Altair Sackboy – Amigurumi #5

*sigh* I was hoping this week would entail a more interesting post, but it looks like it’ll just be a throwback. I introduced this guy in the very first post, but didn’t go into detail about him. I made two, one for each friend, but with different skintones depending on what was available.

These were fun to make. I’m glad they asked for Altair because he was much simpler than Ezio, and I didn’t have blue to make Connor. It’s kinda silly how image/reference searches for Altair turn up results for Ezio. No really, try it: Google “Altair sackboy” and the most relevant results turn up Ezio Sackboy, instead. XP;

 

Here is the first Altair Sackboy. He was a present for an adorable ginger. Let’s call the ginger Derpston:

Altair likes his new home.

Like most of the doevs, I met Derpston in second year. He was friends with this Nova Scotian who I maybe-sorta-kinda had a crush on. XP; He ninja’d my Skype name from said guy and I drew him a Pika:

^     ^
(o ‘ x ‘ o) Pika…

He said, “Wild Pikachu appeared! Trainer used PokeBall!”

To which I responded:

“Bloop…. bloop…
^        ^
(o > x < o) PIKAAAAA!
“Shoot, it appeared to be caught…”

Then he got frustrated and threw a rock at Pikachu.

^      ^
(o – x – o)#     Pikachu got angry!

And then he threw a Master Ball. Pika was mad.

^    ^
(o ‘ o’ o) (O))))))) Pika mad Bro!

Cue the lame C++ jokes:

cout << “Give a name to the captured Pikachu?” << endl;

cin >> name;

name = “Derpston”;

 

…yeah. XP;

There was a bit of drama going on behind the scenes, but Derpston was sweet nonetheless. Hence he’s called the adorable ginger. There was a moment in time where he blocked me on Facebook due to the drama, but we reconciled in the end. He’s fun to hug. I like it when he smiles.

About a year later, Derpston became very sick. He had to go to the hospital for a medical procedure. I decided to make a present for him to cheer him up. And so, Altair Sackboy was born. Altair took the bus to his new home:

Altair Sackboy riding the bus to his new home.

When he received Altair, Derpston smiled. Success! Altair managed to give his heart to Derpston!

We spent the day together, played Mortal Kombat and DMC with a female lead. (Er sorry, Bayonetta) Later, we went for lunch and discussed a lot. On the way, I pointed out the nearby restaurant where I went with the friend I maybe-sorta-kinda had a crush on. During lunch, the topic changed to our other friend, Chow Chow. Derpston said, “You know, I figured out what you and Chow Chow have in common: you both used to have a crush on the Scotian. 😀 ” I lol’d. Ugh… a big black spider landed in Derpston’s hair. I was nervous, but he just flicked it out like no big deal. To this day, I’m not sure if he’s brave or crazy. He says both. Out of the blue, I gave him a kiss on his forehead so he would be blessed. I think it worked; not only did the procedure go well, Derpston now has a sweet lady at his side. Word is she’s a great cook. Maybe she can make cookies for me one day. Or maybe I’m just hungry.

 

Fast forward to this past year, when I made the same Sackboy for my favourite Frenchie:

Altair II riding in the cold to his new owner

I felt inspired to make this after posting a picture of a Link Sackboy. When said Link Sackboy came to school, Frenchie got bored, put Link in Iron Man’s hood, and made bunny ears for him. Frenchie’s brother commented, “I want it!” And so, I made Altair for Frenchie. Frenchie is friends with Tay, from the Whale Tissue Box post. Together with Iron Man and Connor, the group is called CATT because of their first initials. Frenchie looks like a skinny bones, but he has a low voice. It’s kinda funny. I like to say he smells, as per the stereotype about French people and bathing. (Or lack thereof) Don’t worry, he does smell fine, it’s just fun to tease him. :3 He’s currently being a silly smelly French guy who is too busy to play. Such is life… *le sigh*

That shall be all for today. As for how the guys felt about their Sackboys:

Left: He smells. Right: “DIS GUY!”

 

Altair is copyright the Assassin’s Creed series. Sackboy’s Altair costume was designed by me.

If you want to make your own Sackboy, click here!

Questions? Comments? Which version of Sackboy do you prefer? Which Assassin is your favourite? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Drippy (Ni no Kuni) – Amigurumi #4

I’ve been playing (and loving) Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. And it wouldn’t be right to not make a Drippy plushie. Sorry in advance for the quality, I blame the lighting for the washed-out colours.

Tidy!

Drippy, Lord High Lord of the Fairies, is your companion. After Oliver’s mother suddenly dies, his tears break the curse confining Drippy to his doll form. Drippy is very blunt, in contrast to Oliver’s politeness and innocence. Drippy also speaks with a heavy Welsh accent to remind us that he’s from a different world, and says things like, “tidy, init?”

I won’t be reviewing Ni no Kuni (NnK) on this blog, since this is for crafts. Maybe I’ll talk about it once school starts up again. After all, my regular blog will reactivate by then. However, I will say that if you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli’s films, I highly recommend this game. It’s so cute! It feels like a Pokemon game, except it’s been executed the way I wished a Pokemon game would have been executed. I always envisioned being able to play as Misty or Brock, rather than just Ash. Er sorry, Red. Or Yellow, if you played Yellow. Oh wait, no, you just named him Ash anyway. Right? Okay, getting back on topic here…

About this Drippy plush…

While searching for reference images, I found that a lot of Drippy amis had the nose attached separately. While they were cute all the same, it just didn’t look the way Drippy is supposed to look, with a smoothly attached nose.

Cute in their own rights, but could be better.

The hardest part of this ami had to be forming the nose. I improvised a lot and ended up ripping out rows because this or that didn’t work. In the words of the littlies, “Knickers! Knickers!” In the end, I was so relieved when Mr. Drippy turned out just right. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to detail, so I’ll hesitate and rip out a lot before finalizing designs.

I sewed the legs and arms loosely so Mr. Drippy could flop, like he does in-game when you stand still for too long. He’ll jump around and fall over, adding to his cuteness factor.

Left: Drippy’s on-screen debut, compared to the ami I made.

“Pooer” Mr. Drippy went almost a month before he finally gained his lantern. Or eyes. Or a mouth. For reasons I can’t quite explain, I hesitate when it comes to adding the finishing details on plushies, no matter how confident I feel with their placement. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I hate embroidering details, and sewing felt to yarn.

The lantern was pretty fun to make. It’s too bad I didn’t take notes while making it… gah. As a result, it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing an exact replica of Mr. Drippy for sale just yet. Also, this particular Mr. Drippy is my NnK-playing buddy, so he’s not for sale either… unless you ask. 😀

It’s too bad Anime North is over; I totally would’ve cosplayed as Oliver. (Olivia? XD)

 

Like what you see here? Can’t wait to see what’s next? Follow me on deviantART for exclusive looks at projects not yet featured on this blog!

Want? Need? Check out my Etsy shop to help make the world plush again.

 

Questions? Concerns? Requests? Favourite Ghibli film? Would you play Ni no Kuni? Comment below!

Pika, so tidy~

Rilakkuma – Amigurumi #3

This is my attempt at Rilakkuma. I made him using a modified version of my original Lazy Panda. Like the panda, Rilakkuma is happy to just lie on your bed, couch, or anywhere else you like to relax. There are two versions available: awake, and sleeping. Pillow and blanket not included.

 

Today, I’m going to tell you a story. Let’s call this the story of Panda and Rilakkuma.

Panda and Rilakkuma

The plushies I make are also known as Pika Plushies, because they are plushies made by me, Pika in a Bag. All Pika Plushies are made with the purpose of making others happy in their own unique way. They are stuffed with love, and that is what creates their plushie “hearts.” When they are given to their new friend, (owner) they open their hearts and form a bond with that friend. You know the bond has been successful when the friend smiles.

 

One day, the Pika Plushies had a party near the river. There were games, contests, dances, and lots of delicious foods to eat. Rilakkuma put on a nice costume and ate lots of his favourite snack, custard pudding. After his third helping of pudding, Rilakkuma was feeling sleepy. So he went to the river to find his pillow and blanket, which he’d stuffed into a log for safe keeping.

That’s when some more animals came to the river, who Rilakkuma hadn’t met before. One of them was a panda. Panda came up to Rilakkuma and said hello. While the other animals went for a swim in the river, Rilakkuma and Panda stayed behind to talk.

“So, uh… sleep here often?”

Panda was a plush bear who liked to eat snacks and relax with his friends, just like Rilakkuma. Unfortunately, that was as far as their conversation went, because Panda had to help take home some of the animals who were too tired from swimming. Panda and Rilakkuma exchanged phone numbers so they could chat some more.

The next day, and for a long time after that, Panda and Rilakkuma couldn’t stop texting back and forth. They would talk about so much, from their favourite snacks, to their favourite relaxing spots, to places they should relax and eat snacks together. Rilakkuma thought this was a very interesting panda, and wanted to learn more about him. He got his wish when, a few days after the party, Panda took Rilakkuma to the Bamboo Cafe, where they drank pomegranate lemonade with green straws. They discussed funny things and spontaneously decided to go coconut bowling at Bear’s World. Rilakkuma couldn’t bowl very well, but Panda was very good.

A month later, Panda and Rilakkuma went on another play date. They went to see a funny movie, and Panda took Rilakkuma to eat something called “Vietnamese rice noodle soup.” Rilakkuma was so used to ramen that it felt strange at first to eat this noodle soup, but he enjoyed it all the same. Although the stains on his outfit made him question why he ever trusted himself with soup. In another bout of spontaneity, they went to the watering hole for drinks. When they returned to Rilakkuma’s house, Panda gave Rilakkuma a kiss goodnight.

Rilakkuma had grown fond of Panda’s love of adventure, and the fun times they shared together as a result. Sometimes Rilakkuma would wait in anticipation for Panda to text him “good morning,” or to respond to a silly message Rilakkuma had sent. And yet, Rilakkuma couldn’t open the zipper on his back and let his heart over to Panda.

He was afraid that Panda would break his heart, or that he in turn would hurt Panda. And if he stayed friends with Panda, then what would happen to Rilakkuma? Would he still be the cute, cuddly plushie bear who loved custard pudding and taking naps, or would he change and start to like bamboo? Sure there was nothing wrong with liking bamboo, but he knew that liking it would alienate him from the other plushies; the ones who didn’t like bamboo. The plushies he had known a long time and held dearly. He had seen plushies befriend strange plushies, and they changed so much. Some of them changed to the point that they did not want to be a part of the Pika Plushies anymore. And so, Rilakkuma said a foolish thing:

“Panda, I don’t want to give you my heart.”

And so, Panda moved on quietly. And Rilakkuma was all alone.

But Rilakkuma did not let it get him down. He helped the blue whale get through a day of heartbreak, and that helped with his own heartbreak a little. Even though he only knew Panda for a short while, Rilakkuma couldn’t help but wonder how someone could have such an effect on him. Rilakkuma was sad that he was no longer able to see Panda, but he now knows what he needs to work on. And maybe one day, he will find Panda again, and they will go on adventures just like before. Or he will find a new panda, and he will be confident enough to give his heart to the panda. Who knows? When you’re this cute, anything’s possible.

 

I think that the moral of this story is, “keeping your heart locked up, is usually the reason it gets broken in the first place.”

And somewhere in the back of my mind… I keep hearing Drops of Jupiter. I don’t know why.

 

Thank you for poring through my confusing mess of thoughts and poor metaphors. I promise next week’s post will be happier, we will be talking about VIDYA GAIMS!

Rilakkuma is now available on Etsy!

And here he is on deviantART.

Questions? Concerns? Requests? Panda or Rilakkuma? (Plushies, not characters :P) Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Whale Tissue Box Cover – DIY #2

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/Plusherie?ref=pr_shop_more
deviantART: http://pikainabag.deviantart.com/

I deal with sadness by helping others who are sad. There’s no reason two people should be sad at any given time.

I’ve always had a bit of an aversion to crocheting flat, because it would get confusing with stitches disappearing. This means I would end up with fewer stitches than expected. (The patterns I used to work on didn’t put the number of stitches at the end of each row) When saw this pattern on my Facebook feed, however, I thought, “I HAVE TO DO THIS!” Few days later, I learned of something very sad. And so, this became a present to my friend, who we’ll call Tay. 😀

About Tay and the whale…

I once drew a whale on Skype that looked like this:

.________.

and Tay drew a fishy in return:

<><

And then it turned into this:

._________.   vs.   <><     <><    <><
<><     <><    <><

Which is why I thought this would be the perfect present for Tay.

Yesterday was Tay Day. “______ Day” is what I call days spent with any specific friend, with the blank being filled in by their name. We went to the mall, where I had butter chicken poutine and he had strawberry kiwi froyo. He also bought some stylish everyday shoes. Hm… I wonder if shop therapy helped at all? We discussed why we were sad, and decided that life sucks, and we should not destroy the planet. I sent that message to Tommy. Yeah I don’t really get it either, which is why I love my boys so much. 😛

We went to the beach, where Tay proceeded to be an assassin on the rocks. Sadly, I didn’t have my phone with me so we’re not going to get any sexy rock-jumping parkour today. And I would’ve joined him, if only flippity floppy slippers would allow. He also showed me the rocks where he was sitting on Canada Day. One rock was called Tay’s rock, the other was Tommy’s rock.

Tay drove me home, and we had a bit of an adventure driving back, because I derped on the exits a couple times. We stopped in the park’s parking lot, where I finished the whale. When we got back to my place, we tried the whale out on an actual tissue box:

A perfect fit!

Pattern Verdict

I didn’t have the exact colour, but this light blue shade is kinda nice, too. Blue makes me feel calm and friendly. Maybe that’s why Facebook is so addictive with its blue logo; after a long day, it feels nice to come home and mindlessly browse. If the logo was red, I think that would only add more stress because the colour increases your heart rate.

And… okay yeah, I cheated and used double crochet for some rounds, instead of single crochet like the pattern said. I believe that the only reason the pattern specified single crochet was to make it easier to embroider the mouth and attach the eyes. I used 3D paint for the mouth and felt for the eyes.

This was a pretty easy pattern to follow. The most difficult part had to be adding the tail stocks to the flukes, but only because I derped and realized that the top of the fluke work was actually the bottom of the tail. The pattern said to attach the yarn to the top of the fluke, so you’re actually turning the fluke upside down, with the side with the active chains facing down, toward the stocks. Confusing? Yeah I’ll stop now.

This is a great project to make for someone who needs a bit of cheering up. When you give it to your friend, give them a big hug so that when they are sad and need a tissue, they will think of happy memories.

Here’s another thing: the whale can also be used as… a hat.

You fancy, huh?

And that ends another blog. I think the next DIY will be based on the outfit I wore.

Pika, so happy~

Here’s the original pattern: Get Whale Soon Tissue Box Cover