Red Hot Fibers

more about etsy my journey

2010-08-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

My Yoda was featured as a groovy find on a woman's site that found me, I have already had a sale from it! check it out and all her other cool groovy finds at;
http://groovygaldesignsonline.com/groovy_finds.html

So I have been super successful this last month (in my estimation) between my etsy shop, my in laws (buying through my etsy shop) and selling at my local swap meet (a friend has a booth and is generous enough to put my ami critters out) I have made approx $250! Maybe I should not be sharing such details as I don't really notice other people doing that, but what the hay. To me that is major success, I have made that money while laying on the couch, healing. I made that money by letting my creative mind expand and excite me. I have made that money by doing something that I absolutely love and enjoy most every minute of it. It has been a lot of time spent on the computer and doing a lot of social networking that I wouldn't normally do, but it seems like it is working.

Every crochet stitch that I make is keeping my head out of thinking about how much pain I am in. I truly believe that the best way to combat pain is distraction. I would be a mess if I had to sit here all day and think about how much pain I am in and how I don't see any drastic difference in my leg one day to the next. When I was first dealing with my leg situation I experimented with a lot of ways to deal with my pain, coming to the realization that this was going to take years to fix and all the things that had to be put on hold because of my leg. It was some tough months, for sure, and there were times that I spent in denial (which did not serve me at all because I used my leg more than I should have during critical healing times). I tried, hypnosis, I tried visualization, I tried denial, a myriad of alternative healing methods, but in the end the BEST way to deal with major pain is distraction. Parents know this, when their child is crying and freaking out from falling on the playground, they comfort their child and get them focused on something else. So that is what I do. My hardest times often come at night, so I listen to audiobooks on my MP3 player and if I am really awake and miserable I will grab my closest crochet project and start to crochet.

Anyway this blog post has taken on a different path than I meant it to. I have been finding that writing is really cathartic for me. I express myself through writing and get out thoughts that have been germinating in my head for awhile. i used to journal a lot when I was in high school, it really helped me at a time when I was developing parts of myself and needed self-reflection. and then one day it was like I couldn't write about my feelings anymore and it was time to get out there and live my life rather than write about it. But lately I have been feeling like writing again. I have always had it in my mind to someday write a book. but the ideas never quite take hold. But I have been feeling the call to write so much stronger lately. Lots of people have suggested writing a book about my experience with my leg and maybe that is the idea that will really take root and inspire me enough to write a whole book about it, who knows.
anyway, I feel as if I have rambled on enough my husband is anxious about getting to the grocery store. signing off for now, Lani

confessions of a creative person trying to make money on etsy!

2010-07-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

I have been taking a break from blogging lately, although in fact, I have taken the time to write two posts that I changed my mind about and deleted. I have been spending my internet time focusing on getting my etsy shop up and running. I am big on crafting, crocheting and making critters, so spending time editing pictures, thinking of product descriptions and racking my brain about how to get people to like my stuff and shell out their money for it does not come as naturally. Honestly, I think that anyone that has been successful at this thing called internet sales has my hat off to him or her. I have read endless blogs and lists and forum posts about how to make my pictures better, how to make an attractive banner, shop, avatar, how to get people to come to my shop, how to use social sites like twitter and facebook. holy cow, its so amazing to me how deep this rabbit hole has gone. So I have followed the white rabbit so to speak and done all that I think I can for the moment (although, really I know there is a ton more I could do if I wanted to spend more time on the computer rather than what I love, which is what started this whole thing to begin with!) And success! two weeks ago I had my first internet sale! yay! I sold my yoda, which sent me into a panic because now the real challenge started which was to remember how I made that yoda that I gave away as an x-mas present! I spent a solid two days crocheting and re-crocheting the stupid robe that I had improvised last december. So now I have decided to start writing down anything that I make so that I can have the pattern saved for later. I had been hesitant to do that before because it takes away from my creative process to have the computer or a pad of paper in front of me. But now I see why I need to be doing that and the next time I need to make a yoda, it will be a million times easier because I have my pattern i can follow, ALSO! bonus is that I can do a little more work on the pattern and sell it to other people!
I have so many plans for where I want to go with my Red Hot Fibers business, which is exciting! I know that I will look back in a year or two and feel like this was just the beginning. I want to make a whole Star Wars line of crochet guys, I want to make more mobiles (and figure out how to photograph them better!), I want to really expand my baby line and i have lots of ideas for baby rattles, blocks, blankies with amigurumi animals as a part of the blankie, I want to make way more hair flowers and barretts, I want to widen and expand my wedding line. I probably should not give away all my ideas, but these are just rough ideas, its all really in my head. I have this huge long list of ideas, and scraps of paper floating around with little drawings of hats, and animals and ideas for patterns.
I really have felt like I have had a creative explosion in my head. My dad is an artist and he has talked to me for years about creative orgasms. Now I am a little more reserved and don't really feel comfortable likening my crochet creations to orgasms, but I get what he was talking about a little better lately.
also I feel like my work has gotten a ton better as well. This wedding bear couple and the alien that I have pictured here are two great examples of how much better and more creative and detailed I have gotten. The alien (inspired from toy story) was just a blast to do and figure out how to create those shapes. And the wedding bear couple turned out far and above better than I ever imagined. The details on those bears are just unbelievable, she has a ring, a garter with blue, a veil with a blusher, a tiara, a necklace, her dress has the puff sleeves and detailed skirt. and the groom has the boutonniere, buttons down the front and a white bow tie. It was the kind of thing that once I got going I kept on adding and adding different details. They are just awesome, really I don't mean to brag, but I couldn't believe that they all really came from my two hands. it felt almost beyond me. :)
I have had a lot of personal growth in the last two or three months. Its like all of a sudden, issues that I have felt lost and clueless about for ten plus years have fallen into place and I have understood myself in a whole new way. And somehow my creativity has tied into this growth process. Now, I can tell I am writing a lot more slowly because I am trying to put into words something that has been sort of under the surface. But yeah, I feel like my creativity is a lot more prolific now that I have developed a stronger sense of myself.
so that is what I have been up to, please come by my etsy shop and take a look at my critters for sale. I would love to hear what you all think of them, and even constructive criticism is welcomed as well! (just remember to be kind, I am new at this, lol!!!) www.RedHotFibers.Etsy.com

Artfire

2010-06-04T00:50:00.000-07:00

Well I have been trying to get my artfire store more off the ground. I have had items up and on sale since January and no sales yet. Admittedly i have not devoted a ton of time to SEO or to building interest in the business, but I am working on being more focused about it. I would very much like to sell my amigurumi critters. I love to make them and I know they are cute. seems like someone out there would want to pay me to make them something, right!!!! where are you person who wants to pay me??? lol, I know that it takes time and energy and I am not all that discouraged, I am more about figuring this internet home business thing out. I started a twitter account so that I can promote myself and start the 'branding' process, I have been adding items for sale on artfire, and here I am blogging about it.
So, Peoples out there come check out my webstore, www.redhotfibers.artfire.com and pass the word, if you know anyone that wants some super totally cute crochet items I am your girl!
Thank you!!!
Lani

WOW!!

2010-05-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! Yesterday I had quite a surprise when I opened up my email... My crochet eggs pattern was the pattern of the day on www.Dailycrocheter.com! It was such an honor and surprise to have my pattern seen by a larger group like that. Anyway, its a really neat feeling to think that other people have seen my words, my thoughts and the product of my creativity! When I started this blog it was my intention to just have a place where I could publish my patterns, It was like doing something for myself, not about the results and never did I dream that people would respond and actually want to make my designs. So this is an unexpected and very cool outcome. I feel like I am putting myself out there, and who knows where it will take me.

I have been working on a lot more amigurumi animals lately. I have had lots of ideas for a long time for certain animals that I wanted to create, but I had not gotten to them, so finally I have gotten the time and energy to make them. So here is my cow that I absolutely love. My maiden name is Makowski and I grew up in rural Northern California where there were lots of cows around. My dad would always roll down the windows, cup his hands over his mouth and yell "MOOOO!", very convincingly I must say. Its a very happy memory I have of me and my dad, brings a smile to my face. So I really made this cow for my dad.
I also made a super cute puppy, a sheep and a duck for a s
wap that I am doing on ravelry (my first swap ever!)
The other thing that I have been excited about is that I have gotten into making crochet items for charity. It has been something that I have wanted to do is to use my time and talents to help other people. so I made six or so hats for babies, plus a weiner dog and a caterpillar that I made for this month's amigurumi along. It gave me a huge sense of satisfaction to give freely knowing that it will go for helping other people. I felt like my heart grew, :) I encourage anyone that is able to find a charity, or women's shelter, or orphanage, whatever to give what you can to. I am not able to give in terms of a lot of things, but I have time and ability to crochet, so that is what I am giving.
The group that I am volunteering my time for is through my church called crafts for christ, they have a bear pattern that I am working on making right now. Its a one piece back and forth kind of pattern that you sew up, I am used to working in the round like with amigurumi, so this is something new for sure.
well, till next time!
Lani

Learning to heal

2010-05-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

Something that I have had to deal with since getting bitten by the rattlesnake is that I have to rely on other people in a way that I have never had to before in my life. I have struggled with this a lot because I am fairly independent and have always liked to do things myself. I started working at a young age so I could earn my own money, I loved turning 16 and getting my driver's license so that I could go off and drive myself places, I love cleaning my own home, cooking for myself and would not be the kind of person to have a nanny for my children. I think that I practically pride myself on being able to do it all myself. and boy this experience has really changed that for me. I haven't driven since September of '08!! I can't stand long enough to cook or clean, and I have to rely on Aram to work and make all the money. Now, I have fought this, believe me, I have tried to vacuum only to be in major pain later in the afternoon from doing it, I have tried to cook only to get sick from the exertions. and lately as Aram and I's expenses have gone up moving into this apartment, and we are tighter with money, I have wanted to start working so that I can help out more.
Now recently my pastor at church (rick warren) has given some sermons about getting through difficult times and having hope. One of the first things that he said to do is to pray about what God's dream is for us. So I prayed, and I heard something, or kind of like heard and saw a little scene. And I came to really understand that God wants me to heal. From my ego-filled brain I am thinking, yeah right, what does God care, but I am learning not to listen to such criticism that my brain likes to dish out to me. So, if God wants me to heal, and in my vision I see this image of me resting on the couch with my leg up. I think that means that I am not supposed to be cleaning, cooking, pushing myself, trying to find ways around resting. Honestly, for an active person like me, being told to rest and relax on a couch and let other people do for you is like torture sometimes!!!
I feel like I have this giant test of faith about learning to rely on others and not do everything myself. I don't really believe that God caused me to get bit by the rattlesnake, but I do believe that there are certain lessons that I can learn along the way. I mean this whole experience has been difficult, but I think I can learn to have balance about asking for help and relying on God and others to help me through, cause if I keep thinking that I can do everything then I am basically not believing that God is there and ultimately in control.
ps, I have lots of pictures to post and I will in another blog post....

Baby chicks in Eggshell crochet Pattern

2010-04-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

Here is my Pattern for Baby chicks in an Eggshell. It should be quite simple to follow, but if you have any questions please email me at redlflame@gmail.com.

Supplies;
-a bit of yarn in white and any other color of your choice for the actual baby chick and a bit of black for the eyes (note, I use Borroco comfort yarn. I like how soft it is, it comes in lots of colors, its machine washable and fairly inexpensive)
-size F crochet hook
-a bit of felt for the beak

note about technique.
I start off my crochet circles using a technique called "magic circle". I find that once I learned how to do it (and it took a little practice) I would never go back to any other way of starting circles. It makes a solid start and no hole in the center. If you want to learn how to use it here is a youtube video (its how I learned)..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLuSVyKvoUg

pattern....

Egg Shells (make 2)

Rnd1 with white make 10 stitches in Magic Circle

Rnd2 Sc 1, sc 2 in next sc (15sc)

Rnd3 Sc 2, sc 2 in next sc (20)

Rnd4 Sc in each sc around (20)

Rnd5 Sc 3, sc 2 in next sc (25)

Rnds6-8 Sc in each sc around (25)

Rnd9 change to accent color Sc through back loops in each sc around

Bind off

Egg/baby chick

Rnd1 with same accent color as used on outside of eggshell make 5 stitches in Magic Circle

Rnd2 Sc 2 in each sc around (10)

Rnd3 Sc 1, sc 2 in next sc (15)

Rnd4 Sc in each sc around (15)

Rnd5 Sc 2, sc 2 in next sc (20)

Rnds6-11 Sc in each sc around (20)

Rnd12 Sc 2, sc2tog (15)

Rnd13 Sc1, sc2tog (10)

Rnd14 Sc2tog in each (5)

Bind off

In Black make eyes on either side of face. Cut a diamond shape out of white felt and sew it onto face in the center of the diamond to make a beak. I made eggs in each color of the rainbow and put them into an old egg carton. And then you are finished!

New projects for New Baby in the Family

2010-04-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

I have a new baby second cousin! Her name is Eliana Miriam Grey born 3/31/10. She is so adorable, like a little peanut. This is from Aram's side of the family that I have not met yet. They live in Mass, so it might be a bit before I get to meet the little one, but its still nice to count a bigger family. So I got busy making her an amigurumi mobile. My idea is to have a sun, cloud, rainbow and bird. I made up the sun and cloud patterns on my own and am using a rainbow pattern that I got from ravelry which you can find here http://www.enfys.me.uk/freerainbows.htm. I am going to make two of the rainbow patterns and crochet them together to create dimension. Next I plan to make a bird and find a way to have all of the objects hang nicely. I had been kind of bored with my amigurumi creations lately and this has totally reinvigorated me. I think there is nothing like a little baby to make stuff for! I seriously cannot wait to have one of my own to be able to make stuff for.
Aram and I went to Easter at Angel stadium with Saddleback church. It was a beautiful service and as always inspiring. It was the 30th anniversary for the church and I feel so grateful to be a part of such a great church. there were 40,000 people there!! I went in my wheelchair and got there way early to avoid the crowds. It was really cold though, especially where we were sitting in the wheelchair section, I felt like my fingers and toes were frozen!
After the Easter service Aram and I had lunch with our friends, then I got some one on one time with my friend at the bookstore (yay!!), while we were hanging out there was a decent sized earthquake that lasted a good long while. We were all calm about it and my friend just wheeled me away from the books! so it really was no big deal all in all and I had a very nice Easter day.

2010-03-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Well I am finally healthy enough to be up and writing on the computer again, YAY!!! I never appreciated a healthy body until I didn't have one. Without a body you really have no ability to function in the world. So I am grateful every morning that I wake up and have the energy to get out of bed, and even if I am in pain, at least I can get myself to the bathroom!!
I made these eggs as a game for all the little munchkins in my life with the idea that it would help them learn their colors and help with fine motor skills. Each egg is a different color and comes inside two egg shells that are ringed with the color of the egg inside. The child has to match up the correct egg with the shells. My friend's four year old has had a blast with them. They are super easy to make and go great in Easter baskets :)
So the latest happenings have been that Aram and I got a new bird to accompany our other Parakeet, We named her moonshine to pair her up with sunshine the other birdy. They took a little time getting used to each other, but now seem to be best of friends. There is more noise in the house and the mess is more than double what one bird's mess was (how is that possible???) but I am happy to have more companionship in the house since I am here all alone during the day.
We got mostly moved into our new apartment when both of us got sick... I got an ear infection and Aram got some kind of bacterial infection in his sinus/throat/chest. so we have furniture with bins and boxes stacked underneath and around. I keep looking forward to the day when I can get up and move boxes and put away all this crap, but for now the best thing that I can do for myself is to rest. Everytime that I do too much I end up in major pain and/or sick, so I have to be really careful how much I do and surrender to the couch.
I have been able to make it to westwood these past four weeks to see Aram perform improv. He has always told me that he dreams of doing comedy, and so it makes me so so happy to see him realizing his dreams. He has been in this contest similar to American Idol call the X-ecution. He is down to the last six people and I think he has a good chance of being the last two people, especially since he has a huge audience vote. All our friends have been making the trek every friday night in bumper to bumper traffic to be there and raise their hands for Aram so that he can get through to the next round. Anyway, it has been fun for me to get to get out and LAUGH!! I honestly think that laughing this much has been a large part of my getting healthier. they say that Laughter is the best medicine and I believe it. I deal with so much pain every day that I think it is really important to counter that with a big positive for my brain like laughter. So I have been making more of an effort to find ways to laugh, watching funny shows on TV, or funny movies, I am working on starting a joke of the day to help create some levity in my life.

The other thing that I am working on is possibly writing a childrens book. Its all conceptual right now, but I have this idea for a series of childrens books about Clairybell the Dragon. So I am looking into that and have even started to draw some rough sketches of my ideas for the dragons. I have such a huge focus on children, I am just waiting until my leg gets better so that I can have some of my own!!!

I have not done that much crocheting in the last month, besides the eggs of course. I started to make some things and could not concentrate well enough. so I kept ending up with circles with 17st. I usually work in counts of five or six, so getting 17 is a bad number! so I put down my crochet hook and gave my body and mind some time to heal. My best friend Jewel found this new type of puzzle called KenKen, which is similar to sudoku, but you have to use math to get the squares to work out. so I have been spending some time working on KenKen puzzles which has been fun.

Mostly it has been somewhat difficult for me to deal with Aram going to work and being stuck on the couch all the time. I am dealing with boredom. What does a person do left at home all day on a couch with her leg in the air? I would just love to be in the kitchen cooking up things, but it requires too much standing on my leg. twice now I have gotten carried away baking things and felt the heavy cost on my health the next day and beyond. I think that focusing on writing a book will help stave off boredom. I have always wanted to write a book and I need goals and accomplishments.

what I am working on

2010-02-12T22:22:00.000-08:00

I am not feeling all that well, health-wise. But I still wanted to share what I have been working on. I just finished my husband's valentine's present. I have been wanting him to have something for his desk that I made for him, and I thought that a potted flower might be too girly, so I came up with making him a potted cactus holding a heart. The letters "LLA" stand for "Lani, Loves, Aram". He has similar letters for me that are inscribed on the inside of our wedding rings. Aram says to me, "ALLAH" meaning "Aram, Loves, Lani, All, Hours" He thought that it might offend some people, but its our thing that we have together.
I am working on an ear flap hat for my friend. The yarn has stained my needles black and I thought that I read something the other day about something that people put on their needles that makes the yarn slide easier and it helps keep the tips nice, but I can't remember what it was or where I read it! If anyone knows what I am referring to, please help!
And then I am also working on this latch hook rug, I think that I figured out that I am about 1/5 of the way finished. I haven't worked on it much this week, but I do find it relaxing to work on. Its not very creative because I am just following a graph, but again its really nice and relaxing.
Well, till the next time!
Lani

Lots of Newness :)

2010-02-11T02:07:00.000-08:00

Well I have a lot of changes in my life since my last post. My husband and I bought a new car and moved into a new apartment. Its all been wonderful, albeit challenging for my health. We had been living with friends of mine for the last year and so neither of us have any furniture and so moving into our first apartment together has been really like starting over. We had to by all new furniture and kitchen ware, and everything. I am starting to feel like this is more like home and having a little more time to be crafting. I am making a latch hook rug (my first ever) for our apartment, working on Valentine's presents for my husband and trying to build up an inventory of amigurumi critters to sell on my artfire and at our local swap meet (I have a friend who is selling them there for me at her booth). So here are some of my projects from the last month.
The bear came from a pattern from a book I got for Christmas called Amigurumi Two! and I have used it more than any other of my amigurumi books. I find her patterns really easy to follow and I like her choices of animals and things to make. I tend to improvise as I go along, so there are my own touches of course. and the heart came from Owlishly. I have used her patterns before as well and I always like them. I am a little torn, however because I have this debate going about free patterns. some designers are very clear that they do not want you to use their designs for profit, ie if you make something that they designed then you cannot sell it, only make it for gifts or personal use. I can see from their point of view that they came up with an idea and they don't want tons of their design out there being sold and they are getting nothing for it. however, on the other hand, as I am learning this new technique and style of crochet called amigurumi, sometimes I have a vision of what I want to make, but I don't know how I can do it without following a pattern first and then expanding on what I learned later. but I would still like to be able to make some money for what I made. and then I am wondering if I made any changes to the pattern, does that make the original designer's request that I not sell it null and void? anyway, my answer to all this has been to try and stay away from other people's designs and just make up my own thing because my conscience just can't take it. I am waaay too honest of a person to be able to just ignore some designer on the other side of the country's wishes, lol.
Anyway, I am really happy because I got to make cookies today and it is the first time in four years that I have been able to bake in my own kitchen. It feels like some kind of accomplishment to have come out on the other side of divorce and traveling across the country from place to place and living kind of like a very lucky vagabond for four years to now having my own place to live again. with cookware that is mine, cookie sheets that are mine to cook with, it feels like a little bit of heaven. Now while I am healing from the rattlesnake bite and have to be at home all the time resting, is the time for me to get to indulge my creative passions and domestic bliss.

Great Green Tea

2010-01-21T02:09:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to pass this on out to anyone that might benefit from it. Recently everyone in my house has gotten the stomach flu and it has been really nasty, poor things. I have been waiting to catch it because I have a weakened immune system.... I took immune suppressors for nine months because of my rattlesnake bite and I seem to catch everything that goes around. I was talking with my friend this morning and she helped me put together that the difference between me and everyone else is that I have been drinking green tea (about two cups a day). Green tea has lots and lots of positive attributes, one of which is that it fights germs. It helps stave off cancer, lowers chloresterol and blood pressure, is great for dieting because it burns fat and helps prevent demetia. So i encourage everyone to start to drink green tea to help fight the bugs.

computer laid to rest

2010-01-20T00:38:00.000-08:00

My computer had a terrible incident with a glass of water last weekend and it has been laid to rest and gone to computer heaven. It was an awful day already starting with me not sleeping at all the night before and then my husband waking up with the stomach flu. he stayed in bed all day and right now we live in a teeny tiny room together where he sleeps on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed and I sleep in a cot that I take down everyday. so without being able to take down the cot, cause I still needed to have a place to rest with my own health not being very good and I need to have my leg elevated. so space was small in the room and we were all on top of each other. It really was a miserable day. Its terrible when the sick person has to take care of the sicker person! so as I leaned over to get some air in the room, his glass of water tipped over and fell all over my desk, and bed. and my computer as well. so we let it rest and dry out and when we started it up yesterday, no screen came and it made the most awful of beeping sounds. ugh, so it was a terrible, terrible day. I am glad that there aren't too many of those!

so I have lots of new projects to show off and patterns to publish, but I will have to wait on that until we get our new computer. I can use Aram's computer, but not really to upload my pictures and things. We are planning on getting a new desktop, and I think it will be good cause it will be more reliable than these laptops that I have been using the last five years, I am done with laptops. I feel like a computer should last more than two years right? I have heard not, but jeeze!

I am really excited about all my new projects, I have a mobile for my friend's new baby with birds on vines with little flowers. I have this great little game that I came up with that is expanding on a pattern that I got from Amigurumi world by ana paula rimoli. It is eggs in the carton, six of them. the shells are white and split into two halves, on the edges of the halves they are lined with the color of the chick inside. so when the child plays with the eggs and takes them apart, they have to match the colors in order to put it back correctly, its a good way to teach the child their colors. I tested it on my friend's four year old (I thought he was a little old for the game) but he just loved it! He also liked cracking the eggs on people's heads and watching the eggs come apart. soooo cute! I plan to publish the pattern (the original idea and pattern came from ana paula rimoli like I said, but I changed the pattern quite a bit to fit the eggs better, and making it into a game and color coded was all me :) I am excited to sell the sets of six at the swap meet as well, I think they will make a great easter gift.

Mamma Rabbit Pattern

2010-01-04T18:21:00.000-08:00

I used Red Heart Soft Baby Steps in White, one skein is enough to leave extra left over.

I use Magic Circles to start all my patterns, and I highly recommend everyone learn it because it really makes the circles tight with no hole, but you can use the ch 2 then sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook method, or any you are comfortable with. Here is a good tutorial where I learned how to do it, honestly I could never go back to doing it the other ways! http://www.thecraftytipster.com/magic-circle.html

I am also a fan of the invisible decrease, I used to get these unsightly bumps and I learned this great technique and now my decreases look flawless. so here is another tuturial to help about learning that technique; http://www.planetjune.com/blog/amigurumi-help/invisible-decrease/

I used suncatcher safety eyes. I just love them, I think it gives the amigurumi's that I make a whole other level of personality. you can get them fairly inexpensively at www.suncatchereyes.com

Head

Magic circle 6 ch, join with sl st

R1 inc >1 every ch (12)

R2 Sc 1, inc>1* (18)

R3 Sc 2, inc>1*(24)

R4 Sc 3, inc>1* (30)

R5 Sc 4, inc>1* (36)

R6 Sc 5, inc>1* (42)

R7 Sc 6, inc>1* (48)

R8-18 Sc in each sc around

R19 Sc 6, dec<7+8tog*>

R20 Sc 5, dec<6+7tog*>

R21 Sc 4, dec<5+6tog*>

R22 Sc 3, dec<4+5tog*>

R23 Sc 2, dec<3+4tog*>

Attach safety eyes now and Stuff

R24 1Sc, dec<2+3tog>

R25 Sc 2tog around, Bind off

Body

Magic circle 6ch, join with sl st

R1 inc>1 every ch around (12)

R2 Sc 1, inc>1* (18)

R3 Sc 2, inc>1*(24)

R4 Sc 3, inc>1* (30)

R5 Sc 4, inc>1* (36)

R6-10 Sc in each around

R11Sc 5, inc>1* (42)

R12-15 Sc in each around

R16 Sc 6, inc>1*(48)

R17-22 Sc in each around

R23 Sc 7, inc>1*(54)

R24 Sc 8, inc>1*(60)

R25-27 Sc in each around

R28 Sc 8, dec<9+10*>(54)

R29 Sc 7, dec<8+9*>(48)

R30 Sc 6, dec<7+8*>(42)

R31 Sc 5, dec<6+7*>(36)

R32 Sc 4, dec<5+6*>(30)

R33 Sc 3, dec<4+5*>(24)

Stuff, stuff, stuff!

R34 Sc 2, dec<3+4*>(18)

R35 Sc 1, dec<2+3*>(12)

R36 Sc 2 tog around, stuff some more Bind off.

Arms, make 2

Magic circle 6 ch, join with sl st

R1 Sc in each around (6)

R2 Sc 2, inc>1, Sc 2, inc>1 (8)

R3-5 Sc in each around

R6 Sc 3, inc>1, Sc 3, inc>1 (10)

R7-10 Sc in each around

R11 Sc 1, inc>1*(15)

R12 Sc in each around

R13 Sc 2, inc>1* (20)

R14 Sc in each around

R15 Sc 2 tog around

Stuff, Bind Off

Back Legs (make 2)
Magic circle 3 ch join with sl st
R1 Sc 2 in each around (6)
R2 Sc 2 in each around (12)
R3 Sc 2, inc>1* (18)
R4-5 Sc in each around.
R6 Sc in next sc, dec<2+3>

R7-13 Sc in each sc around.
Note: Change to working back and forth in rows.
R14 Ch 1, turn sc in first 6 sc; leave remaining sts unworked.
R15 Ch 1, turn, sc in first 4 sc; leave last 2 sc unworked.
R16 Ch 1, turn, sc in first 2 sc; leave last 2 sc unworked.
R17 Ch 1, turn, sc in first 2 sc, sc in unworked sc in row below; leave 1 sc unworked (3)
R18 Ch 1, turn, sc in first 3 sc, sc in unworked sc in row below; leave 1 sc unworked (4)
R19 Ch 1, turn, sc in first 4 sc, sc in unworked sc in row below (5)
R20 Ch 1, turn, sc in first 5 sc, sc in unworked sc in row below (6)
R21 Ch 1, turn, sc in first 6 sc; insert hook in edge of work and draw up a loop, insert hook in unworked sc in row below and draw up a loop, yarn over and draw through all loops on hook (edge-sc2tog made); sc in next 4 sc; insert hook in next sc and draw up a loop, insert hook in edge of work and draw up a loop, yarn over and draw through all loops on hook (edge-sc2tog made); do not join (12)
Note: Change to working in rnds.
R22-23 Sc in each sc around.
R24 1 Sc, inc>1* (18)
R25 Sc in each sc around.
R26 Sc 2, inc>1* ( 24)
R27 Sc in each sc around.
R28 Sc 3, inc>1* (30)
R29 Sc in each sc around.
R30 Sc 9, dec<10+11>

R31 Sc 3, dec>4+5* (24)
Stuff Leg lightly
R32 Sc 2, dec<3+4* (18)

R33 Sc in next sc, dec<2+3*>

R34 Sc 2tog (6)
Bind Off

Ears, make 2

Magic circle 3ch, join with sl st

R1-3 Sc 2 in each ch around ending with 12 st (12)

R4-9 Sc in each around (12)

R10 Sc 5, inc>1* (14)

R11-13 Sc in each around

R14 Sc 6, inc>1* (16)

R15 Sc in each around

Bind Off

Nose

Magic circle 3ch

R1 Sc 2 in each around (6)

R2 Sc in each around

Bind Off

Tail (I used a fuzzy yarn I have lying around, but you can use the same white yarn as the rest of the pattern)

Magic circle 3 ch join with sl st
R1 Sc 2 in each around (6)
R2 Sc 2 in each around (12)
R3 Sc in each around

Bind Off

Sew all parts tightly together as per picture.

And your done! Enjoy your Bunny Rabbit! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me!

Key:

R=round

Sc=Single Crochet

sl st=slip stitch

st=stitch

ch=chain

Inc>1=increase one single crochet

Dec<1 3="decrease">

I'm Married!

2010-01-04T16:58:00.000-08:00

Well, I managed Christmas and getting married the next day! It was a beautiful ceremony and all my friends and family (and new family) all helped so much to make it a real wedding occasion. You all can watch it online if you are interested at www.qik.com/herschen and the video is titled something like wedding. So now it feels wonderful to be married, actually not that much different, but that not much different is a wonderful feeling. Aram treats me so well and we have a great relationship, I am way happy. Now Aram and I are looking for a new place to live, we have outgrown living with our friend in the kids bedroom, we are ready for our own space, everyday we keep saying to ourselves, 'We can't wait until we have our apartment!' My health is a lot better and I have the energy to be looking for places to live and things like that. I actually was able to go out and see a movie last weekend (Avatar, it rocked) and coffee the next morning, although it meant that I slept literally all morning and afternoon today to catch up on the rest I didn't get this weekend. So that is pretty much my personal life in a nutshell, not all that exciting :)
I got four Amigurumi books for Christmas, and I am loving them, although its funny because I have been all about making my own designs. My next post will be the pattern for the rabbit, I suppose it is a little early for Easter, but maybe this will help people get a leg up! I am planning on making a dozen eggs and a dozen baby chicks in egg cartons.... but before that I have LOTS of presents to make for people and lots of requests. But I decided for my own sanity to do one amigurumi for someone else and then one for myself, otherwise I just feel like I am a work horse and I don't want it to lose its fun for me. I should be ready to start selling again at the swap meet and I want to have a stock of amigurumi's to sell there when I can start up again.

I'm getting Married next Saturday!!!

2009-12-17T20:37:00.000-08:00

yep, thats right I am adding that to my todos for this upcoming week 1.finish crafting christmas presents, 2. fulfill order for five pairs of crochet handwarmers 3. plan and get married. Holy Cow! Do I have my head on straight?! Well when it all comes down to it, its about Aram and I and how in love we are and that we just want to be married... to make it official. We already feel married, very married and committed to each other. The hard part with all of this is my health. I feel alright and then I get up and talk with aram or my friend who we live with, Angela and I crawl back into bed tired and aching. When I first came up with the idea of getting married while aram's family is in town one idea kind of led into another and all of a sudden I was going to be a in big fancy dress and plans started to get out of control. I just don't have the energy for all of that. So the plans are very simple albeit unconventional, I am going to wear my normal clothes, and aram as well, we are going to go to Top of the World in laguna beach, and exchange vows and rings with the help of our friend who is an officiant, in front of our friends and his family. I figure that next year when I am healthier and we have more money we can plan a big celebration and include everyone that is missing from this wedding.
In the meantime, I got an unexpected order for five pairs of wrist warmers for before next wednesday... and I am in shock at how fast I have been crocheting (maybe I am getting faster than I used to be?!!) I already have one pair finished with part of another done. Plus I have a few more Christmas presents to make, wrap and send out. so for an injured sick person on bedrest I have committed myself to a lot. I just have to remember that i can always get presents late to people and everyone will understand.
I watched Julie and Julia today what a sweet movie about one's passion saving them. i can relate in certain ways since I feel that crocheting and crafting has helped me to keep my hands and mind busy while I have been healing. working on fiber arts has given me something to focus on, get better at and express myself. I am glad that I have had something cause I have really needed it. I have such a sense of accomplishment when I have finished something that pleases me.
alright, got to get back to work on handwarmers. Happy Holidays!!!

so many presents...so little time!

2009-12-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

Well I have been busy making my presents for friends and family. I have been having so much fun with learning and getting better at amigurumi that I have been putting off making presents for people. I have spent some serious time in the last week thinking what is the perfect amigurumi animal for each of my close friends or family. I think I have it mostly figured out and have something like thirteen gifts to make (most are amigurumi animals) to make in the next twenty days! so I am putting the crochet hook to the grindstone and getting busy!
...But first, I wanted to share the recent amis that I have made. I have a parakeet that lives in my room and is in my eyeline from where I lay all day long, his name is sunshine and is such a joy to watch. so I have been wanting to make an ami of a bird and started out thinking that I was making a bird that looked more like a dove for a christmas ornament, but a I went it started to look more and more like my birdy sunshine. And then as I finished I was in shock how similar they look! I am so pleased and just love my little bird!
I made a pig from a pattern by Katja Heinlein. What an adorable pig, I thought about giving him away, but just love him so much, is it normal for a thirty year old woman to be so attached to stuffed animals? Oh well, I guess i am. Anyway, the pig and the bird seem like they are getting along quite well, with piggy giving piggy back rides to the birdy :)
Next I made a tropical fish for my friend's son who loves fish and even has trained his fish to make shots with a basketball in their aquarium. Again I was very pleased how the fish came out. I have a certain process for when I start a new Amigurumi animal when I don't have a pattern. I draw rough sketch and imagine the colors and how I am going make the shapes that I am thinking of, then I start to crochet. Then it seems like the animal takes on a life of it's own and I am just trying to keep up with what IT wants to look like versus what I thought it should look like. I am a slave to the art!
Anyway I am very very much enjoying my crafts, next I have planned a turtle from Ana Paula Rimoli ( I bought her Amigurumi Two book last night as an early christmas present to myself). then Yoda, a dragon, a chicken, wall-E...plus things like dreidels, necklaces, scarfs and something a friend asked me for called 'glittens'... I am drowning in my own creative ambitions!!!! but I love it :) oh well back to crocheting....Happy Holidays!

new creations

2009-11-29T14:49:00.000-08:00

Well I had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with my good friends and was pleasantly surprised to find that so many people showed up so it was a big and happy crowd. I have finished the angel that I have been working on. this is the first amigurumi that I have made completely improvised from my own imagination. My mom asked me to make an angel ornament and so I went looking for angel patterns and didn't find the right thing for what I was thinking, so I set out to make one of my own. I fiddled quite a bit with the dress and figured out that making the dress on the body of the angel helped with a lot of problems about the sleeves and size and things like that. I am working on writing down and cleaning up the pattern for the angel and then I will publish it. Anyway, I finished the angel and gave it to my friend who I sell at the OC swap meet with and within two hours the angel was sold with a request for a second one!! I just love it when people actually are willing to give me money for something that I do only because I want to.
The last two weeks have been quite auspicious for me and making money at my craft. I made some fingerless gloves for my friend and she wears them all the time and requested that I now make three more pairs for Christmas presents and she is willing to pay me for it!! I worked on the patter for awhile and I came up with something that I really like, they are simple and yet very attractive and warm, the flower embellishment really adds to it and actually helps to figure out which hands are left and right! Anyway, that is all for now.. Happy Knitting!!

Introduction to myself :)

2009-11-25T15:42:00.000-08:00

Hi! This is my very first blog ever! I am starting this blog because I want a place to start to publish my patterns. So I guess I will write a little of relevant information about myself first.

I went to beauty school in 2000 and the first time I touched hair to cut I knew that I was in my element, it just felt right. I worked in a wonderful salon in Santa Barbara called Cheri bibi which taught me a lot and nurtured my talents and I came to specialize in Wedding Hair styling. Its like my hands just knew what to do. So when I learned how to knit from a friend in 2003 my hands caught right on and I loved it! That first year I made scarves for every single woman in my life as christmas presents (I think it was like twelve or thirteen scarves). I stayed up late most night knitting away and loved it so much that I could hardly stop. I mainly made scarves and moved onto hats and baby booties. But then I got divorced at the end of 2005 and went traveling for two years. I put all my stuff including my needles and yarn, sadly and many times missed them.

So then a couple of years ago I settled in orange county needing to get a job and reestablish myself back in the 3D world lol :) I started to knit again and even found that I live next to the second largest yarn shop in the United States! ( The Yarn Lady) Then last year on September 8th 2008 I took an after dinner walk with my best friend and was bitten by a rattlesnake. It is the by far the most painful thing I have ever experienced! I was in the hospital for 8 days and when I got out of the hospital was not able to do much of anything but lay with my leg elevated. I was not able to knit or read or do anything that required any amount of concentration for a long long time. Finally in november sometime I started to knit again and finished an afghan that I had been working on for my mom.

My Fiance, Aram, moved back from Hawaii in january and we moved in together with a friend of mine with four young boys who is going through a nasty divorce. It was a mutually beneficial decision because we needed a lower rent situation since I cannot work and I like other people around to help me since I cannot move very well still from the rattlesnake bite and it helps angela since she needed some help while going through the divorce. I started a business selling Flexible Barrettes called Flexi8's in january and have been selling them at the Orange County Marketplace every weekend and started to build and build my business so that when I am well, I will be able to make some good money. This has been a great evolution for me because I am getting to sell something that is so pretty and I get to touch hair again! If you are curious I sell them at www.lillarose.biz/lani

Then last May Aram went to go get me some change at the Marketplace and came back with a book about crochet Afghans all proud of himself at having given me the perfect gift. I thought, but I don't know how to crochet! but I thought that I could learn. so then I went online and watched youtube videos and figured out how to crochet. I felt like a whole knew world was open to me. I applied this new craft to another love of mine of handbags. I made a market bag on one of the labels of yarn that I bought and started to sell them at the marketplace. eventually I made my own pattern for a farmer's market type bag. they are super cute! and I wanted to share my pattern with the world, so I thought of blogging at that point. since then I have found a type of crocheting called 'amigurumi'. These are these super cute animals and dolls made from crocheting in the round. so far I have made a lion, wiener dog, dragon and shark and now I am moving onto making my own patterns which I will also share as I go. right now I am working on Christmas ornaments for my family and friends and possibly to sell as I go. I am working on an angel which is in pieces at the moment and I am trying to figure out how to make her dress look nice. I found the website Ravelry.com and set up an account under 'redlflame' its a great website because there are sooo many patterns and ideas to look at to get inspiration.

I have a dreams of someday I would like to own or work on a sheep farm and grow the plants to dye the wool with, then dye the wool and spin it to make my fiber projects. So that is mostly what I can think of to explain myself and my relation to the fiber world. I don't know if anyone is interested, but thats alright, this is more about what I want to do for myself.

well Happy Thanksgiving! best to everyone out there... Lani