August 2011 – PlanetJune by June Gilbank: Blog

free pattern: amigurumi pears

August 31, 2011 @ 7:08 am · Filed under: Crochet, Patterns

I try to give you one free (donationware) pattern per season, and with fall approaching (for most of you; it’s spring for me!) I’ve designed a realistic, beautifully shaped amigurumi pear. Can you spot which is the real pear? 😉 Crochet a bowlful in greens, browns, yellows, and/or reds, to make a stylish decorative centrepiece, […]

help me to reach a goal?

August 26, 2011 @ 11:15 am · Filed under: My Craft Business

Do you find that reading a review for an online product really helps you to make a buying decision? I know I do, and I always wonder if there’s something terribly wrong with a product that has zero reviews: maybe it’s so bad that nobody has ever even bought it..?! Lots of people find me […]

Amigurumi Aardvark crochet pattern

August 23, 2011 @ 11:52 am · Filed under: Crochet, Patterns

I usually keep my designs a secret while I work on them, in case I fail to create what I can see in my head (it happens!), but last week, I was crocheting away on my new design and I spontaneously decided to host a contest on my Facebook page, to guess what the design […]

The Handmade Clothing Project

August 22, 2011 @ 11:18 am · Filed under: Beading / Jewellery, Sewing

Before our inter-continental move, I pared down my wardrobe by about half, getting rid of anything worn out, badly fitting, or no longer my style. That’s left me with a very minimal wardrobe, and now I really need to replace some of the items I purged. Shopping catastrophe I went clothes shopping for the first […]

Cape Town wildlife III

August 15, 2011 @ 11:21 am · Filed under: Wildlife & Nature

This is the third post in my monthly series on the fascinating nature I encounter here in South Africa. It turns out that our new house is just a few minutes’ walk from the Liesbeeck River, which is full of waterbirds. This is where I saw the kingfisher you may remember from a few months […]

3 tips for aspiring designers

August 11, 2011 @ 5:21 am · Filed under: Craft Business Help

My recent post inspiration/influence vs copying: drawing the line started quite a discussion! I’ve been answering questions in the comments of that post, but copyright is a huge and many-sided issue, and I’m not an expert by any means – I just know what I personally want in regard to my copyright from three different angles: […]

PocketAmi Set 6: Pets crochet patterns

August 4, 2011 @ 10:31 am · Filed under: Crochet, Patterns

I thought it was time for a little change of pace. My PocketAmi range is simpler than my usual designs, but they have that instant gratification factor – at only 3″ tall, they are super-fast to crochet and make excellent gifts for kids, or cute little ornaments. I’ve already made 3 seasonal PocketAmi sets (Halloween, […]

postage stamps

August 3, 2011 @ 2:21 pm · Filed under: Wildlife & Nature

Time to draw the winner of my July ‘Review and Win’ contest… and it’s another dinosaur review! This time it’s from Monica B, with her review of my Tyrannosaurus Rex pattern: This is my favorite dinosaur pattern, simple, quick and Very well made! I have made several of them already, as well as other PlanetJune […]