Pears, Pumpkins, and Polar Bears

Intro
I was going to do a podcast, but…

I did try, but apparently I am completely incompetent.  I don’t have a program to produce mp3s, and I refuse to torture my fellow yarnaholics with wmvs!

Also, my microphone is exceedingly crummy.   Bleh.  So here are all the super cool things I was going to podcast about.  *shuffle*

Pears
Today my friend Salihan posted a brand new crochet pattern: the Pear Tawashi. A tawashi is basically a Japanese scrubbie or washcloth. Now, being Japanese, it needs to be cute, like amigurumi. And Salihan’s pattern totally is! Simple and easy, I would have already made one if I had the proper green yarn! It is a free pattern, unlike another awesome pattern from her: Amigurumi Pears. This pattern is amazing! There is nothing small scale about these pears; they are truly gigantic! Salihan provides 3 sizes, but if you don’t have the patience to make one yourself, she also sells them ready-made. As she is in Australia, the price plus shipping ends up totaling between 40 and 70 US dollars. Not bad, considering labor and shipping across the ocean!

For those who knit, I found a free pattern for a smaller amigurumi pear from Peach Cake Knits, another very cute pear!

Amigurumi
Okay, so apparently I’m on an amigurumi kick. *laugh* I’ve actually made the Baby Polar Bear from Crochet Obsession, and I totally love the pattern. Emily, the designer, provides the pattern for free, with the caveat that you are supposed to then pay it forward by doing something nice for someone else. My thing is to give them to new babies at church or in my family. I love doing this, and the responses I have gotten are really positive, because the bear is so cute! By the way, if you don’t have a Ravelry.com account, you can email Emily, and she’ll email the pattern to you, which is very nice of her!

Next is a pattern for the latest Knitty (Squee! More on that later!). Zozo is a darling little knitted alien. I need to see if I can manage to whip one up in the next few days.

I don’t like snails, but somehow I can be reconciled to them if they are crocheted! Knotty’s Amigurumi has a darling free snail pattern, and somehow those slimy creatures are cute instead!

Ever been curious about the strange creatures that inhabit the woods? Anna from Mochimochi Land has managed to capture the whimsy with her Woodins, published in the Fall 07 Knitty. Totally kawaii! (FYI, she also has slug and snail patterns, if you like snails but don’t crochet!) Just a quick tangent here, ALL of the MochiMochi Land patterns are totally adorable. I want them all!

Okay, next on my list is a Hello Kitty pattern. Not because it’s Hello Kitty, but because it’s a cute kitty wearing a strawberry. Don’t believe me? Go check it out! Strawberry Kitty is from Armina’s Ami-Nals, and I need to make it! Armina also has other kitty patterns, like Bumblebee Kitty and Hello Kitty.

Nuts to you! My love for acorns is a-political and seasonal: I love them in the fall. I found some very cute patterns: the It’s A Wonderful Life blog has a knitted Acorn Pattern and Planet June has a crocheted Amigurumi Acorn. I also plan to crochet an Amigurumi Squirrel from CrochetMe.com, so she can eat the acorns.

Finally, if I were a Baby Snow Dragon, I think I would eat A Pair of Cherries. Both of these darling patterns are from CrochetMe.com.

Pumpkins
I did mention pumpkins, didn’t I? Really, there are no pumpkins in the Fall 2009 Knitty. Yes, it’s out! I picked 4 patterns to highlight today. The first, ZoZo, I already told you about. The second is the pumpkin I was talking about. Or not!

The Hex shawl is absolutely GORGEOUS. I am not an orange lover, but the colour the sample Hex is knitted in looks like pumpkin pie, so I have to love it! The lace pattern is circles-and-lines that form an overall hexagon motif. So pretty! And it’s knitted with worsted weight yarn, so I’m thinking it’ll be very cozy and squishy! (Er, squishy in a good way!)

Another cozy pattern from this Knitty is the Girl Friday cardigan. I love the relaxed and elegant shape, and the fact that it’s knitted in a gorgeous teal-y blue surely doesn’t hurt!

I love the idea of knitted socks. I have yet to complete any, but I constantly look for cool patterns. And while this issue of Knitty has some pretty awesome patterns, the Hat-Heel Sock totally takes the cake! Basically, you knit a hat for your foot, and then turn it into a sock. Isn’t that AWESOME?

And this pumpkin pattern is a Fall Knitty pattern, but from 2007. Jordana Paige’s felted pumpkins are adorable. Really!

Outro
So, there is a crazy ton of patterns I like and want to make. Have fun!

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