Travels: Cambodia

Its been almost 2 years since I visited Cambodia, but I didn’t feel like I could avoid writing about this beautiful country seeing it has an influence on my creative work! So today I wanted to share with you a brief recount of my trip there and why it holds (excuse the lack of a better phrase!) a place in my heart.

I visited Cambodia in 2014 as a guest of the relief and development organisation Samaritan’s Purse.

I got to see the hustle and bustle of the capital Phnom Penh…

As well as the impressive temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap.

My favourite parts of my trip though were meeting the local people and seeing how a variety of Samaritan’s Purse’s projects impacted their lives.

Some of these projects included water sanitation (this was a water pump created from easily replaceable parts)…

…teaching locals how to create income from farming chickens, pigs and fish (these fish were caught and cooked for our tour group)…

… and replacing worn classrooms with brand new buildings.

These projects all stemmed from a relationship that Samaritan’s Purse had initially built through their ‘Operation Christmas Child’ Project (the project I had primarily come to see).

Operation Christmas Child is a project in which shoe boxes are packed (by people like you and me!) with toys, stationery, clothes and sanitary products for children in developing countries.

Prior to my trip to Cambodia I had packed many of these boxes with my church, hoping (like many other people who pack these boxes) that the children receiving them would know that they are loved. I never thought that I would actually get to hand these boxes to children myself and see their reactions. The experience was extraordinary.

We were able to hand out shoe boxes three times during our trip. The final delivery was especially special.

It was about 8am and as we stood in the dusty courtyard of a local school about 200 children excitedly streamed in filling the air with chatter and laughter. Despite the time, the air was already humid and hot.

The children perched their boxes on their head and our team leader counted down with them excitedly in Khmer. As the boxes came down and lids were lifted the air erupted into high pitched screams of excitement. It was the happiest sound I have ever heard.

Many children quickly huddled with their friends to collectively unpack their new goodies.

I loved being able to walk around almost unnoticed and see their reactions. It was precious seeing reactions such as this…

… and this…

… over items that children in developed countries would take for granted. It was also special to glimpse the joy it gave the children’s parents.

However, there were reactions I didn’t expect.

I found this tiny boy wandering on the edge of the crowded courtyard clutching his box to his chest, picking at a scab on his small face. His expression was serious. I had noticed him a little earlier and though I couldn’t speak a word of Khmer I felt compelled to engage with him. I put down my camera and gently nestled the box from his grasp and helped him unpack his box.

His box came with a cloth bag, so slowly I placed his new possessions (see that smiling bear!) into it so he could carry them home. His box also contained a beanie which I carefully pulled onto his head. I did my best with smiles and my actions to convey friendliness to him.

This was the photo I took of him after I had helped him unpack. I never saw him smile. It wasn’t until I talked about this little boy with others that it was pointed out to me that perhaps he didn’t smile because he didn’t know how to react to being given gifts. I will probably never know his perspective of the day, but I hoped he knows that he is loved.

Being able to see Operation Christmas Child first hand was a privilege I will always treasure. I thought Operation Christmas Child was a great project before going to Cambodia but now having seen its impact I cannot emphasize its value enough. Giving gifts to children is by no means the solution to all the challenges they face in their communities. However, the spark of joy this project brings to them – and the knowledge that they are known and loved beyond their community – is why I support this special project.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief recount of my Cambodian trip and my Operation Christmas Child experience. If you would like to know more about Operation Christmas Child you can find more information HERE (this is their Australian site. If you are from another part of the world you may want to google and see if they have a site local to you).

Since Cambodia, I’ve written a pattern for a quick, easy and cute amigurumi bear that can be made for Operation Christmas Child boxes. I’ll be sharing it next week. Stay tuned!

The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and not reflective of Samaritan’s Purse. I was not paid for this post – I wrote it because I love this project. 🙂

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Hooked: Amigurumi Stegosaurus

Happy New Year! I hope your 2016 has been great so far!

My last post of 2015 was of my Arlo ‘The Good Dinosaur’ Pattern which you can find HERE. I thought I’d kick off the new year with another dinosaur post by showing you a project I made (but never posted) last year.

This cute (and free!) stegosaurus dinosaur pattern is by Hannah of ‘Free Patterns by H’ and you can find it HERE.

This pattern was well written, easy to follow and has a lovely simple, balanced design (I love that it was shaped like a little avocado!).  I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great dinosaur pattern.

I took this little stegosaurus to IMAX to see ‘Jurassic World’! I’m not sure that he appreciated it though.

Do you think you’ll try this pattern? Have you come across any other amigurumi dinosaur patterns?

FREE PATTERN: Arlo from ‘The Good Dinosaur’

Without further ado I present to you my amigurumi pattern for Arlo from Disney Pixar’s ‘The Good Dinosaur’! Though he’s a huge Apatosaurus in the movie – this Arlo is only 12cm (about 5″) tall. I hope you enjoy making him as much as I did!

MATERIALS:

• Green Yarn (I used DK Lightworsted Yarn as that is the Australian standard)
• Darker Green Yarn (for mouth)
• White Felt
• Brown Felt
• Black Felt
• Dark Green Felt
• Fibre Fill
• Darning Needle
• Scissors
• Glue
• 2.75mm Hook
• Tweezers (optional)

This crochet pattern is written is US terms.

BODY:

Arlo’s tail, body and neck are worked together in one piece. The pattern begins at Arlo’s tail.

R1: Sc5 into a Magic Ring

R2: Sc5 (5sts)

R3: Sc2 into 1sc, sc1 in next 3 sc, sc2 into 1sc (7sts)

R4: Sc2 into 1sc, sc1 in next 5 sc, sc2 into 1sc (9sts)

R5: Sc2 into 1sc, sc1 in next 7sc, sc2 into 1sc (11sts)

R6: Sc11 (11sts)

R7: Sc2 into 1sc, sc1 in next 3sc, sc2 into next 1sc, sc1 into next sc, sc2 into next 1sc, sc1 into next 3sc, sc2 into 1sc (15sts)

R8: *2sc, sc2 into 1sc* rep 5 times (20sts)

R9: Sc20 (20sts)

R10: *3sc, sc2 into 1sc* rep 5 times (25sts)

R11-12: Sc25 (25sts)

R13: *3sc, dec 1sc* rep 5 times (20sts)

R14: 5sc, 10 hdc, 5sc (20sts)

R15: 3 sl st, 2 hdc, 10dc, 2 hdc, 3 sl st (20sts)

Stuff the body. You will now be crocheting the neck and may want to progressively stuff it as you crochet.

R16-18: Repeat R15

R19: *2sc, dec 1sc* rep 5 times (15sts)

R20-23: 15sc (15sts)

R24: *3sc, dec 1sc* rep 3 times (12sts)

R25-30: 12sc (12sts)

Cast off and leave a long tail so that you can attach the head later.

Arlo’s ‘Body’ should looks something like this when you are done. Your neck part will look longer as I added rows to the neck part after I took these photos.

The yellow dots are where various rows began. As you can see, they are not in a straight line, so don’t worry if yours looks the same way.

FRONT LEGS (Make 2):

R1: Sc6 in Magic Ring (6sts)

R2: 2sc in each sc (12sts)

R3: *1sc, 2sc in next sc* rep 6 times (18sts)

R4: 18sc in BLO

R5: *1sc, dec 1sc* rep 6 times (12sts)

R6: *2sc, dec 1sc* rep 3 times (9sts)

Stuff the foot base. I didn’t stuff the rest of the leg to maintain the lankiness of Arlo’s legs.

R7-R11: Sc9 (9sts)

R12: *1sc, dec 1sc* rep 3 times (6sts)

Cast off. Leave tail for sewing.

BACK LEGS (Make 2):

R1: Sc6 in Magic Ring (6sts)

R2: 2sc in each sc (12sts)

R3: *1sc, 2sc in next sc* rep 6 times (18sts)

R4: 18sc in BLO

R5: *1sc, dec 1sc* rep 6 times (12sts)

R6: *2sc, dec 1sc* rep 3 times (9sts)

Stuff the foot base.

R7-R10: Sc9 (9sts)

R11: *1sc, dec 1sc* rep 3 times (6sts)

Cast off. Leave tail for sewing.

HEAD:

Chain 7 (Foundation Chain)

R1: Starting with the second chain from the hook, Sc 4 into the back loops. Sc4 into next sc. Turn and Sc4 into front loops. Sc4 into last sc. (16sts)

R2: *3sc, 2sc in next sc* rep 4 times (20sts)

R3-5: Sc20 (20sts)

R6: 2sc into 1sc, 2sc, 2sc into 1sc, 16sc (22sts)

R7-8: Sc22 (22sts)

R9: Dec 1sc, 2sc, dec 1sc, 16sc (20sts)

R10: Sc20 (20sts)

R11: *2sc, dec 1sc* rep 5 times (15sts)

R12: 1 hdc, 3 dc, 1 hdc, 10sc (15sts)

R13: 2 dc into 1 sc, 2 dc, 2 dc into 1sc, 1 hdc, 10sc (17sts)

R14: 1 hdc, 2hdc into 1 sc, 2 hdc, 2 hdc into 1sc, 2 hdc, 10sc (19sts)

R15: 18sc, 2sc in 1 sc (20sts)

Begin stuffing head.

R16: *2sc, dec 1sc* rep 5 times (15sts)

R17: *1sc, dec 1sc* (10sts)

Complete stuffing head.

R18: Dec 1sc 5 times (5sts)

Cast off. Sew in end.

ASSEMBLING ARLO:

Sew Arlo’s legs to his body.

Using your dark green yarn sew a mouth onto Arlo’s head.

Attach Arlo’s head to his body. I chose to attach Arlo’s head at an angle – I thought it gave him a bit more character. After this, Arlo should look something like this:

Cut out the following pieces out of felt.

Glue the different felt pieces to Arlo. As the pieces are quite small, I found using a tweezer to glue pieces helpful.

After all this you will have your very own Arlo!

I hope you like this pattern. Please let me know if you find any mistakes. Please also let me know if you make your own Arlo – I would love to see them!

Arlo from ‘The Good Dinosaur’ is copyright of Walt Disney Studios (2015).This pattern is an original pattern by Rachel of Drawn and Hooked (December 2015). Please do not claim this pattern as your own. You may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site, sell or distribute it, or sell items made from this pattern. Thank you!

Coming Soon: FREE Arlo – The Good Dinosaur Pattern

Now that I’m back to blogging, I decided to attempt something I haven’t before – create an amigurumi pattern based on an animated character!

In the past I studied animation and even though it’s not a career I pursue anymore I still love animated films. And as you know I also love crochet. So I thought it would be fitting (and amusing) to mash together my skills and passion in character design and crochet to create an amigurumi pattern inspired by Arlo from Disney Pixar’s ‘The Good Dinosaur’.

I began my design process by looking at images of Arlo and sketching him up as he was, just to familiarize myself with how he looked. Arlo has long, lanky limbs and that was something I didn’t want to lose when recreating him! Practically, I also felt like my amigurumi Arlo should be able to stand/sit on its own. With these things in mind, I decided that I would create a sitting Arlo.

I felt that in creating Arlo that I didn’t want to replicate his look 100% but create perhaps a kawaii version of him – an interpretation of him, altering the proportions of Arlo’s head and body etc. I looked at other’s illustrations of him and eventually came up with a sketch that looked like this:

My sketch was not really kawaii (though that was an inspiration) and even as I worked on Arlo (I frogged the ‘body’ and ‘head’ patterns a few times before I was happy!) my design morphed. However, I’m pretty happy with how my mash up has turned out and will be working the next few days to write out my notes into a pattern. I look forward to sharing it with you sometime next week! 🙂

Review: Daiso Amigurumi Key Ring Kit

Hello again! It’s been a long time since I last blogged – but I thought it was about time I got back into it!

This post will be a review of Daiso’s Amigurumi Key ring Kit. Before I start though, I want to say that I am not being paid anything for this post. I’m writing this post simply because there seems to be a lack of anything like it online (at the time of writing). Prior to buying it, I was curious as to whether something so inexpensive could be actually worthwhile. Was it something I could gift to a beginner crocheter? Was it ideal for someone just wanting to experiment with crochet but not ready to buy a whole bunch of yarn, hooks etc?

In Australia, this kit sells for AUS$2.80. I decided to buy a kit and see what I could make from it.

At Daiso, a few variations are available of their Amigurumi Key ring Kit. These include a rabbit, cat and bear in various colours. I decided to choose the ‘Orange Cat’ Kit.

The Amigurumi Kit includes the following:

• Orange (Body) and Tan (Paws) Yarn
• Stuffing
• Embroidery Thread (for nose and mouth)
• 3x Eyes (not sure why you need three! I guess Daiso is being generous!)
• 2x Round Jump Ring (again, you only need one – the second is a spare?)
• 1x Ball Chain
• Instructions – these include not only the key ring pattern but text/picture explanations of all the crochet techniques required in both English and Japanese.

These are listed on the packaging as well. The packaging also lists the materials/tools you will need to use this kit. These include:

• Crochet Hook (2.3mm-3mm) I used a 3mm Hook.
• Yarn Needle
• Marking Pins
• Scissors
• 2x Pliers
• Craft Glue
• Ruler
• Tweezers

In making my Amigurumi Key ring I found that I could do without the marking pins, ruler and tweezers – but if they are helpful to you – go for it!

MAKING THE AMIGURUMI KEY RING:

I cannot stress how essential it is to wind your yarn into balls before you being this project. The bundles in which the yarn comes tangle easily so you will save yourself a lot of frustration if you wind them into balls before you begin!

After this preparation, follow the instructions (They are written in diagram form) and make each of the pieces as instructed.

I used a 3mm hook and worked in a continuous round (instead of slip stitching at the end of each round as suggested).

You should have pieces that look something like this when you are done (Tan cheeks accidentally missing from this photo!):

After making each of the pieces, I attached the cheeks and stitched a nose and mouth to the unstuffed head.

I then stuffed the head and stuffed the body and sewed them together.

After this I attached the ears, arms, legs and tail. On the picture of the kit the legs are attached so that the cat looks like it’s sitting. I chose to attach the legs on the cat’s sides. The instructions suggest that you stuff the arms and legs but I didn’t think it was necessary.

The eyes that come with the kit are not safety eyes but look like this:

To attach the eyes to the head, dab the ‘stem’ of the eyes in glue and push them into the amigurumi head.

To attach the round jump ring, use pliers to bend the ring to the sides (it is  a really strong jump ring – I couldn’t bend it with my fingers!). Bending the jump ring this way makes it easier to bend it closed again later.

Closed round jump ring:

Open round jump ring:

When the round jump ring is opened, slip it into a stitch on the amigurumi’s head.

Close the jump ring and then twist it so that the join is hidden inside the head. Attach the ball chain to the jump ring.

After this your amigurumi key ring is complete!

I’ve hung my amigurumi cat key ring onto my All About Ami Lambert Tote Bag. My friend Stephanie of All About Ami collaborated earlier with Laura Uy of Art + Soul Creative Co. earlier this year and produced the Lambert Collection – a set of crochet themed items which are not only cute but also raise money for a good cause!. I purchased the 13″X13″ inch bag earlier this year and found it to be the perfect size and durability for carrying books back and forth between uni and home.

The Daiso Amigurumi Key Ring Kit was a fun project to make. It is fairly simple pattern (and included explanations of all the stitches and techniques required) so would be suitable for beginners as well as more experienced crocheters. The only thing beginners might find frustrating with this project is that it is physically small (making it trickier to count stitches, change colours, sew parts together etc). Apart from this, the Daiso Amigurumi Key Ring Kit is an inexpensive way for anyone to “try” amigurumi.

I hope you’ve found this review useful! 🙂

Do you think you’ll try this kit? Or have you tried this kit already? What was your experience with it?

FREE PATTERN: Reindeer

I’m pleased to finally present to you my reindeer pattern! He was inspired by Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. 🙂

I first started working on this pattern almost 2 years ago when I first started crocheting amigurumi. I sketched up his design on the back of a receipt and scribbled the pattern messily on the back of scrap paper as I fumbled through the stitches to make up a prototype. Whilst I finished my prototype, it never saw this blog as I soon realised I had crocheted him inside out (this was before I knew about the “right” and “wrong” side of crochet). Time passed and I questioned if I had even written out the pattern correctly. But fast forward to a few weeks ago when I finally sat down recently with my scraps of paper and tested the pattern – and here we have my reindeer!

I hope you like him!

 

MATERIALS:

– 3.75mm Hook

– 15mm Safety Eyes

– Dark Brown Yarn (Antlers and Hoofs)

– Chestnut Brown Yarn (Main Body)

– Tan Yarn (Muzzle)

– Red Yarn (Nose)

– Black Thread (Mouth)

– Fiber Fill

– Darning Needle

 

NOSE (With Red Yarn):

Chain 8 (Foundation Chain)

R1: Starting with the second chain from the hook, Sc 7 into the back loops. Turn and Sc7 into front loops. (14sts)

R2: 2sc in sc, sc5, 2sc in sc, 2sc in sc, sc5, 2sc in sc (18sts)

Cast off

 

MUZZLE (With Tan Yarn):

R1: Sc 6 into Magic Ring

R2: Sc 2 into each sc (12sts)

R3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (18sts)

R4: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (24sts)

R5: *Sc 3, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (30sts)

R6: *Sc 4, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (36sts)

R7-8: Sc 36

Cast Off

Sew mouth detail onto Muzzle. Sew Nose onto Muzzle. My reindeer’s mouth ended up a little lopsided – but I’m just going to say it gives him more character! 😉

 

 

HEAD (With Chestnut Brown Yarn):

R1: sc6 into Magic Ring

R2: Sc 2 into each sc (12sts)

R3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (18sts)

R4: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (24sts)

R5: *Sc 3, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (30sts)

R6: *Sc 4, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (36sts)

R7:  *Sc 5, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (42sts)

R8:  *Sc 6, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (48sts)

R9:  *Sc 7, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (54sts)

R10-21: Sc54

R22: *Sc 7, dec 1 sc*, rep 6 times (48sts)

R23: *Sc 6, dec 1 sc*, rep 6 times (42sts)

R24: *Sc 5, dec 1 sc*, rep 6 times (36sts)

Place Eyes. I placed my reindeer’s eyes between the 17th and 18th rows, approximately 16sts apart.

I recommend using the muzzle piece to work out which spacing work best for your reindeer.

R25: *Sc 4, dec 1 sc*, rep 6 times (30sts)

R26: *Sc 3, dec 1 sc*, rep 6 times (24sts)

R27: *Sc 2, dec 1 sc*, rep 6 times (18sts)

Stuff Head firmly.

R28: *Sc 1, dec 1 sc*, rep 6 times (12sts)

R29: Dec 6 times

Cast Off

Attach Muzzle onto the Head. I didn’t stuff the muzzle, but if you would like it to stick out more you can.

 

 

BODY (Chestnut Brown Yarn):

R1: sc6 into Magic Ring

R2: Sc 2 into each sc (12sts)

R3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (18sts)

R4: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (24sts)

R5: *Sc 3, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (30sts)

R6-12: Sc 30

R13:  *Sc 3, dec 1 sc*, rep 6 times (24sts)

R14: Sc 24

Cast off

Attach Body to the Head.

 

LEGS (Dark Brown and Chestnut Brown Yarn) Make 4:

Starting with Dark Brown Yarn

R1: sc6 into Magic Ring

R2: Sc 2 into each sc (12sts)

R3: BLO Sc 12

R4: Sc 12

Switch to Chestnut Brown Yarn

R5-7: Sc 12

Stuff Leg

R8: Dec 6 times (6sts)

R9: Sc 6

Cast Off

Attach 2 Legs to the front of the reindeer and the remaining legs on either side. Your reindeer should be able to sit by itself.

 

TAIL (Chestnut Brown Yarn):

R1: sc6 into Magic Ring

R2: Sc 6

R3: *sc 2, 2sc in next sc*, rep 2 times (8sts)

R4: *sc2, dec 1*, rep 2 times (6sts)

Cast Off

Attach the tail to the back of the body.

EARS (Chestnut Brown Yarn) Make 2:

R1: 5 into Magic Ring

R2: sc 5

R3: *sc1, 2sc in next sc*, rep 2 times.  Sc1 (7sts)

R4: *sc1, 2sc in next sc*, rep 3 times. Sc1 (10sts)

R5-7: Sc 10

R8: *sc1, dec 1*, rep 3 times. Sc1 (7sts)

R9: Sc 7

Cast Off

 

ANTLERS (Dark Brown Yarn) Make 2 of each size:

Each Antler is made up of 3 parts, which I have labelled A, B and C for clarity.

PART A:

R1: Sc5 into Magic Ring

R2-14: Sc5

Cast Off

 

PART B:

R1: Sc5 into Magic Ring

R2-7: Sc5

Cast Off

 

PART C:

R1: Sc5 into Magic Ring

R2-4: Sc5

Cast Off

Assemble the Antler parts as shown in the photograph below. I found that they are stiff enough as they are to stand up on their own. I attached Part B and C to Part A at slight angles.

Attach Ears and Antlers to the Head.

Aaaaaaand there you have it! Your very own Reindeer! Will you be making a reindeer this Christmas? I would LOVE to photos of your reindeer if you do! Please email them to drawnandhooked@gmail.com

This pattern is an original pattern by Rachel of Drawn and Hooked (November 2014). Please do not claim this pattern as your own. You may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site, sell or distribute it, or sell items made from this pattern. Thank you! 🙂

Coming Soon: FREE Reindeer Pattern

Hi again! Here’s a sneak peak of a pattern of a reindeer I wrote quite a while ago but only got around to testing and photographing recently. As you can see, he’s modeled on the beloved Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and he likes hanging out at the beach (as there is no snow in this part of the world!).

I’ll be releasing his pattern (along with pictures of how to assemble him) later this week so that, if you’d like to add a little reindeer to your Christmas decorations this year you can!

If you would like to get your materials together in the meantime, I used the following items for this project:

– 3.75mm Hook

– 15mm Safety Eyes

– Dark Brown Yarn (Antlers and Hoofs)

– Chestnut Brown Yarn (Main Body)

– Tan Yarn (Muzzle)

– Red Yarn (Nose)

– Black Thread (Mouth)

– Fiber Fill

– Darning Needle

I’m looking forward to sharing this pattern with you all! – Rachel

Pink Puppy

 

Every now and then I’ll come across an amigurumi pattern that is so utterly adorable I have to make it for no particular reason. Tammy the Tiny Pup by AmiguruMEI was one such pattern – and you can totally understand why, right? 🙂

 

One of the features of Tammy the Tiny Pup I really liked was the interchange of yarn colours to create a heart like shape around her eyes.

 

 

I also liked that her eyes were made up of small, round black beads and her nose and mouth were sewn with embroidery thread. Delicate details for a tiny amigurumi!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What amigurumi have you been working on lately?

Rainbow Lorikeet Baby Mobile

Late last year a friend of mine welcomed an adorable little boy. He is now not so little but still very adorable. In this post, I wanted to share with you something I crocheted for him when he was born – a baby mobile.

The pattern is by Ana Paula Rimoli and features in her book Amigurumi Two!

In the book Ana’s birds are a pastel blue. However, I wanted to make the birds on the mobile unique. So I drew inspiration from my neighbourhood where we are blessed to share with rainbow lorikeets (like the one in the picture below sitting on my clothes line) and crocheted my birds with their bright, vibrant colours.

 

It was initially a challenge to work out how to convert all the bold colours of the real bird  onto an amigurumi bird. However, I approached this by first working out the rainbow lorikeet’s key colours – dark blue, lime green, dark green, yellow and red – and then working out how to allocate them in the stitches.

 

For those with the pattern, this is how I distributed the stitch colouring (I only crocheted the little birds)-

HEAD: 

R1-11: Dark Blue

R 12-16: Lime Green

BODY:

R 1-5: Dark Blue

R6: 8 sts yellow, 4 sts red, 8 sts yellow

R7: 7 sts yellow, 6 sts red, 7 sts yellow

R8: 6 sts yellow, 8 sts red, 6 sts yellow

WINGS & TAIL:

All in Dark Green

 

 

 

 

 

A detail I really liked in the pattern were the vines and flowers. They were tedious to sew together, but were a lovely, dainty way to tie the mobile together.

 

What do you like to crochet for babies/young children? In the coming months, a few friends will be welcoming more little ones into their lives – so I’m keen to be the good “auntie” and get hooking on some gifts. 🙂

Drawn: Tools of an Amateur Floral Artist

Way back in September when I renamed this blog “Drawn and Hooked” I promised that this blog would be a mix of my illustration and crochet – – only to still neglect my drawing (online at least). So here’s to putting my illustrating tardiness behind me – presenting, a little illustration I did earlier this week!

I drew this piece with an Artline Drawing System 0.3 pen and coloured it with Derwent Watercolour Pencils. The colours have been distorted a little through scanning and adjustments (something I need to work on!). I haven’t done much pen outline/watercoloured drawings – this illustration is not so much a reflection of my usual work but more so an experiment of mediums I’ve been meaning to experiment more with lately.

So why the flowers? Why the dustpan . . . and what is that green block? For this week’s illustration I thought I’d draw on (see the pun!) items from a new and recent hobby of mine – flower arranging!

About a month ago, a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to join her in signing up for a beginner Floral Art Class at our local community college. Without much hesitation I did – and now, almost half way through our “term” there have been no regrets.

On a weekly basis we now wrangle leafy branches of vibernum odoratissimum, wire Geberas with our fingers. crunch stems of  Lisianthus with our secateurs and press them firmly into floral foam (that’s the green block!).  It’s a fun yet challenging skill to be learning – I’m looking forward to when I can start putting my new skills to use for events like birthdays!

So, I hope you’ve enjoyed my first “drawn” post, as well as hearing a little about my newest hobby. What are your hobbies? How did you come across them?