Squid Amigurumi Crochet Pattern – Squidlings!

March 1, 2012 Awkward Soul

A new pattern finally!

I’ve been working MONTHS on this other pattern (TOP SECRET) and it’s on its 7th attempt – holy perfectionist Batman! Last month, I just gave up and had another idea for something complete different – a squid pattern. A classic amigurumi, like the octopus.

And I freaking nailed the pattern on the FIRST ATTEMPT! (WTH, and on the 7th with that other pattern I’ve been hammering at???!!!). I ran it through some wonderfully amazing testers off of Raverly (thanx!) to work out some pattern writing kinks and taaadaaa!

The pattern comes in 2 sizes: Mini and Giant

The Mini squid is a quick crochet job. They measure 6.5″ high by 3.5″ wide.

The Giant squid is 9.5″ high by 5″ wide. Both sizes may vary depending on your gauge and yarn used.

What I like about these squidlings is they are quick, simple and cute. That what I like – minimal sewing on parts and cute.

Pattern is up for sale at my Etsy Shop
or via Raverly (no account needed for purchase).

Dolphin, version 2

July 28, 2011 Awkward Soul

I revised my Dolphin pattern to include a white tummy. Unfortunately, this was a horrible painful process that I wouldn’t recommend a newb crocheter to attempt.

The white tummy is crocheted at the same time as the entire body. My pattern philosophy is sewing additional parts sucks! However my hatred of sewing comes at a price of insane yarn colour changes. So if you can handle lots of yarn ends, go for it! At least in amigurumi you hide the yarn ends inside the form, so there is no ends to weave in. You can knot them as ugly as you want and no one will ever see (unless you rip it open.. but who would do that?)

Making this guy did make me realize spiral rounds actually spiral around (duh) not making the form even when a block of colour is added. I didn’t account for this much in this modification, but it’s only noticeable if you look under the tail >__< uggg.

The final product is pretty cute though <3

Pattern Available at My Etsy Shop or via Ravelry (no account needed).

On another note, my eye order from CR crafts arrived. 450 eyes and 36 noses (I’m insane). Most of the eyes are clear and I went for larger eyes
– 10mm, 12mm and 15mm. I’m working on another insane yarn colour changing pattern, so I’m happy I can progress further now that I have the eyes!

Amigurumi Critter Pattern – Fox, Squirrel, Penguin, Chick and Hamster oh my!

June 8, 2011August 3, 2014 Awkward Soul

Foxes, Squirrels, Penguins, Baby Chicks, Hamsters OH MY!

Group shot!

This pattern seriously took me almost 8 months to finish. Why? School interference, computer breaking down taking my progress photos with it and mass pattern testing.

My idea was to make a template body and from there, branch off into multiple creatures. Of course, testing each critter was a pain and took awhile.

Plotting together

5 pin bowling…. mebe

Onto each of the critters!

Squirrel – I modelled this guy after the polymer clay version I’ve created. Super cute and cheeky!

Foxy – My own interpretation of a cute fox with extra stumpyness. The tail is ultra cute!

all tails

Penguin – my prototype for a Prinny… Keep an eye out, once I got spare time, he’s becoming a Prinny.. Dood.

Chickie – was my pattern hint awhile back cuuute!

Oddly, I didn’t take many pics of Hammy the Hamster, but you may remember his sneak preview shot.

Phew, that was a lot of pics and tons of work. With this pattern, I also added 7 variations that I have no freaking time to crochet them all and test!

To get started on making your own critter, buy now via Ravelry (no account needed!) or visit my Etsy Shop to snag a pattern!

Orca Amigurumi Pattern Errata

April 13, 2011 Awkward Soul

There is a pattern correction for my Orca Amigurumi Pattern, mostly having to do with the Big Orca’s tail. I’ve listed the correction on my Pattern Errata section.

Sorry for the confusion – I will be happy to resend the updated pattern, please email me from the address you had the purchased pattern sent to.

Ghost Amigurumi

October 20, 2010 Awkward Soul

Just in time for halloween! <3

At the moment, the little ghost is haunting up my external hard drive >_< I hope he defrags it or something for me. I’m so happy I was able to squeeze in some crocheting and pattern design this week, my schedule is so busy!

Haunting…. oOOOoOoOoOoOoOOOOOoo!

If you are interested in making your own, this pattern is up for sale for $1.99 (via ravelry and paypal – you do not need an account at either site to purchase) <3

Ravelry link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ghost-amigurumi

Dragon Quest IX Heal Slime cutie

August 11, 2010 Awkward Soul

I enjoy a good RPG video game. Dragon Quest is classic – I remember the first Dragon Quest being brutally hard as it was grinding slimes forever. I also remember spending way too much time in Dragon Quest 8 in the casino playing bingo >__<

When I got my manicured nails on Dragon Quest 9 I was ultra happy – I can customize my team and their looks. That’s just what a girl wants! Also I can be as vain as I want and not equip tacky gear, or ensure the gear matches.

During my Dragon Quest downtime, I started working on a healslime – my favourite monster in the game.

How’d I do it? I modified my Jelly Jellyfish pattern!
Available at my Etsy shop or through Ravelry (you do not need a Ravelry account).

I used the same design for the head (shapewise only). For arms, I created six Chain14, HDC (Half Double Crochet) in the second chain, HDC to the end. I also made two longer arms with 24 Chains. For the HDC, I inserted the hook into the “bump” ends of the chain to ensure smooth similar edging. I sewed the arms to form a circle and embroidered a mouth. The mouth, I found, was the hardest as I got all psycho perfectionist.

Cute, eh?

I just need to make the Dragon Quest sound effects to go with him.

Jelly Jellyfish Amigurumi with extra BOOOIIOONNG!

August 9, 2010 Awkward Soul

Curly tentacles are cuuuuuuuute!

I figure I need coverage of this creation of mine before I forget! Jelly jellyfish was one amigurumi that I’ve made several attempts at getting right. I got around 3 jellyfish floating.. errr.. swimming in my room as well, different patterns.

Above was my first attempt at a jellyfish. I was actually making an octopi, but felt the head was too squat for my liking. He is soooo cute, but was annoying to construct. Plus I thought the pattern was too small.

The yellow “mama” jellyfish was made with the same pattern… though I think I put the eyes in the wrong spot. I made this one with that Red Heart Super Saver (See my review of this yarn) So she came out bigger, but still small. Also, this is when I discovered the yarn is better for bigger things, as I found the tentacles came out too big for the body, when the pattern works with other yarns fine! Similarly, I made the teal “baby” in baby yarn with longer ruffles… he is super cute (maybe I should revisit the pattern?), though again, hard to construct. I did another jellyfish, which is in pieces as I got fed up with the construction and decided to start over again.

I prefer easy seaming. After re-doing the pattern, there is little seaming – and the ruffles hide the tentacles so you can crappily knot them on and no one will know! Muhhahahahah! Shoot.. now you know… >__<

I showed my roommate’s baby the Jelly Jellyfish and he yanked on the legs. Add a “Booooing!” sound and it’s an instant happy-laughing baby!

Other than showing off my design (and my kickass blanket from IKEA), one shouldn’t be afraid to revise patterns. You can make something complicated, but there are ways to make it easier. Also, sometimes it takes a couple tries to get a pattern down.

Jelly Jellyfish Amigurumi Pattern is available at my etsy store! http://www.etsy.com/shop/AwkwardSoul or through Ravelry (you do not need a Ravelry account to purchase).

Orca or is it Killer Whale? Amigurumi

May 7, 2010 Awkward Soul

Awkward Soul's original pattern - Amigurumi Orca

I’m guessing they are called both Orcas and Killer Whales, however in rainy Vancouver, Canada, I’ve mostly heard Killer Whale. My boyfriend calls them Orcas.

This pattern came about satisfying my nature to make things for other people. My boyfriend LOOOOOOVES orcas. I didn’t believe it when he told me, until I saw this little “shrine” of orca pictures and things he has on display in his room when he lived with his parents. I scratched my head at this, I don’t get it. I guess the male version of liking orcas is about how they are big whales that eat things and kill people… I don’t know. Whatever, I love my boyfriend to bits and all his weird-ass quirks (he’s cute too).

So the patterns out there mostly required felted tummy sewn on or couple pieces. I freaking hate all that extra work. One piece/less pieces to sew on = superior in my book. I remember making the Amy’s babies Katamari (excellent pattern by the way) and going apeshit making all those freaking nubs and sewing them on correctly. People who are close to me say I’m a perfectionist.. I don’t think I am, but I’ve frogged a project over one stitch error and for the orca pattern – sewn and removed the fins at least a dozen times to get correct placement.

So, I just said whatever, and just starting making an orca. I was planning to construct it from the nose to tail (like my later pattern, Dolphin Amigurumi) but I got real lazy and just kept crocheting along until I realized it’s nose is too small… or its a body of a tiny orca. Baby Orca was born! I added some colour changes – something I’ve seen moreso restricted to stripes in lots of amigurumi (prolly cuz of the spiral construction) and had this ultra cute Orca the size of my computer mouse – which I grabbed a couple times by accident, the dorsal fin spearing my palm. Orca does not = computer mouse!

I then created a bigger one – as this pattern is damn cute, and selling the teeny version isn’t gonna cut it (now I got the idea to make a teeny one now, shit).

One thing I might change is the tail – its one piece tail (yay) is a little annoying to sew into the right shape.

AwkwardSoul and it’s pretty popular.

My boyfriend at first was all “Ugg, it’s cute!” but now he likes it – and the pair keep his other orca things company in his new house.

Dolphin Amigurumi splash splash

May 6, 2010 Awkward Soul

I find it very odd that all my current online published patterns are sea creatures. Okay Okay, I love octopi – I had to make a pattern. Jellyfish was a good second. The Orca pattern came about because my boyfriend wanted one.

Dolphin? Eeeeeh, I guess a test in skill on my shaping ability. That and I couldn’t find a dolphin pattern that was more cutesy. Personally, I’m not one for realism in the amigurumi I create. Realistic crocheted creatures look great, don’t get me wrong, but I like simplicity and cuteness <3

Unfortunately, this Dolphin is not as simple as my previous patterns. >__<
First was making the mouth not look like a nipple O__O that was difficult. Of course, a nipple mouth would of been easier, and I could of join the bandwagon of feminist-inspired stuff I could show off at work, but really – that doesn’t look like a dolphin, especially cute ones. Next was keeping the body in a dolphin shape, without making it too round or long ‘n realistic.

Finally – the tail was a pain! I frogged the thing about 6 times until I got the shape and length just right. I ended up with too many skinny tails with adding extra rows and decreases. Crochet can do some magical things with well placed increases or decreases… and sometimes it just fails altogether.

One thing that I regret was not making the tummy white. I just didn’t feel like colour changing that much, as it is constructed in a long shape. However, I might try it in the future, with blue and white. That would look cute (and be a terror to crochet)

With that said, it’s a cute pattern for someone who wants more sea critters (especially cute ones) . Not a beginner’s crocheter pattern, but still easier to follow than the more realistic dolphin patterns out there.

The pattern is up at Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/AwkwardSoul for $3.50 usd.