All About Ami
a blog about my love of ami-gurumi & crochet
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A couple months ago I was very close to buying more bibs because Myla was drooling like crazy due to teething (our little sweetie now has four teeth)! Then it suddenly hit me: why don’t I try and crochet some? Hehe, this question now frequently comes up since you can crochet pretty much anything nowadays! I turned to trusty Ravelry to find a great free bib pattern, and I settled upon this “Cutie Bib” by “The Knitless Knitter Crochets” HERE.
It is a very simple pattern, and I love the shape and size of the bib as it provides a lot of coverage. I also like how it has button closure (beware velcro that can latch onto blankets and clothing when doing the laundry!). I used cotton yarn and found a set of beautiful wooden buttons from Michaels to add embellishment in the corners. Love how you can crochet things instead of buying them! They would make great baby shower gifts too :) Once again, find the free pattern HERE.
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A couple months ago some friends of ours told us that they would be traveling to Guatemala and visiting the children they had been sponsoring through Impact Ministries. They asked us if we could perhaps crochet something for their little girl. I took this as the perfect opportunity to try out a free pattern I had been eyeing on Ravelry. I love bunnies (see my Spring Bunnies, Sweetheart Bunny and this bunny by Ana Paula Rimoli), so when I saw the “Boxy Skirt Bunny” pattern by Minazara, I knew had to make it!
I thought it was neat that this bunny was not your typical shape…it was rectangular and hence “boxy”. I first started crocheting the head. For some reason I had difficulty making the stitch count work and look even in Row 2, so I did this instead: “Turn, and then work 2 sc in the 2nd chain from hook, then 13 sc, 2 sc in next, then 13 sc [here, you’re working along the bottom chain] (30 sc)”. At the beginning it looked like we were making a sock cell phone cozy :) We then added the eyes and Ryan did a beautiful job stitching the pink nose!
My least favourite part about making amigurumi is attaching all the pieces together, so I loved how the legs are simply a continuation of the body! No need to attach them later on :) Here it looks like we’re crocheting a little tooth…
Next I sewed the gap between the legs shut after the fiberfill was stuffed in!
I then crocheted the rest of the parts: the two dainty little ears and arms. Now she’s looking more bunny-esque and less tooth-like :)
After attaching the ears…
You’ll notice that there is a line around the bunny’s body where I crocheted in the back loops only. This is where the skirt will be attached! I love how there’s no guess work of where it should be attached, and this makes it a lot easier picking up stitches for the skirt :) Great design!
I used this coral colour for the skirt (left over yarn from Myla’s granny square baby blanket!) and began crocheting around the body. I did 30 sc for Rows 1-3 and 60 sc (2 sc in each sc around to increase) for Rows 4-6.
I then attached the arms after the skirt was completed! Ryan embroidered this little pink heart on the skirt, and then I crocheted a tiny yellow bow using embroidery floss and attached it to one ear. Doesn’t she looks oh so pretty and cute? Very ladylike!
I liked this bunny so much that I decided to make one for Myla too :) I was curious how this Boxy Skirt Bunny would turn out if I used thinner mercerized cotton (I used worsted weight acrylic yarn for the first bunny). Here is how our second little bunny turned out with a tiny mint green bow!
Here is a side by side comparison so you can see the difference in size! The same pattern can yield very different results when you use different yarn! I also used a 3.5 mm crochet hook for the first bunny and a 2.00 mm crochet hook for the second bunny.
Here’s a pic to show how big they are when I’m holding them! They’re both pretty small and dainty :)
Haha, I wanted to pose them somewhere cute, so we put them in our kleenex box. Looks like they’re saying farewell and about to set sail on a big adventure!
Our first Boxy Skirt bunny did go on a long journey to Guatemala! I asked our friends to take a picture once they delivered the little bunny to their sponsor child, and here it is :) Our friends had a very memorable, touching time meeting the children they sponsor in person, and they said that she loved it! It’s neat to think that something we crocheted is so far around the world and being loved by this special little girl. I am so happy and proud of our friends for the work they do in showing God’s love and grace to these children through Impact Ministries. Can’t wait for them to get back to hear more of their stories!
The Boxy Skirt Bunny pattern is a great, versatile pattern as you can use any colour for the bunny, skirt, and nose…you can add buttons, beads or bows to the ears or skirts, and you could make a wavy skirt, miniskirt or even shorts! Making this into a little ballerina bunny by adding lace-up pointe shoes with a frilly tutu would be so cute too! You could easily change the ears to make this into a Boxy Skirt Bear as well :) The possibilities are endless! Check out Minazaram’s free pattern on Ravelry HERE. Hope you liked seeing how we made ours!
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Ana Paula Rimoli’s books were the ones that first got me started on amigurumi, and back then, I simply skipped past the patterns that were aimed at babies (e.g. mobiles). As I was flipping through “Amigurumi Two!”, I came across some rattle toys that Ana Paula designed, and I knew that Myla would love them since she was grabbing everything and loved items that made noise! I loved the amigurumi addition to these rattles, and there were options such as a cat, bunny and panda. I thought the duck rattle was particularly cute, and it was very fun to crochet!
I liked the clean design of the rattle since the whole circumference was chained first, joined and then the rounds were added. The inner edges were then sewn together, making the seam pretty much invisible (vs. joining the edges of the loop at the end like this toy here). We added jingle bells to the duck before closing him up, but the fiberfill muted how much sound they made. And so, we put the jingle bells in a little container and then inserted the container into the duck so that the bells had a hard surface to rattle against! We were so excited to present Myla with this new toy, and she loved it! It was very sweet to see her grabbing the loop and shaking the toy to hear the bells jingling! I love how you can do so much with crocheting, including making your own baby toys! If you’re interested in this particular pattern, you can buy Ana Paula’s book HERE or look for it at your local library too!
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We are back from our trip to Disney World, and we had an absolutely fabulous time! We used to visit the Disney parks quite frequently when I was younger, and it was very special going with my parents and brother once again, but this time with a new addition to our family: little Myla! I thought I would share some photos from our trip taken by Ryan…
The Magic Kingdom is still my favourite park :) I love strolling down Main Street as Cinderella’s Castle unfolds before you! Myla was surprisingly allowed to go on many rides, particularly in Fantasyland. Her favourite ride was “It’s A Small World”- it was so cute seeing her eyes light up and dart around as she saw all the little colourful dolls representing different countries around the world moving and singing!
I was really excited to dine at “Be Our Guest” in the Beast’s Castle in New Fantasyland. Making reservations was really difficult, but I managed to find an opening for an early dinner at 4:45! We dined in the ballroom where Belle and the Beast danced, and it was beautiful! All the detail were amazing, and we got to take pictures with the Beast at the end of our meal :)
Epcot is my second favourite park as I love the different countries represented in the World Showcase, and “The Land” has one of my favourite rides: “Soarin’”! It just so happened that we caught the tail end of the “Flower & Garden Festival” at Epcot, so there were many beautiful topiary displays throughout the park. You can see Mickey and his friends in the pic above!
Another gorgeous display at Epcot!
On our first night at Epcot we dined at the UK’s “Rose & Crown” restaurant which has a spectacular patio view of Epcot’s night time show, “IllumiNations”. It was awesome being able to sit down and enjoy the displays and fireworks as we were finishing up dessert!
The Tree of Life at the Animal Kingdom! Love the lushness captured in this pic :) One of my faves in this park is the “Finding Nemo” musical…we were singing some of the songs long after the show ended!
One of the cool things we saw at the Animal Kingdom was this plant lady! At first she was camouflaged as she lay on the wall with her face turning the other way….but then she started to gracefully move and walk away! It was a very neat sight :) We didn’t take too many photos at the fourth park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but I really enjoyed the American Idol Experience (the winner that night sounded just like Beyoncé) and the updated Star Tours ride since Ryan and I are big Star Wars fans too!
Since Myla was born in the Canadian fall/winter, this trip was the first time she was able to wear summer clothes! It was fun bringing out the summer dresses, rompers and hats! Here are some photos of our little cutie each morning before we hit the parks…
I was a little bit worried about how Myla would do on this trip as it was her first long trip out of the country. She did amazingly well, and of course it also helped that my parents and brother were there to help out! We knew that this Disney trip would be very different from all our previous Disney trips since we were traveling with a baby. We took a very relaxed pace as we followed her schedule, stopping to nurse and change her diaper whenever needed and working around her naps. Disney was great as they had Baby Care Centers that were air conditioned places to nurse, change diapers and just rest in each park. Their “Baby Swap”’ program was helpful as we didn’t need to line up twice for rides that Myla wasn’t allowed on (you can read more about this here).
My parents bought Myla this adorable Minnie Mouse dress and we bought her a Minnie Mouse headband to match! It’s cute because the ears are actually adult-sized, but the proportions looked so cute on Myla! She loved wearing those big Minnie ears :) We went around the Magic Kingdom and took some pics on our last day to commemorate her first Disney experience!
Sitting down by Cinderella’s Fountain
Myla was pretty popular around the park as she was getting a lot of smiles and “aww’s” from people….it was cute because many young children came up to her and said hi too! They loved this little Minnie Mouse!
All smiles in front of the castle!
Finally a family pic with Ryan in it!
Of course, Myla’s first Disney experience wouldn’t be complete without meeting Mickey Mouse! She even gave him a big kiss :)
My parents also bought Myla the classic Minnie Mouse Ears hat and got her name embroidered on it! Years ago, my parents bought me a similar hat and had my name embroidered on it….how time flies! There is so much nostalgia and fond memories whenever we visit Disney…
We had to add a little amigurumi in this Disney post! Ryan spotted these knitted Mickey’s in a gift store- how cute are they?
Hope you enjoyed this little recap of some of the things we did on our trip! Myla was a great little traveler, and we are so thankful that we could all travel as a family. I missed crocheting, and I can’t wait to share some more crochet projects with you all in the coming weeks!
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Why is Myla dressed as Minnie Mouse you ask? It’s BECAUSE WE’RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!! As you all know, we are huge Disney fans, and I’ve been visiting the Disney parks ever since I was a little girl…I can’t believe that I get to take my own little girl now! There is something so nostalgic and classic about Disney. I love how some rides never change, but there are also new areas and attractions, such as “New Fantasyland”, and we even have dinner reservations at the “Be Our Guest” restaurant in the Beast’s Castle (which were very hard to come by)! Have any of you visited this new area yet?
And so, the blog will be quiet for the next while. I’ll try and post updates about our trip on my Instagram (@AllAboutAmi) and Twitter (@AllAboutAmi)! If any of you have upcoming Disney trips too, you can crochet your own Minnie Mouse Ears with my tutorial HERE! See you later, everyone :)
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Over the weekend we made this “Coconut Milk Tapioca Dessert” for our family! Growing up, this was one of my favourite Chinese desserts, and I’d always get so excited whenever one of the Chinese restaurants we went to served it at the end of our meal :) I was ecstatic when I found a great recipe for it on Wantanmien’s youtube channel HERE. It tastes so good, and the addition of watermelon, mango and honeydew makes it very refreshing and perfect for the summer! I followed her recipe pretty closely, but I omitted the salt (I tried it with the salt before, and we didn’t quite like it), and instead of using white sugar we used yellow rock sugar (which is common in many Chinese desserts). I multiplied the recipe by 6 to make enough for 7 people.
When I first found Wantanmien’s youtube channel, I became obsessed with all her videos as she clearly explains how to make many of my favourite Chinese dishes and desserts with incredible precision (e.g. Hong Kong pineapple buns, mango pudding, sticky rice). If you haven’t seen her channel before, check it out HERE. Her videos are in Cantonese, but if you click the “CC” button you can see the English subtitles, and you can see the ingredients in English in the description box as well. I’ve tried a few of her recipes, and they’ve all turned out great! Can’t wait to try more :D
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I’m so happy that I’ve been able to share other areas of my life on this blog besides crocheting, such as our travel adventures and my pregnancy and nursing style! To find out a little bit more about my style and life as a new mama, check out my feature as a “Style Mom” on Natalie Zee Drieu’s “Coquette Maman” HERE! Thanks for the lovely feature, Natalie :)
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Over the course of my blogging journey, I’ve had the privilege of connecting with many of you from different countries. Some of you have offered to give us tours of your hometowns should we ever visit, and we hope one day to take you up on your offers! As I blogged about here, Kay is one of these dear friends who I have been able to connect with. She is a fellow crafter, crocheter, mama and sister in Christ, and her Etsy store “Mikaylove” has really taken off. I was so honoured when Kay said she wanted to name one of her pieces after me. She saw that I loved wearing my mint green and peach bracelets together, so she decided to use my favourite colour combo for this necklace and named it “The Stephanie Necklace”!
I teared up when I saw Kay posted this beautiful necklace named after me on Instagram. I believe in God’s perfect timing, and I felt so encouraged as I saw this at the beginning of a very long, rough night last week in which I barely slept at all (I’m sure other mamas out there can relate!). Thank you, Kay, for your incredibly kind and encouraging words, and I am so thankful for your friendship! You can read more about “The Stephanie Necklace” here in the Mikaylove shop! Kay is very active on Instagram (@Mikayloveinc), and if you follow her, you’ll get the inside scoop on her promotions and coupon codes and see how different people style their Mikaylove pieces. I appreciate everyone’s support and prayers so much :) We are truly grateful for the friends we’ve made around the world through this blog!
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Make your own Cotton the sheep/lamb from “Oblivion Island”, Haruka’s brave, loyal and sweet cherished stuffie!
Materials:
- super bulky white fluffy yarn (I used “Loops & Threads Country Loom Baby” in “White”; medium beige yarn (I used “Bernat Handicrafter Cotton” in “Off White”); brown yarn (for eyes, nose and mouth); I used 1.5 skeins of the super bulky white fluffy yarn and 1.5 skeins of the medium beige yarn
- 3.5 mm crochet hook
- yarn needle
- fiberfill
- white felt (for tag)
- two wooden buttons (for eyes)
- brown, yellow, red, green and blue embroidery floss (for scar)
Note: I worked in continuous rounds (vs. joined rounds).
***PLEASE follow along with my step-by-step blog post HERE to better understand this written pattern and to visually see how to connect the parts with all my photos!
***IMPORTANT NOTE: There is technically a “right” and “wrong” side of crochet when working in the round. Read about this in my blog post HERE. When working with the beige yarn, ensure the right side is facing outwards. When working with the white fluffy yarn, ensure the wrong side is facing outwards as this is the fluffier side (read about this HERE).
FACE
Using beige yarn,
Chain 10
R1: Starting from second chain from hook, Sc 8 and 3 sc in next ch. Turn and Sc 8, 3 sc in next ch [we are making an oval by crocheting around the chain]. (22 sts)
R2: Sc 9, 2 sc in next sc, Sc 10, 2 sc in next sc, Sc 1 (24 sts)
R3: *Sc 5, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 4 times. (28 sts)
R4: *Sc 6, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 4 times (32 sts)
R5: *Sc 7, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 4 times (36 sts)
R6: *Sc 3, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 9 times (45 sts)
R7: *Sc 4, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 9 times (54 sts)
R8-9: Sc 54
R10: *Sc 8, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (60 sts)
R11: Sc 60
R12: *Sc 5, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 10 times (70 sts)
Fasten off.
HEAD
Using white fluffy yarn,
R1: Position beige face so that the ‘right’ side is facing you. Pick up 60 stitches between Rounds 10 and 11 of face working clockwise (this will ensure that the ‘wrong’ side or ‘fluffier’ side of the white yarn will be facing outwards). [Note: when following my step-by-step blog post HERE, I worked in the incorrect direction for the first round, so disregard the photos for this part.] To see the technique of picking up stitches, watch this video here.
R2: Front post single crochet 60. [See how to front post single crochet HERE.]
R3: *Sc 9, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (66 sts)
R4: *Sc 10, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (72 sts)
R5-8: Sc 72
R9: *Sc 10, dec 1*, rep 6 times (66 sts)
R10: *Sc 9, dec 1*, rep 6 times (60 sts)
R11: Sc 60
R12: *Sc 8, dec 1*, rep 6 times (54 sts)
R13: *Sc 7, dec 1*, rep 6 times (48 sts)
R14-15: Sc 48
R16: *Sc 6, dec 1*, rep 6 times (42 sts)
R17: Sc 42
Begin stuffing head. Sew on wooden eyes, nose and mouth with brown yarn. Top line of nose/mouth can be embroidered right ontop of initial series of chain stitches of beige face. Optional: Add cardboard piece to muzzle for more definition. Reference picture here.]
R18: *Sc 5, dec 1*, rep 6 times (36 sts)
R19: *Sc 4, dec 1*, rep 6 times (30 sts)
R20: *Sc 3, dec 1*, rep 6 times (24 sts)
R21: *Sc 2, dec 1*, rep 6 times (18 sts)
Finish stuffing head.
R22: *Sc 1, dec 1*, rep 6 times (12 sts)
Fasten off and weave in end. Note: if hole is still large (depending on the yarn you use), do R23: *Dec 1*, rep 6 times (6 sts) and then fasten off.
EARS (make 2)
R1: 7 sc in Magic Ring (7 sts)
R2: 2 sc in each sc around (14 sts)
R3: *Sc 6, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 2 times (16 sts)
R4-7: Sc 16
R8: *Sc 2, dec 1*, rep 4 times (12 sts)
R9: *Sc 4, dec 1*, rep 2 times (10 sts)
R10: *Sc 3, dec 1*, rep 2 times (8 sts)
R11: *Sc 2, dec 1*, rep 2 times (6 sts)
R12: Sc 6
Fasten off and leave long end for sewing. Sew onto head.
BODY
Using white fluffy yarn,
Chain 10
R1: Starting from second chain from hook, Sc 8 and 3 sc in next ch. Turn and Sc 8, 3 sc in next ch [we are making an oval by crocheting around the chain]. (22 sts)
R2: Sc 9, 2 sc in next sc, Sc 10, 2 sc in next sc, Sc 1 (24 sts)
R3: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 8 times. (32 sts)
R4: *Sc 3, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 8 times (40 sts)
R5-12: Sc 40
R13: *Sc 6, dec 1*, rep 5 times (35 sts)
R14-18: Sc 35
Fasten off and leave long end for sewing. Embroider scar onto body using various colours of embroidery floss. Stuff body and attach to head.
LEGS (make 2)
R1: 6 sc in Magic Ring (6 sts)
R2: 2 sc in each sc around (12 sts)
R3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (18 sts)
R4: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 6 times (24 sts)
R5: In back loops only, Sc 24.
R6-9: Sc 24
R10: *Sc 2, dec 1*, rep 6 times (18 sts)
R11-14: Sc 18
R15: *Sc 1, dec 1*, rep 3 times. Sc 9. (15 sts)
R16: *Sc 1, dec 1*, rep 2 times. Sc 9. (13 sts)
R17: Sc 1, dec 1, Sc 9 (12 sts)
R18: Sc 1, dec 1, Sc 8 (11 sts)
R19: *Sc 1, dec 1*, rep 3 times. Dec 1. (7 sts)
Fasten off and leave long end for sewing. Stuff and attach to body. Reference picture found in step-by-step blog post HERE. [Optional: Add circular piece of hard paper/cardboard before stuffing to make the bottom of the legs flat.]
ARMS (make 2)
R1: 4 sc in Magic Ring (4 sts)
R2: 2 sc in each sc around (8 sts)
R3: *Sc 1, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 4 times (12 sts)
R4: *Sc 2, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 4 times (16 sts)
R5: *Sc 3, 2 sc in next sc*, rep 4 times (20 sts)
R6: In back loops only, Sc 20.
R7-14: Sc 20
R15: *Sc 1, dec 1*, rep 4 times. Sc 8 (16 sts)
R16-17: Sc 16
Fasten off and leave long end for sewing. Stuff and attach to body. [Optional: Add circular piece of hard paper/cardboard before stuffing to make the bottom of the arms flat.]
TAIL
R1: 7 sc in Magic Ring (7 sts)
R2: 2 sc in each sc around (14 sts)
R3-6: Sc 14
Fasten off and leave long end for sewing. Sew onto body.
TAG
Cut rectangular piece of white felt. Sew middle of rectangle onto body. Fold piece and sew ends together. Embroider logo on tag connecting both sides together.
Now you’ve made your own life-size Cotton, a new fluffy friend who is so soft and perfect for hugs and snuggles!
As always, don’t forget to send me photos of your work as I LOVE to see how your projects turn out! Find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@AllAboutAmi) or e-mail me (all_about_ami@hotmail.com) your pics!
Cotton from “Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror” is copyright of Production I.G. This pattern is copyright of Stephanie of All About Ami (April 2013). Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but you may not sell or distribute it, or sell items made from this pattern.
Additional note: The very talented Sarah of “Repeat Crafter Me” made this adorable lamb hat and has posted the pattern for free on her blog! We just so happened to use the exact same white fluffy yarn too (“Loops & Threads’ Country Baby Loom”), so you can use up your extra yarn to make this sweet project! You can check it out HERE! Now you can make Cotton AND a matching baby lamb hat :)
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