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origami star ornament

Jess of How About Orange posted an inspirational round-up of 3D paper holiday ornaments. I have a nice stock of pretty origami papers that I never get around to using, so this seemed like a sign…

I decided to try the many pointed star – the tutorial is in the form of a video (really useful because you can pause and rewind to re-watch the tricky parts). Wouldn’t this star look great hanging on a Christmas tree?

3d origami star

Technically, this is an example of modular origami, because one star is made from six sheets of paper, although there is no cutting or gluing involved. I used six 3″ squares of origami paper and the finished star is about 2.5″ at it’s widest points.

I got stuck at one point in the folding sequence, but I watched that part of the video a few more times and once I’d figured it out, it was all plain sailing from there. Assembling the star was quite easy too. It’s quite time-consuming to make, but watch a DVD at the same time and the time will fly by!

PS – Apologies to any mailing list subscribers who just got this post e-mailed to them! Slight technical glitch…

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christmas pudding pattern

crocheted christmas pudding
Click for larger pic

Here’s a quick project to crochet: a little Christmas Pudding (aka Plum Pudding) in time for Christmas. Hang it on your Christmas tree, or sit it on your mantelpiece or as a decoration on your Christmas table! This amigurumi xmas pudding pattern comes complete with white sauce and is topped with a sprig of holly leaves and berries.

crocheted christmas pudding
Click for larger pic

I designed and crocheted this one last night in about an hour, so it’d work up even more quickly if you follow the pattern!

Continue to the pattern instructions >>

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gift certificates available

In plenty of time for a last-minute Christmas present, PlanetJune Gift Certificates are now available in denominations ranging from $5 to $100. These would make a perfect gift for anyone you know who crochets!


A small selection of the many patterns available for purchase with a PlanetJune Gift Certificate!

Gift Certificates are available safely and securely through PayPal, and can either be delivered by e-mail directly to your recipient (on the date you specify), or you can elect to print the certificate and give it directly to your recipient. There is also space on the certificate for you to leave your personalized Christmas message!

To purchase a Gift Certificate, either click the button above, or purchase it directly from the store.

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AmiDogs Set 2 is here!

AmiDogs by PlanetJune

AmiDogs Set 2 is here! Now you can make your own amigurumi doggies:

  • Boston Terrier
  • Jack Russell Terrier
  • Beagle

The Boston Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier and Beagle patterns are available individually, or buy the complete set for a special price.

Order your patterns directly from PlanetJune.com and the pdfs will be e-mailed to you.

Do you know someone with a Boston Terrier? How about a Jack Russell? Or a Beagle? Don’t you think they would love a little crocheted version of their sweetie for Christmas? There’s still time! Buy the patterns today and you’ll receive them in your inbox today – that gives you two whole weeks to crochet them and put them under the tree!

Or do you know a dog lover who crochets? How about sending them some patterns for Christmas? Shop from PlanetJune.com and spread a litle holiday cheer 🙂

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amidogs beagle

Wooooooof! I’m so happy to present my favourite dog breed: the Beagle! This little guy took a long time to design – I actually started him before the Jack Russell, but I wasn’t satisfied with the yarn I’d bought for the project, so I had to restart with different yarn. I wanted him to be a perfect tricolour beagle without making the colour changes too difficult for those of you following the pattern!

Two head prototypes and three body prototypes later, here he is:

crocheted amigurumi beagle by planetjune

crocheted amigurumi beagle by planetjune

crocheted amigurumi beagle by planetjune

I’m naming him Porthos after my favourite ST Enterprise character 😉

So… Boston Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Beagle… That makes three… AmiDogs Set 2 is complete! All three patterns will be available for purchase shortly, either individually or as a value-priced set of all three. Remember to sign up for notification of availability of the patterns!

AmiDogs Set 2 by PlanetJune

UPDATE: Looking for the pattern? You can find the AmiDogs Beagle crochet pattern and AmiDogs Set 2 crochet patterns in my shop.

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supercute sea creatures

I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of Futuregirl’s Supercute Sea Creatures pattern a few days ago (thanks Alice!) so that means it’s time for me to learn another new craft – how to sew felt softies!



Click for larger pic

The last time I attempted blanket stitch was well over 20 years ago (now doesn’t that make me sound old! I was a very small child at the time) so I had a little apprehension, but I needn’t have worried. The pattern is very clear and easy to follow, even for a novice like me, especially when supplemented with Alice’s tutorials on how to hand sew felt.

I decided to go with a colour theme – white with blue embellishments – but to try to find subtle variations within the theme for each creature. I also wanted it to be a stash-busting project (i.e. I wouldn’t buy anything new in order to complete it), so the whole thing cost an amazing 28 cents (for 1 sheet of white craft felt).

First up was the starfish. I stitched seed beads (clear with a blue core) onto the front, embroidered a pattern on the underside, and then blanket-stitched them together. I really love the embroidered back, although it does look a bit like a 5-sided snowflake… hey, there’s another craft idea! The starfish took me 2 hours to make.

Next up, the octopus. Wow, cutting out all those legs was a lot of work! For the suckers, I found some blue plastic beads that were once part of an ugly beaded belt that came free with a pair of trousers. I had unpicked the entire belt a few months ago, and now have little piles of red and black wooden beads, and the blue plastic beads, waiting for a use. I figured out a way to sew them on invisibly with transparent nylon thread, which I threaded inside the thickness of the felt between each bead so the thread doesn’t show on the back side either. The eyes were more difficult… I don’t have any sequins or suitable-sized buttons in my colour scheme. Finally, I decided to make a sead bead cluster for each eye and I think it has a nice effect!

Thirdly, the fish. I’m getting the hang of the felt cutting etc by now, and I’m racing through the blanket stitching. My white fins didn’t show up against the white body, so I blanket stitched around them. Again, I had the problem of what to use for the eye, and I didn’t want to do the same thing as I’d used for the octopus, so I came up with a ring of opaque seed beads with one larger blue glass bead in the centre.

And lastly, the jellyfish. I left it to last because I thought it would be the most difficult, but either I was super-experienced by this point (haha), or it was very easy. I made the entire jellyfish (except the trailing floss tentacles) during a 25-minute wait at the US border! I’d made a little kit of the pattern, some felt, embroidery floss and needle, my sewing scissors and a tiny bit of fiberfill stuffing in a zip-lock bag, and put it in my handbag in case I was stuck waiting at the border. While everyone else was complaining about the length of their wait, I was happily cutting and sewing. I was almost annoyed when they called my name. I felt a bit self-conscious of my public crafting at first, but I don’t think anyone even took any notice (although I didn’t look up to check, just in case anyone was laughing at me).

So there you go – the set is complete. I really enjoyed making it. Cutting out the fiddly shapes (why oh why do octopi have to have so many legs?!) and the beading took the longest time. But I was surprised at how much I enjoyed working with the felt and floss. Maybe it’s because I’m a perfectionist freak, but seeing all those little neat stitches take shape made me very happy. I can definitely see myself doing some more work with felt and floss in future.



Click for larger pic

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green zippered pouch

My parcel has arrived at its destination, so I can now show you the surprise present I made for my favourite (and only 😉 ) aunt:

green zippered pouch
Click for full size image

A little zippered pouch, loosely based on Splityarn’s zippered wristlet tutorial. I made a ribbon from the lining fabric to embellish the outside of the pouch. I love the tiny flower print fabric!

My new sewing machine is a dream to work with. I’m sure I made the right decision in buying it. If anyone else is in the market, from what I’ve seen, Husqvarna Vikings are a quality choice. Now I just need to get myself a good book so I can learn more about what I can do with my new toy.

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amidogs jack russell terrier

Sorry for the blog silence – I’ve been sick for a couple of weeks, but I’m back now. Here’s the latest AmiDogs design: my Jack Russell Terrier pup. Look at those ears!

crocheted jack russell terrier

crocheted jack russell terrier

crocheted jack russell terrier

In memory of Fraggle

Jack Russell and Boston Terrier are ready; that’s two down, one to go for AmiDogs Set 2! (Remember to sign up for the mailing list if you’d like to know when the patterns are released.)

Keep the dog breed suggestions coming! I love designing these dog patterns 🙂

UPDATE: Looking for the pattern? You can find the AmiDogs Jack Russell Terrier crochet pattern in my shop.

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    June Gilbank

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