>Peek into Wonderland

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My name being Allison, when I was growing up I got called Allison Wonderland pretty often 🙂  I always thought the movie was kind of bizarre, but that Disney version seems mainstream now after seeing the Tim Burton preview!  Now that’s bizarre!  Bizarrely AWESOME!  I don’t know if Bizarrely is a word, but, I digress, I decided to make an Alice doll.  She’s not really the Disney version, not really the Tim Burton version so much either.  Of course she’s blonde, but really this pattern could be made into just a sweet doll, not necessarily a storybook character.  Her little white rabbit took a whole 15 minutes to make, and the pattern is just too easy and fun NOT to post here.  Make him for Alice and then in a couple months PLEASE make them in pastel colors and stick ’em in your kids Easter baskets.  That would be so cute!!

The White Rabbit!
Head and body:
Using white yarn and an E Hook, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, and sc 6 into ring.
R1: 2 sc each stitch (12)
R2: (2sc next st, sc next st)* rep around (18)
R3: (2sc next st, sc next 8 st)* rep around (20)
R4-10: sc each st (20)
R11: sc into first 10 st, skip next 10 st (10)
R12: starting at 1st st of R11, sc into each st (10)
R13: sc each st (10)
R14: sc2tog around (5)
Fasten off first leg.  Stuff bunny firmly.  Join yarn at 11th st of R10.  Repeat R11-14 for second leg.

Ears (make 2):
Using white yarn and an E Hook, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, and sc 6 into ring.

R1: (2sc next st, sc next st)* rep around (9)
R2-3: sc each st (9)
R4: dec 1 (8)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail.  Flatten ear and attach to top of rabbit’s head.

Arms (make 2):
Using white yarn and an E Hook, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, and sc 6 into ring.

R1: (2sc next st, sc next st)* rep around (9)
R2: sc each st (9)
R3: dec 1 (8)
R4: dec 1 (7)
Fasten off leaving a long tail.  Stuff arm and sew to side of body.

Finishing:
Using black embroidery thread, embroider eyes using a french knot.  Come back up at same spot and make a french knot over the original to make the eye a little larger.  Embroider nose and mouth as a big “x”.
Using pink embroidery thread, embroider nose using a satin stitch. 
Cut a small red heart from felt and either sew or glue to bunny’s chest.
Shade white rabbit’s ears with blush.  Done!

The White Rabbit’s buddy Alice is NOW available as a pattern in my Etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftyisCool.  Happy hooking!

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I have been wanting to make another wild thing but HAD to wait until after Christmas.  I have this whiteboard with all these ideas for new patterns.  There’s lots of ideas that never quite make it into the yarn.  When I decide to actually create a doll, I make a sketch and kind of map it out how I think I will make it.  I jot down how many stitches in a row, how many rows will repeat, what color yarns I’m going to use, etc.  I’ve had Douglas in that stage for a…ahem…very long time.

I finally got around to actually making him and I love him!  I tried a few shortcuts for his head feathers.  They all looked terrible.  I tore up lots of yarn trying to make a quick fix and have it look accurate, but I finally bit the bullet and crocheted each one individually in keeping with the character in the book, and I’m glad I did!  I took pictures this evening and it was already getting dark outside.  I like to use natural light only so most of the pictures didn’t turn out to be usable.  When I do get all the pictures I want tomorrow, the pattern for Douglas will be in my etsy shop!

 Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

>Prepping for Valentine’s anyone??

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In the grand tradition of procrastinating on this blog, I now present the third free pattern I promised way back in ’09.  Ok, that wasn’t really all THAT long ago, was it?  But it sounds like it 🙂

When I set up a demo booth at the Handmade Nation craft fair here in Austin, one of the kits I put together was for this here little Happy Heart Pin.  I thought it would be fitting to post this baby up before Valentine’s Day.  If you’re especially productive, you could even crochet up a couple dozen and pin them on some cute homemade cards for your kids at school.  If you aren’t so dedicated to spreading the handmade love, you could just make one for yourself to wear around for a few weeks leading up to Valentine’s day. 
Here she is!

Happy Heart Pin

Materials:
Red worsted weight yarn
Black safety eyes (6mm)
Black embroidery floss
(E-I) Hook (larger hook will make Happy bigger)
Yarn needle
Polyester stuffing
Pinback
Craft glue

Key:
ch: chain
sc: single crochet
st: stitch
sc2tog: single crochet 2 st together (decrease)

*     *     *

Starting at point of heart and with red yarn, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, and sc 3 into the ring. Pull closed.

R1: Work 2sc into each st (6)

R2: (2sc into next st, sc into next st)* repeat to end of round (9)

R3: (2sc into next st, sc into next 2 st)* repeat to end of round (12)

R4: (2sc into next st, sc into next 3 st)* repeat to end of round (15)

R5: (2sc into next st, sc into next 4 st)* repeat to end of round (18)

R6: sc into the next 9 st, skip next 9 st.

(**You have now started the right side of the top of the heart.)

R7: starting at the first stitch of R6, sc into each st (9)

R8: (sc2tog, sc into next st)* into each st (6)

Fasten off by slip stitching into the next stitch. Leave a tail . Using the yarn needle, weave tail through last row of stitches and pull tightly to close the hole.

You should now insert the eyes into the heart. The backing piece will be snapped onto the back, inside the heart. It will be a tight fit!

Attach yarn back onto the open side of the yarn, starting on the inside and you will work around the opening. You can either tie a knot to attach the new yarn or you can insert the hook on the outside into the first stitch and pull the yarn up through the work, and sc for your first stitch. Repeat R6-8 on the other side to create the second top bump.

Embroider a tiny smile onto Happy Heart’s face.

Glue pinback onto the back of the heart.

LOVELY!