What’s New in Luvvies – 10/18/18

October 18, 2018Amigurumi, Conventions, Crochet Journey, Patterns, Works in ProgressAmiArtist, Amigurumi, Basics, Conventions, Crochet, CrochetBasics, Lil Luvvies, Lil Luvvies Amigurumi, Patterns, Rhode Island Comic Con, Shameless Self Promotion, Stuffed Animals, Toys, Work In Progress, Yarnlilluvvies Leave a comment

I make every effort to update the blog and to share in my crochet journey with you all, but somehow my best laid plans go astray.

Things have been busy. In September, I took some time off and went to a Supernatural convention with some friends in New Jersey. Also things at home have been crazy busy because my daughter started soccer, so we’ve been running to practices and games. And, to top everything off, my migraines have been acting up – so, I haven’t been as on top of my game as I would like to be.

Despite all the crazy that has been going on, I have been continuing to crochet and get ready for Rhode Island Comic Con (Nov. 2-4). I still don’t feel as prepared as I would like to be, but I still have two weeks to get there.

As I’ve been preparing for con, I’ve discovered that one of the things I absolutely love to make are these adorable little voodoo dolls (Pattern by BlueRabbitToys on Etsy). The funny thing is I think these little ones are so adorable, but my father is legitimately scared of them. Even though I’m soon to be 41, I still share pictures of everything with my father after I’m finished, and for some reason these voodoo dolls just creep him out. It’s a little strange that these would be the thing he has a hard time with, but I also think it’s hilarious.

He also wasn’t a fan of my newest creation, that I’m calling Dee the Nightmare Prevention monster (Pattern by OneandTwoCompany on Etsy). Although he wasn’t as downright creeped out by her as he was by the voodoo dolls, he still wasn’t a fan. Dee was a lot more work than I was expecting, but I am so happy with how she turned out. I love her to bits. Also, OneandTwoCompany is one of my favorite amigurumi designers, I think I have almost every one of her patterns – I haven’t had a chance to make them all, but I have a lot of them. I really do think one of my post-con resolutions is going to be to go through the list and make as many of her items as I can to try everything.

Also in preparation for Rhode Island, knowing that Jenna Coleman from Doctor Who is going to be there, I tried to make some Doctor Who friendly items – like a Weeping Angel and an Adipose. I’m not as happy with how these turned out as I would like to be….they aren’t terrible, but the patterns just were not quite right and led to inconsistent results.

One of my favorite newest creations has been this little chickadee (another awesome pattern by OneandTwoCompany on Etsy). This sweet little girl was so much fun to make. The funny thing is I started her several weeks ago, and then had to put her on hold as I completed orders for my Etsy store. However, once I got back to her, I was so happy I did – she is so sweet. I just want to squeeze her all up.

One other design from my fave at OneandTwoCompany was this adorable Logan the lion backpack. I probably could have made the straps a little longer, but Desi still seemed to like it, and was carrying around some of her reading books for the next couple of days. I still have some problems finishing pieces….like I look at this and I can see that my stitches weren’t quite straight. However, I guess when you look at it in the grand scheme, I’ve only been crocheting for a little over a year, so the fact that i was able to make something like this is pretty awesome – even if the perfectionist in me hates the mistakes.

These have been some of the highlights of recent times…there have been others that I’ve made, too, but are more repetitive. I love trying out new patterns, but I find myself going back to the old standbys more and more.

I’m hoping once I get back from Rhode Island that I’ll have some time to make a variety of different patterns and try to find some new favorites. Thanks for sticking with me!

Hugs and cuddles,

Elisha

Back to the Grind

October 3, 2018Amigurumi, Conventions, Crochet JourneyAmigurumi, Christmas, Conventions, Crochet, Lil Luvvies, Lil Luvvies Amigurumi, Rhode Island Comic Con, Steel City Comic Con, Toyslilluvvies Leave a comment

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Hello friends! I hope this finds you well. I have been incommunicado for a while because I just spent four days in New Jersey attending a Supernatural (the television show) convention in Secaucus. Leading up to the convention, I was really trying to keep things moving and get orders and some other projects finished so I could enjoy my time. I was attending this convention for fun, and not as part of Lil’ Luvvies (weird, I know).

While I enjoyed being away and spending time with my dear friends, now that I am back home, I find myself in a bit of a frenzy. You see, in about 30 days, Lil’ Luvvies is hitting the road and we are heading to Rhode Island for our first ever Rhode Island Comic Con (RICC). I know this is one of the largest conventions on the east coast, so I am nervous about that. About a month after I return from RICC, I am turning around and participating in my second Steel City Con. Though I am so excited about the possibilities these two conventions can open up for Lil’ Luvvies, I am terrified I won’t have enough stock, I won’t break even, and that I am taking on too much too quickly.

So, while my few days away was nice and relaxing, being back has had me a bundle of nerves, especially now that I am back at my primary job, too. And once I start thinking about all that is to come, I really start to work myself into a frenzy because whether we are ready or not, Christmas is right around the corner. As this is my first Christmas with the shop/Web site, I am not sure what to expect. I might not have any increase in business, or I might be overwhelmed.

With all this said, there could be changes to the blog: Depending upon how I’m feeling, there could be an increase or a significant decrease in posts. If I am just overwhelmed and need to vent – there could be an increase in posts. If I am overwhelmed and there is no spare moment to do anything but crochet – there could be a marked decrease in posts, at least on the Web site. I am sure you will still be able to find pictures and captions on my Instagram account, which I try to post at least one time per day on – unless I’m on a true vacation.

Fingers crossed that everything goes well. Thank you all for your patience in dealing with me, I appreciate it so much.

Hugs and cuddles,

Elisah

Working on a new moose, eh? – WIP

September 20, 2018Amigurumi, Crochet Basics, Crochet Journey, Works in ProgressAmiArtist, Amigurumi, Baby Moose, Chibi, Crochet, CrochetBasics, Lil Luvvies, Lil Luvvies Amigurumi, Moose, Patterns, Shameless Self Promotion, Toys, Work In Progress, Yarnlilluvvies Leave a comment

I think I have mentioned before that I am a huge fan of the television show Supernatural. Because of that, the fandom has a particular love for moose. One of the first amigurumi I learned to crochet was a moose to represent the fandom. However, the further along I’ve gotten in my crochet journey, the more that pattern isn’t always my favorite. So, one of my dear friends suggested I try a moose chibi (or a baby moose).

What an interesting concept…

Jared Moose

The original moose pattern I started with

Sorry to inconvenience you…..or the People Pleaser’s Guide to Business 101

September 19, 2018Amigurumi, Crochet JourneyAmiArtist, Amigurumi, Basics, Crochet, CrochetBasics, Lil Luvvies, Lil Luvvies Amigurumi, Shameless Self Promotion, Toyslilluvvies Leave a comment

hello my name is sign with blank white copyspace for text message

The picture above is probably one of the most accurate representations of me that I have ever seen. I am a people-pleaser; always have been, probably always will be. I remember from an early age always being concerned if someone was upset with me, or wanting to do the best that I could to not disappoint people, especially those I cared about.

Over the years, those tendencies have caused me problems: I’ve agreed to things that I probably didn’t want to do just to make someone else happy. I spent a lot of years not showing my geeky/nerdy side because I didn’t want to be a disappointment to my parents. I’ve learned some from these quirks – but, even though I have made progress in some areas, this is a fundamental part of my being.

Oh Bother! A Winnie-the-Pooh WIP

September 10, 2018Amigurumi, Crochet Journey, Works in ProgressAmigurumi, Crochet, Lil Luvvies, Lil Luvvies Amigurumi, Pooh and Friends, Pooh Bear, Shameless Self Promotion, Toys, Winnie the Pooh, Work In Progresslilluvvies Leave a comment

Who doesn’t love Winnie-the-Pooh? I mean, just look at him……

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He’s adorable. And the fact that I’m roughly shaped like him makes me love him all the more.

Some of my earliest memories are of Winnie-the-Pooh. My room as a baby through age 6 was done entirely of Winnie-the-Pooh (at which time it switched to Strawberry Shortcake). And when I became a mother myself, I decorated my daughter’s room in a Pooh theme. Pooh and gang have always been some of my all time favorite characters.

When the film “Christopher Robin” came out this summer about the grown up companion to Pooh bear, it seemed like there was a resurgence in all things Hundred Acres Wood: My daughter dug out my old Eeyore toys, and suddenly the tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff was on just about everything again. Excited to try my hand at making my own Pooh and friends set, I bought some patterns from my favorite place on earth…Etsy. However, I got into other projects and my poor Pooh team had to wait.

Right before Labor Day, I received a custom order for a large Winnie the Pooh and a miniature version. Knowing that we were going away for the weekend, I thought this would be the perfect project to take along with me. My husband and daughter would be down at the pool (I don’t usually get into a swimsuit), so I would have plenty of time to work. I could knock this out in a long weekend. Oh sweet summer child……

Fast forward to 10 days, two skeins of yarn, five reworks, and many tears shed later and I finally was able to finish Pooh, who I believe is my largest Luvvie to date. So what were the issues? Why did I almost quit at least five times a day? A lot of it came down to the pattern…and some of it my own interpretations and insecurities.

As I just wrote about before I started work on Pooh, having a great pattern is key to crochet success. However, because I know what should be done but am not the greatest at taking my own advice, I was in the hole from the beginning. Well, not from the absolute beginning.

In the start, things were fairly straightforward: Make the ears (basic increasing and decreasing in the round – check); make the arms (more basic increasing and decreasing in the round – check, check); make the legs (more of the same….this is going to be easy-peasy – check, check, check).

And then all progress promptly ground to a screeching halt.

When it came to starting on the body, I actually was okay – again basic increasing in the round, but then it came time to attach the legs – unlike most amigurumi where the limbs are attached by sewing after the fact, this piece has everything joined by crochet. I’ve joined pieces by crochet before, so it isn’t that unfamiliar a technique, but the way she wanted the pieces attached was just bizarre. There were chain spaces and skipped stitches and going back to pick up skipped loops from previous rounds. The first time I attached the legs, the one I attached on the wrong side and the other was backwards – it was not my finest moment.

And though I crochet to help me with anxiety and depression, there are two other things that crochet doesn’t always help me with, and that is perfectionist tendencies and being quick to anger (especially with myself when I don’t understand something). And this was definitely something that I wasn’t understanding and that I wanted to be perfect because it is an iconic character.

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Even looking at this (because of my perfectionist tendencies) I can see where some of the rounds didn’t quite line up right.

There were many stages along the way that I ripped out large sections of my progress and started again…and again…and again.

Even as I got further along in the project, there were many times I was ready to scrap the whole thing and start over – or to email the customer and say this was just beyond my capabilities at this level of my crochet career. Surprisingly (for me), I didn’t do either. I just kept plugging along; until finally:

I had a Pooh (adjacent) bear. He’s not as tubby as he probably could have been (I was afraid to overstuff and have the filling peeking through the stitches), and his muzzle got a little pinched and wonky (again I got a little confused with the pattern and no redoing was going to help), but I can look at him and see a bear that resembles Pooh. Of course things got a little bit better after he got his sweater (the first ever sweater I’ve made, and it was for a bear):

All in all, he’s not bad. I can look at him and still see some of the imperfections, but I can also see Winnie the Pooh. I’ve learned a lot from using this pattern, and if and when I make Pooh again, I can use this to make him even better. Hopefully, I won’t have quite so many tears the next time around.

But he still made me smile in the end.

Hugs and cuddles,

Elisha