We Are Groot

It seems a bit late, but thought I might still join in on the Guardians of the Galaxy craze. Better late than never right? ^^

If I weren't busy with other crochet projects, I would've made amigurumis of Groot and Rocket. Yah, that would've been really awesome... Kawaii yarn versions of the Marvel duo. Oooh! I can't get over how adorable they're gonna be. Cuteness level 9000!!! I can't wait!

But for now these sketches will do. Not as endearing, I guess, but still cute.  ^3^

Obviously it's beyond perfect but I still think I did well. I guess it's expected when you're using only a finger on an Ipad sketch app. Oh well, eventually I'm gonna get a good stylus... Someday... Hopefully soon. Hahaha! ^^ 




Disclaimer: Some of the images are not mine and can be searched online

Moo of the Future

Shortly after I finished my Hippocampeon, I remembered that a friend of mine asked me for a gift for her daughter's first birthday, a little something to put in her "time capsule". I suppose it's the new trend, keeping stuff for little kiddies then opening it on their 18th or so birthday. Honestly, I like the concept, it sounds exciting and sentimental. I hope to make one too for my future kids. Wouldn't it be awesome to put eggs in there so that when they open it after a few years they'll have their own poultry farm? Lack of sleep? Definitely! Hahaha! Classic. ^^ 

Anyway, going back to the gift... I only have until midnight to make an amigurumi so I decided not to invent a new pattern but follow a free one I found online. There were so many choices, but eventually I landed on crocheting... A cow. Well, I didn't want to make anything generic like a teddy bear or a little dolly so... Yah. What? Baby cows are adorable. Scratch that! All baby animals are adorable. So technically, whatever amigurumi you make as long as it's a baby then automatically it's cute. Okay, that's not entirely true. Of course it depends on the crocheter's skills. Whatever! Cows are cute, okay??? Damn! I need to go to bed... -_-

I used Lanas y ovillos' cow pattern and it was pretty easy to follow. I started past 7pm, I think and finished just a little over midnight. Not bad for a rushed project.

VACA

(Click for Pattern) 

By the way, the pattern is in Spanish so, yah... Good luck with that. Mwahahaha! Just kidding! I already translated it in English. Hehehe! ^^ Also, I named the cutie "Moo". Of course the baby girl whom I'm giving it to wouldn't know that. So by the time she turns 18 and gets this amigurumi, she'd most likely have a different name for it. So for the meantime that I have this cow and awaiting deliverance before her birthday, to me he is my little "Moo". Aww... Crap! Now I'm attached to it. Curse dem feels!!! XD

MOO

Materials:
Monaco Yarn Shade #1 - Snow (2-3 skeins)
Monaco Yarn Shade #100 - Raven (1 skein)
Monaco Yarn Shade #31 - Flamingo (1 skein)
Monaco Yarn Shade #65 - Cinnamon (1 skein)
Crochet Hook - 7 (4.5 mm)
Small black buttons
Fiberfill stuffing

HEAD
(Flamingo)
Rnd 1: 6sc in MR (6)
Rnd 2: Inc around (12)
Rnd 3: 1sc-inc (18)
Rnd 4: 2sc-inc (24)
Rnd 5: 3sc-inc (30)
Rnd 6: 4sc-inc (36)
Rnd 7-10: Sc around (36)
(Snow)
Rnd 11-17: Sc around (36)
Rnd 18: 4sc-dec (30)
Rnd 19: 3sc-dec (24)
Rnd 20: 2sc-dec (18)
Rnd 21: 1sc-dec (12)
Rnd 22: Dec around (6)
FO, weave in ends

BODY
(Snow)
Rnd 1: 6sc in mr (6)
Rnd 2: Inc around (12)
Rnd 3: 1sc-inc (18)
Rnd 4: 2sc-inc (24)
Rnd 5: 3sc-inc (30)
Rnd 6: 4sc-inc (36)
Rnd 7-17: Sc around (36)
Rnd 18: 4sc-dec (30)
Rnd 19: 3sc-dec (24)
Rnd 20: 2sc-dec (18)
Rnd 21: 1sc-dec (12)
Rnd 22: Dec around (6)
FO, leave tail for sewing

EARS (2x)
(1 Snow, 1 Raven)
Rnd 1: 6sc in mr (6)
Rnd 2: 1sc-inc (9)
Rnd 3: 2sc-inc (12)
Rnd 4-8: Sc around (12)
Rnd 9: Dec around (6)
FO, leave tail for sewing

LEGS (4x)
(Cinnamon)
Rnd 1: 6sc in mr (6)
Rnd 2: Inc around (12)
Rnd 3: Sc around (12)
(Snow)
Rnd 4-9: Sc around (12)
FO, leave tail for sewing

HORNS (2x)
(Cinnamon)
Rnd 1: 6sc in mr (6)
Rnd 2: Inc around (12)
Rnd 3-4: Sc around (12)
FO, leave tail for sewing

SPOTS (3x)
(Raven)
Rnd 1: 6sc in mr (6)
Rnd 2: Inc around (12)
Rnd 3: 1sc-inc (18)
FO, leave tail for sewing

*For Moo, I only made two spots. But that's up to you, make as many spots as you like. It's fine as long as you can fit it all. ^^

Sorry the pics are a bit dark and few. I didn't have much time to take proper pictures. I was even forced to have my old bed sheet as the background. Yah, I need to change that. Hahaha! Well, that's that. I hope Moo will love his new home. Sniff! Dem feels... O_O

  
Disclaimer: Some of the images are not mine and can be searched online

Hippocampeon

For the past few months, I've been obsessing with Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series... I know, I know! It's a tad late. Actually, I'm so behind with the latest in trending books that I'm just finishing up Harry Potter, Series of Unfortunate Events, and the Kane Chronicles. Yikes! It's like I'm a century out of date. O_O But it's better late than never right? Besides, I'm doing double time with my reading so I'm picking up a pretty good pace in crossing out books in my reading list. Right now I'm 37 down with infinity more to go... Yah, I have a very long list. Hehehe!

Anyway, going back to Percy Jackson... I finished all five books and

going gaga over Greek myths and monsters. Apart from the main characters, one of the creatures that got my attention is the Hippocampus. The Hippocampi are sea creatures that are half horse and half fish... Kinda like a mer-horse, to put in simply. First time they've been mentioned is in book 2 (Sea of Monsters) and after that , they became staple characters up until the fifth and final book (The Last Olympian). I loved the fact that one of them is named Rainbow. So adorable!

With the Percy Jackson fever, I adapted the Hippocampus to make my entry for the amigurumi-making contest in Amigurumi-Challenge last August. The contest is to adapt Evelyn Pham's baby eeveelution patterns and make up your own eevee evolution. So for my entry, of course I used the baby Vaporeon pattern. How else could you make a half horse half fish looking eevee? ^^

BABY VAPOREON

(Click for Pattern)

HIPPOCAMPEON

Materials:
Monaco Yarn Shade #46 - Ocean (2-3 skeins)
Monaco Yarn Shade #242 - Mint (1 skein)
Monaco Yarn Shade #247 - Cloud (1 skein)
Monaco Yarn Shade #31 - Flamingo (1 skein)
Monaco Yarn Shade #26 - Periwinkle (1 skein)
Crochet Hook - F5 (3.75 mm)
Felt cloth:
           - White
           - Black
Marker pens
Lacquer spray paint
Fiberfill stuffing
*dcinc = 2dc in 1st
*1sc1dc = sc then dc in same st
*1dc1hdc = dc then hdc in same st

I adapted most of the parts except for the ears. I also added side fins and a furry neck collar.

EARS-TOP (2x)
(Mint)
2ch
Row 1: sc on 2nd ch from hook, ch1-turn (1)
Row 2: inc, ch1-turn (2)
Row 3: inc, 1sc, ch1-turn (3)
Row 4: 2sc, inc, ch1-turn (4)
Row 5-10: sc across, ch1-turn (4)
FO, leave tail for sewing

EARS-MIDDLE (2x)
(Mint)
2ch
Row 1: sc on 2nd ch from hook, ch1-turn (1)
Row 2: inc, ch1-turn (2)
Row 3: inc, 1sc, ch1-turn (3)
Row 4-8: sc across, ch1-turn (3)
FO, weave in ends

EARS-BOTTOM (2x)
(Mint)
2ch
Row 1: sc on 2nd ch from hook, ch1-turn (1)
Row 2: inc, ch1-turn (2)
Row 3-6: sc across, ch1-turn (2)
FO, weave in ends

*After completing all ear parts, stitch the three together and with Mint, sc around to clean up the borders
* Use Ocean to crochet the top part of the ear. No need to go around

Phew! I hope that's not too confusing. Hahaha! ^^

For the side fins, I adjusted the original ears pattern and made it smaller. Just enough to fit on the sides. Noticeable but not distracting. ^^ 

SIDE FINS (2x)
(Mint)
3ch
Row 1: dc on 2nd ch from hook, 1sc, ch1-turn (2)
Row 2: sc across, ch1-turn (2)
Row 3: 1dc1hdc, 1sc, ch1-turn (3)
Row 4: 2sc, 1sc1dc, ch1-turn (4)
Row 5: dcinc, 3sc, ch1-turn (5)
(Ocean)
Row 6: [dc, 2sc, 3sl] *repeat in reverse for other fin (6)
FO, weave in ends
*Attach to the sides of the body, a little above and in between the arms and legs

NECK COLLAR
*I used Evelyn Pham's technique in her baby eevee pattern

BABY EEVEE

(Click for Pattern)

*To get that purplish pink shade, I combined Periwinkle, Flamingo, and Cloud
*It'll look ridiculous while attaching it so don't be discouraged. After going though the pet brushing and ironing, I guarantee it'll look perfect ^^
*Make spontaneous trims to make the fur more natural

EYES (2x)
*Cut out a piece of white felt cloth and spray it with a thin coat of transparent lacquer. It makes drawing on it considerably easier, minimizing the fuzziness
*Sketch the eyes then use the marker pens for outline and color
*Set it aside for a few minutes just to make sure the marker's dried then spray again a thin coat of transparent lacquer
*let it dry then cut it out and glue on the head

NOSE
*Cut out a small piece of black felt in the shape of an inverted triangle
*Glue it a little below and between the eyes 

Voila! My Hippocampeon was born. ^^
      
===> So I submitted this entry last Aug. 31... Yah, last minute and almost didn't make it. Wow. Such suspense. Very much crochet. Hahaha! ^^ Anyway, the winners were announced today and... I wasn't one of them. Aww! XD But that's okay, the main winner was really deserving. Her flying type eevee was out of this world. Oh well, better luck next time. ^3^ 



Copyright: Hippocampeon is an original pattern written by Duchess Gala with adaptation from Evelyn Pham's Vaporeon pattern. You may do whatever you want with the finished product but please do not sell or claim the pattern as your own. Also, do not post the pattern directly to your website. Just link it to this blog. ^^ 

Disclaimer: Some of the images are not mine and can be searched online