Octopus Amigurumi Instructions

Pinky Puss is done.  Don't you want one too?

I wrote this tonight for a lady on Pinterest.  I am actually going to make it and post a photo, because it is really cute.  One of my super powers is writing patterns from pictures.  Rather than steal the picture that I wrote it from, I will make my own.  

All Amigurumi is based off of the same idea.  You basically just crochet in a circle while increasing each round until you get to the circumference you want, then stitch without increasing until you get the depth you want and then decrease until it almost closes.  Stuff it and finish it off. 

Start the first ring using this technique with 6 single crochet (SC) stitches in the magic ring. http://www.crochetme.com/forums/t/28917.aspx

Place a marker like you would in knitting but use a different color strand of yarn so you can pull it out and place it on the next round.  This just helps to keep track of the rounds.  

Round 1- crochet 2 SC in each stitch. Pull marker and place it next to last stitch.

Round 2- 2 SC in next stitch, then 1 SC in next stitch then repeat his to the marker and place marker next to the last stitch.

Round 3- 2 SC in the next stitch, SC in the next 2 stitches and repeat to marker.  Move the marker.

Round 4- 2 SC in the next stitch, SC in the next 3 stitches and repeat to marker.  Move the marker.

Round 5- 2 SC in next stitch, SC in the next 4 stitches and repeat to marker.

Move the marker.

Round 6-10. Do single crochet in each stitch, while moving the marker each round.

Now you work backwards.

Round 11- SC 2 stitches together and SC in the next 4 stitches, repeat to the marker. Move the marker.

Round 12- SC 2 stitches together and SC in the next 3 stitches, repeat to the marker. Move the marker.

Round 13- SC 2 stitches together and SC in the next 2 stitches, repeat to the marker. Move the marker.

Round 14- SC 2 stitches together and SC in the next stitch, repeat to the marker. Move the marker.

Round 15- SC 2 stitches together, repeat to the marker.  Cut about 8 inches of yarn and use a yarn needle to pull the tail through each remaining SC stitch after you stuff the head with polyfil.

Tie the yarn in a knot and weave part of the tail of the yarn into the pattern to secure it.

Legs times eight-

Crochet about ten inches of single crochet.  Do 2 double crochet in the chain 3 from the hook.  Do 3 DC in each SC on the rest of the chain.  Sew each leg to the head with the yarn needle and secure them with a know and weave in ends.  

Use worsted weight with an H hook.  You can just glue googly eyes with a glue gun.  Sometimes I use buttons and sometimes I crochet eyes, if it is for a baby.  

Tie Dyed Crafty Brogdons

We just made five, well, actually four tie dyes.  Flynn decided he wanted his all blue.  LOL.  I live to please, so we have four tie dyes and a blue shirt.  I got this tie dye kit for $5 at Hobby Lobby on clearance today while I was shopping for Christmas stuff on clearance.  HIP HIP HOORAY, a means to gigantic, ridiculously fun mess.  My favorite recipe.

It was marked down because it was missing the green dye.  Um hello, Hobby Lobby, yellow and blue make green, dudes.

Here are the pics of our messy fun.  I will try to remember to add more when we sport our wares.

All of the wares hanging loose to dry. Notice the plain blue "tie dye". LMAO

My Pretty

Sophie's Pretty.  Hers is a light pink shirt with red and purple. 

I might give this and the blue and purple one to the twins since Flynn likes monochromatic tie dyes.

This is the above one before the ties are off.

The front one is my pretty. 

I liked tie dying so much I dyed my self.

Yay!  Tie Dye is fun

Most likely I have die on my face and hair because that is how I roll.  I got side tracked by writing a pattern for an Amigurumi octopus for a lady on Pinterest.  That is also how I roll.  I can post it if anyone is interested.  I don't know what gets in to me but I guess I am a little high maintenance or just high-per.  :)


SILLY JILLY!

Limited Edition Santa and Reindeer Handprint Ornaments~ Crafty Brogdon's

I did nothing but paint ornaments, and clean out my closet just enough to find a paintbrush to paint the ornaments today.   The closet adventure is more than one should safely take on but I am too cheap to go buy another brush, when there are likely 100, or so, in THE CLOSET.  I am going to post these ornaments and if anyone wants a play by play on their construction, I suppose I could put one together.  The basics~~~

Final Product minus Modge Podge and ribbon.

What I used:
*2 pounds of Crayola air dry clay
*2 oz. bottles of black, white, red, flesh color (or clesh according to Sophie), and a metallic brown.
*fairy sprinkles
*an exacto knife
*one girl hand (right) and one boy hand (left)
*Black Sharpie and a Red Sharpie (I capitalize the Sharpies to show reverence. I am in love with them.)
*the elusive paint brush (and I used an eyeliner brush from an old eyeliner)
*A fondant roller 1/4 inch
*shiny Modge Podge (I need to brave the closet to find a wash brush. I am scared.)
* parchment paper
*straw to poke the holes
*Christmas ribbons and red sparkly cord.  Not on them yet.

Flynnie The Red Nose Reindeers
(Darrell thinks the noses look happy to see me.)

Sophie Clauses

I rolled these suckers out 3 days ago.  Forced the poor children to make 16 acceptable handprints each.  Flynn had to make a few extras.  I cut them out around the prints with the exacto.  It took 3 days to dry enough to paint them. Mostly because I didn't feel like painting them until today but it is probably good I waited.

Here is a view of the monstrosity of this project. This is just the end product. We also suffered a few mishaps, as is the usual in this house.  Sophie tried to paint her furniture before we got started.  Flynn drew a mural on his bedroom wall while I was ignoring him and painting.  I would share a pic but I made him Magic~ally Erase it all already.  Sophie ended up sent to her room and Flynn followed to make his artistic statement.

I just love the way they turned out.  I stole the Santa idea from a pin, on Pinterest, and I made up the reindeer one because the ones I Googled look ugly and challenged.  I am pretty sure they never won ANY reindeer games.  Darrell thinks these reindeer look happy to see me, but I don't really care.  They should be happy to see me since I gave them the very eyes on their smug little faces.

The two white ones are the rejects.  Flynn was far less then cooperative with my mission.  He did not appreciate my vision.  Sophie was far more cooperative and interested in this project.  She participated quite a bit, including covering most of my dining room, herself, me and her dad with fairy dust.

Sophie, age 4

Sophie did her very own and there is no surprise that hers is mostly pink and sparkles.  I am so honored for hers to grace my tree.  She is so awesome.  She also told me she doesn't like her skin color because it isn't "clesh" enough.  LMFBO!!!

Tomorrow I seal them and add the ribbons.  I will put final pics on that are taken in far better lighting.  9 P.M. on a Monday just doesn't offer great photography lighting.  

Why I Fell Off The Edge of Earth

I was in a hostage like situation around late July to early October.  I was abducted by evil, torturing fiends and was in a bit of a dark place.  Truly it was work related and all consuming.  Evil Emperor politics, really bad managing and enough drama to fuel As the World Turns, for a good spell. I like to think of myself as a lady, albeit, a bit of a crazy lady, and don't like to talk about icky things.  That is a total lie, in a sense.  I like icky things, such as, really gross dressing changes, but not icky personal stories.

Sometimes in life you just get in a rut of bogus funk.  I like to live in shiny, happy people land and when I get thrust into evil plots, I tend to shut down.   That is my excuse and I will stick to it.

I went to a glamourous pie eating contest tonight and had a high school chum ask me if I still blog.  I felt a bit ashamed that someone actually reads this and I have not delivered in a long, long time.  Thing is I love blogging and I have missed it.  I actually went in to full time, new job search in August because I was written up for sticking up for my work colleagues. That and I realized I didn't craft, blog or do anything fun and happy anymore.  One of my dearest friends was fired for no good reason and I just felt stuck and like I needed a continuous infusion of Prozac.

As of the beginning of October I have a new job that I love. I am back in patient care and have been really busy getting back in to the swing of real nursing.   I have been in a really good place for a while, mentally.  Mid October I got super sick and I actually just got over it last week.  I had a cold/sinus infection that kept on giving so I killed it.

Now that my paranoia from evil torture world has worn off I am up for some fun again.  As usual, I have bitten off a good chunk of busy and have a ridiculous lineup of activities to keep me hopping until Christmas.  I have to bake enough gingerbread panels to make 5 gingerbread houses for the church.  I have 4 sweaters to knit for Christmas.  I have 35 clay handprints to paint for the kids Christmas gifts.  I owe two cancer kids hats (they probably think I forgot about them. That will never happen, babies.)  I also have to stop being a totally lame-o blogger.  With that I leave blog land and will embark into knitting land. Good night. 

Bing Bang Boom Hat

Here is a fireworks worthy creation for Miss Joanna.  

Mother's Day Gift- Part One

We are making lockets for the mother peoples.  Even though I just developed a skin infection around the incision area of my neck, I WILL get these done.  I will use my body bursting into flames as heat energy.  I think I can, I think I can!!  I would have had them started by now but I ordered the lockets from Hong Kong and did not know it until after the email confirmation came in.  It always takes 7-10 days for orders from Hong Kong.  The Etsy seller did not specify where they were from.  They arrived last evening, just in the nick of time.  WHEW!  I looked where she was selling from before I ordered and she left it out of the profile.  Sneaky little devil.

We just carefully cut the photos with an exacto knife.  By we, I mean me.  Each locket has a photo side and a fingerprint side.  Cutting those pictures is a P.I.T.A. (pain in the ass. This is one of my nursing diagnoses. HEHE.)  I used a triple gloss overlay to lock them in.  THe fingerprint side is Crayola air dry clay.  I am sure there is a better option out there but with my current situation I took what I could find easily.

Here they are so far.  Sorry the JPGs suck but I have barely an ounce of energy to deal with them right now.  You get the idea though.  They are really cute, I promise.  I will be wire wrapping and beading them tonight.  Toodles.

Jilly

Happy Earth Day and Crafts

My children are celebrating Earth day by littering their room with an all you can eat cheese picnic and ripping limbs off of trees and pretending to plant them.

Yesterday my mom and step mom came over to help me clean the house before my big surgery.  We scoured the kids room and made it absolutely spotless.  They were playing in there so nice and were not making a mess so I went to watch some TV.  As I am watching I realize there is an eerie silence, and with silence like that, trouble is ensuing.  I go to check out the inevitable sabotage of my sanity. What I find is Sophie and Flynn having a "tea party," with Honest Kids juice pouches and a full cheese tray from Costco.  Of course they shredded and destroyed all of the Swiss cheese and cheddar.  What on Earth am I to eat with my whine now?  I am left wondering why in the bloody hell I can't have a moment without my kids being little devils and how did they sneak a whole cheese tray by me?  I know I have been distracted but a huge cheese tray, REALLY?

Sophie and her cousin are outside playing right now and they come prancing over to show me their "beautiful baby trees."  I don't know how they managed to dismember a tree in 5 minutes but they have.  I proceed to explain that once the limbs are torn off they can no longer get any water from the plant and they will die.   They both look at me like they are taking it all in.  They decided to remedy the situation by digging a hole in the rock bed and "planting" it again.  I guess the root thing is a little deep for four year olds.

The replanted tree

This flower smells awesome. Does anyone know what it is? Honeysuckle?

Sophie's Awesome Hop Scotch

Other than the tree and cheese massacre it is an absolutely fabulous day out.  Scratch that. . . Sophie was just trying to juggle rocks and threw one right in her cousins face by accident.  Now Rowyn wants to go home.  Sophie is mortally wounded to her soul, and is pretty sure she will die if she doesn't have a sleep over. WOW, real time blogging.  Well I did pause to console the kid and she, at present, seems to be over it.  I guess I will scratch the calling of the mom.  I may have to get a start on my wine with no cheese now.

Happy Earth Day.  Next year we will try to plant a tree instead of brutally mutilating one.

Following are some crafty things I have done lately.  I made my stepmom a locket for her birthday.  It has the kids photo inside on one side and their finger prints in clay on the other.  It turned out awesome.  I made it out of a silver-tone locket pink anodized copper wire wrapping, pink and green pressed Czech Glass.  I love it.  I also crocheted a mascot for D and Todd's business BloomWorlds.

I crocheted D a BloomBot

I made a monkey puzzle for the kids

Grandma Diane's Locket

locket close up

Some Craft pics.