Glitch Cubimals - Gotta Craft Them All?

Since last fall I've been playing an online game called Glitch. It's still in beta testing, but every once in a while they open the doors so that more people can give it a try.

One of the things you can do in-game is collect these little wind up toys called Cubimals. Each comes in a mystery box so you never know what you're going to get until you open it up. The toys make cute decorations for your house and your in-game character can race its Cubimals against those of other players. There's also a trophy for obtaining one of each, so much like Pokemon, we're encouraged to collect them all!

I have yet to get my trophy and I'm not going to fill up my real world house by crocheting all of them, but I thought I'd transfer a couple of my favourites to the real world.

Above you can seem my real world piggy and squid cubimal having a race on the kitchen counter, and below their virtual counterparts are doing the same thing in Glitch.

The piggy I made with some pink Bernat Satin, and the squid was crocheted with a sport weight Patons yarn in a lime green shade, hence the slight size difference. For both animals I crocheted in rows, making a flat cube shape and then stitching up the sides to make it three dimensional.

I haven't written up the patterns for these, but if anyone is interested in having a pattern please let me know in the comments section. I'd be happy to post it to the blog as one of my free patterns. With the game in beta still, I wasn't sure how much interest there would be in making these little critters. Let me know!

It's Pickwick! Plock Plock!

I'm a huge fan of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next novels and Pickwick has always been one of my favourite characters. Since science hasn't advanced far enough for me to have my own genetically engineered dodo, I'll just have to settle for this amigurumi version for now. Huge thanks to Melissa1 for her beautiful, free Mauritius Dodo pattern.

I figure since Pickwick is a marvel of science I can be a little creative with her colouring. The yarns used are all Bernat Softee Chunky, with the main body crocheted in Baby Blue and the tail feathers and eye area stitched in Lavender.

Stitched with a size G (4.00mm) hook, my Pickwick stands just under 5.5 inches tall. According to the books, I believe Pickwick doesn't have wings, but she just looked so strange without them, I couldn't leave them out!

Last Look at 2011 Cthulhus - Part 3

And let's close out the month of January with our final look at the cthulhus of 2011.

In the top row we have two wonderful Cuddly Cthulhus. The one on the top left was stitched by Dorothy. That's a beautiful shade of green she's chosen!

Meanwhile on the top right Angela's cthulhu is showing off its Browncoat spirit with a classic Jayne hat.

Now I know it's not a cthulhu, but the picture on the bottom left is also a sample of one of the free patterns you can find here at Cthulhu Crochet and Cousins. Jes used purple and cream yarn to crochet the Spiral Baby Blanket for the baby girl she is expecting in just a few weeks. Congratulations Jes!!

And looking all cute and innocent in the bottom right corner is an adorable Tiny Cthulhu stitched by Carina. The hand-stitched eyes really make this one look sweet, and perhaps a little bit curious?

Once again thanks to everyone who has sent in pictures or posted a comment to let me know they're using  my patterns. It's always wonderful to see the unique touches that everyone adds to their creations!

Happy stitching in 2012 everyone!

Last Look at 2011 Cthulhus - Part 2

Well, I certainly wouldn't challenge that guy for the remote control. This top picture comes courtesy of Veronica. Those angry eyebrows tell me this little monster takes his channel surfing seriously, but what is it that cthulhus watch on TV?

I love the shades of pink and purple you see on Cat's cthulhu in the centre left picture. Meanwhile on the centre right we have a somewhat more sinister cthulhu crocheted by minimysz.

Check out those innocent blue eyes on Lia's cthulhu on the bottom left. In her comment she writes, "It came out cute!" I think she's right. Very cute!

In the bottom right is a cthulhu made by Michele, who also added a pair of legs to make him more mobile. If you zoom in on the picture you can see that the eyes are actually a larger white button with a smaller black on sewn on top. A very clever way to create a pair of eyes!

Once again thanks to everyone who took the time to post a link or email a picture of to show me what they've made with my patterns. My cthulhu patterns, and many others, are available under the My Free Patterns tab on the right side of the blog. Keep sending those pictures!

Last Look at 2011 Cthulhus - Part 1

A few more of the amazing tiny cthulhus that were made by readers of Cthulhu Crochet and Cousins in 2011.

And if you've made something using one of my patterns I'd love to see it! Post a comment with a link to pictures in the comments sections of the pattern you used or send the pictures to me directly at the email address you see in the top left corner of the blog.

Poor Pinky must have nearly destroyed some fingers making this micro-cthulhu that you see in the top left. That keychain size cthulhu is adorable!

Now, is it just me, or does that cthulhu stitched by Karma Kitten on the top right look a little bit like an alien? I think it's the eyes! And whose to say, maybe cthulhus actually are space aliens, or at least their distant relatives?

In the middle is Taco Magic's cthulhu, which appears to be taking its frustrations out on a lemming. It's been a long while since I've played Lemmings, but I don't remember cthulhu attack being one of the things you have to try to avoid. For cthulhu's sake, I hope that lemming isn't one of the bomber ones.

Need your own lemming for cthulhus (or cats) to attack? You can find it here at PlanetJune.

On the bottom left Theresa crocheted a tiny cthulhu who has sprouted legs. I like how she extended the tentacles so they brush the ground when he's standing. Tara went with the traditional legless tiny cthulhu on the bottom right. The blue buttons she selected for its eyes are a great touch. They really make the eyes stand out!

Thanks once again to everyone who has been posting comments and sending in pictures to show what they're making with my patterns. It's always great to see they're getting used.

Next post, more 2011 cthulhus!

Leaving on a Jet Plane - Softies for Mirabel 2011

These little cuties took flight last week and are on their way to Australia where they'll be helping out with this year's Softies for Mirabel campaign. Each year people around the world contribute handmade softies which are then given out as Christmas gifts to children supported by the Mirabel Foundation. The foundation assists children whose families have been affected by substance abuse.

Pip. of Meet Me At Mike's, is one of the main organizers for the Softies for Mirabel campaign and you can learn more about the effort and where you could contribute your own softies by clicking the link in the top paragraph.

Softies for Mirabel is a great excuse to make some toys. It helps children in need, allows you to try out some new patterns and gives you an opportunity to use up some of that extra yarn or fabric that's been building up in your stash.

Need some inspiration? Check out the patterns I have available under the My Free Patterns tab in the left sidebar. Of course, don't feel your creativity is constricted to just crocheting. Mirabel gladly accepts any child-safe toys that are handmade. Feel free to pull out those knitting needles or warm up that sewing machine.

My First Knit Toy - Elefante

I've made a lot of crocheted toys over the years, but here at last is my first attempt at a knitted toy.

This knitted Elefante is a free pattern courtesy of Susan B. Anderson. Everyone who has seen him keeps telling me that he should have a longer trunk, but I think he's pretty cute as is. Besides, he needs that short trunk to act as a fifth leg and hold up his enormous head!

The instructions were easy to follow and I love how soft and squishy knitted toys come out compared to their crocheted counterparts. For this Elefante, I used some leftover Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in May Flower Ombre. Anyone who has used this yarn knows it's not the softest choice, yet by knitting with it instead of crocheting, I did end up with a rather cuddly elephant.

I find making crocheted items relaxing, but mastering the balancing act of keeping my stitches on four different needles at once was a tad too stressful for my down time. I think I'll stick with making crochet toys in the future. Plus, I'm sure this would eventually come with more practice, but I find I always end up with a bit of a gaping hole between the first and last needle no matter how hard I try to avoid it.

One final picture, showing the cool spiral effect you see when looking at my little elephant from above.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Cthulhu!

Just received an email from Hilde that included this adorable Halloween cthulhu that she stitched up for her son. Anyone else out there decorating their house with cthulhus tonight? I love his little shirt!

Happy Halloween everyone!!! Thanks for the great picture Hilde!

Cthulhu Cousins - Looking Good in Green!

It wasn't until after I had put together this collection of cthulhu cousins that I realized they were all in different shades of green. Despite being similar in colour, it's easy to see that they each have their own unique look!

In the top left corner is Psychogere's tiny cthulhu. Those red eyes are making it look pretty scary!

Rob created that cthulhu in top right that's posing with its favourite book. Rob wrote that he is new to amigurmi and that this cthulhu had some "teething troubles", but I think it turned out great.

On the bottom left is a lovely tiny cthulhu that was stitched by Chelsea. She also writes that this was her first crochet project and I think she did a terrific job.

Just below Chelsea's cthulhu on the lower bottom left is Tuome's tiny cthulhu. I love those big eyes on her cthulhu and the way it's blending in with the foliage. I may just have to use this photo as a desktop wallpaper someday.

I really like the jade coloured eyes that you see on the cthulhu in the bottom right. This one was stitched by Amanda.

Move over Johnny Depp, there's a new pirate in town! There in the middle is the Dread Pirate Cthulhu that was stitched by Emilie. I'm actually going to share a larger photo of this one, just so you can see all the detail that Emilie put into this project. Very cute! I love his little peg leg!

And because it was such a great photo, I'm also going to share this larger picture of Tuome's cthulhu. Isn't that a sweet photo?

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to share pictures of their completed projects. It's always great to see my patterns in use. If you want to make a cthulhu of your own, the patterns are available in the left sidebar under the My Free Patterns heading.

Have you made a cthulhu or one of my other patterns? Got a picture to share? If so, feel free to email me a copy at the address you see in top left of the blog, or post a link in the comments section for the pattern you used!

Happy stitching everyone!

Here Be Dragons

I've had my eye on Lucy Ravenscar's Fierce Little Dragon pattern for a long time. And at last I had some time and some yarn that I suspected would be perfect for giving it a try. The pattern is available as a free download, and while there are lots of parts to these dragons, the instructions were quite straightforward and there are plenty of pictures you can use as references when it's time to stitch everything together.

My first dragon was made using some James C. Brett marble chunky Jeweltone that I had left over from the V-Stitch afghan. This is a chunkier yarn than what is recommended for the pattern so I upped the crochet hook size and ended up with a rather sizeable (more than 2 foot long) pet dragon.

My crafty friend Lisa has made a few of these dragons, and I can see why, the pattern is highly addictive. After putting together the first dragon, I couldn't resist making him a companion. I wanted this second one to be a bit smaller, so it's made with Patons Astra sport weight yarn in Purple.

It turned out about a foot and a half long and is much stiffer than the first dragon, making the wings sit more rigidly. It is also quite lightweight. One of these dragons made in sport weight could easily rest on a persons shoulders with the assistance of a couple safety pins. Now wouldn't that be great for a Renaissance fair or costume party?

Now, don't ask me to choose a favourite because I'm very happy with how both of these turned out, and I'm resisting the impulse to fill the entire house with dragons. Ultimately, I think I'm going to be keeping the larger dragon, and the little purple one is going to be going to charity (more on that in a future post). But for now, they can frolic together and guard our living room.

Want the Pattern?

Lucy Ravenscar's Fierce Little Dragon pattern is available as a free .pdf via Ravelry.

More Cthulhu Cousins!

Apologies to Rachel, whose wintery little cthulhu somehow got left out of my final round up of 2010 cthulhus. Rachel shared a great story about this little guy too, so I'm really sorry he got left out.

The hat this cthulhu is wearing comes from the Innocent Smoothies Big Knit campaign, which Rachel takes part in. Being in Canada, I hadn't heard of this UK charity before, but as Rachel explains, "[it] involves knitting tiny hats to go on the top of Innocent Smoothie bottles. The hatted bottles are then distributed to our local supermarkets, and a small amount of the sale goes to Age UK, a charity to help the elderly."

What a great idea! We don't have Innocent Smoothies in the stores around here, but I know if I saw a drink with a little knitted hat on it at the grocery store, I'd buy one, especially if it was helping out a charity.

And now a few other great cthulhus that I've received in the past couple months...

Remember when I was asking readers what they thought of glow-in-the-dark yarns? Well, Rosemarsh Art decided to test some out on a tiny cthulhu. In the top left photo you see how her cthulhu looks in the daylight, and in the top right photo you can see his glow. Very cool, and kinda creepy looking!

In the middle photo we have a beautifully striped cuddly cthulhu from Terra-Storm. That angry cthulhu you see in the bottom left was stitched up by Ginny, and Knotical Knits created the jolly Santa-Cthulhu on the bottom right as a gift for her sister-in-law last Christmas.

Once again thanks to everyone for sharing their creations. As always, if you've made something with my patterns feel free to share a link in the comments section on the pattern you used or send me an email at the address you see in the top left corner of the blog.

Cthulhu Cousin Collage!

I'm sort of killing two birds with one stone here. Or maybe the new adage should be killing two pigs with one bird...Anyways, I thought I'd post a few more of the great cthulhus that readers have been making with my patterns and try out my new HP Photosmart Create software at the same time.

Okay, I'll be honest, I don't know if this is new software. I was checking what was in some of the folders on my harddrive and I came across this. It may have been part of a recent software update from HP, or it may be that it's been on my harddrive for years. Still, it's a neat little program that allows you to drop .jpegs into predesigned layouts, without the hassle of having to crop or rotate the photos yourself. Quite fun!

But enough about software, let's talk about cthulhus! In the top left corner is a great little cthulhu, who looks like he's wearing a Hawaiian shirt, created by Nita. Top right is a cuddly cthulhu stitch up by Helen. In the bottom left Augusta crafter stitched up a tiny cthulhu in what I think is a wonderful shade of blue. Nekochan is hoping that her cthuhu, in the bottom right, has an evil spark in his eyes. I think he does! I also like how he appears to have a backpack clip or some other type of hook coming out of his head, perfect for travel.

Finally, I'm going to give honorable mention to the blue cuddly cthulhu in the middle that was created by Raven Corinn Carluk. It's hard to tell from the picture, but he's actually a mini-cthulhu. Raven wrote, "He's DMC size 5 color works thread, done with a #3 (2.25mm) hook. The eyes are glass buttons I found at Joann's. He took about six or seven hours total to make, because I'm still new to crochet."

For a beginner project I think he looks terrific and I love the eerie quality that the glass eyes give this little monster. Plus, I don't think I'd have the patience to stitch a cthulhu with a 2.25mm hook, but the results are wonderful.

Thanks to everyone for sending in their pictures showing me how you've been using my patterns. As always, if you'd like to share your project feel free to post a link to a picture in the comments section for the appropriate pattern or send me a .jpg at the email address you see in the top left corner of the blog.

Catching Up on Cthulhus!

I know things have been a little quiet at Cthulhu Crochet and Cousins lately. I was away on vacation for a while, (more on that in an upcoming post). I've been working on a large crafty project that I won't be able to show in the blog until after the Christmas holidays, and our vacation was followed by several weeks of internet connection problems. Now the large project is finished and the internet connection seems to be connected once more, so hopefully I can get back to more frequent posting.

First off, I thought I'd show a few more of the terrific critters that fellow stitchers have been making with my Tiny Cthulhu and Cuddly Cthulhu patterns. (Check out the left sidebar for the free patterns).

In the top left of this post you see the awesome and fiery maroon cthulhu created by Miss Crafty. I really like the button eyes on this one. I think they really suit the colours of yarn that were chosen.

And speaking of great eye choices, these stitched eyes that Amber J. used on her cthulhu are giving him a look of wide-eyed innocence that I'm sure will easily lure victims into his clutches.

Someday I should do a post that just shows all the pictures readers have sent me of their cthulhus posing with cats because there are a lot of them. What is it about cats and cthulhus that draws them together? You know, I have yet to be sent a picture of one of our cthulhu cousins posing with a dog. Why is that? Perhaps cats just have more of an affinity with evil that draws them to the dreaded cthulhu? This latest instalment of Cats & Cthulhus comes from crocheter Sam B. and looks quite cheerful.

SuziQ put together this Cuddly Cthulhu. Aww, isn't she pretty in pink? I don't know, maybe that bow is making her angry.

Now here's a more traditional Cuddly Cthulhu courtesy of Elizabeth. In her message she mentions that this was her first time making something beyond blankets and scarves, and I think it turned out great! Elizabeth was inspired to make the Cuddly Cthulhu for a friend who's hard to shop for, but happens to be an H.P. Lovecraft fan.

I guess it's only natural that over time the Tiny Cthulhu would evolve legs and learn to walk on the land. This latest link in the evolutionary chain was created and captured on film by Belruel.

Not to worry though, I still find the legless Tiny Cthulhu absolutely adorable as well, especially this fine little cthulhu crocheted by Sam. (That's a different Sam than the one who made the cthulhu posing with kitty above.)

Wait a minute, this isn't a cthulhu! I was incredibly happy to receive an email from Michelle B. who completed this Smiley Bone as a Christmas present for her sister-in-law. While I get lots of pictures of cthulhus (thank you everyone!), I don't often see pictures from people who have crocheted the Bone cousins using my patterns. Thanks Michelle, he looks wonderful!

Once again thanks to everyone who sent in pictures of the things they've been making. If you have a picture you want to share you can post a link to it at the bottom of the pattern you used, or send me an email at the address you see in the top left of the blog.

There are plenty more great cthulhus pictures that readers have sent me which I'll try to post over the coming weeks/months. I'm also hoping to get up some pictures of projects that I've been working on lately. That's right, crafting is happening, I just haven't had a chance to blog about it...Stay tuned everyone, and thanks for visiting Cthulhu Crochet and Cousins!

Dressing Up Ctlhulhu!

Craftster user Mutant_cat has been making some great little cthulhus that I couldn't resist sharing. I'm considering these the grandchildren of my Tiny Cthulhu pattern because they were made using the Baby Cthulhu pattern created by Giulia, which was a variation of my Tiny Cthulhu pattern that added legs. So I'm proud to consider these little guys members of the Cthulhu Crochet and Cousins family, especially since they are such snappy dressers.

Mutant_cat made her little cthulhus using a very thin crochet yarn so that they would come out smaller than the pattern intended, standing only a couple of inches high. Tiny Thor looks adorable, and I love the details including the little wings on his helmet.

You can check out more pictures of Mutant_cat's cthulhus in her original Craftster posts here and here. I just love how there's a hole in the back of the vest so that cthulhu's wings can poke through!

Check it out, Villain Cthulhu even has a little monocle on his right eye, so you know he's evil! And are those bunny slippers I see on the Sleepy Cthulhu? I really do admire the thought and detail Mutant_cat put into these tiny creations.

The Evolution of Amigurumi - Thank Goodness!

Normally I'd leave the crochet snark to the experts over at What Not to Crochet (some of the content is 'not safe for work' so Google it if you want to take a look.), but this was an opportunity I couldn't resist. My mom was recently spring cleaning and gave me a couple of old magazines she came across that had crochet patterns in them, "I may want to try." This little gem comes from the Sept. - Oct. 1981 issue of Woman's Day magazine (retail price $1.89!). It's special edition dedicated to the wonders of the Granny Square.

Oh granny squares, is there anything you can't do? Well, based on this picture, it looks like you can't make children happy! I mean really, look at that little girl's face. I'm not sure if she's more sad about her granny square sweater, the fact that all her furniture appears to be made of granny squares or the heartbreaking news that her new toys are a creepy granny square based worm and a dog? Horse? Vote now in the comments section. What is that thing?

I'd like to know if the headline writer was being earnest or sarcastic with the claim, "Building blocks for happy tots!" I hope it was sarcasm that went over the heads of the editor and anyone else who had to proof this page before it went to print.

But enough about creepy children's toys. (Though I think it's worthwhile to look back on them so we can truly appreciate the wonderful amigurumi and crocheted toys that are being made by present day designers.) Right now I'm eagerly waiting for Amazon to deliver my copy of Ana Paula Rimoli's most recent pattern collection, Amigurumi Toy Box: Cute Crocheted Friends.

Now those are toys that could actually make a tot smile! This is Rimoli's third collection of toy patterns, all of which she tests on her own daughters before using. Her creations are always clever and the patterns are quite easy to follow. I did a full review of her first book Amigurumi World here. Although I didn't find the time to review the second one Amigurumi Two!: Crocheted Toys for Me and You and Baby Too when it came out, I did purchase it and it is an equally great collection.

Look at that, no granny squares in sight!