Trying Out Something Different

    Last year, I asked my mom (who has been crocheting for years) if she had any crochet magazines or books lying around, because I was looking for new patterns. She let me borrow a huge collection of older patterns she has saved over the years. A lot of them were done with thread, lots and lots of doilies. Some very nice too. Well, at the end of this book were a lot of patterns done with Tunisian Crochet. I had never seen this before, and I thought to myself..."Nah, that's just not for me."


    .....Just like I've always said, "Nah, crochet just isn't for me" haha. I've said that for years, ever since my mom tried to teach me when I was in elementary school. Then I saw amigurumi patterns, decided to give it another try, and I was hooked! (No pun intended! :P)


    Anyways, last week I started thinking of trying out Tunisian Crochet. I don't know why, just all of a sudden I got this urge to try it out. So I went out and got myself a few afghan hooks. I'm so happy I did! It was a little exciting to learn something new, even though I've been crocheting for quite a while. 

    Unfortunately, I haven't found all that many patterns online. I ended up scanning and keeping the patterns from my mom's book, but I gave it back to her. If I remember correctly, most of the Tunisian patterns were for huge blankets, and charts. I prefer to make smaller things. I will make the occasional blanket, but I like things that I can finish faster...Like amigurumi, kitchen things like tawashis, purses, hats, etc. AND if I wanted a chart...I'd so make my own, I'm a huge video game nerd and I need things with game sprites on them...Like Simon Belmont...that would be amazing!

    Seriously, I'd love to make a scarf or something with Simon on it! It would have to be the Original Simon though, new Simon and Alucard would be too hard lol, too many colors for me haha! So I just had to share how fun Tunisian Crochet is. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend going out and getting an afghan hook and trying it out!

New Pattern!

I have a new pattern up! You can check it out on Ravelry or Etsy! After lots of thought, I decided to go ahead and sell the pattern, but not to worry! I'll have a new free pattern up soon!

Outside, just chilling in the grass

They were originally called "Teeny Tiny Turtles", but as I was putting it up on Ravelry, turns out there were already like 5 patterns with the same name. So, now they are known as "Teenie Weenie Turtles"...I think I like that better anyways. They're so small, but I just love them!

Chilling on the stairs

I was supposed to be making something else, but all of a sudden, these little guys popped in my head! I spent forever trying to get the right number of rounds, and especially the edging around the shell, but I think they turned out great! I thought about just making them as pincushions, but then I decided to just call them toys, or even bath toys, my daughter took every turtle I made and played with them in the bath tub lol. 

Chilling with friends

I thought about it for a long time, and in the end, I decided to sell the pattern. I really did spend a long time trying to get not only the pattern and finished product perfect, but I spent about 3 days trying to make the PDF file look presentable, AND write an entire tutorial on how to do the magic ring, to be as thorough as possible for people just beginning their crocheting adventures lol. 

Magic Ring Tutorial!

I decided to do this for a pattern I put up for sale...It was already 4 pages long and the file size was huge, so I decided to put it here to save space, and make the tutorial free! I would never want to make anyone pay for a tutorial. If you want to check out the turtle pattern for sale, its on Etsy and Ravelry!

I love using the magic ring, I think its the best way to start amigurumi as it leaves no hole, unlike other methods. It might seem a little hard at first, but once you get used to it, you'll be doing it as fast as ever! This is my first tutorial, I hope it helps!

Grab the tail of your yarn and lay it across your palm, the tail sort of draping over your index finger

Well, the tail should drape around your index finger, NOT
your palm lol

Then you'll want to take your tail, still behind your index finger, and wrap it around your middle and ring fingers TWICE

You'll want to leave a longer tail, long enough to hold it
with your pinky and pull to close later.

Now, holding the tail with your pinky finger, and your hand kind of closed around the yarn to hold in place, insert your hook underneath both of the loops wrapped around your middle and ring fingers. Catch the yarn from your index finger (the yarn in back) and pull up a loop. Ch 1 (or however many, depending on what stitch you're using. I will be using single crochets). 

Now you can do however many stitches your pattern needs. For this tutorial, I'm doing 6 single crochets in the ring. You do it the same way you did your ch 1, by inserting the hook under both loops, catching the yarn behind your index finger, pulling up a loop. YO and pull through both loops, and there you go! One Single crochet! When you the right number of stitches, you'll want to pull the loop on your hook to make it bigger, so when we're closing the ring, no stitches will be lost!

Now its time to close the ring!

Now you have two loops...but which one to pull? Well, once you get used to using a magic ring, you'll know which one to pull. Its actually the yarn right next to your tail. To make sure, especially if you're a beginner, is to gently pull on the tail...Don't pull too hard!

When you pull on the tail, you'll notice one of the loops starting to close. See the side that's closing? Pull the opposite side of that same loop. (You should pull on the right side of the ring, again, right by the tail.)

When you pull the tail, one loop should start to close,
the other one won't move.

Pull that loop and tightly close your ring!

Now you will have one large loop left. Its time to finish the ring! Pull the tail tight, and congrats! Your ring is finished! When I was first starting out, I would get this far, but the tail just would not move! Pulling so hard, the yarn would actually break! It turned out I was pulling the wrong loop  in the step before, the first loop we pulled. I just thought I would mention this because it took me a long time to figure out why that was happening lol. 

So if you're having a lot of trouble pulling your tail to finish your ring, make sure you're pulling the right loop when you're first closing the ring.

I have no idea why I left my tail SO long lol.

Now just put your hook back in the loop and tighten it. If you're not sure where to start the next round, just count your stitches starting from the hook!

Now you'll just continue with the pattern, usually 2 sc in each st around, make sure you put a stitch marker in the first st of the round, you don't want to lose your place! (I know a lot of people put a stitch marker in the last stitch of the previous round, you can do it either way, but I always put it in the first.)

Of course, move the stitch marker up every round! 

And that's it! I hope this will help people that are having trouble, I know I had some trouble when I was first learning. If you have any questions, just leave a comment! You can also email me with questions at empressofpalamecia@gmail.com.

Have fun making your amigurumi!!

Hats and Stuff!

Well, I made some hats I for Girls Only some were ok, some were meh and boring lol. I was surprised to see some of these boutiques charging so much for such a simple hat...

I guess on the boutiques they're calling them Kufi Hats...Personally...I just call them shelly hats lol. Obviously, they're incredibly easy to make. Why spend like $20 on a hat that takes less than an hour to make? They're pretty cute too, much cuter on someone than laying flat on a table lol. And they're especially cute with a bow or flower clipped on!!


But ya, just wanted to say that my next pattern will PROBABLY be one of these hats. I'm still deciding exactly how I want the shells to be and such. Plus TRY to make them in different sizes. I dunno, that's the hardest part for me. I have some guidelines on how to wing hats and get them to fit right...But while I'm making them, they either seem too big or too small, even when the measurements are perfect...maybe its just me lol.

Plus its pretty hard for me to make them different sizes when I don't have someone here to model it lol. I don't have a baby 0-3 months...3-6...6-12, and so on lol. So ya they would prolly be either adult size or 4 year old girls size lol.    

Octopus Pincushion

   Well, I finally got around to making a new pattern. My best friend was asking for a pincushion and I promised I'd make her one...And well, I could use one too lol. I just love octopuses, and cutesy things, and I just couldn't help myself, I just had to make an octopus pincushion. I'm in love with these little guys!!! They're so easy to make, and it takes no time at all, so these are perfect if you just want something small to make to keep you occupied for a bit lol.


    Before I continue, I have to mention something important! There are two ways you can make them, one with a mouth, and the other without. I personally prefer the one without the mouth, and big button eyes! Cute!

With and without the mouth.

Ok so here it is, and let me know if you find any mistakes! I did this one pretty fast!

Octopus Pincushion

Materials

Size G Hook

Small amount of worsted weight yarn

Scissors

Tapestry Needle

Buttons/Safety Eyes/ Different colored yarn for eyes

Your favorite stuffing for amigurumi

Gauge

Gauge isn't important, but if you want it a bit bigger or smaller, just use a different size hook.

Pattern:

Body:

6 sc in magic ring

Rnd 1: 2 sc in each st

Rnd 2: *2 sc in next st, sc in next st*, repeat to end of round

Rnd 3: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts*, repeat to end of round

Rnd 4: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts*, repeat to end of round

Rnds 5-9: Sc in each st around

At the end of round 9, sl st in FLO of the first sc of round 10. The rest of round 10 will be worked in the FLO!

Rnd 10: (In FLO) Ch 3, 4 dc in same st. Skip 1 st, *Sl st in next st, skip next st, 5 dc in next st, skip next st* to the end of round. Sl st somewhere around the first sl st of the round to join. FO

Bottom:

6 sc in magic ring

Rnd 1: 2 sc in each st

Rnd 2: *2 sc in next st, sc in next st*, repeat to end of round

Rnd 3: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts*, repeat to end of round

Rnd 4: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts*, repeat to end of round

Sl st in first st of next rnd, FO leaving a long tail for sewing

Mouth: (Optional)

(leaving a longish tail for sewing) 

Ch 7, being careful not to twist, sl st in first ch to form a ring 

Rnds 1& 2: Ch 1, sc around, sl st in first sc to join 

At the end of round 2, FO

Assembly:

Sew the mouth onto the body if you decided you wanted it. Try to center the mouth between two shells/tentacles, I think it looks best like that. Attach the eyes (whatever you want, embroider them, use safety eyes, buttons, beads, french knots).

After the mouth and eyes are attached, stuff the body, then sew the bottom on, using the back loops of the last round of the body.

Hide all tails in the body and enjoy!

Girls Only!

Bows and other cute things!

Ok, so I don't like bugging people, but I just started a facebook page for all my bows and amigugumi (which will expand when I make more patterns...which I have a lot planned lol). I started it on Easter, so its still brand new, I'm still only starting out with the whole selling bows thing, and I already have the Etsy Shop, but with the facebook page, I can run contests and give stuff away for free to the winners and such. I dunno, you have much more contact with people on facebook rather than an Etsy shop. I love Etsy though.


I hope there will be some people that check out Girls Only on Facebook, and find the perfect bow for that special little girl or even you! And even win free stuff! I always end up making a bow or two for myself because I love them lol. If you have something special in mind, different colors or anything, you can always let me know, I want the bows to be perfect and exactly what you want lol. 


When I hit probably 50 fans I'm planning on doing a referral contest where the person that refers the most people will win something, it will probably be a tutu or like 5 bows for free! The tutu will be your choice of colors :D


But seriously, I really do hate bothering people like this and sounding like a salesman haha. But what I get so much enjoyment out of is creating, and people enjoying what i have created for them, and this really is a wide variety of things, not only the bows, but when people ask me to design tattoos, ask for a specific drawing (and that really does take forever to get it looking nice lol), crocheting or knitting things for people, making patterns to share with people. It really is an amazing feeling...maybe because its one of the only things I'm good at haha.

Top Hat and Bows Pattern

Ok here's the patterns for the top hat and the bows the octopuses were wearing lol. Got them written out and stuff. Gonna start with the top hat, there's two ways you can do it, one color and two colors.

Materials

• Small amount of yarn (2 colors if you want the stripe)
• G Hook
• Tapestry needle
• Enough 3/8" ribbon to wrap around the hat and overlap just a tiny bit (Feel free to experiment with the ribbon size)
• Place Marker

Gauge

Gauge isn't important 

(Btw, if you want the stripe, change to CC on round 7, then back to MC on round 9 :D)

Rnd 1:  6 sc in magic ring

Rnd 2:  2 sc in each st around

Rnd 3:  *2 sc in next st, sc in next st* around

Rnd 4:  In BLO, sc around

Rnds 5-8:  Sc around

Rnd 9:  In FLO, sc around

Rnd 10:  *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts* around

Sl st in next sc, FO, Weave in ends.

If you want the ribbon strip, take your ribbon and glue/sew it around...about round 8 (Right before the FL round, right  before it flares out.) If its just not staying, feel free to spray with some fabric stiffener!

Wow this pic is just terrible, I apologize lol

Ok, now on to the bows! Hook size...gauge not mattering...its all the same as the top hat, just no ribbon and place marker lol.

Small Bow

Row 1:  Ch8, sc across, turn

Rows 2 & 3: Ch1, sc across, turn

Row 4: Ch1, sc across, FO

Strip that wraps around the bow
Row 1: Ch7, sc across, FO, leaving a long enough tail to sew




Big Bow
Row 1:  Ch12, sc in 2nd ch from hook and across, turn
Rows 2-5: Ch1, sc across, turn
Row 6: Ch1, sc across, FO



Strip that wraps around the bow

Row 1:  Ch9, sc in 2nd ch from hook and across, turn

Row 2:  Ch1, sc across, FO leaving a tail long enough to sew

Assembly
Pinch the center of the bow, wrap some yarn around a few times to hold in place. If you can weave some yarn or thread in the middle, that's great but that didn't work for me. Make sure its looking good, then wrap the strip around the middle to hide the yarn or thread, then sew the strip together. Weave in ends and you're done!

Cute Little Octopus Amigurumi

So, in addition to loving doing dishes with a tawashi and puff stitches, I also love octopuses...and amigurumi. I actually decided to learn to crochet because I saw a lot of cute patterns online. There was a certain kind of octopus I always wanted to make, not counting a cthulhu lol, but I could never find exactly what I wanted, so I decided to make my own! I wanted a fat head, stubby little tentacles, and most importantly, the mouth. I took inspiration from the octorocs from Zelda lol. I'm planning on making changes to this to make it look more like an octoroc. 

Wow, I wish my embroidery skills were better lol

A couple things before I start, all the accessories in the pics, I made, and here's the patterns for the hat and the bows!, but they'll be up soon. I'm in love with the top hat lol. Also, if you don't already use it, you should really learn the invisible decrease. Check it out here! So here we go!

Cute Little Octopus Amigurumi

You will need:

• 1 skein worsted weight yarn
• Size G Hook (You can use a size F if you would like, I personally make my amigurumi plushies with a G hook because I think they turn out softer...and cuddlier lol)
• Tapestry Needle
• Fiber fill
• Safety eyes, or a small amount of yarn for eyes
• Place Marker

Gauge

Gauge isn't important for this

Body

Rnd 1: 6 sc in magic ring

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around

Rnd 3: *2 sc in next st, sc in next st* around

Rnd 4: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts* around

Rnd 5: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts* around

Rnd 6: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts* around

Rnd 7: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts* around

Rnds 8-13: sc in each st around

Rnd 14: *dec over next 2 sts, sc in next 5 sts* around

Sl st in first sc of next round, FO

Bottom

Rnd 1: 6 sc in magic ring

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around

Rnd 3: *2 sc in next st, sc in next st* around

Rnd 4: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts* around

Rnd 5: *2 sc in first st, sc in next 3 sts* around

Rnd 6: *2 sc in first st, sc in next 4 sts* around

Sl st in first sc of next round, FO, leaving a long tail for sewing

Mouth

Row 1: Ch 3, sc in second ch and across (a whopping 1 ch lol), turn

Rows 2-13: Ch 1, sc across

At the end of row 13, do not turn, ch1 and sc down the side of the strip (12 or 13 sc), sl st close to the first sc of the first row and FO leaving a long tail for sewing.

Protip: If you think the mouth is too long, then don't sc along the side, I personally thought the mouth was too short without it

Tentacles (Make 6)

Rnd 1: 4 sc in magic ring

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around

Rnd 3: *2 sc in next st, sc in next st* around

Rnd 4: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts* around

Rnds 5-8: Sc in each st around

At the end of Rnd 8, sl st in next st and FO leaving a long tail for sewing.

Assembly

Stuff each tentacle lightly, sew closed.

Weave in the short tail from the mouth, then with the longer tail we left for sewing, sew the ends of the strip together, forming a small tube.

Sew the mouth onto the body, (I sewed the bottom of the mouth right above that last row of the body...I hope that gives a good enough idea where to start sewing the mouth), attach eyes (Safety eyes, embroider lines, french knots, whatever you want). Stuff the body, then sew the bottom onto the body...but before you close it completely, make sure its stuffed just the way you want it. When its good to go, continue sewing until closed.

Take the closed tentacles and sew them where the bottom piece meets the body. Make sure the mouth is right in between two tentacles. I had to kind of squish them together to make them all fit, but its not bad at all.

Hide all the ends in the body, and you're done!

Add accessories! Crochet hats, crochet bows, regular bows, all of these are just attached to alligator clips so they're interchangeable, I also don't see why you couldn't sew/glue a little piece of velcro on the back. I think I want to make one wearing a viking hat! Gah, the possibilities are endless!!

New patterns should be up soon!

So I have a new pattern that's almost ready to be put up. I was so bored for the majority of the day, I decided to get out my big pic of crochet ideas that I've been adding to for a couple of months and make one. It went so smoothly! I was pretty surprised! I just need to make a polish up the pattern because I realized I messed up somewhere, but I figured out the problem as soon as I put it together...make a few more, take pics, and it'll be done! Yay!


Anyways, here's a couple ideas I drew out, and this is like, only two out of a ton lol.

Lol like 5 min of work here, its crappy XD

I labelled them both as a tawashi, but I think they would be too big so I've upgraded them to bath toys/bath scrubbies. My daughter loves these things, and she loves bath toys, so I think it'll work out :). I'm really excited to get these things going! So, in conclusion, I should have a pattern or two (if I'm lucky lol) up in the next week or so!


Oh and I desperately need to put some more bows up on Etsy, I have way too many sitting here haha. I ended up selling about 5 bows and some other things the other day and one of my favorite bows was one I shipped out, I was so sad to see it go lol.

You turned out so cute, little bow! You were my favorite!

Something a bit different...Lining your clips

Ok, so I make bows...and flowers...for my 3 year old daughter and myself (More for myself, I love hair accessories!). When I make them, I don't usually have babies in mind, I'd rather make them for a different age group, but hey, they look cute on little girls and babies too! 


But I wanted to give a little tip to other people who may be having trouble lining their clips with hot glue. That's all I used and...well I don't know if its normal or if I just can't use a hot glue gun right...But my clips always turned out lumpy and ugly, no matter how fast I stuck the ribbon to the clip. And I always got those annoying strings of hot glue when I was done, and would have to spend a little while cleaning it up when I was done. So annoying. 

So ugly!

Look at that...just terrible. I was wanting to make some lined clips just to wear like this or with something small attached, but there was no way I was going to wear them like this. They were so ugly!


Well I looked all around and couldn't find many tips. All I found was people saying to use "tacky glue"....Well I went out and bought Aleene's clear gel tacky glue. Didn't work, it didn't seem to stick very well no matter how long I held it there. Then I thought, maybe the problem was that I got the wrong tacky glue...So I went out and spent more money on the regular Aleene's tacky glue...Ya that worked out about the same. How disappointing...I was ready to give up and just deal with the ugly clips forever...But then...I figured it out!

This! 

Fabri-Tac! Its wonderful! You can get it at a craft store like Michael's or Joann, Walmart, or even online here!

Look at that! Looks much nicer!

So that's it! You just line them the same way you're comfortable with, but use the Fabri-Tac instead of the hot glue, I think it holds just as good, and you get a little extra time to straighten it out if you messed up, although it still needs to be done quick, just not as quick as the hot glue. 

Well, that's all I got for now, I really hope I helped at least one person here. And I'm sure this isn't some new thing, I just happened to have found it late lol. 

Psp Covers

Alright so this is my second pattern I've made and the first one I'm sharing and I'm a little scared I'm going to mess it up lol. One night I was looking for something quick and useful to make to cure my boredom and I decided I wanted to make a cover for my psp. It made me sad to find only one, so I decided to make one up, and it was pretty fun.

These also work well for a DS lite or DSi

Materials
2 skeins Caron Simply Soft in two colors (Black is MC and Pink is CC)
Size G Hook or size to obtain gauge
Tapestry Needle


Gauge
4 hdc = 1 in.
About 3 1/2 rows = 1 in.


Special Stitches
Fpdc: Yo, insert hook from front to back around post of dc, bring up a loop and continue as regular dc.
Bpdc: Yo, insert hook from back to front around post of dc, bring up a loop and continue as regular dc.



With MC ch 27, sl st in first ch to form ring, being careful not to twist.

Rnd 1: Ch 3, *dc in next ch rep from * around, sl st into beg ch 3 to join.
Rnd 2: Ch 3, *fpdc around next dc, bpdc around next dc rep from * around, sl st into beg ch 3 to join.
Rnd 3: Ch 3, *fpdc around next fpdc, bpdc around next bpdc rep from * around, sl st into beg ch 3 to join.
Rnd 4: Switch to CC, ch 1, hdc in same st and around, sl st into first hdc to join.
Rnd 5: Ch 1, hdc in same st and around, sl st into first hdc to join.
Rnd 6: Rep rnd 5.
Rnd 7: Switch to MC, ch 1, hdc in same st and around, sl st into first hdc to join.
Rnd 8: Rep rnd 5
Rnd 9: Rep rnd 5

Rep rnds 4-9 once more, then rep rnds 4-6 once.

Rnd 19: Switch to MC, ch 1, hdc in same st and around, sl st into first hdc to join.
Rnd 20: Rep rnd 5, leaving a long tail for sewing, fasten off.
 

Finishing
Whip stitch bottom together, weave in all ends. And now your Psp is all stylish!

One last note! If you want the black and green type cover, do rnds 1-3 in CC, then switch to MC for rnds 4-20, or do it all in one color! Whatever you like!