I hadn’t planned to do a Christmas pattern this year, as I have so many already and it’s getting more and more difficult each year to think of something original! I’ve had the idea of a set of tree decorations kicking about in the back of my mind for a couple of years now, but it suddenly coalesced into a real design idea a few weeks ago, and this is the result:

Christmas Baubles! My pattern includes 9 complete designs (3 plain baubles and 6 different patterned designs) that you can make in your favourite seasonal colour scheme, using 2 or more colours. I used white plus 2 shades of blue for mine; you could do a colour scheme as simple as traditional red and white, or brighten up your room while you use up your yarn scraps by making each ornament in a different colour scheme.

By switching around the main and contrast colours in each design, you can create 18 different ornaments using only 2 colours of yarn. If you add a third shade (as I have for my samples), you can make 45 different ornaments! And (if I’ve added this up correctly) if you used 4 colours, you could make a mind-blowing 84 different ornaments with no repeats – wow!

I’ve also included instructions on crocheting them all into a garland like this – wouldn’t that look great along the mantelpiece?

I hope you like my bauble collection! It’s up in the shop now at an introductory price.

So tell me… what colour(s) would you make them in?

A couple of months ago, I had a Greyhound pattern commission request from a lady who works with The Greyhound Supporters Of The National Capital Region (GSNCR), a not-for-profit charity that works towards facilitating adoptions for retired racing greyhounds in the Ottawa, Ontario region.

This was probably my most challenging AmiDogs design to date – how to make a greyhound that won’t fall down? They’re just so skinny! My solution was to make him a bit larger than my usual breeds (he’s about 8″ long), because there’s no way he could support his own weight on long spindly legs, plus can you imagine stuffing a long tiny 5-sc-around tube?! Even with my Detail Stuffing Tool (which I really recommend for all legs and small pieces), it’d just be too fiddly. So here’s what I came up with…

Obviously stylized, like all my AmiDogs breeds, but I hope it clearly says ‘Greyhound’ (although it could equally well be a Whippet, if you’re so inclined…) I kept it all one colour so I could concentrate on getting the shaping right without making the pattern too difficult to follow.

AmiDogs Greyhound takes my AmiDogs collection up to an astounding 17 different breeds – and I’m in no danger of running out of breed ideas any time soon, either… You can buy the pattern from my shop, or, as always, take advantage of the savings when you make up a custom set of any 3 AmiDogs breeds.

So, what do you think of my greyhound?

You may remember from the Reepicheep I crocheted that I’m a Narnia fan, and with The Voyage of The Dawn Treader movie coming out in just over a month (yay!), what better time to make my own Aslan?

I really think that every lion needs a lioness, so the idea for a pattern including male and female lions was born, and you can now find the Lion and Lioness crochet pattern in my shop, if you’re so inclined. I love the shaping on my lioness:

Here’s where I approach crazy levels of dedication to the cause: I made eight prototype manes for my male lion (each using a different yarny technique), and only one looked anywhere near good enough: the eyelash yarn mane. But a) eyelash yarn is quite hard to come by these days, and b) I know how most people’s hearts sink at the mere mention of the stuff, so I was determined to find a way to make a lion’s mane that only used regular, worsted weight yarn and still looked fairly realistic. And, with attempt #9, I cracked it!

Now, don’t worry about having to latch hook hundreds of strands to the head: this mane is all crocheted (remember that loop stitch video tutorial I just made? Now you know why!) – with a little additional magic after crocheting to give it that realistic look.

My Lion and Lioness crochet pattern has a little more detail and shaping than most of my other patterns. It’s 13 pages long, and includes 30 step-by-step photos with detailed explanations of every stage (including 3 pages devoted to the special mane techniques) so you can make a perfect realistic lion and lioness of your own.

You can just about see that the lions have cute little white chins 🙂 I used a light brown for the mane (and tail tassels), but you could use any shade ranging from the same yellow as the body, any shade of brown, or even black, and it’d still look realistic – did you know that lions’ manes darken with age?

I know lions don’t look much like other cats, but I feel like I’m one step closer to coming up with the realistic cat design that’s always eluded me to date. I’ve never seen a realistic toy cat that I like, and I aim to change that some day…

But, for today, I hope you like my lions!

I’m so excited (and a little bit nervous) to finally reveal my big secret project that I’ve been working on for the past few months. Although I love my amigurumi patterns, I have more to give in the crochet field, so I’ve come up with a new design line: PlanetJune Accessories. Don’t forget to read to the end to take advantage of my launch week discount codes!

I’ve designed my accessories to showcase what I consider to be the beauty and variety of crochet, and also as teaching tools. So don’t feel intimidated if you’ve never moved beyond amigurumi before – my patterns are specifically designed to teach you all the techniques you need to be able to complete them. (For experienced crocheters, the patterns are all modular, so you can save paper and ink by printing only the parts you need, and ignoring the additional instructions if you don’t need them!)

As you probably know, I’m a technical writer and the creator of numerous crochet tutorials, and I love to explain techniques with clear, easy to follow, well-illustrated instructions. You’ll see this in all my amigurumi patterns and the tutorials on this site, and I’ve also carried this through into my Accessories patterns.

All the patterns include full written instructions, photos, illustrations, and charted stitch diagrams where needed, options for right-handers and left-handers (including right- and left-handed stitch diagrams where appropriate), and, as always, are backed up by unlimited support by email, should you have any questions.

For this first PlanetJune Accessories collection, I’ve tried to come up with a mix of designs so there’ll be something to appeal to everyone, and a nice range of options for crocheting gifts for everyone on your Christmas list (and you know it’s coming up fast!).

So now, please allow me to present the PlanetJune Accessories Fall 2010 Collection!

I’d like to start with a FREE taster for you, the Scalloped Scarf. Make this pretty and versatile scarf with almost any yarn you have to hand – it’s a quick and stylish one-skein project, and makes a perfect gift! This pattern is free for you to use, but if you send me a donation in appreciation of my work, you’ll get a handy, easy-to-print PDF version as a thank you.

For the young, and the young at heart, Animal Ears. This no-sew pattern is quick to whip up, and would make a cute basic Halloween costume – all you need is a basic plastic or fabric-covered hairband (I bought mine from the dollar store!), an E hook, and some worsted weight yarn. The pattern includes three ear types: pointed (cat), long (bunny) and round (bear or mouse), and also includes bonus instructions to make the ears individually so you can stitch them onto a basic crocheted hat made in the same colour (and wouldn’t that make a great Christmas gift..?)

For the look of knit but formed with a crochet hook, the Tunisian Stripe Purse. This is a great introduction to Tunisian crochet – all you need is a size J afghan hook or double-ended crochet hook (available in most craft stores) and worsted weight yarn to make this pretty and functional purse. The clever construction means it’s all crocheted – there’s no sewing involved in the assembly! – and, as an added bonus, the sturdy, thick nature of the crocheted fabric means that there’s no need for a fabric lining either. (If you’re new to Tunisian crochet, the pattern comes with 2 bonus PDFs (left-handed and right-handed) including fully illustrated instructions for all the stitches you need for the pattern.)

For the gentlemen in your life (and maybe for yourself too), the Diamond Lattice Neckwarmer. A striking lattice texture that’s bold enough for a man to wear, but isn’t too chunky for ladies, this is a fast project – you can whip one up in an evening – that looks far more complicated than it really is (shh, don’t tell!). This neckwarmer will keep you toasty warm without the length and bulk of a full scarf, and it makes a lovely gift that’s sure to be appreciated. The pattern includes a full stitch diagram as well as clear written instructions. If you’ve never used post stitches before, this pattern is a great introduction to them – you’ll be an expert by the time you’ve completed your first neckwarmer.

And finally, for a touch of elegance, try my two crocheted lace designs: the Gossamer Lace Wrap and the Lacy Bobbles Cowl. Crocheted lace can seem intimidating – my hand was starting to hurt at even the thought of the fine yarns and tiny hooks involved! But it doesn’t have to be like that: my lace patterns are all designed to be worked with normal-sized hooks into the spaces between stitches, which means that, after the foundation row, there’s no hunting for those tiny fine loops to work into, and it’s actually a pleasure to work. (I can report that, as a crocheter with a tendency to suffer from various hand and wrist pains, crocheting the samples for patterns did not cause me any pain, and I’m now a total lace convert!) There are some beautiful laceweight yarns out there – I used baby alpaca for both my designs, which is soft and amazingly warm, but visit your local yarn store to see other options. Don’t be put off by the price, either: you’ll only need one 50g skein of laceweight yarn for each design, so it can actually be very inexpensive. And just look at what you can make:

You can wear the Gossamer Lace Wrap as a beautifully light and lacy shoulder wrap, or as a frothy lace scarf (the layers make it surprisingly toasty as a scarf!). 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.

I designed the Lacy Bobbles Cowl so the lacework isn’t too open, so you can pull it up to cover your head to stay warm, or let the layers of lace pool around your neck. It’s worked in the round, so there’s no need to stitch it together at the end, and the stitch pattern has a clever almost-invisible seam built right into each round.

*****
Launch Week Discounts! (NB the Scalloped Scarf pattern is excluded from these discounts as it’s donationware, so you set your own price anyway)
These automatic discount codes are valid until this Sunday, October 3rd.

Buy any PlanetJune Accessories pattern, save 5% with code PJAC05
Buy any 2 PlanetJune Accessories patterns, save 10% with code PJAC10
Buy any 3 PlanetJune Accessories patterns, save 15% with code PJAC15
Buy any 4 PlanetJune Accessories patterns, save 20% with code PJAC20
Buy all 5 PlanetJune Accessories patterns, save 25% with code PJAC25

You’ll find all the PlanetJune Accessories patterns in my shop.

*****

Okay, now you’ve seen my first Accessories collection, it’s time me to ask you for the scary part: please let me know what you think in the comments! Thank you 🙂

Don’t miss the Fall Crochet-Along info and discount code at the end of this post!

Did you know that, as of right now, I have 75 crochet patterns in my shop?!

That’s a lot to look through! I thought some of you may be new to the wonderful world of PlanetJune (ha!) or might appreciate a reminder of some of the patterns I have in my store, so here’s a little seasonal roundup for you of my Autumn, Thanksgiving and Halloween-related designs:

1. My Fruit Bat pattern is all worked in single crochet (as usual). His wings are worked in rows instead of rounds. Pipe cleaners in his wings let you wrap the wings around his body, but you can easily omit these if making the bat as a toy for young children or pets.

For Halloween, try making a fruit bat all in black with red eyes and dangle him from the ceiling with a string (yes, this is a fake Photoshopped one!)

2. Running short on time? The Halloween PocketAmi pattern set (: Black Cat, Ghost and Witch) work up in no time and make cute little toys or perfect decorations! (And see below for a discount!)

3. Or how about a perfect Pumpkin pattern? Mine comes in three flavours, so you can make a realistic pumpkin, a smiley kawaii version, or a scary Jack-o-Lantern. The Pumpkin pattern is free (but donations are much appreciated and will give you a nice printable PDF file in return!)

If you’re tempted by my seasonal designs, why not sign up for my Fall Crochet-Along (CAL) at my Ravelry group? My Pumpkin and PocketAmi Halloween patterns are all super-fast and easy to make, so “I don’t have time!” is no excuse 😉

You’ll get 20% off the PocketAmi Halloween pattern if you sign up for the CAL – just use code FALLCAL2010 at checkout to get your discount. And if you add a little donation for the Pumpkin pattern at the same time – $1 minimum – you’ll get a PDF version of the pattern as your reward for your generosity 🙂

Grab this button (above) for your blog, and spread the word about the Crochet-Along – it’s going to be fun!

Oooh, look what just arrived yesterday: the new issue of Inside Crochet. And, hello, what’s that on p92? Yay, it’s my new Kingfisher design!

When Inside Crochet commissioned me to make a colourful design, I knew I wanted to make something British (as it’s a UK magazine, and as a salute to the lovely wildlife I left behind when I moved to Canada) and a kingfisher was the first thing that sprang to mind.

Now, if you’re American (or Canadian), you may be wondering why I made my sample kingfisher in such crazy bright colours. The Belted Kingfisher that you’ll see in North America is much larger and less colourful than the Common Kingfisher of the UK, which really is a spectacular sight!

It was quite a challenge to design with all those colours and the shaping, and I’ve developed a cunning new method to make the orange/blue stripe on the body match on both sides (as amigurumi-style stitches don’t stack on top of each other, if you crocheted both sides the same way, one side would slope up and the other would slope down). Yay for new techniques and methods!

Inside Crochet Issue 10 (October 2010) is out now, and you can buy it in stores in the UK, or online. It includes a nice variety of crocheted garment patterns as well as my kingfisher! As it’s a UK magazine, it’s written in UK crochet terminology (e.g. a single crochet stitch is called a double crochet). If that worries you, I’ll be releasing my Kingfisher pattern in my standard PDF format (and standard US terms), together with my usual step-by-step assembly pics, in 6 months’ time, so you can always pick it up from my shop next spring instead!

A couple of pattern notes if you do buy Inside Crochet and want to make my kingfisher:

• I’ve listed a couple of minor introduced errata on the Ravelry pattern page, so check there before you start, to avoid confusion – there’s some inconsistent terminology.
• Although the magazine photographers did a fabulous job of taking lots of beautiful photos on location, they didn’t take the close-up photos I asked for to accompany the assembly instructions. (I’d have provided mine if I’d known…) You can see most of the features in the photos, but the legs in particular aren’t clearly photographed from the side, and the wings aren’t positioned correctly along the body in their photos, so please take a look at my photos here, to supplement the pretty magazine photos, and if you do buy the magazine and have any questions about assembly, please email me!

I’ve been planning a cactus collection for a few months now – I know I’m not exactly the first person to come up with the idea to make a crocheted cactus, but my idea was to make my designs more realistic than the cartoonish cacti I’ve seen before.

I always like to base my patterns on solid research so they look as realistic as possible, and when I started to investigate, I found a huge number of really interesting-looking cacti to crochetify: I started out sketching 8 different types, and then had so many great ideas for how to create them, I couldn’t decide which to cut!

I spent a lot of time developing different techniques and effects for each cactus, so I hope you can see that it’s not the same basic pattern with tweaks for size and shape here: each cactus is completely different from all the others.

8 plant designs plus 2 pots seemed a bit excessive for one pattern – that’s almost a book, not a pattern! – so my solution was to split the patterns over two cactus collections: you can buy your favourite collection without breaking the bank, or buy both (at a huge discount!) and mix-and-match cacti from each collection to create your perfect cactus garden.

Cactus Collection 1

Cactus Collection 1

Each collection comes with both the individual-sized pot pattern and the larger cactus garden pot pattern:

• An individual cactus makes a quick and sweet gift – or you can anthropomorphize it with some eyes and a smiley mouth to make a super-cute version!
• Two or three (or more) individual cactus pots look great arranged in a line along your windowsill.
• The larger cactus garden makes a beautiful decoration – and you’ll never have that problem where one of the collection dies and you’re left with a big empty space in the pot!

Cactus Collection 2

Cactus Collection 2

If you’d like to buy either or both of the Cactus Collection patterns, you can find them all in my shop. Don’t forget that there’s huge savings to be had if you buy the set of both collections.

As a special bonus for my newsletter subscribers, Twitter followers and Facebook fans, I’ll be giving out a special discount code to use with these patterns this week – so look out for that too!

Collection 1 includes (clockwise, from top left): Notocactus, Moon Cactus, Mammillaria, Echinocereus.

Collection 2 includes (clockwise, from top left): Micranthocereus, Cephalocereus, Opuntia (Paddle Cactus), Ferocactus (Barrel Cactus).

Which is your favourite?

UPDATE: adding some clearer links to where you can find the patterns:
Buy Cactus Collection 1
Buy Cactus Collection 2
Buy Cactus Collections 1 & 2 (at a bargain price!)

Here’s a realistic amigurumi apple: it’s not just a ball with a stalk attached, it’s actually the shape and size of a real apple!

Can you spot which is the real apple? Haha!

Give one to your (or your child’s!) favourite teacher, make a bowlful in red and green as a decorative centrepiece, or add a pair of safety eyes and an embroidered smile to make a sweet-as-apple-pie toy.

It’s so realistic I almost want to take a bite

The apples crochet pattern is free for you to use. If you’d like to thank me with a donation, you’ll get a handy printable PDF version of the pattern as a thank you 🙂

Enjoy!

Go to Amigurumi Apples pattern >>