Woolly Monkeys

I've been working on all sorts of things over the summer, but not getting many of them finished. Now the children are back at school I'm finally getting on top of everything again, so I'll probably do several posts in quick succession.

 

I started on these monkeys a few months ago, trying to refine a design I came up with back in 2009 (Fuzzy Monkey). I made that with a fuzzy yarn that isn't always easy to get hold of, so I wanted to make the design workable in both smooth and fuzzy, mohair style yarns. For the smooth ones I used a nice yarn that had a bit of texture and a mix of colours to give a bit of extra interest (James C Brett Marble), and I found a nice variegated mohair yarn for the fuzzy ones (King Cole Luxury Mohair).

I tried to keep the design nice and simple, without any detail in the faces. I experimented with embroidered features but it just didn't work. With no particular expression you can imagine they are looking however you want - sometimes they look cheeky, or confident, or friendly, or sometimes a little sad.

Woolly Monkeys are a real species of monkey, but my Woolly Monkeys are a lot more bright, and the stripy tails are just for fun. They are made out of wool (or acrylic that looks woolly!) though, so it seemed a good name.

The pattern is available to buy from my Etsy shop  or on Ravelry.

Mother and Child Spirits

I made a set of Mother and Child Earth Spirits about two years ago, and they've always been one of my favourite creations. I've also had quite a few requests for me to write up their pattern, and now I've finally got it finished, and available in my shop.

One of the problems with making these is getting hold of nice mohair yarns that are the right thickness. The yarn I originally used, Patons Spirit, is no longer being produced, although I've still got a small stash of it. It is also thicker than most of the other plain mohair yarns I have, many of which I picked up from charity shops without labels. I bought some Luxury Mohair by King Cole, which has lovely colours but is comparatively thin, and when I tested my pattern using this yarn, the Water Spirits ended up quite a bit smaller than the Earth Spirits I made using the Patons yarn. In the end though, despite the size difference, I was happy with both yarns and the creatures I made with them.

I think that what I like most about these creatures is the way they seem to interact when you put them together. It feels like the mother is looking after her child, or even listening to him telling her what he's been up to!

Adorable Monsters

After I made an Adorable Snow Monster way back in January (http://lucyravenscar.blogspot.com/2010/01/adorable-snow-monster.html) I decided to write up the pattern. I made another Snow Monster to test it, and then I was given some lovely extra fluffy mohair so I made a variation which I decided was a Wildly Adorable Snow Monster.

Then I thought I'd better try making one without using a mohair yarn, because they're not always easily available. I wasn't sure what it would look like - using the same pattern apart from the ruff around its face, it ended up quite different looking. Without the fluff the big hands and feet were more noticeable, but I thought it was just as cute. I wasn't quite sure what kind of monster he was, but since he is green and brown he's ended up being an Adorable Tree Monster.

Having bought some self-striping yarn, I though I'd give that a go, and made an Adorable Rainbow Monster.  I thought I was finished then but my son begged me to make him a fire monster. I used three different tones of red (I'm not sure they all show up in the photos, but I used the darkest colour at the bottom) and I brushed the fur on his head upwards to give him a more fiery effect. And so was born the Flaming Adorable Fire Monster.

I really like the way the same pattern can make quite different looking creatures - it would be quite easy to add details like spines, horns, wings or spots to make them even more varied.

The pattern is now up for sale in my Etsy Shop.

Two Spirits and One Pattern

Getting my Star Wars patterns sorted finally allowed me to get on with all the other things I had been meaning to make. One of them was from a request I had quite some time ago to make a Water Spirit, with no particular directions on what it should look like. I decided to give it the feel of some kind of water-loving mammal, such as an otter or a seal, so it has a long, streamlined head and two tail-like flippers. I wanted to use lots of different watery colours so I chose three different mohair-type yarns, two of which were multicoloured, to give a nice mix. I was really pleased with the way it turned out, and luckily, so was the patient recipient.

I also got a request to do a pattern for another type of Spirit I have made. Using the same basic pattern but with different details I have made a Rock Spirit, a Hedgerow Spirit and a Dream Spirit. These are great little creatures to use interesting yarns on - they have bodies made with a mohair-type yarn - which you can customise to be the sort of Spirit you want with different features and any colours you like.

I wrote up the pattern, and to test it I made a Moon Spirit. This little creature gazes up at the full moon, absorbing its gentle rays, and then reflects them back in the darkest nights to guide other animals.

The pattern for the Small Spirit, with details of how to make the different variations, is now for sale in my Etsy shop - http://www.etsy.com/listing/45355995/pattern-for-small-spirit-amigurumi.

Adorable Snow Monster

Where I live we hardly ever get snow - at most one fall a year that disappears within 24 hours. So it was very exciting when we got proper snow a couple of weeks ago that lasted a whole week! With the children off school what could I do (apart from going sledging) but make a snow creature?

I present: the Adorable Snow Monster. He's related to the Abominable Snowman, but clearly he can't possibly be described as abominable - he's only seven inches tall for a start! Also, he's not a man, he's definitely a monster, though he's more likely to hug you than scare you. He has a fat little tummy, soft white fur and short, stubby legs. He loves the snow - those big, six-fingered hands are perfect for making snowballs, and he's really looking forward to the Winter Olympics.