The Crafty Intentions Pegasus Crochet Amigurumi Pattern is now available! You can find it here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pegasus-5
Or Here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/635597418/digital-pegasus-crochet-amigurumi
© 2018 Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™. All rights reserved. This pattern is FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. The pattern (or parts of it) may not be reproduced, distributed or resold, translated, published, altered, shared or posted (for sale or free) over the internet or offline. You can sell items made from this pattern, provided they are handmade by yourself in a limited number and you give credit to the designer. Please add the following lines to your item description and any item you are selling: “This item is handmade by (your name) from a design and pattern by Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™”.
Featured Pattern: Yoda hat
Photo by Danielle Foster Creations: https://www.facebook.com/DanielleFosterCreations/
Hat made by me!
[Free] Pattern for the hat: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-yoda-hat
This went well! I enjoyed making this hat for this little new one. It would be the perfect addition to a cute little onesie for a newborn's first Halloween!
Halloween Costumes!
Since my children were born, I have done a new Halloween Costume every year and most have been handmade. There have been rules and guidelines for these costumes that I follow. 1) They must be Cold-weather friendly. 2)They must match when I have more than one child. 3) I prefer book-related costumes. This year they are finally making individual requests (She wants to be a Pink Cat, He wants to be Max from Where the Wild Things Are - (Revisited, as you'll see below), Sigh), and I will no longer get to choose. So to celebrate 8 years of Halloween Costumes done my way, I would like to share those costumes with you!
Year 1: Astronaut [Bonus costume! First Ever!]
Hand-assembled... Yes, I put my precious baby's head on a plate in service of looking like an astronaut. I stand by my actions.
Teddy Bear [Official Halloween]
Store bought, hand-altered.
Year 2: Monster [Official Halloween]
Hand made all the way! ... Mostly by my mom. Though I did do the adult hoodie decorations myself.
Year 3: Max, Where the Wild Things Are [Official Halloween]
I store bought the one-piece pajamas. I hand-made all the detail (added the feet/paws, buttons, ears and tail. Made the crown with fur edging)
Skeletons [BONUS Costume! aka My Daughter's first costume!]
Pajamas with skeletons from Carters, Shirt for me with Skeletons from Etsy
Year 4: The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Very Beautiful Butterfly [Official Halloween]
The Hungry Caterpillar handmade from fleece as a slip on costume (sandwich board style) over top green pajamas.
The Very Beautiful Butterfly with a store bought Orange sweatshirt and handmade butterfly wings from fleece.
Year 5: Sorcerer's Apprentice & Minnie Mouse [Official Halloween]
Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey was cheapy knit winter gloves and a golden rope I found at a craft thrift store. My Mom made the hat, I added the ears. I sewed the red robes!
Minnie Mouse was a machine stitched Red white-polka-dot dress from a pattern on Etsy with lots of petticoat material and lace underneath, over a black long sleeved t-shirt and leggings. I made the ears from felt and bows attached to hair clips!
Bonus Costume! I was particularly ambitious this year and made homemade costumes for the Renaissance Fair for both kids!
Flynn Rider utilized leggings, a white button down shirt, this free pattern for boot covers using microsuede material, and a Flynn Rider vest of my own making!
Renaissance Fair princess was made using the same pattern as the Minnie Mouse dress, just with some alterations for the over-lay!
Year 6: The Cat in the Hat and Fox in Socks [Official Halloween]
Both costumes used store-bought solid-color one-piece pajamas. The fox in socks used 2 pairs of blue soccer socks, and handmade ears and tail. The Cat in the Hat costume used a store-bought hat and gloves and handmade belly and tie.
Year 7: Superman and Wonder Woman [Official Halloween]
Superman was store bought 100%. Wonder Woman was partially store bought, and partially handmade. I added glow in the dark stars, I altered store bought accessories to fit her.
Year 8: Peter Pan and Winter Tinkerbell [Official Halloween]
Peter Pan was store bought. Tinkerbell was almost all handmade! I bought a hair-bun, as we had cut her hair short, and I bought green boot covers. I found light-up fairy wings at a yard sale. The Dress was made from an adult sweatshirt, and extra large pipe cleaners. Brown accents are lengths of elastic!
Crafty Intentions: Failed Results, Part 4: Felt Thingys
Why did I make this?
I sure don't know. It took A LOT of hand stitching.
Why.
Tumble Leaf Rumble Leaf
My son is a huge fan of the Amazon Prime show Tumble leaf. Since written communication is easier for him, he really likes that they show the word for the thing Fig finds in the Finding Place at the beginning of each episode, and then there's an entertaining story about exploring that found thing. I decided to make him a Fig so that he could maybe play pretend with his favorite TV buddy. I actually wasn't sure how much he'd like it, but since he liked the show so much it was worth it to me to try.
I used old jeans for Fig's pants, brown fleece for his tshirt, and left over furry material from a previous Halloween costume for his ears and skin and feet. Fig accidentally ended up being nearly as big as my son!
Fig is well-loved!
Featured pattern: Koi Fish
This Rainbow Fish made by Me! Crafty Intentions.
Pattern by: Terry Finer
Pattern Link: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/whomsoevers-koi-fish
A few pieces and parts of this fish can be tricky, and it is definitely a large fish!! But the finished product is so satisfyingly gorgeous that I have to recommend the pattern.
Question: Fox pattern, Yes or No??
Fox pattern! Now, I didn't just wing this. I did write it down. But... Is it good enough to publish it? Would you want to make one like this? I'm undecided about whether or not it's worth actually typing up, testing, and publishing. Hmm...
Confessions in Winging it: Jake and Lady Rainicorn
I have a bad habit, every once in a while, of making a thing, and not writing down what I did so that I can make the thing a second time. This is one of those times.
After binge watching most of Adventure Time, I decided to make a Jake and Lady Rainicorn hat for some loved ones. They do not watch Adventure Time. Make note: Attempt to make gifts referencing pop culture only for people who are familiar with said pop culture. I'm very proud of how they came out, and I would happily share the pattern with you but...
I winged it.
Featured Pattern: Flumplebees!
This is a pattern by EssHaych!
You can find it here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-flumplebees
It's worth a couple of dollars for sure! It's a short simple pattern, easily made, beginner level, very cute, and it creates an adorable, very imaginative creature! I can use just about any imaginably solid or variegated yarn for this one. At my last craft market, I sold out of these little guys. Every single person who asked about them was delighted by the name "Flumplebee" and insisted on taking one (or three) Home!
Now, I made a few alterations to my construction. I add a wire in the body that reaches all the way from the nose to the butt so that you can re-position the head and neck. I also add some glass gems at the bottom of the butt to weigh it down and make it sit securely (but both of these things can be completely left out to make the thing 100% toddler safe). I like sizing up the eyes a little bigger than what they recommend in the pattern, but that's just personal preference. I also sometimes piece in a mane of yarn and it makes them look like wayward fuzzy flowers to me!
Autism and Crafting
So, my now (today!!) 8 year old son is Autistic. He has a significant communication delay and has difficulty with verbal interaction. He has had early intervention since he was 2, has been in ABA preschool from 3-5, and special education classrooms from 5 years old onward. He has a PCA (an adult with him at all times in school to keep him safe, and focused on his work). Specifically he's what's called "Hyperlexic" which means he's been able to read since he was 2, but he has difficulty with spontaneous verbal communication. He's been obsessed with letters and numbers from a very, very early age.
He is a lot of work, but I also feel quite lucky. I know everybody says something like that, but I'm not trying to be all rainbows and sunshine. He is quite affectionate and sweet. His heart breaks when kids get upset nearby him - he can't tolerate tears or sadness. He's gentle with animals and smart as a whip. He's enthusiastic about playing and fun, and absolutely loves music (he has Hamilton memorized). There are moments, even days or weeks, when it is difficult to connect with him... but for the most part, that's easy.
When I make gifts for him, I try especially hard to make sure it's going to be something that really makes him light up.
Here's the pattern I used for this one: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/babys-abcs-afghan
It worked great! He was finally able to literally wrap himself up in the alphabet, and roll around on top of it. He traced those letters all day and gave me a big hug for this one. This was a total success!!
Baby Quilts
I have found crib-size quilts the easiest quilts to make. They are just big enough to enjoy a design or have fun with putting together a color scheme... maybe even experiment with some new quilting designs... But they are not big enough that they become over-burdensome. Also, newborn babies are SUPER easy going about gifts. Even if you make a mistake, they will NEVER mention it... mostly because they won't be able to talk for a few years.
Satisfied customer.
Crafty Intentions: Failed Results, Part 3: Lace Skirts
So, there was an extended period of time when I couldn't stop adding lace to tiered skirts. By hand, pre-sewing machine.
They were all (thrift)store bought skirts. I was so sure I would wear them all the time, but it turns out that my office job didn't think these were very "Office-Appropriate" and they ended up taking up a lot of poofy unnecessary room in my closet.
It still took me about 10 years to officially re-home them to a local craft re-use store in hopes that a more adventurous soul would wear them regularly and give them the love they deserve.
I didn't wear them often, but when I did I sure felt fancy. It's too bad I didn't get more use out of them. Also sewing all that lace on with tiny hand stitches took FOREVER. I enjoyed it, and it certainly led me to feeling confident enough to attempt to begin my rainbow king sized quilt, which is what led to me getting a sewing machine... But I'm sad this wasn't a craft that made something I really used.
Octopus Pattern EXPLAINED
The simple octopus (As pictured above) is crocheted in one piece. You add safety eyes, stuff the head and crochet a disc and sew that on the bottom of the octopus to seal in the stuffing. This is a very quick piece and is perfect for easy toys to sell at craft fairs or a simple gift for a kid. Felt on the eyes to make it toddler-friendly.
The complex octopus (as pictured above) is crocheted in two solid pieces, which are then crocheted together around the entire edge using single crochets. The body of the octopus can be as firmly stuffed as you want. This takes longer than the simple octopus, but achieves a nice realistic look with the suckers/bobble stitches!
© 2017 Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™. All rights reserved. This pattern is FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. The pattern (or parts of it) may not be reproduced, distributed or resold, translated, published, altered, shared or posted (for sale or free) over the internet or offline. You can sell items made from this pattern, provided they are handmade by yourself in a limited number and you give credit to the designer. Please add the following lines to your item description and any item you are selling: “This item is handmade by (your name) from a design and pattern by Megan Lapp, Crafty Intentions™”.
Mermaid Unicorn Inspiration
The idea to invent a crochet pattern for a Mermaid-Unicorn Hybrid creature was inspired by many different sources, first and foremost was the mythology of the Hippocampus. Greek and Roman myths have always been fascinating for me, so seeing the Merhorses depicted at the Trevi Fountain was a vivid memory.
Another source of inspiration was the carousel horses from the fantastic hand carved carousel at Fantasy Island in LBI, NJ. My family would visit LBI every year as a child, and I had one carousel horse that I was very particularly loyal to, and my brother had a favorite as well. I would ride the one adorned with roses, he would ride the dragon. Looking back, the dragon was VERY Merhorse-ish.
And once I started Looking, I found a tremendous amount of inspiration on Deviant Art.
I'm so glad I did, because I'm really quite proud of how the pattern turned out and I absolutely love seeing everyone's unique versions!
Go Here for more: https://nambroth.deviantart.com/art/Hippocampus-22624615
Crafty Intentions: Early Days
I've been making things and creating things as long as I can remember. It took me until years past college to find fiber arts. Here's a (slightly embarrassing?) glimpse of my college Honors Thesis. Looking back, I wish I had gone further with it. I wish I had made hundreds of casts, instead of a couple dozen. I wish I had painted some of them instead of leaving them all white. I wish I had really focused on making them GROW from each other and from the wall.... But, I still graduated with honors. It was certainly a special project to me. Go Lafayette! Go Pards!
Crafty Intentions: Failed Results, Part 2: Cupcake Icing Caulk
At some point I developed a burning desire to make cupcakes. Not real cupcakes, mind you. I do not cook or bake. Fake cupcakes. Fake, perfect looking cupcakes. First, I needed to figure out how to create perfectly little whipped icing spirals. How do you do that?
Maybe by piping three dimensional paint in an icing bag through a fancy tip?
No, that's not it. They came out yellowed and pock-marked.
What about spackle? Would that come out whiter? Fluffier?
Decidedly not.
How about Modelling paste? (Also a construction-type material)
Success-ish? Achieved the whipped cream white-color. Fail on the texture. They turned out brittle and hard and very matte. I wanted a shiny delicious look. This was not it.
I ended up doubling down and piping a whole truckload of modelling paste into tiny cupcake foils. For what purpose? Mmm, hard to say. Somewhere there is a whole box of these guys just tucked away for a rainy day in my house. Definitely a journey that could have ended a whole lot sooner than it did.
Crafty Intentions: Quilting Edition
My first quilt was a BIT ambitious. It seemed like a good idea, at the time, to start out with a King Sized scrap-pieced Square-make-up Rainbow Extravaganza.
It was not a good idea.
In fact, I didn't even own a sewing machine when I started working on it. My husband nearly had a nervous breakdown watching me painstakingly hand stitching scraps together and did his own research and bought me one. I did not want a sewing machine. I didn't like machinery and doo-dads and it seemed complicated and unnecessary when I could hand-stitch just as well. What a n00b I was.
Sewing machine turned out to be a pretty awesome idea. But even with the sewing machine the Quilt (Started in 2008) it would still take 7 years to complete.
It took me a year to piece together every square, and then another year to join every square into the quilt top. In my defense, in that time I also had a baby. This is us cuddling on the completed quilt top, circa 2010.
Then I basted the quilt with batting and a backing, folded it up SUPER nicely.... and put it away for 4.5 years. My sewing machine barely made it through piecing the quilt top together. There is NO WAY she would have made it through the quilting process. I thought about sending it out to be quilted by a professional, but why pay money when you can be super stubborn and declare that NO ONE WILL QUILT THIS BUT ME. In 2015 I met a new breed of sewing machine: A cast Iron Antique. My new Singer 201-2 aka Marceline was DESTINED to quilt this thing. So we did.
Slowly. And Painfully. But I did it. And then I hand sewed the edging. And then, I declared victory by cuddling the same (now 5 years larger) baby in that same (NOW COMPLETE) quilt.
Dragon Pattern Inspiration
Like everyone, I find inspiration in all kinds of ways from lots of different things. I was Pinterest-ing before Pinterest existed by saving internet images to a dedicated USB drive that I took everywhere with me! I'd like to show you some of the things that influenced the Dragon Pattern.
The entire Pern series by Anne McCaffrey had a huge impact on me and how I imagine dragons. My only regret is that Jewel Faceted safety eyes do not exist! I searched the internet high and low and found no such thing.
I have definitely been inspired by the work of Dragons and Beasties. Their little polymer dragons are just so adorable and with a really attractive clean design.
Lastly, the dragons of Windstone editions have always been a source of fascination for me. My father has had a couple of them up on the mantle since I was a child, and they always looked real to me!
What's Next for Patterns?
There are several ideas in the queue for next published pattern! I am in process making wings for a standing Pegasus! I am still deciding between making the body a wide, chesty clydesdale sort of an equine, or a more delicate, spindly sort of creature. We'll see!!
I intend to eventually create ever flavor of flying mythological creature, so completing the Pegasus will certainly advance that agenda. Phoenix is very high on that list!
In that vein, I would also love to do some equine babies! I want a foal Unicorn and Pegasus, and a little baby Mermaid-Unicorn Hippocampus as well!!
See more of this artists work here: https://krisztianna.deviantart.com/
I am part way through the creation of a Ball toy for little ones or babies. It'll be a great way of learning new stitches without committing to a whole blanket! This way you can make a little sweet heirloom toy for that new baby in your life, and learn something new at the same time!! Pretty cool, right??
I am 2/3rds of the way finished with a trio of Ocean-themed Mini-patterns. I just need a 3rd concept to go with Tiny Octopus and Tiny Mermaid! What should their third buddy be? I'm still not sure!!
Lastly, I have a concept for a cuddly tentacle eyeball monster, and I'd like to do that justice with wings and a tail. I was originally inspired after making THIS fantastic pattern by Terry Ijams, and I'm excited to write down and publish my own (very different) version.
Broken Update
My hand is free of my cast, but the doctor and therapist assures me that it'll take at least a month of slow stretches and exercises before my hand is back to approaching normal. Right now my joints feel stiff and sore, and although I can crochet I have lost my stamina. It only takes a short bit of crocheting till my arm and hand feel exhausted. I think I may have pushed a little too hard this past weekend and now I'm dealing with lingering soreness. I have hope that it will get better, but goings are slow.
0/10. Would not recommend breaking your hand.