PlanetJune Blog: Latest News, Patterns and Tutorials

I bought this top because I loved the colour and the print, and the 60% off price tag didn’t hurt either. But when I tried it on, it just looked wrong to me. The dark brown fabric was too prominent and the ribbons that go under the bust and tie at the back just didn’t look good on me.

I figured there had to be a simple way to modify it so it wouldn’t look so strange. A quick bit of refashioning was in order…

After unpicking the seam between the brown neckline piece and the ribbon at each side, I looped the two ribbons over each other at the front for a gathered knot effect and then fed them through the unpicked areas to the wrong side of the top. I re-sewed the seam, sewing through the ribbons as well to keep them in place, then trimmed the excess ribbon from the inside. Finally, I snipped off the belt loop from each side and here’s my finished result:

Not bad for half an hour’s work!

There are some more modifications I considered (shortening the length slightly and/or adding some beading over the brown neck area), but sometimes the hardest part is knowing when to stop, and I like it the way it is now, so I will call this project done.

AmiDogs Set 1 is here! Now you can make your own amigurumi doggies:

• a shiba inu with a cute white nose and white paws
• a yellow labrador, a chocolate labrador or even a black labrador
• call it a wiener dog, weiner dog or sausage dog, it’s still a dachshund

The Shiba Inu, Labrador and Dachshund 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.

To whet your appetite for my upcoming AmiDogs crochet patterns, I’ve just published the latest in my occasional series of crochet tutorials (Missed the earlier one? See my Fuzzy Yarn Tips).

To find out how to make a smooth neat join between pieces when finishing your amigurumi, take a look at my new tutorial: Joining Amigurumi.

Thanks to those of you who voted in my poll! As 78% of respondents said they would be interested in one or more doggy crochet patterns, I’ve been busy designing and now I’m ready to reveal my latest project: AmiDogs!

Press Release

AmiDogs by PlanetJune is a new range of amigurumi dog crochet patterns from the designer of the Fuzzy Friends collection. Each AmiDogs pattern is designed to capture a different breed of dog.

The patterns will be available individually and as value-priced sets of three. The initial release will include the first set of three patterns: Labrador, Dachshund and Shiba Inu. Suggestions and requests for future AmiDogs patterns are welcome!

L-R: Dachshund, Shiba Inu, Labrador – click picture for larger version

AmiDogs Set 1 will be available to purchase within the next few weeks – sign up for the mailing list to be notified when they are released.

UPDATE: Looking for the pattern? You can find the AmiDogs Set 1 crochet patterns in my shop.

The Fuzzy Kitten pattern is now available! You can order it directly from PlanetJune.com and the pdf will be e-mailed to you.

Now you can make your own teeny tiny amigurumi kittens! The pattern includes full instructions to make a sitting up kitten and a lying down kitten.

If you haven’t bought Fuzzy Monkeys yet, why not pick up both while you’re shopping? 🙂

PS to all Canadians: Happy Canada Day!

Meet Ms Bun-Bun, my first attempt at softie making from one of my cute new Japanese craft books:

The fabric isn’t photographing very well – it’s a deep burgundy colour with a nice fuzzy feel to it. I bought it as a remnant, so I don’t know what the fabric really is.

To make the bunny, I traced the pattern pieces from the book onto freezer paper, cut them out and then ironed them onto the reverse side of the fabric, which made cutting out the fabric pieces really easy. Is this an established technique, or did I just invent it? I don’t know, but I highly recommend it! The freezer paper templates can be ironed on and peeled off several times, so you can even reuse them to make more toys.

The diagrams in the book were all so clear that I had no problem following the instructions, even though all the text was in Japanese. I didn’t have any plastic pellets to weigh down the bottom of the bunny, so I improvised with a handful of small buttons.

Apparently Japanese bunnies don’t have tails (I may fix this later):

Ms Bun-Bun’s favourite activities are sunbathing and picking fresh flowers:

I crocheted the flowers with a 2.35mm hook. I used black crochet cotton for the centres, and beautiful hand-dyed lambswool from Renaissance Dyeing for the petals. It’s actually Crewel embroidery wool – I bought it years ago and completely forgot I had it until I was looking for something to make Ms Bun-Bun an accessory with – what a nice surprise 🙂

I love those flowers! They are under 3/4″ diameter. Now what else can I do with them… crocheted jewellery, hair accessories, maybe even clothing embellishments…?

I’ve been designing again… meet the Fuzzy Kittens!
Click pictures for larger versions

The black and white kittens are crocheted from Patons Carmen, which made the kittens super-soft and furry but it’s a little difficult to see their shape. The grey kittens are crocheted from Berroco Furz, which made for a less fuzzy, more defined kitten.

The kittens are lifesize teeny tiny babies, at only 6 inches long (plus tail).

I’ll be writing up the pattern soon to join the other Fuzzy Friends patterns. If you’d like to be notified when it’s available, sign up for my mailing list.

I’m thinking the kittens may be in need of a mother, so I have an idea for a Fuzzy Cat in the works!

UPDATE: Looking for the pattern? You can find the Fuzzy Kitten crochet pattern in my shop.

Drumroll please… You’ve waited all this time, and now, finally, the Fuzzy Monkeys pattern is available! You can order it directly from PlanetJune.com and the pdf will be e-mailed to you.

Now you can make your own amigurumi monkeys! The pattern includes full instructions to make three different types of monkey:

1. Adult Monkey with poseable wired legs and tail
2. Baby Monkey with poseable wired legs and tail
3. Adult Monkey with wire-free (child-safe) dangling legs

PS – Would you like to see PlanetJune amigurumi dog patterns? Please vote in my poll and let me know!