Description: It’s Valeria, not Valarie, and she is a Dutch Bunny, not some sort of weird hamster. Valeria is small in size, but she makes sure that she squeaks loud enough to be heard. (And no, she isn’t a rat, either). Valeria considers Dutch Bunnies to be the Siamese Cat of bunnies with their markings (or, rather, the Siamese Cat is the Dutch Bunny of cats). She is very proud of her points, although she secretly wishes that she was a Blue Point Dutch Bunny like her cousins. She dreams one day of her fur changing color, but until that day, she is pouring her energy in rallying the other bunnies to bring a crushing defeat to the turtles in the Tortoise vs. Hare competition.
Skill Level: Advanced Beginner
FINISHED MEASUREMENT
4.75” tall
8” long from nose to tail
MATERIALS
Worsted Weight Yarn
– 85 yards of Color A (dark brown).
– 60 yards of Color B (white).
– 3 yards of Color C (light brown).
– 2 yards of Color D (black).
– scraps of pink yarn
Crochet hook, size G (4.0 mm)
Locking Stitch markers
Polyester fiberfill
Yarn needle for sewing
MATERIALS/GAUGE NOTE
Gauge is not a critical factor for this project. If desired, it can be made with any size hook and with any weight of yarn. Adjust hook size/yarn size to obtain desired fabric. I am a very tight crocheter and you may find that you need to go down a hook size or two to eliminate unsightly holes in your toy. You may also require more yarn than I use.
So this is a very overdue post. Because I am a horrible person who does not update my blog. But, on the up side, I actually have a lot to report this time.
First off, for those of you who might have been salivating over the PHuN the Chameleon kit (hey, I can dream, right?), the pattern is now available for sale on Ravelry. Eventually I also plan on making him available here on the website and on Etsy. He’s been available since May 15th, actually, which the 5th podiversary of the Pen, Hook, and Needles podcast, but other things kept me distracted and so I hadn’t posted an update here.
You know you salivated at least a little. Right? Maybe? Please?
And what things distracted me? Awesome things, I think. And I hope you do too.
Basically, a really big designing bug took hold and I knocked out two designs in quick succession. Meet Terra the Sea Turtle and Valeria the Dutch Bunny!
Terra has been complete for about two to three weeks, but Valeria is brand spanking new… and took two days to design and complete. Probably would have taken even less time if I hadn’t had to work one night during that stretch. Yeah, I was really on fire with her. That happens sometimes. And I love bunnies. Although Terra is very special to me too. I mean, look at her face and those floppy fins. I might be in love. Because I’m the kind of designer who falls in love with my own designs. What can I say? I love toys and never really grew out of that.
But this leads to the next exciting thing down the pike. If you haven’t started thinking about it yet, start thinking about Tortoise vs. Hare. We’re a little more than a week away from this, one of my favorite Crochet-along/Knit-alongs (CAL/KALs), starting. It is the brainchild of friend and fellow podcaster Laura of the CrochetingWhovian podcast. This is the second year for this CAL/KAL and I’m psyched! Hence the two new designs. And guess who should be in testing during that time and becoming available for purchase during that time. Yup, Terra and Valeria. So keep your eyes on the Pen, Hook, And Needles Ravelry group if you want to get in on the testing. New blood as well as repeat testers are welcome!
So, yeah… it’s been almost three months since I last posted here. Because I am horrible at maintaining a blog. But, hey, I have news! Last we talked, I had just gone over a review of all the patterns I had created with my friend Heidi’s yarn. And then I went suspiciously silent.
Very very quiet.
And any of you who have small children and pets, you know that quiet is very very suspicious. Almost worse than the big bang it will almost definitely precede.
I don’t know if this constitutes as a big bang, but I finally have another pattern to share! Meet Arrow the Dachshund!
He honestly does have other good views than this one, but this is probably my favorite picture that isn’t a group picture. Hey, it’s hard getting a ton of nice pictures when you work/live a night schedule and the sun is a horrible burning thing you’ve heard people tell tales about. And since I do have an inordinate fondness for group pictures of my patterns, here’s a group picture.
See, group picture!
When the weather gets a little nicer and stays that way and I can convince myself out of bed when the sun is shining, I hope to get some nice outdoor pictures with the other toys. Arrow has to meet the rest of the family officially after all.
Anyway, so after my awesome testers finished the testing in record time, I was actually able to release this pattern early and Arrow is already available for sale here, on Ravelry, on Etsy, and on Craftsy. So I’m quite excited about him.
There is other news to explain the prolonged silence, but that is a post for another day. Mwahahahaha! Keep your eyes peeled. It will not be another three months before the next post. Promise.
Thanks for sticking out my long silences and continuing to follow and read. Y’all are great!
Description: Arrow is not really sure where his name came from; one day he just remembers hearing two young little girl voices declare that his name was Arrow. He remembers happy times with his best friend, a cat named Bow, who didn’t really know how her name came about either. It might have been because he was long and she was kind of plump, but it really didn’t matter. They were loved and to the two little girls, who fought over them and traded ownership back and forth, they were real. And he and Bow had many stories and many, many fun times together. Now in his new spiffy form, Arrow feels something is not quite right. The little girls are grown up and love him just as much in this new form, but his long-time companion and best friend Bow is missing. He spends every moment not with the girls, searching for Bow. He knows that someday, somehow he will find her. And then, once again, it will be the four of them: Him, Bow, and the girls. And everything will be perfect.
(Arrow is named after a stuffed dog my sister and I had when when we were very young. The original Boe and Aero are still with me. I hope that someday Arrow will find his Bow.)
Skill Level: Advanced Beginner
FINISHED MEASUREMENT
8” tall
19” long from nose to tail
MATERIALS
Worsted Weight Yarn
– 415-500 yards of Color A (tan).
– 8 yards of Color B (brown).
– 9 yards of Color C (black).
Miss Babs Yowza Whatta Skein — Old Gold (A); Cascade 220 Heathers — Japanese Maple (B); Cascade 220 — Black (C)
Crochet hook, size G (4.0 mm)
Locking Stitch markers
Polyester fiberfill
Yarn needle for sewing
Scissors
MATERIALS/GAUGE NOTE
Gauge is not a critical factor for this project. If desired, it can be made with any size hook and with any weight of yarn. Adjust hook size/yarn size to obtain desired fabric. I am a very tight crocheter and you may find that you need to go down a hook size or two to eliminate unsightly holes in your toy. You may also require more yarn than I use. Testers used up to 100 yards more than I did, hence the range in the yardage listed above. My gauge for this pattern was 6 st/in
Because I — dun, dun, dun!!! — actually have something to write about.
As of today, my Ravelry store for my patterns now has Ebooks. What does that mean for a buyer? It means that if you want to buy certain like patterns, you can get some of them together for a slight discount.
Kitties! Kitties! Kitties! includes the patterns Bastet the Siamese Cat, Ecovi the Cat, Selina the Cat, and Brat the Kitten. If each pattern were purchased singly, it would cost $20, instead it will cost $18 for all of them in the Ebook.
Tweethearts includes all the birdies. Again, there is a discount, instead of getting each pattern for $25, you get all five of them for $23.
Finally Slow But Steady includes what seems to be most everyone’s favorites: the turtles. There will hopefully be in the near future some new addition(s) to the turtle family, so you may see more patterns show up in the Ebook. This is currently the cheapest of my Ebooks, costing $8. The price will go up if more patterns are added to the Ebook.
These Ebooks deals are only available on Ravelry. So another reason (among many) to get join Rav. And the podcast just finished loading, so I better be off so I can get the shownotes up and work on some toys. I hope to have more news for you in the future! Hopefully next post will be more than “just the facts, ma’am”, but I’m a little groggy tonight. Need to pour more tea into me I suppose. Thanks for sticking around!
Grayson is just your average American robin. His musical voice greets the beginning of Spring as he hops around yards, looking for worms. He’s not looking for a bite to eat, however. An avid rose-enthusiast, Grayson hopes to find more worms to deposit in his favorite rose garden to make the ground more amiable to his favorite flower.
SKILL LEVEL
Advanced Beginner
FINISHED MEASUREMENT
6.75” tall
MATERIALS
Sport Weight Yarn
– 70 yards of Color A (black).
– 5 yards of Color B (white).
– 5 yards of Color C (brown).
– 5 yards of Color D (yellow).
– 20 yards of Color E (red-orange).
Sueño by Hikoo Skacel Sueño Sport — Seattle Beach Tonal (A) and Cream (B); Sueño by Hikoo Skacel Sueño DK — Cherry Pie (E); Cascade 220 Heathers — Japense Maple (C); Miss Babs Yowza Whatta Skein — Squash Blossom (D) and Black (E)
Crochet hook, size E (3.5 mm)
Locking Stitch markers
Polyester fiberfill
Yarn needle for sewing
MATERIALS/GAUGE NOTE
Gauge is not a critical factor for this project. If desired, it can be made with any size hook and with any weight of yarn. Adjust hook size/yarn size to obtain desired fabric. I am a very tight crocheter and you may find that you need to go down a hook size or two to eliminate unsightly holes in your toy.
Excitable, fun-loving, and a little ditzy, Sparkle loves meeting new people and loves being a unicorn — or a unipony, as she calls herself. Much cuter and smaller than her ancient counterparts, Sparkle claims that uniponies are an adorable new breed. Sparkle’s magic isn’t very strong — as evidenced by her unremarkable horn color — but she makes up for it with enthusiasm and a cheerful personality. Her favorite pet project is her cousin Martin, who does his best to avoid her, which he ultimately fails to do. Sparkle loves hugs and kisses and gives them away liberally.
SKILL LEVEL
Advanced Beginner
FINISHED MEASUREMENT
14.25” tall
16” long
MATERIALS
DK Weight Yarn
– 700 yards of Color A (purple).
– 130 yards of Color B (pink).
– 12 yards of Color C (green).
– 14 yards of Color D (white).
– 9 yards of Color E (black).
Undead Yarn in the Werewolf Base — Purple Vein (A) and Roadkill (B); Knit Picks Brava Sport — Grass (C), White (D) and Black (E)
Crochet hook, size E (3.5 mm)
Locking Stitch markers
Polyester fiberfill
Yarn needle for sewing
MATERIALS/GAUGE NOTE
Gauge is not a critical factor for this project. If desired, it can be made with any size hook and with any weight of yarn. Adjust hook size/yarn size to obtain desired fabric. I am a very tight crocheter and you may find that you need to go down a hook size or two to eliminate unsightly holes in your toy.
Happy Independence Day, everyone! Here in the U.S. of A., I can hear people setting off fireworks. But most of all I hear music in my head, first of all, Lee Greenwood’s beautiful “God Bless the U.S.A”:
And then, as always when I think of patriotic songs, I think of growing up on an Air Force bases and hearing the National Anthem played every day all over the base at a certain time. Even as a kid, I remember stopping what I was doing and standing stock-still with hand over my chest for the duration of the song. Only when the song was finished did everyone on the base continue what they were doing. And, sometimes, I miss that here in civilian life, hence the video below (note the car that does not start driving out of the parking lot until the song is finished):
So happy Independence Day and thank God for our men and women in the Armed Forces who fight to keep this country free.
But this is a knitting/crocheting blog (with occasional book-talk and tea-talk thrown in). So let’s get on with the crafting. And it is on with the CAL/KALs.
Tortoise vs Hare has begun!
Yes, the Tortoise vs the Hare has begun. And, yes, the mug above is real and made for the cohosts of the CAL/KAL as well as two possible winners of the the CAL/KAL (one from the Crocheting Whovian podcast and one from PHN) at the end of of the CAL/KAL at the end of September. Actually, I am drinking tea from my mug right now.
Actually, I sadly just finished my cup of tea. I need to make another cup.
Anyway, the Tortoise vs. the Hare is going strong. I have a Bitty the Bashful Baby Turtle and an Oops the Bunny started. I think I’m trying to go for the Bunny record. I think I’ve made seven to date. I am strongly Team Hare. I need to make T-shirts. But when I release PHN’s Episode 214, I talk more about that idea. I’d love to hear what you think. I’ll try to add in the link when the episode finally finishes uploading. My computer has been kind of slow lately with the massive amount of video content on it between me being the techie for the PHN podcast (God help us) and all my tutorial videos for my patterns.
Oh, speaking of tutorials, the tutorial Sparkle the Unipony is done! Meet Martin!
He’s the blue unicorn with the orange horn. And I’m keeping him. Which means that I will eventually being selling Sparkle (the original unipony). I just don’t have the space to keep multiples of my toys, particularly the large ones like Sparkle.
So, anyway, Sparkle is now officially in testing (and thanks all of you who agreed to test for me and/or showed interest in doing so!). All that is left is for me to finish getting my tutorials loaded and embedded in the pattern. Which takes much longer than I really like to think about. Like I said, this computer is really slow.
I know that y’all have been waiting for Sparkle for a long time. I’ve only been talking about this pattern for about 2 months. So what took so long? Well, first of all, Sparkle is a large toy. Definitely a good cuddle-size, but that also means that there is a lot of crocheting involved. And I have a bad case of project ADD anyway. Or would that be AD — Attention Deficit vs. Attention Deficit Disorder? Anyway, not congruent to my point.
So most of that two months were taken with typing up the pattern, then doing all the actual crocheting. Once all the crocheting was complete, I (thankfully) had a night off of work with nothing else planned. From about 20:30 to almost 04:30, I worked solidly on piecing together Martin and recording tutorial videos while doing so. All the videos have been recorded, but now is the long process of getting them all loaded, the sound tweaked (my GoPro records sound really softly, so I have to amp up the sound in editing), and embedding the videos in the pattern. So, yeah, an inside look at the process of putting together one of my patterns. More than you probably really wanted to know.
Anyway, what other news is there to share? The Ami-Along is still going strong, so if you are making Tortoises and Hares, make sure that you also double dip in the Ami-Along for a chance for prizes. I don’t think I can make my own toys for a chance for prizes and so I’ll be crafting along in the spirit of thing. I really do hate working with plastic eyes and really enjoy working my particular (unusual) brand of eyes, so I pretty exclusively make my own toys. But there are plenty of really cute toys in the Ami-Along. Kate E. Hancock, Vivian Clotilde, Justyna Kacprzak, Megan Barclay, and Alyssa Voznak are just a few of the many awesome designers involved in the Ami-Along. So you should really check it (and them) out. And I have a particularly special place in my heart for PatchworkMoose (Kate E. Hancock) and Stacey Trock (Freshstitches) since I feel like their influence started me off on this designing journey to begin with. Oh, and Stacey is also involved in the Ami-Along. Like I said, many, many awesome toy designers are playing in this thing. It’s a whole lot of fun.
Well, I’m craving another cup of tea (my fourth for the day), so I’m going to sign off. I hope you had a great holiday (those of you in the USA) and that you might have a great week!
Happy knitting and God Bless,
Tahlia
Don’t forget to knit something red for the Cardiac Red-Along!
Hey, readers and friends! Guess what? Today’s the first day of the Ami-Along! And since the Tortoise vs. Hare CAL/KAL allows for works-in-progress to be considered for prizes, now is the time to start making all the bunnies and turtles.
And of course, any other toys that might please your hearts to make. But, yeah, mostly bunnies and turtles.
As threatened a couple posts ago, I started both an Oops the Bunny and a Bitty the Bashful Baby Turtle. I had pretty yarn just hiding away unloved from a couple of different fiber festivals and decided that it was time to love them.
Hey, look, the beginning of a turtle face!
Actually, the yarn for Oops used to be a sweater, but I realistically was never going to finish said sweater and so I am reclaiming the yarn for an Oops. Because what more can a yarn want in life than to become an adorable bunny?
See, he already is starting to have a face! Much happier than being an unloved sweater
I was not content to stop with starting two toys (while I already have a York the Owl and a Sparkle the Unipony on the hooks); oh, no! I had to go one further.
Since I had finished a pair of socks for a sock KAL that the Bakery Bears Podcast is running, I had to, of course, start another pair of socks. Because it wouldn’t make sense to just focus on finishing of the three other pair of socks I have on the needles. Makes much more sense to start a whole new pair of socks. For purse knitting, you must understand.
Anyway, I wheedled my Mom out of some self-striping yarn I coveted by bribing her with a pair of hand-knit socks with aforementioned yarn. So, I get the happiness of working with some self-striping DK from Undead Yarn and she gets a pair of socks. All-around win.
I’m about to start the next brown section; this is a very addictive project
So, for the foreseeable future, I will be focusing mostly on making toys and socks. A terrible fate, I know.
Hopefully your summer of knitting/crocheting looks as fun and relaxing as mine does! Now I need to get another cup of tea. Cheerio!
Hey, guys, I planned on writing about this sooner (like right after midnight), but I got distracted. I sent my parents away on a anniversary mini vacation and my sister and I hung around the house, ate pizza, drank tea, and binge-watched the Star Wars original trilogy. Because we’re such party girls.
So, if you’ve been following the blog the past 24 hours, you probably know by now that Bitty the Bashful Baby Turtle has now joined the ranks of the released Franciscangypsy Designs patterns.
So, yay! Baby Turtle! Go and create yourself a turtle army! Between Bitty and Timmy you can now do so! And just in time for the Tortoise vs Hare CAL/KAL!
I must have tea on the brain. I almost wrote make yourself a tea army. lol. Must because I’m listening to a podcast on tea called the Loose Leaf Podcast while writing this. It’s pretty good so far. And I am, of course, drinking some tea while listening to it. I’m drinking the Pinhead Gunpowder, in case you’re curious. The parental units were kind enough to bring back some tea from their trip to Historic Williamsburg.
Oh, and they brought me some special Williamsburg yarn. Which will be horded until I find (or design) the perfect pattern to use it for. I kind of feel like I want to design a toy for it so I can truly appreciate and love such a special skein of yarn.
Anyway, on further news, Sparkle the Unipony is coming closer and closer to being able to go into testing. I think I need to design a smaller toy after I’m done with this one. I love this toy and think that Sparkle needed to be large and I love her for it, but I think I need a quick instant gratification project to design next. Something that can pop on and off my hook in about a fifth of the time that it takes to make a Unipony. I.e.: something cute, small, and adorable.
Kind of like Bitty. See how I brought that about full circle? Yup. Cuz I’m good like that.
Anyway, go ahead, gather yourself some yarn and get your hook ready to create your turtle army. And make sure you make yourself a good cup of tea while you’re doing so.
Franciscangypsy Designs 