Pie – Amigurumi #54

It’s been a week since COVID-19 sent us all into hiding. So what did I do? Run to Michael’s, stock up on supplies, and start making plushies again!

This pattern was created by Sherry Rohekar on Ravelry. The original pattern made a cherry pie, with a suggestion for blueberry pie at the end. So here we are.

Before making the single crochet trim, the pie looked like this. On its own this isn’t too bad. If you are not confident in making the trim, you could probably get away with leaving it like this. I think the trim makes it look like the edges have been “sliced” from a whole pie, which is what you are going for. My slice ended up a little overstuffed.

The pattern said to make bobbles “every now and then.” I tried to keep the bobbles evenly spaced each row, and it ended up looking nowhere near as interesting. Not to mention all the bunching going on… indeed, just make bobbles wherever you find enough space.

Growing up, my family was never “pie” family. We preferred cakes and cookies. I only had homemade apple pie once, before I met Hatter. Shoonie was a wee baby shoon, and we made it as a kids’ workshop project at the local apple picking farm. Having only tried the jelly-filled hand pies from McDerp’s, my mind was blown eating actual warm, baked apple pie! Maybe I’ll try making a cherry pie from scratch this summer, once cherry season kicks in.

I like to eat pie with a nice cup of tea. Hatter said this pie looks cute, but tastes “pleh pleh pleh.”

No-Face and Sootsprite liked it. As you can see they are enjoying the pie, and totally not just licking it because I put cat treats on the plate.

I meant to have this pie finished in time for Pi Day. And then we went into social isolation, which cancelled classes and due dates for this week.

Fortunately we had just enough time to have Pi Day, before isolation began. I made actual pies!

Clockwise from top left: bacon and mushroom quiche, Shepherd’s Pie, apple pie, and chocolate ganache tart. I spent all afternoon slaving away at these, but it was worth it to see so much gone by the end of the night. Some folks even took leftovers home!

The apple pie was the most intimidating because of all the apple peeling and lattice arranging. Which is why I got Hatter to do those things. 😀 I didn’t have nutmeg, so I substituted a secret ingredient. But it’s secret, so I won’t write it here. Don’t worry, rest assured it’s safe to eat. I just kept it secret from folks who might oppose it.

For the ganache tart, I used Chef John’s pots de creme recipe minus the coffee, poured it into the pie shell, and stuck it in the freezer for an hour. I was happy with how this turned out, because it was what I expected of a chocolate tart. Previously I made a chocolate pie, but found it too sweet and not at all like the silky, dark chocolate ganache I love. Hatter liked it, but I think a ganache tart is more of my taste. For best results, try it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The taste and consistency reminded me of a popular ice cream chain’s cakes.

Baking all these pies, and being able to serve guests has boosted my confidence. Next, I want to make a key lime pie; real, and crochet. Mmmm….

It sucks to be isolated. But think of it this way: now you don’t have to share your pies! Here are some links to patterns and recipes, to keep you entertained:

Cherry Pie crochet pattern by Sherry Rohekar
Quiche recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction
*Slow cooker Shepherd’s pie from Taste of Home
Apple pie with lattice crust from the Tenderflake official website
Chocolate mocha pots de creme by Chef John

*You can make this in the oven too. I used the slow cooker to save on oven space.

What other pies do you like? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Make This Again: Torchic – Amigurumi #9.1 + Bad News…

Ever heard of the Draw This Again challenge? If not, it’s pretty self-explanatory. I did the “Make This Again” challenge. Here are two wee baby Torchics!

Ahh! Surely, I have improved!

Previously, I tried to make the plushie all one piece. While efficient, it robbed the plushie of its intended shape. I’ve also used brighter coloured orange yarn to help them stand out. The feet are still chained, but they are broader and are closer to chicken feet. It was a hassle to sew the head, wings, and body together, but it was worth it in the end. I now feel confident selling these little guys in the shop.

Five years ago, I made a Torchic key charm for Kitty, before he went to live in the UK for a year. He attached it to his luggage, as intended.

When he went through baggage claim, he found his luggage…but not Torchic. It made me sad.

This time, I’m prepared.

I attached a metal keychain! It’s not great as a baggage tag anymore, but it’s definitely stronger than a yarn cord. This Torchic would be right at home on a backpack or carry-on.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 years since Kitty went to the UK. How much has changed since then? Well, to sum up, he now has a master’s degree, a beautiful wife, and a million more snob points. He’s seen me through new beginnings and bad breakups, made jokes at my expense, and took his share of my salt. He’s just like a real cat; drives you up the wall, but at the end of the day provides comfort. Sad to say we don’t talk as often as we used to, due to busy schedules and life in general. But when we do chat, it’s as though nothing has changed. This is my favourite kind of friendship. And we’ve established that he’s playing piano for my wedding, if I ever get married.

Now that you’re all happy from seeing such a cute little fire chicken…time for the bad news: I done goofed. Tomorrow was supposed to be the re-launch of my shop. However, due to imminent travel plans for which I forgot to account, the shop will be unavailable until May 12.

All is not lost, however! I will be taking requests and commissions during this time period. I currently only have Torchic and Popplio scheduled to be sold, but we need more colours, yarnit! Leave suggestions for plushies/amigurumi that you’d like to see, and let’s start making the world plush!

Do you have any commission suggestions? Have you attempted the “make/draw this again” challenge? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

*Edit: changed “darnit” to “yarnit” at former roommate’s request. Miss ya, Triztan!

Taco – Amigurumi #51

There are a couple things I want to taco ’bout.

First, this is a taco. It’s one of the plushies from the plush binge a couple years back. It has been almost 2 years since the binge, and I may have forgotten what plushies were made when. For argument’s sake, let’s say that there were actually 5 plushies in the binge, because I don’t remember making the cupcake that time, but I do remember making the taco.

Click here to view 1/5: Pudding

Click here to view 2/5: Ice-Cream

Click here to view 3/5: Cupcake

Tacos are amazing, as this video from Pleated Jeans will tell you. They can be crunchy or chewy, meaty or beany, cheesy or saucy. There’s something for everyone, and you can’t be wrong no matter what you choose. As a wee Pichu, I remember the Raichus taking us to Scarborough Town Center, where we would eat fresh, crispy tacos, and I would get ice cream for dessert.

I was craving tacos today, and took that as an opportunity to take some taco pics. I got 2 tacos, supreme fries, and some cinnamon bites. As I type this, I just remembered the latter are still in my bag. (Was too full of fountain drink to eat them)

Hatter suggested I save the amigurumi taco for last, because it looked like the best. So I did. But when I took a bite of it, I went *pleh pleh pleh* I guess just because something looks good on the inside, doesn’t mean it tastes good on the inside.

Messy food is best.

The amigurumi taco contains little red tomato bits. Perhaps I should have made them more prominent.

The next thing I want to mention is: 4 more days until the shop re-opens! I will be selling small plushies and remaking some old ones, as well. I think I will include several plushies as a single listing at a time. Larger plushies will get their own listings.

You will be able to purchase the plushies through PayPal, and in time I hope to incorporate online banking as an option. (I haven’t been on Etsy in a while, and want to check what other payment options are available) Currently, the plushies are only for sale in Canada, but hopefully after the shop sees more success, I can start shipping south of the border.

If anyone I know personally is reading this, please contact me directly for plushie orders. 😉

Hard, or soft tacos? What do you put in your tacos? Do you like fire sauce? What else do you like to eat with your tacos? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Macarons – Amigurumi #50

*This plush also appears on @pikainabag!

And with this blog, I complete my Lenten promise, however late it may be.

Sometimes, it is nice to let other people do things for you. Cooking for yourself is nice, but when you’re busy, it’s nice to just kick back and have someone bring you a pizza. Likewise, when you’re busy but still want to blog, it’s nice to have someone provide a pattern for you to follow.

These macarons were made using the pattern from AmigurumiPianosound. (Click name to visit YouTube channel) I was in the mood for something sweet and simple to make in a single sitting, so as to have blog material that didn’t distract from the boat load of schoolwork. And then I ended up making several.

The above picture demonstrates how varied yarns and alterations can affect the outcome of the macaron’s appearance. The mint chocolate macaron (green) was created using thing green yarn, and I skipped the “*inc, sc 3, repeat from *” round. The result was okay, but a little too round, compared to an actual macaron. I followed the pattern exactly for the pink one, but the colour combination should have been inverted, to help the cream stand out. The yarn I used for the chocolate macaron is thinner, and although it looks normal in the photo, it is a bit too thin in real life.

I like the purple and yellow macarons best. I gave the purple one to Shoonie as a belated birthday present. We promptly fed it to Little Feet, for his first birthday. Seeing as how macaron halves should have “little feet” once they are baked, it felt appropriate.

Feet not shown

And she made delicious Easter desserts!

The best one was the Shoonie hand.
I take my coffee with milk and sugar. Fight me.

You might recognize the pink macaron from the Popplio post. Indeed, Popplio likes macarons. Or are they poffins? They can’t be malasadas… malasadas are fried, and remind me of mandazis. I heard that the new gen will take place in England. Maybe macaron-like Pokemon treats will make an appearance?

Haaaa… at long last, it feels like I can breathe again. There will be another blog this weekend, along with an announcement! Until then, let’s continue to rest, recover, and make the world plush

To make your own cute macaron plush, click here for pianosound’s video tutorial.

Which dessert should be next? Did you achieve your Lenten goals? How was your Easter? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Popplio – Amigurumi #49

*The following plush also appears on @pikainabag

Meet my son, Popplio.

I made this Popplio circa December of this past year. It went on hold while I fiddled with ways to make its eyes. And then I picked up felting needles and stabbed fluff repeatedly into its head. It kind of worked.

I would give this Popplio a 7/10. In future iterations, I would make the snout broader at the base, and make the ears longer. And maybe the flippers should be a row or two longer.

The eyes are very fuzzy. Maybe if they were hand washed, they would lay flat?

As you may remember, Popplio received a lot of hate when the Alola starters were announced. But when I lifted Popplio gently into my arms, I knew I wanted him to be my son.

And my son, he was. His attack stats aren’t too strong, but his defense is off the charts. Basically, Popplio is a tank.

And look at its final evolution. LOOK AT IT. ABSORB THE FABULOUSNESS.

My son went to school with me, to help alleviate a bit of crunch time stress.

He found my one friend’s drawing of (Eevee?) and Jolteon.

And then he found a macaron. But wait…so did Mimikyu!

They bonded over their love of macarons. And now, Popplio and Mimikyu are friends.

Popplio and Mimikyu came to the annual demo reel screening on Thursday. People seemed to like mine. Do you? (Click here to watch)

Despite watching the demo reels on Thursday, the semester is not over yet! And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go finish the remaining assignments. There will still be a blog post next week, but it will be scheduled ahead of time. (This post was, too.) Whew… we’re getting to Easter, and despite how insane school has gotten, I’ve managed to blog each week since the beginning of Lent! I would say that I have accomplished my Lenten promise. Now, can I accomplish my academic promises????

Which Pokemon is next? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Mimikyu – Amigurumi #48

*The following plush also appears on @pikainabag

Monday was Shoonie’s birthday! In commemoration of her 2 decades on this planet, I broke taboo and made…a Pikachu!

Hm? What’s that? This ISN’T a Pikachu?

…oh. It’s a Mimikyu!

This little guy was a bit tricky to get just right. As pictured to the left, it turns out Mimikyu’s black body underneath has the same spiky pattern as the bottom of its costume. I thought that was merely shadow, but after looking at its model in Sun, it turns out that is not the case.
You’ll also notice it doesn’t sit flat, but rather rocks a bit. The weight created by its head and tail leaning to one side doesn’t help either. After doing a bit of research, I may have found a way to keep the base laying flat. Once the shop reopens, I will make and sell a new Mimikyu according to these strategies.

This cutie has been widely received among my classmates. It’s very well behaved too; it quietly listens to music while I work.

Sometimes it joins me for tea.

This Mimikyu is Canadian made. So Canadian, in fact, that it sat and watched hockey with my roommate.

Poor Mimikyu. It just wants to be loved. Maybe it will find a friend in No-Face.

With only 2 weeks left of school, things are getting hectic. While I’m glad to have gotten a chance to sit down and make plushies again, I must also focus on the plethora of assignments that are due in the coming week. Perhaps I will share the completed ones here at the end of the semester!

Which Pokemon should be next? Or should Mimikyu get an alternate costume? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

No-Face and Soot Sprite – Amigurumi #47

Before we begin, allow me to take a moment for some shameless self-promotion: I now have Facebook and Instagram pages! Yeah, I know, 5 years late, but better late than never. Follow for plushies, as well as crafts and miscellaneous artwork that won’t necessarily be featured on this blog. Etsy shop is expected to reopen by May 1, 2019!

Follow me on Facebook at Pika in a Bag, or on Instagram @pikainabag! (Click links to follow through)

These count as one post because they are from the same movie.

We watched Spirited Away in our History of Animation class last week. I’ve watched it quite a lot in the past. We watched it when Hatter’s friend came to visit, but No-Face and Sootsprite didn’t want to see their namesakes.

At first, No-Face’s mask turned out too small. It made the purple designs look like blush. No-Face’s mask is an oblong shape, and therefore needed to be made with an oval shape. I am working on a round 2 No-Face plush. Hopefully it will turn out better.

Remember that scene at Zeniba’s house, when No-Face was knitting? In Japan, they have a No-Face who knits. In Canada, we have a crocheted No-Face.

The soot sprite is made from leftover black fluff. Recycling level: crafty.

I’ve been experimenting with felt needles lately. To make the details on No-Face’s mask, I felted some bits of fluff to his face. To think, I used to glue and sew felt onto things… maybe I’ll make my own goomba plush, and felt the eyes directly onto the plush.

Today in class, the soot sprite wanted to drink coffee. But he needed a little help.

Ne ne~ (8)

And then we travelled to Wonderland, to meet the cat-No-Face and cat-Sootsprite.

Let’s see what No-Face (Nofie) and Sootsprite (Sootsie) think of their namesakes…

Nofie with the soot sprite

As I type this, Nofie is jumping around with his namesake. I did not put cat nip in the doll, so I’m not sure why he’s doing that. And just now, he picked it up in his front paws and threw it against the bedroom door like a pro-wrestler. “Mom” is pleased that he’s enjoying the toy. Good thing this was a prototype No-Face, because it is covered in dust now.

Sootsprite is watching his brother. Earlier, he was hesitating to go play with the toys. I told him he needs to go ask his brother nicely for the toys, not just stare awkwardly. So then I threw the No-Face doll, and it spun around like a top. The cats seem to like the No-Face a bit better than the soot sprite.

Like the jingle bell balls before it, the soot sprite toy has vanished under the couch. The cats tried licking the soot sprite, and both went “pleh pleh pleh.”

Did you know…. the bath house was actually based on a location in Taiwan? Toni from the PepperToni Pizza is from Taiwan, and thought the environments looked familiar. I would love to visit this location. Maybe Toni will take us?

Since I watched this movie for the first time at age 12, I’ve had a fascination with the attention to environment and character development present in Miyazaki’s works. When I first watched Spirited Away, it began with a long intro by John Lasseter, pointing out the detail of Chihiro putting on her shoes “like a real little girl.” Years later, my teachers would point out the finer details of the shine in eyes, breeze blowing through grass, and yes, character behaviours. These are all things one must pay attention to when animating. You can tell a lot about a character or environment by how it behaves. When something bad happens, Chihiro curls in a ball like a little girl. When she feeds Haku the medicine, she pulls his mouth open like a dog. You don’t think of things until you watch behind the scenes, or fun facts about the movies. But if you want to create believable, interesting animations, you must take notes of little nods like these.

I often like to sit back and wonder, “how do they come up with these things?” Who else could have come up with No-Face, or thought to personify the dust that comes from burnt objects? That’s why I long to be an animator, and to create my own works. I want to create, animate, and make the world plush.

What Studio Ghibli plushie should be next? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Cupcakes – Amigurumi #46

Who wants cupcakes? This is plushie 3/4 of my ami binge.

Or at least, it would be if I could find the original plush. 

Click here to view 1/4: Pudding
Click to view 2/4: Ice Cream

At long last, I have found a cupcake pattern that works. I also figured out how to (kind of) fix the blobby-bottom problem from the pudding. It turns out, all you have to do is use an invisible join on the base. Unfortunately because of the way I stuffed it, the underside still puffs outward, but it’s nothing a bit of kneading can’t fix. And at least it doesn’t look like a baking failure.

Crocheting a flat base

I normally work in spirals when crocheting amis, but put that aside for traditional joined rounds to achieve a flat base.

It also helps to use a smaller hook when working the base. This results in a sturdier fabric.

This pink and green abomination was going to be a cupcake with swirled icing. The idea behind it was to crochet a conical cake top, and wrap the yarn around it. Somehow I thought it made sense to tie the yarn at the top of the cake, and twist it around the bottom. #pastPikaLogic

Here is the swirl-top cupcake from before, and the one I made today. This time, I just single crocheted around the top of the cupcake to simulate a blob of icing:

The new cupcake looks like a rose

Cupcakes are like people: they come in all flavours and colours, and there’s something for everyone. Chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting are indulgent, but shortcake ones with a big ol’ strawberry on top are classic. They’re all cupcakes, just different kinds of cupcakes. Some people like certain cupcakes better than others, and that’s fine. At the end of the day, just keep calm and blah blah blah you know the rest.

Can someone explain this? (Click to follow through)

The slice of cake is part of this post because I am not a cake racist. Cake slice pattern is credited to Sarah from Repeat Crafter Me. (Click the link for the pattern)

Personally, I feel that red velvet cupcakes are a bit overrated. Store bought red velvet cakes just taste like sugar and cream cheese. Does anyone out there follow Tasty? Have you noticed they’ve been posting a ton of cheesecake fusion desserts? I like cheesecake just as much as the next person, but seriously? My stomach hurts just from scrolling through Facebook.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to go look like this for a bit:

What are your favourite types of cupcakes? What other snackies do you like? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Ariel (Little Mermaid) – Amigurumi #45

Look at this plush, isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you say that this project’s complete?
Wouldn’t you think I’m the girl… the girl who makes, everything? (8)

This is Ariel from The Little Mermaid. She’s pretty cute, if I do say so myself! I chose this combination of red and green, because they contrasted each other and really stood out. She looks pretty close to the original design, so I’d say this was a success.

The body and head shapes were easy. The hair was the hardest part. I felt discouraged at first, because the hair fibers looked much shorter once they were brushed out. I broke a few of the strands too, resulting in a waste of yarn in general. Sigh…

After some brushing and work with the hair straightener, the hair finally started to come together. I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn to make this hair, which is not recommended. The final product looks nice, and didn’t take much head to get it nice and smooth. (The iron was only 350 degrees) However, you can’t give this plush to a kid who likes to brush and style doll hair. The fibers of Super Saver get snagged in toy brushes, such as the ones that come with Barbie dolls. I had to pin up her hair while I sewed on the seashell bra and tail frill. Taking out the bobby pin after finishing the doll was very satisfying. It was like taking down your girl friend’s hair after doing her makeup, and asking her what she thinks.

Admittedly, I didn’t watch Little Mermaid all the way through until about 3 years ago! As a kid, I became a fan the same way some people become fans of Overwatch: through fan osmosis. In grade 1, I owned a two-piece outfit decorated with Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian. It looked like a pyjama set. Around this time, someone gave me a volume of the Little Mermaid TV series. I remember one episode where Ariel brought home a baby whale and hid it in her room, only for the whale to sneak out and interrupt one of the concerts in the palace. When everything falls into chaos, Sebastian says, “and dat, my friends, is what is meant by ‘bringing down de house.'” My dad told me ‘bringing down the house’ meant to annoy everyone. I took his word for it, because that’s exactly what the whale did.

Until Rapunzel came along in Tangled, Ariel was one of my most identifiable Disney princesses. Despite her father’s warnings, she risked everything to experience walking on land for the first time…even if it was primarily motivated by a guy she liked. I’m not saying that you should always disobey your parents; sometimes you have to think for yourself and make your own decisions in life. Sure, our parents love us and want what’s best for us. But what’s best for us, and what makes us happy, doesn’t always go hand-in-hand. When was the last time you heard a story of a person who did everything they were told, never took risks, and never thought for themselves? I worked with people who were Ariel’s age at my old job, and many of them lamented that they wanted to study art or learn a trade, but their parents were making them go to University. Having been in their situation at one point, all I could say is, “go with what your parents are saying for now. But as soon as you get the opportunity to do what you want, take it.” (I suppose this advice would better relate to Moana, another plush I hope to make)

Zzzzz…

Ariel’s decision wasn’t perfect; she got what she wanted, but at the cost of her voice. But she still made the best of what she had. Because she couldn’t speak, she could only listen to Eric. Even though it was mostly shown in montage, you could see that she enjoyed every minute of those three days on land. Well, two, if you include the day Ursula appears in human form. In the end, Eric saved her from Ursula, because he loved her. And he wouldn’t have realized he loved her, if she hadn’t risked everything to be with him… Many critics say that Disney princesses are sexist, but I think it’s about how you look at it. Some see Ariel as a story of “go ahead and make stupid mistakes. Your boyfriend will save you in the end.” I see it as, Ariel took that risk to ultimately become happy.

Late night snack

In the darker, original version of the tale, the little mermaid does not live happily ever after with the prince. However, she does have a happy ending: she is granted a chance to gain eternal happiness, by only doing good deeds for the next 300 years. I think the moral of The Little Mermaid remains the same: there is no pleasure, without pain.

Do you have gadgets and gizmos aplenty? Or whozits and whatsits galore? Which Disney character should be next? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Octopus – Amigurumi #44

Me, last summer: “I was invited to a baby shower. What do you do at baby showers?”
Shoonie: “Uh…you give presents, play games, and pat the baby. :D”

But what if the baby isn’t born yet?

Answer: You give the mum-to-be an octopus!

Inspired by the preemie octopus, this was a present to the Mad Hatter’s other sister, Jo. She wanted a colourful octopus for baby to be, and I happened to find some rainbow “baby yarn” in my stash. I didn’t make it to the actual baby shower, so I gave it to her when I saw her prior. Jo looked very happy, and let me pat her belly. ❤

It’s nice to finally have color on this blog.

This octopus was made with a now discontinued yarn, called Bernat Candyland. (Click the name for link) It has a boucle texture, which means it adds a bumpy texture to the finished fabric. I made a scarf using the green, white, and purple yarn, pictured on the same page.

Washed and ready to wrap!

The octopus’ legs are crocheted directly to the body, so they wouldn’t come apart once baby gets to the grabbing/pulling phase. Once I finished making the octopus, I stuffed it into an old stocking and washed it. Octopus became socktopus, and then washtopus. It’s important to wash knitted and crocheted items before giving them to a newborn. Especially if you’re using yarn that’s been sitting in storage for a long time.

And if you desire, this octopus can also be… a hat.

Please join me in wishing Baby Izzy a very warm welcome. Hello Izzy! I hope you’ve enjoyed your first 6 months on Earth! When you grow bigger I’ll make you snacks. Trust me, they’ll be even tastier than my finger!

As fate should have it, I got Jo in the Secret Santa draw. Among the other things, I gave her this birth announcement. I really just wanted to experiment colouring with colored pencils. Unfortunately I didn’t scan or take a photo of the final product, but the photo on the right is the rough draft. I’m happy that Jo is happy.

As I mentioned at the beginning, this octopus was inspired by the octopus toys made to comfort premature babies. I’m sure even non-preemies would love to have a dangly friend to cling onto. Izzy wasn’t a preemie, but she certainly enjoys her octopus! If you would like to contribute an octopus, visit the “octopus for a preemie” website or one of their Facebook pages. (Click the blue texts to follow through)

What other baby toys should appear on the blog? Do the octopus’ colors turn your cats into rock-toed pusses? Know any better octopus puns? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~