a couple more projects. I really haven't been crocheting much lately...but these ones came up instantly.
I saw a hibernating project, I forgot what I was attempting to make. There were three strands: 2 of crochet cotton thread, and 1 of a fine yarn with nubbs (unlabled, but looks like a natural fiber too). I thought it would make a nice chain necklace, and save me the trouble of having to sort it out again in my stash :p
It makes a simple accessory to match a low neckline top, also something light and cosy to wear.

The reason I went through my stash again, is to look for acrylic yarns to make hats to donate upon Judy's request. Since she asked for bright and colorful, these caps for kids are as colorful as I can manage, based on the available yarns that I had ;)

Random Pics

I've finished the first part of the dress...Its coming along nicely as the one I made for myself a long while back...(For more details you can see this project in my other blog, Crocheting with Cannon threads.)

I'll be working on this for the next few days...

Meanwhile, here's another picture of my baby dog amis...in case you missed it ;)

You'd have to be quite imaginative to see the likeness of the amis with the real-life counterparts ;) But aren't they cute?

Here's a recent picture of Max:

He usually takes up his paw for me to hold whenever I visit him :)

Crocheting one row at a time...

Its been more than a week...I almost forgot to blog! I'm doing a custom order for a dress, slowly finishing one row at a time, I already finished one ball of thread...and have 6 more to go!
Other than that, there's a bit of a commotion going on at home and the little luxuries that I normally had are now getting rare : (  I already mentioned I lost my computer, now my brother can't repair it yet since he's getting the house repaired. Aside from the electrical problem, the house got infested with termites - his room is on the 2nd floor and when they ripped the ceiling below, the damage was uncovered!
It looked like this (though I got this pic from a website):

Anyways, I sort of manage using my son's computer at the attic, when he's in the office. But what disables me more now is I don't have a car! My old car needs repair (again), and I don't know if it can even make it to the repair shop...

Back to crocheting, I haven't decided on what to design next...I've been playing around with dog amis, just for fun. I might not continue on writing the pattern for the English Bulldog or the Scottish Terrier, since I can easily get back to both of it, having had finished the Dachshund amigurumi pattern. I realize only a few would appreciate having the pattern, but the effort is worth it - I like it a lot myself :)
And in keeping with the holiday season, and as suggested by my friend Tina, I've made a Santa hat and scarf for the Dachshund ami. Here it is:

 The same hat and scarf can also be worn by  my Bulldog ami  :-)

Still crocheting dog amis...

Am now working on another sample of the English Bulldog amigurumi. I got some acrylic yarn in my stash that's bulkier...the Familia yarn, which isn't available here anymore, so I need to make another sample using  yarn that's available. I haven't found the right shade though. Here's what I made so far:

Was turning out fine, until I sewed in some wrinkles...and it looked a bit scary, haha!

Here's the first sample I made beside the first dachshund ami, both were made using 3 strands of cotton thread...

Meanwhile, if you're interested in the Dachshund Amigurumi, the pattern is now available here on Ravelry.

Btw, while looking at who favorited this pattern, I saw this real-life dachshund puppy in someone's ravatar:

Made me happy to know she liked the ami version as well :)

Eenie, Meenie, Miney...Molly!

Now there are two Molly amis! One for Vik and one for me :))

Look here, the two of them are sitting on my hand

hihihi...I had fun making them and taking pictures!!

(Psst...I'm working on a technique for making "fur" with ordinary acrylic yarn, and you may notice not all parts have fur :p. Also, the two have slightly different pair of beads for the eyes, which makes  them more interesting. I'll tell you more about the crochet design and techniques that I used to make these, later...)

Meanwhile, here's what Molly thinks about her look-a-likes!

She's so sweet and adorable!
Thank you Molly and Vik for the inspiration :)))

Crocheting in Black

One thing we consider in picking colors to crochet is that we can easily work with it. I like working with light colors, work goes faster though sometimes its boring. Black would be the most difficult color since we can hardly see the stitches, but oftentimes its worth the trouble. Black is a very nice color for accessories, and for lacy tops and dresses.

Sometimes black is the only choice, as in this amigurumi Scottish Terrier dog, Molly.

Molly requested an amigurumi look-a-like, so she had to be all black ;) I'll tell you more about her later :)

Meanwhile, here's a free crochet pattern I came up with at the spur of the moment...a halloween accessory that also had to be black. If you crochet, with some leftover black thread you can give this free pattern a try:

Pretty Puppy Cellphone Charm ;)

Here's what I made yesterday :) 

I've been hooked on the amigurumi Dachshund that I designed. But this time I used one strand of 4-ply cotton thread and size 3mm hook. You can see in the photo the yarn I used and just a small amount of yarn was needed. Given the same pattern, it is really more difficult to make a smaller item. But if you haven't noticed yet, I do have a fondness for miniatures ;) (My collection of crocheted mini projects can be seen here.)

Anyway, for the latest on my Amigurumi Dachshund pattern, please follow my other blog Crocheting with Cannon Threads.

And to brighten up our day, here's a close-up of the Pretty Puppy cellphone charm :)