Hamster Roll Call

Anna Hrachovec from Mochimochi Land creates the most adorable knit ami patterns! Her first book, Knitting Mochimochi, is filled with wonderful and quirky projects. I recently made a little knit hamster from one of the patterns in the book. As soon as I finished it I wanted to make another! And another...and another...

I could have made 100 but I stopped at 6. They are fast, fun and only require a tiny bit of yarn. I'm sure I will be making more in the very near future.

Hamster roll call!!

Danger, Knit Monster Invasion

I love all Danger Crafts patterns. They are adorable, easy to make and a great way to use up yarn leftover from larger projects.

I made these three monsters for a recent swap. Just as I was finishing them up, I received Danger Crafts new book, The Big Book of Knitted Monsters in the mail! I can't wait to make more little critters soon.

These were all made using Cascade 220 and size 5 needles. The red monster is a free pattern available on Ravelry!

Hooded Dachshund Snuggle Sack for Spoiled Wieners (w/ Tutorial)

If you know me, you know that my dogs are spoiled, especially the doxies. They are expert cuddlers and could be hired by the military to be heat seeking missiles. They love crawling inside shirts so to avoid the scratches and dog drool on my tummy that usually results from this, I made them hooded snuggle sacks for their cuddling pleasure. They LOVE them and have asked that I share this tutorial so that their wiener brethren throughout the world can also enjoy the warmth and security these sacks provide.

First, some gratuitous cuteness...

 

Now, for the tutorial!

Supplies:
aprox 3/4 yard interior (something cozy) + 3/4 yard exterior fabric
thread
pins
cute doxie

Cut your fabric!
2 pieces of interior and 2 pieces of exterior fabric ~11"x20" (bag)
1 piece interior and 1 piece exterior fabric ~ 16" x 8" (hood)

Fold the hood pieces in half, right sides together. With the fold at the top, draw a semi-circle in the upper right and corner. Sew along the curve and down the other side. Repeat for both hood pieces. Trim the excess corner fabric off. 

Pin and sew the right sides of the two sewn hood pieces together. You'll only need to do this on the one side that has no seam. The other, still open side, will be sewn into the sack later.

Turn the hood right side out and topstitch along the edge. Set your hood aside for later.

Pin and sew the right sides of your interior fabric together along the 2 long sides and one short side. Repeat this for the exterior fabric. 

Open up the exterior piece (but leave it inside out) and pin the exterior side of the hood into it. Start by pinning the middle of your hood to the middle of one of the exterior pieces. You can baste this now if that's easier for you.

Turn the interior bag piece right side out and put it inside the bag too. Pin this all the way around. You'll need to kind of pull the interior bag piece past the hood piece.

Now, from outside in, you'll have your exterior piece, your hood and then interior piece all pinned together. Sew around the top leaving a 4" or 5" gap for turning. I found it's easiest to leave the hole in the front where there is no hood piece to worry about.

Turn the whole thing inside out! Pin the opening closed and top stitch around again.

Here's a shot in mid-turn. It looks weird but just keep pulling (gently)!

You're done!

 

Now you just have to find a cute dachshund and shove them in! 

Enjoy!  

Hedgehog Mug Rug

I recently discovered the world of Mug Rugs. They are tiny little quilts used as coasters and snack mats for warm drinks and tasty treats. There are some great examples on flickr!

I fell in love with them instantly and organized a swap on Craftster to trade rugs with my fellow crafty pals!

My partner likes hedgehogs so this is what I came up with for her. The finished size is around 6" x 11" or so.

I will definitely be making more Mug Rugs soon! They are quick, fun and great stash busters!

Sincerely Yours, The Breakfast Club

I had purchased this pattern a while ago and was anxiously awaiting an excuse to make it. I found that excuse with a recent swap partner who shares my love of John Hughes movies.

I always forget how much longer it takes to cross-stitch than it does to embroider but I had fun with it the whole time! I used 14 count Aida and the final piece fit nicely into a 7" hoop.

weelittlestitches shop on Etsy has a few other great patterns that I hope to make soon including Pretty in Pink and Ghostbusters! 

Retro Camera Embroidery

I made this Polaroid camera embroidery hoop for a recent photography loving swap partner. I used this design with a few minor changes.

I tried a new technique for transferring the image that resulted in a few boo-boos that I'm not very pleased with. I traced the design onto very thin tracing paper then pinned that paper to the fabric and basically stitched over the whole thing. The idea was that when I finished, I could just rip the paper away and the stitches would remain secure on the fabric.

Unfortunately it caused some of the stitches to pull loose and also led to wonky lines where I couldn't see what I was doing under the paper, not to mention the fact that fully removing the paper was a giant pain in the a** requiring the tiniest tweezers I own.

Despite the challenges and imperfections, I'm still pleased with how the overall design came out. I think the background fabric worked well with the theme.