All About Ami
a blog about my love of ami-gurumi & crochet
-
Once again, this blog post is somewhat of a departure from what I typically blog about (crochet, baking, travel), similar to when I blogged about “My Maternity Fashion” here. At first I was hesitant about whether I should blog about this, but I decided that other mamas and mamas-to-be might find it helpful, so I decided to go for it! I will highlight two Canadian companies that have made items that I’ve loved so far as a new mama :)
I always knew I wanted to breastfeed Myla from the very beginning because of all the health benefits for both Myla and I (not to mention it also burns 500 calories a day!). I must say that I’ve really been enjoying it for the past 4 months and I’ve found our nursing sessions to be precious bonding time. After getting the hang of it in the comfort of our home, I was nervous about taking our little newborn out and having to feed her in public settings.
I knew that wearing certain clothing items and outfits would make nursing in public very cumbersome, and I hadn’t even thought about how my wardrobe would now be somewhat restricted since I was breastfeeding (I thought I was already past the “wardrobe limitation” phase of being pregnant!). Button-down shirts, v-necks, and tank tops + cardigans were now the way to go as I would scan each item in my closet and assess how easy/difficult it would be to feed Myla in it. I decided to research what different nursing clothing options were available to facilitate breastfeeding in public.
I came across a Canadian company based out of Montreal called “Momzelle” that was founded by a mom named Christine Poirier. Christine made her own nursing top after having her baby daughter and started Momzelle after all her friends were asking about her tops. As I browsed the different Momzelle clothing items, the items that stood out to me were the tank tops. I knew having a nursing tank top would be a good investment since I could layer different pieces ontop of it (cardigans, shirts) in addition to wearing it on its own. I ended up ordering two black tank tops: the “Original Nursing Tank Top” and the “Xtra Long Nursing Tank Top”.
I was pleasantly surprised when they arrived shortly in the mail. They felt like they were very good quality! These two black tank tops are made out of 94% cotton and 6% spandex. One of my tank tops was made in Canada while the other was made in Peru. Momzelle states that all of their nursing clothing is ethically made.
Both tank tops have these openings for discrete breastfeeding. It makes breastfeeding a lot easier as you do not have to lift your entire tank top or shirt up to feed- your belly and back remain covered and the baby has easy access for feeding! If you would like to see photos of some Momzelle tops in action with nursing moms, click here. For you “Dragon’s Dens” fans out there, Christine was actually featured on the show and got funding for Momzelle- check out the clip here!
I was excited to try them on right away as it’s always a little scary ordering clothing online as you can never guarantee a perfect fit. I was so happy that I had chosen the right size as they fit me very well! Both tank tops were incredibly comfortable and had a sleek look. This is the “Original Nursing Tank Top”!
You need to wear a nursing bra with these tops and I love how the thick black straps of the tank tops cover the bra straps. There are nursing tank tops available on the market that have built-in bras, but in my experience, I found them to either be too low-cut, less supportive or less comfortable. The flaps are quite discrete, especially since these tank tops are black and when items are worn ontop of them. This is the “Xtra Long Nursing Tank Top”!
I am particularly happy with the “Xtra Long Nursing Tank Top” as it can be hard to find tank tops of this length, especially a nursing one! It’s nice having a tank top that doesn’t ride up with such great coverage (perfect for extra tall mamas too!). I’ve worn this top so much ever since receiving it in the mail, and it’s stretched a bit since it is 6% spandex. Overall though, it’s held up well. I thought I would show you how I styled some of my outfits featuring this long tank top…
Here I paired it with an oversized cardigan, a scarf, and jeggings!
For a bit of a dressier feel, I paired it with my peach blazer and jeggings. A simple black tank top is so versatile…
I absolutely love wearing leggings since they are so comfortable. I practically lived in leggings while I was pregnant and I wanted to continue wearing them post-partum, particularly since I still could not fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans! This long tank top works perfectly with leggings, and I am so happy that I don’t have to lift up my long tunics or tops in order to feed Myla. Here I layered a chambray shirt and long cardigan overtop my long nursing tank top with leggings and a colourful scarf. This has been a perfect winter outfit on those cold days. Keeping all the layers open facilitates easy access to the nursing tank top and easy breastfeeding!
Haha, we happened to go grocery shopping this same day we were taking these shots, so I thought I’d show another typical outfit I’ve worn out and about. Here is my Xtra Long Nursing Tank Top paired with my high low sweater, jeggings, circle scarf and over-the-knee boots. I really love the length of this tank!
Here is a picture of my sweet baby girl Myla and I at a baby shower! I am wearing the same long tank top paired with leggings and a crocheted sweater ontop. Both this sweater and the above sweater are light and can be easily lifted away for breastfeeding. I just love Myla’s big smiles and adorable laugh…melts my heart!
I wear my “Original Nursing Tank Top” with shorter cardigans, like these two below:
Did you notice the feathers scarf in the above outfit? It’s no ordinary scarf….it’s actually a nursing scarf!
CoverBoo Couture is a line of nursing scarves from Edmonton, founded by a mom named Maria who wanted to nurse discretely in public. These scarves are perfect for moms who want more coverage while nursing or for those who have distractible babies! Just how does this scarf turn into a cover? Let me show you!
You can wear the CoverBoo doubled up like I am here, knotted, or as a long circle scarf. It’s neat because these scarves serve as a fashion accessory in addition to a nursing cover, and it’s very convenient whenever you want to nurse since you are already wearing your cover! They can be easily stored in your purse too since they are so lighweight.
When you’re ready to nurse, you unwrap the scarf…
So that it’s a single layer like this!
Then you look for the neck hole…
And slip your head through it!
Pull your arm through…
And you’re ready to nurse your sweet baby! You get great coverage and baby is less distracted by what’s going on around them :)
Check out this video of Maria demonstrating how to use a CoverBoo here and see it in action here. BabyBellyKelli also did a great video review of her CoverBoo here.
These CoverBoos are all designed and manufactured in Canada, and they come in an array of patterns and fabrics. Their lightweight, airy feel are perfect for the upcoming spring and summer months, and Maria just released her Spring Collection last week! These nursing scarves look very different than the other nursing covers currently on the market, and they are such a clever and simple design. They don’t offer a rigid neckline as others do (see here), but you can always lift the opening at the neck hole to peek and make eye contact with your baby!
I love that both of these companies are Canadian and founded by real moms who were making products to help them on their breastfeeding journeys. I also love scoring good deals, and I managed to purchase all of these products when they were on sale! Momzelle had a great Black Friday sale (tops up to 40% off with an additional 10% off) and CoverBoo Couture had an amazing Christmas Eve sale (50% off all CoverBoos). Thus, if you are interested in any of their products, I highly recommend liking their facebook pages so you can get their notifications and keep up-to-date with their products! You can find the Momzelle Facebook page here and the Coverboo Couture Facebook page here.
I approached both companies and told them how I would be writing about my positive experiences using their products. I asked if they could provide any discounts for my readers in case they were interested in purchasing their products right away! Both companies replied incredibly promptly and were very generous.
Maria of CoverBoo Couture is offering a 15% off discount for readers of “All About Ami” with the coupon code “AMI15”, and it expires on February 28 (Canadian shipping is $5, international shipping is $10, and free local pick-up is available if you live in Edmonton). Check out the CoverBoo Couture website HERE and see if you want to order any for yourself or for your friends!
Momzelle is offering a $5 discount for readers of “All About Ami” with the coupon code “AMIGRMI5” (no expiry date) and a $30 gift card as a give-away! ***To enter, please leave a comment below stating which nursing top you would buy if you won the $30 gift card!*** Check out the Momzelle website HERE. This giveaway is open worldwide until Thursday, February 28. I will randomly choose a winner and announce who it is on my facebook page HERE. For your information, shipping is $5 per order in Canada and the US (excluding Hawaii and Alaska) and is pricier to other countries (see shipping costs here). [NOTE: The giveaway is now CLOSED: Congrats to Sarah Clymer, the winner of the $30 gift card!!!]
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my nursing fashion and how these products have made it a lot easier to breastfeed my baby girl. I think the nursing tops and nursing cover are a good investment, especially if you consider how long moms breastfeed for and if there are plans on breastfeeding more children in the future. The tank tops and cover also work well together for those who want a lot of coverage while nursing in public as absolutely nothing is exposed. They would make great gifts for your friends or family who are expectant or new mamas who are going to nurse (particularly the CoverBoos since they’re one size fits all!). Thank you to Momzelle and CoverBoo Couture for your great products and for providing us with coupon codes too! I love how they both made the coupon codes based on “amigurumi” [the Japanese art of knitted/crocheted stuffed animals, which is what my blog is all about in case you’re new here!]. I had fun putting together these outfits and showing you my style and how I’ve adapted my wardrobe in my new role as a nursing mama!
Please feel free to forward this post to your pregnant or mama friends as well so they can enter the giveaway and access these awesome discount codes too :) Thanks for reading and I’d love to hear what you think about this post!
~ Stephanie ♥
Tweet
-
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d do a round-up of special Valentine crocheted projects that you could make for your loved ones or for yourself to celebrate ♥ The free patterns are available for all of these projects (click through the links to access them)!
Row 1: Valentine Teddy by me (my second ever original design!), Hearts by Little Birdie Secrets (I LOVE using these hearts to embellish cards- see here and here), Valentine Popsicles by Jennygurumi (her first original design!)
Row 2: Lovebirds by Lion Brand (a cute set that you can personalize with your own special colours, a hat, or maybe initials), Amigurumi Hearts by Roxycraft (perfect if you want a 3-D heart instead of the 2-D ones above), Sweetheart Bunny by me (my Valentine project from last year!)
Row 3: Heart Box of Chocolates by Red Heart (How amazing is this? These chocolates will last forever…and are calorie-free ;D), Valentine Envelopes by Lion Brand (such a cute way to send a special letter or photo), Chocolate Truffle Scarf by Twinkie Chan (super kawaii for chocolate lovers to wear proudly!)
Hope these give you some ideas of how you can add some crocheted touches to your Valentine’s Day! They’re a fun take on your traditional chocolate, flowers, and stuffies that are typically gifted for the occasion! Much love to you all ♥
Tweet
-
Over the Christmas break, a friend came to visit us and she was wearing a gorgeous long cowl that she wrapped around her neck twice. It looked incredibly warm and comfy and it was quite the statement piece. Ryan and I thought it would be neat to adapt my “Chunky Double Crochet Cowl” pattern that I had just posted HERE to make one similar to hers! Rather than working in rounds and joining the ends at the completion of each round, I decided to crochet this long cowl row by row and then join the ends at the very end. Since I chose a neutral colour for my first cowl, I wanted a fun, bright colour for my next one. I used “Lion Brand’s Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn” in a beautiful shade called ”Raspberrry” since pink is my favourite colour!
To begin, I chained 27…
Then in the third chain from the hook, I started double crocheting and skipping 1 until the end of the row.
Next I chained 2, turned, and then double crocheted in the spaces of the previous row with chain 1’s in between (for those relatively new to crochet, please refer to this video HERE that differentiates between crocheting in the chain space vs. the chain itself). The last double crochet was worked in the space between the initial chains and the first double crochet.
As pictured below, each row consists of 14 double crochets (initial chain 2 always counts as 1 dc) and 13 spaces. Thus, you can still get the look of the staggered double crochets as in my original cowl while working row-by-row (this is similar to the staggered look of my “Puff Stitch Scarf”).
I continued this pattern row after row until my desired length. Because I wanted this cowl to be very long so that I could wrap it twice, my finished cowl had 63 rows!
2.5 skeins later after I completed my last row, I whip stitched the ends together.
Here is the official pattern for my “Long Double Crochet Cowl”:
**********
Materials:
- 10 mm crochet hook
- Super bulky yarn (6)- I used 2.5 skeins for my cowl
Chain 27
Row 1: In third chain from hook, double crochet (initial chains count as 1 dc). *Sk 1, Ch 1, dc* until end (14 dc).
Row 2: Chain 2, turn (initial chain 2 counts as 1 dc). *Dc in each ch 1 space, ch 1* until end (14 dc). Last dc is worked in space between dc and chain 2 from previous row. [Refer to this video HERE to differentiate between crocheting in the chain space vs. the chain itself.]
Round 3-63 (or desired length): Repeat Row 2
Fasten off and leave long end for sewing. Whip stitch ends of cowl together. When folded in half, my cowl was 86 cm or 34” in length which allowed me to wear the cowl looped twice comfortably. For those interested, my cowl was also 28 cm or 11” wide.
**********
Here is my finished “Long Double Crochet Cowl”! As you can see, it is very long indeed!
You could always wear it long like this…
But I prefer to wear it looped twice! This cowl will definitely help keep you warm for the rest of the winter. It is so snuggly and comfy!
Look at these gorgeous folds, layers and texture! It really is quite the statement piece…I think it looks very high fashion :)
Here’s a photo from my Instagram (@AllAboutAmi).
If you like this cowl, be sure to check out the step-by-step tutorial and free pattern for my “Chunky Double Crochet Cowl” HERE. This cowl is worked in rounds and works up very quickly!
These cowls are fun crochet projects that make great gifts for friends, family, or of course for yourself! They are so simple to make, and are such great winter accessories. With so many beautiful yarn colours available, you could make cowls in every shade to match any outfit ;) Have you already crocheted any cowls this winter? Will you be trying this new pattern out? Once again, I would love to see pictures! You can find me on Facebook, Twitter (@AllAboutAmi), Instagram (@AllAboutAmi) and e-mail (all_about_ami@hotmail.com)! Let’s stay warm and cozy the rest of the winter with these cowls, everyone :)
Tweet
-
Sneak peek of upcoming blog post & free pattern: Long Double Crochet Cowl (an adaptation of my “Chunky Double Crochet Cowl”)
Tweet
-
Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year! We had great family and friends time, delicious food and a chance to reflect upon what a wonderful year 2012 was! We watched some of our favourite holiday movies such as “Home Alone” and “Elf” and got addicted to BBC’s “Sherlock” as we watched both seasons within a couple days! Is anyone else a big fan? Can’t wait for Season 3!
Over the holidays I also had a chance to crochet more cowls as quick gifts for my friends and family! I made some variations to the base pattern for my “Chunky Double Crochet Cowl” which you can find HERE.
The top two cowls are “Loops & Threads Cozy Wool” in “Thunder” and “Golden Rod”. There was only one skein left of each of these colours so I adapted my pattern slightly. I chained 52 and managed to get about 10-11 rows at the end.
The bottom two cowls are “Lion Brand’s Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn” in “Grey Marble” and “Loops & Threads Cozy Wool” in “Stone”. I purchased two skeins for each cowl. I chained 55 and crocheted 15 rows for each of these cowls (with yarn left over).
I’m currently working on another variation of this cowl which is not crocheted in the round but rather row by row for a different look. I’ll be sharing it with you soon!
Tweet
-
Winter officially begins on Friday, but it seems like winter has been in full swing for weeks on end where I live! Winter is always the perfect time for cozy scarves, hats and mittens, and after blogging about the puff stitch cowl that I made for my sister, I really wanted to make myself a big chunky cowl that would help keep me warm!
There are many cowls out there using solely double crochets, but instead of using double crochets all throughout, I decided to incorporate some chain 1’s! This helped the cowl work up more quickly and also give it a looser feel. I had just finished crocheting many baby hats where I crocheted in the spaces of the previous row, and I loved the look of the staggered rows as well as how quickly the projects went by!
Knowing that I would be extremely busy after having a baby, I completed this cowl about a week before giving birth. Interestingly enough, I edited and added the instructional text to the step-by-step photos and typed out the pattern the day before I started having contractions! I’m so glad I prepped this post ahead of time- all we then had to do was take final shots and write the story behind this cowl!
I wanted to look for a soft yarn in a neutral colour so that my cowl would be able to match most of my jackets. I found this beautiful yarn called “Loops & Threads Cozy Wool” in the colour “Mushroom”!
Using the biggest crochet hook I own (10 mm), I made a series of chain stitches, trying to judge how big I wanted my cowl to be. I love crocheting with chunky yarn and a big crochet hook! It’s such a different feel from crocheting my small amigurumi with a 2 mm hook ;)
I joined the ends together with a slip stitch to form a circle. I decided to crochet in rounds rather than rows so I wouldn’t need to stitch the ends together at completion. Working in rounds also gives this cowl a more continuous look with no clearly visible seam :)
To bring the round to the appropriate height, you chain 4 and then continue double crocheting and chaining 1 all around.
Once you’ve repeated this pattern all the way around, slip stitch to the 3rd chain from the Chain 4 that you started with.
Now you’ve completed the first round!
Next you slip stitch into the space…
This gets you into the correct positioning so you’re ready to start Round 2!
You chain 4 once again to build the appropriate height…
And then continue on as you did with Round 1, double crocheting in the spaces and chaining 1 in between. Working in the spaces makes the project go by incredibly quickly!
I was able to crochet 9 complete rounds using 1 ball of yarn! You could definitely stop here if you wanted to use only one ball :)
I wanted my cowl to be bigger, so I used another half ball of yarn to add 4 more rounds. In total, my cowl was 13 rounds in height!
This close-up view of the staggered rounds of double crochet shows the beautiful, chunky texture!
Here is the official pattern to my “Chunky Double Crochet Cowl”!
*****************
Materials:
- 10 mm crochet hook
- Super bulky yarn (6)- I used 1.5 skeins for my cowl
Chain 60. Join with slip stitch to first chain, being careful not to twist the chain.
Round 1: Chain 4 (first 3 chains counts as double crochet), *Skip 1, Dc, Ch 1* around, slip stitch to 3rd chain of initial Chain 4 (30 dc).
Round 2: Slip stitch into Ch 1 space. Chain 4. *Dc into next Ch 1 space, Ch1* around, slip stitch to 3rd chain of initial Ch 4 (30 dc).
Round 3-13: Repeat Round 2
Fasten off and weave in ends.
[IMPORTANT NOTE & UPDATE: I used “Chain 4“ since theoretically the first 3 chains counted as a double crochet and the 4th chain accounted for the “Chain 1”. However, this leaves a slightly larger than normal space at the seam compared to the other chain 1 spaces. If you would like to make the gap smaller and more inconspicuous, “Chain 3” wherever it says to “Chain 4” in the above pattern and “Slip stitch to 3rd chain of initial Ch 3” to finish off each round. Thank you to Karen for pointing this out- you can read her blog post about this HERE.]
*****************
I love wearing my super soft Chunky Double Crochet Cowl! It’s always so special wearing items that you made yourself :)
[Gold oak leaf wrap ring by CoutuKitsch, Double Wrap Bracelet in Mint Green by Mikaylove]
You can adjust the look of this chunky cowl by altering the number of initial chains and rounds. If you want the cowl more fitted around your neck for extra warmth, chain less than 60 stitches. If you want the cowl to have a fuller look with more folds, add more rounds. Try adding big buttons for some beautiful detailing too! Another option is to crochet this cowl row by row (not going around in a circle) and use big buttons for closure- the chain 1 gaps between the double crochets would be perfect button holes!
I love wearing cowls with my hair up as I feel it helps accentuate the look of the cowl…that plus my hair tends to get “staticky” when it’s down as it rubs against the yarn ;)
Here’s a photo from my Instagram (@AllAboutAmi)!
We took some outdoor shots to show this cowl worn with a winter coat! It’s such a chic, warm winter accessory :)
One of the best parts about wearing scarves and cowls is being able to burrow your face for warmth- gotta prevent your nose from falling off when the temperature drops >.<
[Pink Dip-Back Striped Knit Top: Yesstyle, Jeggings: American Eagle, Green Parka: Aritzia]
Check out my other crocheted projects that will also help keep you warm this winter! From left to right there is the Puff Stitch Cowl, Urban Jungle Slouchy Beanie and the Knotted Headband.
I want to give a big thank you to baby Myla’s Uncle Corey for taking care of her while we took these photos :) This “Chunky Double Crochet Cowl” is a very quick and easy project, and it would make a great last-minute gift if you’re scrambling to find or make one! Cowls and infinity scarves are always so popular, and they instantly glam up any winter outfit! Let me know if you will be making this cowl this winter and send me pictures of your finished products through e-mail (all_about_ami@hotmail.com), Facebook, Twitter (@AllAboutAmi) or Instagram (@AllAboutAmi)! I would love to compile a blog post showcasing how you all style your cowls! Stay warm this winter, everyone :) Thanks for reading!
[UPDATE #1: Check out this blog post HERE to see these cowls I made in different colours!]
[UPDATE #2: My “Long Double Crochet Cowl” is a row-by-row adaptation. See the step-by-step tutorial and free pattern HERE.]
Tweet
-
Sneak peek of upcoming blog post & free pattern: Chunky Double Crochet Cowl
If you would like to work on this project right away and make it in time for Christmas, get your 10 mm crochet hook and 1-1.5 balls of super bulky yarn (category 6) ready!
Tweet
-
With the fall season and chillier weather upon us (it’s currently snowing where I live!), many people are whipping out their crochet hooks and knitting needles to work on hats, scarves and sweaters! Last winter, I made and designed a “Puff Stitch Scarf” for my mom since puff stitches create such beautiful texture. My sister Ashley wanted one too so I made her this blue Puff Stitch Cowl! We quickly snapped some photos before giving it to her (click on each pic to enlarge it)…
To see how to start this scarf and to access the free pattern, click HERE. After crocheting 93 rows of puff stitches, this scarf measured 60” or 152 cm, using up two skeins of yarn (and so, this scarf ended up being 2/3rds the length of my mom’s). I sewed the ends together to create a cowl or circle scarf as per my sister’s request! Try experimenting with thicker yarn or using even more skeins of yarn to give a chunkier, more layered look! Once again, to find the free pattern for this scarf and to see plenty of step-by-step photos, click HERE.
Be sure to also check out my “Urban Jungle Slouchy Beanie” (a matching hat that goes with this scarf) and my “Knotted Headband” to help keep you warm during these chillier months. I’ve been crocheting some new hats, headbands and cowls, and I can’t wait to share them with you in the upcoming months!
Tweet
-
Who can resist Snuggles the Penguin with his sweet face all bundled up in his removable scarf? Crochet your very own and he’ll make a great friend every season of the year!
Tweet
-
Let me give you the background story of how Snuggles the Penguin came to be! Back when we were researching cute images of dragons for Chinese New Year, we immediately fell in love with this adorable drawing:
I couldn’t find the source of this image, but I went ahead and crocheted my amigurumi Dragon based on it.
Luckily for me, an astute tumblr follower recognized the artist of the drawing and directed me to Kim Rountree of Oborocharms. I immediately tried to contact her, letting her know that I had made an amigurumi dragon based on the baby dragon she had drawn six years ago. Kim was very quick to get back to me, and she was incredibly gracious, stating that she absolutely loved him and my blog! We developed a friendship from there as we checked out each other’s work: Kim is a very talented artist who makes kawaii stuffies and beautiful charms! Check out her store here!
As we continued communicating with one another, we thought it’d be a great idea to do an art trade, particularly since both of us love everything cute and our mediums of art are so different. I had never participated in an art trade before, but I’m so thankful that my very first one was with Kim! And so, we sent each other some suggestions of items we wanted the other person to make. Kim sent me three images of charms she had designed, allowing me to choose which one I wanted to make into an amigurumi. After carefully examining and thinking about the logistics of making each one, we went with this cute penguin wrapped in a scarf:
It’s always a fun challenge turning an image/drawing into a 3-D amigurumi! I already had white and yellow yarn at home, but we went out to find the perfect blue colour for his body and reddish-pink yarn for his scarf. Then, we delved right into crocheting his head/body! I crocheted around a series of chain stitches to begin with an oval shape and expanded outwards. He kind of looks egg-shaped as he is more narrow at the top and wider at the bottom.
Before closing up his body, I crocheted this round white piece for his belly. We attached this white part onto his body and then attached his safety eyes as we wanted them to be halfway on the blue and halfway on the white (as in the picture). Attaching the white belly was tricky as it ruffled up along the bottom. We ended up attaching the majority of the white belly (along sides and top), attaching the eyes, stuffing the body, closing up the body, adding some stuffing between the body and the white belly, and then attaching the rest of the bottom of the belly.
Next I crocheted a small yellow beak and attached it halfway on the blue and halfway on the white belly (just like the safety eyes).
Then we cut out two circular pieces of pink felt and added them for the cheeks! What a sweet face :)
I loved the luxurious scarf that Kim had placed around her penguin charm, and it looked somewhat tube-like. Thus, I decided to crochet around a ring to give a thick, sturdy scarf: it also made changing colours easier as I could hide the ends in the tube and make sure the colour changes were on the side of the scarf not showing. I switched between red and white yarn every five rows.
We actually wrapped the scarf around Snuggles and sewed the overlapping parts together.
Then I crocheted some little wings for Snuggles the Penguin. Rather than stuffing the wings, I flattened the pieces and sewed the open ends together. We attached them onto the sides of his body under the striped scarf.
Here is how our Snuggles the Penguin turned out! Do you think he looks like the charm that Oborocharms made?
Here is a side view…
Ryan got creative with the fiberfill stuffing as he photographed Snuggles in the “snow”! As we mentioned in the sneak peek, don’t pick a snowball fight with a penguin, because you’ll lose from cuteness overload! Haha, whenever I think of snowball fights, the scenes from “Elf” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” always bring a smile to my face :D
It’s nice that Snuggles’ scarf is removable as he might get too hot with Spring around the corner. And the solid scarf still holds its shape when removed!
Next up are some close-up shots of Snuggles. I looove this next photo of Snuggles’ sweet face!
Here you can see Snuggles’ wing and how it is concave, curving upwards and out!
Snuggles’ beak is attached halfway on the blue and halfway on the white belly!
I don’t think Snuggles appreciates having his bottom photographed like this, but we had to do it… As mentioned above, attaching the white belly was a challenge as it curves downwards along his body. We had to attach a flat white piece to a round body, so it definitely was not perfect.
As you can see, there is some bunching at the bottom. Ryan ended up inserting some stuffing between the belly and the body to decrease the ruffled appearance.
Ryan also had some fun posing Snuggles creatively with his scarf! Doesn’t he look like a sushi chef here?
And with his scarf rotated, Snuggles looks like a little rebel with his bandana…
And those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that Snuggles is not the first penguin I’ve made! Back in May 2011 (almost a year ago!) I made this little penguin (free pattern linked to in blog post) that required switching between black and white yarn for the face that posed an interesting challenge. Snuggles is much bigger!
And just to give you more of an idea of Snuggles’ relative size, here’s a pic of me holding him!
It’s always a little sad parting with an amigurumi you’ve worked hard on, but I’m so happy that he’s joining Kim’s family of kawaii stuffies!
Since I had extra red yarn left, I thought it’d be special to make Kim a Knotted Headband so she could match with Snuggles! I know it doesn’t get very cold in California, but hopefully you’ll find some occasion to wear it, Kim!
Ryan and I had a lot of fun turning Kim’s penguin charm into an amigurumi! What do you think of Snuggles? ***The FREE pattern for Snuggles can be found HERE.*** I’m so excited that I got to participate in this art trade with Kim of Oborocharms, and I can’t wait to show you what she made for me! If you follow me on facebook and twitter, you probably already know, but I will be doing a full blog post on it too. Be sure to check out her shop as she has oodles of cute items (if you end up crocheting Snuggles, it’d be cute ordering a matching Penguin charm!). Thanks for everything, Kim, and I hope you like your amigurumi Snuggles :)
[UPDATE: Read about what Kim made for me for our art trade HERE!]
Tweet
