Nothing says Spring quite like the sight of a primrose. One of the earliest-blossoming spring flowers (the name ‘primrose’ is actually from the Latin for ‘first rose’, although it’s not a rose!) you may also know these pretty plants as primulas, and the closely-related and similar-looking polyanthus.

But why wait for Spring? Bring a taste of spring into your home, whatever the season – a pot of crocheted primroses will brighten your day in a glorious riot of colour!

Primrose plants look so pretty with their crinkled leaves and heart-shaped petals, and I made sure to include those details in my design.

Primroses includes the patterns for two primrose arrangements: a large planter filled to bursting with multi-coloured blooms for maximum impact; and a small round pot containing a single plant perfect to brighten small spaces or as a gift in a hurry!

I’ve used some neat tricks to keep the construction as simple as possible, with surprisingly little sewing. I’ve included full details for assembling and arranging the plants so your primroses will look healthy and full with the least amount of pieces possible (no point wasting hours making hundreds of leaves when you don’t need to!)

I try to come up with different and interesting pot constructions for each of my plant designs – that way, you won’t be buying the same pot pattern twice. My primroses come with a matching set of a small round pot and a long planter; both of which have a shaped lip around the top edge. The lip looks good – just like a real plant pot! – but it also provides a sturdy support to keep the pot in shape.

You can also mix and match different PlanetJune plants with different pots for added value – for example, the primrose pots would look great filled with crocheted cacti or succulents, just as you could make a large round bowl of primroses by using either of the large pots from those patterns.

My colourful Primroses make me smile whenever I see them, and I hope they’ll have the same effect on you! If you’d like to crochet up the joy of springtime, you’ll find the Primroses crochet pattern in my shop right now.

Or, if you’re not quite ready to make your Primroses, why not favourite or queue them on Ravelry, so you don’t forget about them?

One of the most amazing sights I’ve seen in wildlife documentaries is the night when all the baby sea turtles hatch simultaneously. They dig their way up from their sandy nests and then frantically flipper their way down the beach towards the safety of the sea, like tiny clockwork-powered toys. When they finally reach the sea, they’re transformed into miniature graceful marvels, flapping lazily under the waves like birds in flight.

I’d love to see this for myself, and, as it happens, sea turtles lay their eggs on some beaches right here in South Africa! Unfortunately, those beaches are on the east coast and I’m on the west coast, and, with my ongoing book responsibilities (we’re now in the middle of the editing/proofing cycle), making that dream a reality isn’t something that’s going to happen this year. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a turtle adventure next year, but, in the meantime, I thought we could all enjoy this miracle of nature in amigurumi form, with my Baby Sea Turtle Collection!

The hatchlings alone would make the cutest toys – in natural or any other colours – but you can complete the scene with turtle eggs and an adorable baby turtle who is just emerging from his egg.

Make as many baby sea turtles as you want – at only 4.5″ (12cm) long, they don’t take long to complete, and fit nicely in your hand, just like a real baby sea turtle. My original AquaAmi Sea Turtle design is still one of my most popular patterns, but you’ll be relieved to know that this baby turtle has only 7 pieces to crochet (instead of 26!) so you could make a whole beachful of babies in the time it takes you to crochet one full-size turtle 😉

The collection also includes the pattern for these turtle eggs. Fun fact: this egg shape is intentional; sea turtle eggs are round like ping pong balls, not ovoid like chicken eggs.

But my unexpected favourite part of this pattern collection is the hatching turtle. It ended up being a lot more challenging than I’d anticipated, and took three completely different design concepts to come up with a design I’m satisfied with. The first resulted in the egg being misshapen unless you’re extremely careful with the assembly and don’t touch or play with it at all after assembly, so that was no good. The second looked great until I stitched it all together and realised it looked like someone had sliced the turtle in half – definitely not the look I was going for…

The final design concept was worth the wait though – you can really see that the turtle is emerging from the egg! It’s such a clever design and I think you’ll enjoy seeing it magically come together from pieces that don’t look like they could possibly form a turtle. The pattern includes lots of photos to show every step of the assembly, so you won’t have any problems completing your baby turtle collection 🙂

Have you joined Team PlanetJune yet for the Ravellenic Games? Join us by challenging yourself to complete one (or more) PlanetJune patterns in the Feb 7-23 Olympic timeframe. As the Baby Sea Turtle Collection amigurumi are small pieces (and each turtle can count as its own project), they’d make perfect Rav Games entries. If you’d like to try making one (or more) baby turtles as a part of Team PJ, there’s an exclusive discount code on the pattern, available only in the team thread 🙂

I can’t wait to see baby turtles popping up in all sorts of colours (don’t forget to share yours on Ravelry when you’ve made them, so we can all enjoy them!)

And if you’re not ready to buy the Baby Sea Turtle Collection just yet, please heart or queue it on Ravelry so you don’t forget about it 🙂

As you can probably tell, I love, love, love baby sea turtles. I hope you’ll enjoy using this pattern as much as I enjoyed designing it!

Before we go any further: don’t panic! This is not the start of a shift away from crochet and into knitting patterns – it’s just that my Poinsettia ornament happens to be knitted this year. As with my other Poinsettia designs, I’m making it available as a donationware pattern. Although I’m not ruling out the possibility of publishing other knitting patterns in future, it’s not part of my current plan 🙂

As you may remember, I have a little Christmas tradition of crafting a new Poinsettia ornament every year, and, although I’ve been madly busy this year, I’ve managed to squeeze in another poinsettia design so I can keep up the tradition. Now I’ve been doing this for 8 years, I have enough poinsettias to decorate a small tree! And that’s exactly what I’ve done for my Christmas decorating this year:

My poinsettia tabletop tree! Can you spot the new addition?

Here’s a closer look at the PlanetJune Poinsettia Collection to date:

Top (L-R): 2006 kanzashi poinsettia; 2007 crocheted poinsettia 
2nd Row (L-R): 2008 polymer clay poinsettia; 2009 punchneedle poinsettia
3rd Row (L-R): 2010 felt poinsettia; 2011 beaded poinsettia
Bottom Row: 2012 thread crochet poinsettia; 2013 …?

(You can find all my Poinsettia designs as PDFs in my shop, or use the links above for the free online versions.)

And now for the 2013 PlanetJune Poinsettia: the knitted poinsettia!

As I’ve been teaching myself to knit over the past couple of years, a knitted poinsettia seemed appropriate for 2013. This is a very simple pattern, provided you know how to cast on, make knit and purl stitches, and increase and decrease. If you don’t already know how, this is a nice small project for learning those skills! (And, although teaching you to knit is not something I can take on, there are many good books and tutorials, and I’ve linked to my favourite online tutorials in the pattern.)

I know we’re only a week away from Christmas, but this really is a speedy pattern, so I hope you’d like to try knitting one of your own – the link to the free pattern is below, and, as always, if you choose to thank me with a donation, you’ll get the handy printable PDF version 🙂

Go to the Knitted Poinsettia pattern >>

* * *
PS – I’ve just finished my book – yay! – and I’m going to take a much-needed break for the next few weeks. I’ll just be popping in for minimal maintenance on PlanetJune stuff, so please be patient if I don’t respond promptly to your emails etc. I’ll be back with exciting new things once I’m completely rested. In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful festive season!

A couple of weeks ago, futuregirl blogged a photo of a selection of giant pine cones she’d gathered in the forest. I couldn’t get that photo of Alice hugging that armful of pine cones out of my head, and I kept reloading the page to look at them again – I had no idea pine cones could even get that big; did you?

With impending book deadlines and taxes to file and other commitments to juggle, I found myself in need of comfort, and the thought of a giant huggable pine cone suddenly sounded like something I had to make, as a fun little break from everything. And the result is a new Expansion Pack pattern: the Giant Pine Cone!

(Those are cones A and E from Pine Cone Collection, for size comparison!)

Giant Pine Cone is based on my very popular Pine Cone Collection pattern, but super-sized and with a few additions to improve the shape and appearance at such a large size.

It’s about 8″ tall and can be worked with 2 strands of worsted weight yarn held together (as I did) or a bulky/chunky yarn – the thick yarn not only makes the pattern work up more quickly, but also keeps the scales of the pine cone realistically proportioned.

Or you could make a not-quite-so-giant pine cone with just 1 strand of worsted weight yarn as usual (and a smaller hook – details in the pattern). The mini Giant Pine Cone option would be about 5″ tall, so it takes much less yarn, but it’d still tower over all the cones in my original collection!

The finished giant cone is wonderfully soft and squishy – the large yarn scales add a layer of plush cushioned padding that makes it really tactile to hug and play with (I’m speaking for myself here, but I’m sure kids would love it too), but it’s also weighty enough to stand up by itself – it’s even more appealing than I imagined it would be! Maui can’t resist it either – he’s already been snuggling up with it as a giant pillow…

If you’ve made my original Pine Cone Collection, you’ll know how easy and fun the scales are to crochet, and this version is no different – it just takes a bit longer because it’s so much larger, but, for its size, it works up surprisingly quickly.

What is an Expansion Pack?

• An Expansion Pack is an add-on to an existing PlanetJune pattern.
• The Expansion Pack lets you modify or add to the original pattern to create something else.
• You cannot use the Expansion Pack alone – you must also purchase the original pattern in order to be able to complete the pictured items in the Expansion Pack pattern.

You can buy the Giant Pine Cone Expansion Pack for only $2.50 individually from the shop, or, if you haven’t already bought the Pine Cone Collection pattern, you can select it as an add-on to that pattern before you add it to your shopping cart, and save 50c on the pair.

Launch Discount

If you’ve already bought the Pine Cone Collection, you won’t be able to save that 50c. But, for 7 days only, add the Giant Pine Cone Expansion Pack pattern to your shopping cart, together with anything else (totalling $5 or more), then use the code PINECONE at checkout and you’ll still get your discount! (Valid until next Tuesday: 3rd December 2013.)

Note: If you don’t need anything else right now, this also applies to Gift Certificate purchases, so you can pick up a $5 gift certificate now, get your discount, and have $5 in your PlanetJune account ready for your next purchase, or to send to a crocheting friend!

Can you resist making your own Giant Pine Cone?

PS – Don’t forget to share photos of your Giant Pine Cones in the Christmas prize CAL thread on Ravelry too…

Originally, I wasn’t sure I’d have time to design a Christmas pattern this year, so I thought I’d make a variant on my Twisted Chain Bangle pattern, to turn it into a miniature wreath ornament. But then, with wreaths on my mind, I came up with this completely new – and better! – idea instead, so we have a new PlanetJune Donationware Christmas design for 2013 after all 🙂

Introducing the Mini Wreath Ornament:

This sweet little pattern lets you make surprisingly realistic leafy miniature wreaths – at only 3″ across, they’d be perfect as Christmas Tree ornaments or seasonal decorations. A Mini Wreath works up in no time and comes together like magic with almost no sewing required – you won’t be able to stop at making one! Make them in leafy greens, or any pair of colours to match your holiday decor.

I’ve accessorised mine with a crocheted ribbon bow, but you could use a short length of real ribbon, or add beads and sequins to represent berries and miniature baubles.

Mini Wreath Ornament is a donationware pattern, which means it’s free for you to use, and if you’d like to say thanks by making a donation, you’ll get a handy PDF version of the pattern – easy to print or save to your tablet or e-reader 🙂

I hope you’ll enjoy making mini wreaths this holiday season!

Go to the Mini Wreath Ornament pattern >>

PS – Don’t forget to enter your completed wreaths in the PlanetJune Christmas CAL (on Ravelry) – there’ll be prizes for everyone!

This shawl has been a long time in the making! I created the design over a year ago with the idea to make it a 2-in-1 pattern, but life got in the way of all my plans and I didn’t have time to finish Part II, so this beautiful shawl has just been sitting for many months with the pattern complete apart from the stitch diagrams and a few photos. The November/December PlanetJune Accessories CAL seemed like the perfect opportunity to get those final pieces together and release my lovely but neglected design into the wild…

Cascading Clusters is a triangular shawl with an elegant curve along the top edge so it hugs your neck and won’t fall off your shoulders. The lacy squares quickly grow from the centre top so you can keep crocheting until the shawl is the size you want, then add the pointed scallop border as the finishing touch. The lace pattern has a 2-row repeat, so you’ll pick it up in no time and be able to enjoy crocheting without having to worry about a complicated pattern.

As with all PlanetJune Accessories designs, the pattern includes clear written instructions together with full stitch diagrams, so you can work solely from one or the other if you prefer to use only charts or text patterns, or refer to both for additional clarification.

The shawl is fully customizable in terms of size; just keep going until you like the size or you run out of yarn! And it’s flexible enough to work well with multiple yarn weights (I have a stunning laceweight alpaca/silk version in progress…) – go fine for a delicate wisp of a shawl, or use a heavier yarn for a much faster, but still stunning, result. My sample shawl is worked in a sport weight.

I still plan to make Part II and release it as an Expansion Pack, so you’ll be able to get even more value from this pattern when that happens! In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy the Cascading Clusters Shawl as much as I do – don’t you love the rich purple colour of mine?!

You can buy the Cascading Clusters Shawl pattern individually from my shop, or save money by including it as part of a custom set of any three PlanetJune Accessories designs for a bargain price.

Even if you’re not quite ready to buy now, how about queuing/faving it on ravelry so you don’t forget about it?

If you’d like to make this shawl, or any of my other accessory designs, I hope you’ll join us in the PlanetJune Ravelry group for the Accessories CAL, from now until the end of 2013!

It’s time for a new Donationware addition to my PlanetJune Accessories range of crochet patterns! I’m very happy to present the Twisted Chain Bangle:

Transform a metal or plastic bangle from cheap fashion jewellery to a stylish and unique accessory. The twisted design looks intricate but it’s a deceptively simple technique, so you can whip up an armful of bangles in next to no time. Crochet chunky bangles for a quick casual look or as perfect gifts for girls, or use finer bangles and crochet thread to make jewellery elegant enough for any occasion.

This pattern is seriously addictive – it’s such a simple concept, but you can really mix it up by choosing different sizes of hooks and yarn or crochet thread, and even different-sized bangles to start with. I couldn’t stop trying different hook and yarn sizes to see what the results would be – and they all turned out pretty!

My 3 smaller bangles are made with the new KnitPicks Curio crochet thread – it comes in a wide range of colours and I chose 3 beautifully subtle shades that look understated and elegant. Then I decided to get a bit more summery and made 2 chunkier bangles for the summer days I hope will come soon to the Southern hemisphere! These are made with Patons Grace in fresh aqua and lime shades.

I have small wrists, so those are about as chunky as I’m willing to go for bangles for myself, but you could use thicker yarn and/or a larger bangle to make a real statement piece, and the bonus there is that as your hook and yarn get larger, your bangles become much faster to crochet! My delicate dark purple bangle took a while to complete, but the aqua and lime ones only took minutes to crochet…

As I like to reward people who chose to donate for my donationware patterns, the PDF version of this pattern includes some bonuses: additional tips and advice, even more helpful photos, and specific options for all the variations you see in my sample bangles! As always, the pattern is free for you to use, and you need only donate if you’d like to thank me for my time in creating it, or if you’d like the easy-to-print PDF version.

I hope you enjoy my Twisted Chain Bangle pattern – have fun with it!

Go to the Twisted Chain Bangle pattern >>

PS – Don’t forget, you can enter your bangles in this month’s Donationware CAL in the PlanetJune ravelry group!

I have someone who’d like to say hello: it’s my newest commissioned design, the Sloth!

He’s fully poseable with his jointed limbs and feet that can be clipped together, and I had a very fun photoshoot setting him up in different positions in the tree in my garden 😀

Sloth Fun
Sloths are very popular in internet culture at the moment, and my sloth wanted to get in on the action by replicating some famous sloth memes…

You can see that his poseability makes him extra-fun – he can hang by all 4 legs, dangle by his front or back legs, hug and hold onto things, and more! (A special thanks goes to Maui for tolerating being draped with a sloth for long enough for me to take the top right photo…)

Sloth Fun Facts

• Sloths live in the rainforests of Central and South America.
• They live, move and eat very slowly, and spend almost all their time hanging from branches by their specially-adapted hands and feet.
• Sloths have special slow digestive processes that let them get maximum nutrition from the tough leaves they eat.
• Sloths’ arboreal adaptations (long limbs and claws and weak hind legs) mean they are unable to walk on the ground and have to drag themselves along by their front feet, but they can swim!
• Algae grows on their fur, so sloths often appear green-tinged – this makes excellent camouflage in the trees.

Sloths are Strange!
As part of my research, I always take a look at the soft toys that already exist for the animal, and this time I found that all the manufactured sloth toys look very unexpected: even respected toy companies like Hansa and Folkmanis, who usually do a good job with realistic animals, seem to think a sloth is a bear with elongated limbs and no ears:

Two stretched earless bears from Hansa and what appears to be an earless panda from Folkmanis – these are all sold as sloths, but I don’t see it…

Sloths are bizarre-looking and unlike any other animal on earth! These qualities also make them extremely difficult to replicate, as you can see from the toys pictured above. Coming up with my design hasn’t been easy – real sloths look different in every photo I see – but I’m very happy with my result and I think I’ve captured that indefinable slothiness…

About my Sloth design:

• My sloth has a pale face with distinctive slanted eye stripes and that never-ending enigmatic sloth smile.
• His long legs have crocheted-in knee shaping so they don’t just look like tubes.
• His shoulders and hips are jointed (I’ve also provided instructions for a non-jointed version) and he can hang around like a real sloth thanks to almost invisible hook-and-eye fasteners on his feet (optional, and I’ve also suggested alternative fasteners).
• Note: You could brush your sloth to give him a shaggier look that would be even more realistic, but I opted to leave mine with clean lines so you can see him more clearly.

Want a Two-Toed Sloth? I based my design on the more popular Three-Toed Sloth (those eye stripes were irresistible). If you’d like to make a Two-Toed Sloth (like the photobomb sloth pictured above), do let me know – I’ve done my research and made sketches for both sloth types, so if I get enough requests I can easily design a Two-Toed Sloth Expansion Pack for you 🙂

So now the question is: can you resist making a sloth right now?! You can pick up the Sloth amigurumi crochet pattern from my shop and get started this minute! Or, if you’re not quite ready to buy, why not favourite/queue it on Ravelry so you don’t forget about it?