Tiny snail

Every Saturday I go to our local market, and I buy lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and other salad goods from a local organic farmer. The food is really good and fresh and my family looks forward to Saturdays when lunch is invariably a fresh crisp salad with tiny new potatoes and cottage cheese.

There is also a fruit seller who only sells fruit in season. The cherries have ended all too soon, but he now has apricots and melons.

Back to the lettuce. When I was washing today's I found the tiniest little snail in it. It is lovely and so tiny, with a transparent body and shell. I just couldn't resist taking its photo to share with you. To get a closer look, click on the photo. Just to give you an idea of its size, it's crawling along one of the apricots!

Japanese goodies

My friend Nobuko has just come back from a holiday in Japan to visit her family and she brought me back the cutest Japanese goodies. Thank you my dear friend!
The box is just delightful and I must say the illustration has already got me planning another amigurumi rabbit. I'm sure I've seen a pattern somewhere that looks like this little bunny. Not only that, but the sweets inside the box are just as cute and very tasty too. They have a soft sponge outside and a moist almond paste centre. Yummy yummy I definitely feel inspired!

Later: I found the pattern I was thinking of. It's here: http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/60480A.html

Claude

Claude
Originally uploaded by aishakenza

Here's my latest creation, by the name of Claude, a sausage-dog rattle with crochet legs and tail.
I got the idea for Claude from the very expensive children's clothes shop near to where I live. It is very chic and sells designer clothes for kids, Baby Dior, etc. But they do sell some cool toys too. The little dog I saw there doesn't have crocheted legs and tail - they're my design, but apart from that it's pretty similar. It was fun to make - I can imagine a whole family of Claudes taking over my home.

Chubby teddy free pattern

Chubby teddies
Originally uploaded by aishakenza

The pattern has been updated. There were some errors, notably on rnd 11 of the head, that I've now corrected. I've also corrected some of the numbers of stitches that were wrong, and I've added an extra row to the ears to make them slightly bigger. I've made a new friend for the chubby teddies, using the same pattern. Please look out for chubby panda - I'll post a pic very soon. Chubby panda's legs are shorter too - please feel free to adapt the pattern as you prefer it.

Here, as promised, is the pattern for the chubby teddies. I made the small one with fine baby yarn and a 3mm hook, and the pink and white one with thicker yarn and a 3.5mm hook.

Now for the official bit:

Please do not sell this pattern. Do not post this pattern to any website, but link directly to my blog. No file sharing of this pattern.

I would also love to see your creations, and please do leave a comment.

Head

Start with a magic ring

rnd 1 - 6 sc into magic ring

rnd 2 - 2 sc in each st around (12 sts)

rnd 3 - [2 sc in next st, 1 sc] rep around (18 sts)

rnd 4 - [2 sc in next st, 2 sc] rep around (24 sts)

rnd 5 - [2 sc in next st, 3 sc] rep around (30 sts)

rnd 6-8 - sc around (30 sts)

rnd 9 - [2 sc in next st] three times, sc in next 12 sts, [2 sc in next st] 3 times, sc in next 12 sts (36 sts)

rnd 10 - sc around (36 sts)

rnd 11 - sc in each of next 3 sts, [2 sc in next st] three times, sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog, [2 sc in next st] three times, sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts, [sc2tog] twice (36 sts)

rnd 12 - sc around (36 sts)

Change to white yarn

rnd 13-15 - sc around (36 sts)

rnd 16 - [1sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog] rep around (30 sts)

rnd 17 - sc around (30 sts)

If you use safety eyes, now is a good time to fix them. You can also now embroider the nose and mouth with black embroidery thread.

rnd 18 - [1sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog] rep around (24 sts)

rnd 19 - sc around (24 sts)

rnd 20 - [1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog] rep around (18 sts)

rnd 21 - [sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts] rep around (13 sts)

Stuff!

rnd 22 - [1 sc in next st, sc2tog] rep around (9 sts)

rnd 23 - [sc2tog] 4 times

Fasten off, leaving a long tail to sew the head to the body

Ears (make 2)

Start with a magic ring

rnd 1 - 6 sc into magic ring

rnd 2 - 2 sc in each st around (12 sts)

rnd 3 - sc around (12 sts)

rnd 4 - [sc2tog], rep to end (6 sts)
rnd 5 - [sc2 tog] twice

Fasten off, leaving a long tail to sew the ears to the head

Body

start with a magic ring

rnd 1 - 6 sc into magic ring

rnd 2 - 2 sc in each st around (12 sts)

rnd 3 - [2 sc in next st, 1 sc] rep around (18 sts)

rnd 4 - [2 sc in next st, 2 sc] rep around (24 sts)

rnd 5 - [2 sc in next st, 3 sc] rep around (30 sts)

rnd 6 - sc around (30 sts)

rnd 7 - [2 sc in next st, 4 sc] rep around (36 sts)

rnd 8 - [2 sc in next st, 5 sc] rep around (42 sts)

rnd 9-12 - sc around (42 sts)

rnd 13 - [1 sc in next 4sts, sc2tog] rep around (35 sts)

rnd 14 - sc around (35 sts)

rnd 15 - [1sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog] rep around (28 sts)

rnd 16-18 - sc around (28 sts)

rnd 19 - [1sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog] rep around (21 sts)

rnd 20 - sc around (21 sts)

Stuff!

rnd 21 - [1sc in next st, sc2tog] rep around (14 sts)

rnd 22 - [sc2tog] to end.

Leave a long tail of yarn, weave it through the remaining stitches, draw up and fasten off.

Arms (make 2)

start with a magic ring

rnd 1 - 6 sc into magic ring

rnd 2 - 2 sc in each st around (12 sts)

rnd 3-7 - sc around (12 sts)

rnd 8 - sc2tog, 1 sc in next 8 sts, sc2tog (10 sts)

rnd 9 - sc around (10 sts)

Stuff!

rnd 10-14 sc around (10 sts) (don't stuff the tops of the arms)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail of yarn to sew the arms to the body.

Legs (make 2)

start with a magic ring

rnd 1 - 6 sc into magic ring

rnd 2 - 2 sc in each st around (12 sts)

rnd 3 - [2 sc in next st, 1 sc] rep around (18 sts)

rnd 4-5 - sc around (18 sts)

rnd 6 - 1 sc in next 2 sts, [sc2tog] twice, 1 sc in next 5 sts, 2sc in next 2 sts, 1 sc in next 5 sts (18 sts)

rnd 7 - 1 sc in next 2 sts, [sc2 tog] twice, 1 sc in each st to end (16 sts)

rnd 8 - same as rnd 7 (14 sts)

rnd 9 - same as rnd 7 (12 sts)

rnd 10-14 - sc around (12 sts) or if you prefer shorter legs, finish at row 12.

Stuff the legs in their whole length.

Fasten off, leaving a long tail of yarn to sew the legs to the body.

Tummy (optional)

Using white yarn.

Start with a magic ring

rnd 1 - 6 sc into magic ring

rnd 2 - 2 sc in each st around (12 sts)

rnd 3 - [2 sc in next st, 1 sc] rep around (18 sts)

rnd 4 - [2 sc in next st, 2 sc] rep around (24 sts)

rnd 5 - [2 sc in next st, 3 sc] rep around (30 sts)

To assemble and finish off:

If you haven't already embroidered the nose and mouth, now is the time to do it.

Stitch each ear closed and then sew to each side of the head.

Stitch each arm top closed and then sew to each side of the body.

Sew the legs to the bottom of the body.

Sew the tummy to the tummy!

Recycling

I have quite a stash of yarn and I must admit I often give in to temptation when I see beautiful yarn reduced in the sales. I recently picked up some orange and yellow yarn and hopefully you'll eventually see what I made with it. At the same shop I bought a new bag of polyester stuffing, but when I got hope I started to think about recycling.

I try to recycle lots of things. The plastic bags that the organic sliced bread we eat comes in are used again and again, I even take paper bags with me when I go shopping to avoid using new ones. I do keep things that "might come in useful" and they often do eventually. Today I bought a beautiful skirt in the sales but it's slightly transparent. I don't own an underskirt, but I had kept an old black viscose skirt whose waistband had gone loose and that had become very thin and soft, but that I couldn't bring myself to throw away. So I cut off the old waistband, and turned a hem in the top of it, thread through a piece of elastic and voilà I have a recycled underskirt!

I also own lots of polyester scarves, some of which are worn out too so I've cut them into small pieces and will be using them as stuffing for a future amigurumi project. I'm sure it's also possible to recycle yarn but I don't have any old jumpers to unthread so I'll make my way through my stash first. Do any of you have further recyling ideas?