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!

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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~

Various Pokeballs – Amigurumi #22

Pokeballs are available to purchase here!

It’s the first Saturday of May! And if you’re an anime fan living in or around Toronto, it’s almost time for Anime North.

Anime North is an annual fan expo for all things anime. I’ve wanted to go for years, but it’s only now that I finally get a chance. My birthday buddy (friend who has the same birthdate as me) managed to get an extra ticket, so I figured, why not? I’m still in-between on the exact cosplay I want to wear. It’s between Katara, (Avatar: The Last Airbender) Oliver, (Ni no Kuni) and TK. (Digimon [season 1])

 

If you can’t make it to Anime North, it’s okay: here are some Pokeballs you can pretend you bought at Anime North!

Left to right: Master Ball, Pokeball, and Green Ball

 

I KNOW, another Pokeball-themed post. They’re just so easy and fun to make! As this post’s title suggests, these would make great accessories for a Pokemon-themed cosplay. Or a stress ball. Or to throw at your friends to catch them. Either way, POKEBALLS!

Each Pokeball is approximately 3″, or 7.5 cm tall. This makes them just the right size to fit in your hands.

The Pokeballs are currently available in the designs and colours shown. For custom designs, please send me a message on Etsy.

I’m trying to save up money for a souvenir. Maybe I’ll find a ribbon for Shoonie, or a 3DS decal for Peck Peck. No plushies obviously, I’m more than set for those. XP

Oh look, another shameless link to the Etsy shop.

See any Pokeballs you like? Want? Need? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Master Ball – Amigurumi #21

Fat Master Ball is fat. I’ll have to take a better picture tomorrow, when natural light can show off the purple.

Humph. Not too thrilled with how the overall body turned out. Before stuffing it looked square and lumpy, unlike Kirby who was so nice and round. I knew I should’ve used Kirby’s body pattern…

Anyway, the master ball plush is the same size as Kirby.

 

I had a little assistance on this one, from a wee little thing named Kailyn. (SP???) She helped sew a pink spot and glue on the M. I must say, her sewing isn’t bad for her first time. I just might keep this ball around for her to toss around next time she comes for practice.

Inspiration for this pattern came from Hey You, Pikachu! For those who don’t remember the N64 days, HYP was Nintendo’s attempt at incorporating vocal recognition into a game. As per the title, you would say a command into the special microphone, and Pikachu would respond. It kinda worked, and kinda didn’t. I once told Pika to use Thundershock, but instead it decided to dance. Apparently its dance skills were so bad that the treasure chest blew up. Nintendo logic!

HYP had a beach mini game in which you tossed around Pokeball beach balls. The master ball was worth the most points. Last week, Kailyn was tossing Kirby around like a volleyball. Kirby flew into the kitchen and landed on the dishes. Luckily the dishes were clean, and he was so soft that he bounced off safely. This reminded me of the volleyball game, and so the master volley ball was created.

Kailyn likes whales and hammerhead sharks. And then I casually mentioned harpooning a whale and a hammerhead shark in Black Flag. She said, “aww I wanna see you harpoon a whale!” I’m confused about kids’ priorities nowadays…

I’m thinking of going shopping for some proper red yarn (Kirby’s feet were made with two thin red yarns held together) and re-trying the ball. Then I can add more things to my Etsy. Oh wait, I said I would add the fairies, didn’t I? Geez, get it together, me… I also have to make my costume for next month! ASDFGHJKL;’

What’s your favourite type of Pokeball? Would you play Poke volley ball? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Pokemon Hats – Knitting #1

October is a busy month. If you’re a student, it’s a time of submitting assignments and cramming for midterms. If you’re Canadian, you’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving and are now preparing for the cold weather. And of course, Hallowe’en is upon us. October also happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness month.

This is totally what I look like in real life.

Let’s make a post that ties in to all of the above. If you’re a student who wants to dress up, but doesn’t have the time to make or buy a fancy costume, simply throw on a fun accessory. With the cold weather approaching, consider a nice, warm hat. For example, my Pikachu costume last year (and the year before): I made a hat with the Pikachu ears. After that, I just popped on a yellow dress with a cutout tail sewn to the back, paint rosy cheeks, and voila~

Remember folks: silly headware + wise wardrobe choices = quick and easy costume.

Here’s the prototype Pikachu hat, beside the mystery newcomer hat. Can you guess what it will be? Hint: It’s not Ditto.

Right: Pikachu prototype. Left: Who’s that Pokemon?

Now it’s time to make your own hat! Don’t worry, hats knit up quick and easy. Try using larger needles or thicker yarn if you’re really in a bind.

How to Make your own Character Hat

Step 1: Make a basic hat. (I used this pattern from Tin Can Knits)

Step 2: Make necessary details, such as ears, horns, hair puffs, etc.

Step 3: ???

Step 4: Profit!

I improvised the ears on the Pikachu hat, and will improvise the details on the mystery hat, as well. If you’re new to circular knitting, the Tin Can Knits blog offers a step by step tutorial with pictures. You can also try making your hat from a basic crochet hat, or cutting the detail shapes from felt.

Finally, let’s move to the more serious part of October. I bought the pretty pink yarn (same shade as the breast cancer ribbon) from Zellers a year ago. The sign above the shelf said that all profits earned from said yarn sales, would benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation. I don’t think it was wise to trust that sign…. this happened in December, and Zellers is no longer a thing. Now that I have earned back the value of the yarn on Etsy, I plan to donate that amount ($5.99) directly to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. It’s not much, but at least this way I know the donation is going straight to the cause. I hope the donation will make a breast cancer patient’s world a little more plush.

October 24 is Wear it Pink day. I’m not 100% sure if this is also a Canadian event or not; our school had it last year, but we’re pretty bad when it comes to publicizing events. ( ; w ; ) Wear it Pink seems to be based in the UK. Even if you’re not confident in your ability to make fancy details, you can make a plain pink hat. You could also make a pink scarf. Scarves knit up quickly, just in time to wear it pink this coming Friday.

For more information, or if you’d like to donate to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, visit their website here.

Coming soon…

What other character hats would you like to see? Will you be wearing it pink? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Super Mario Mushroom Earrings – Amigurumi #7

August sure is a dry spell for creativity. All I can think of is going out and having fun, instead of sitting at home and doing crafts. It’s also very surreal to return to school knowing that most of your old classmates won’t be around.

I hope Mr. Drippy is on his way to his new home by now. The post office didn’t include tracking, (though they would have… for +$60) so there’s no way for me or the customer to track his progress. It’s been a week, and the lady at the post office said to give it 3 – 5 weeks to arrive. Man, selling plushies over Etsy is a lot more stressful than I thought.

Maybe thinking of nice things will help. Earrings are nice. This week shall be round 2 of earrings.

These were the first mushroom earrings I made, back in second year. There was a lot of emotional stress going on, and I needed a change of pace in some way. Making things is a great way to blow off steam. If you don’t have a hobby already, I highly recommend a creative outlet like this. Especially hobbies that involve the use of pointed objects.

From classmates to restaurant waiters, I’ve gotten compliments for these earrings left and right! The first few came from classmates, many of whom became some of my favourite boys. And then came times when I was running to catch a bus, only to have a stranger stop and compliment the earrings. I once said to a friend’s father, while visiting said friend’s home for dinner one wintry night, “sir, these are the earrings your son fell in love with!”

As I’ve probably mentioned in my pokéball earring post, the problem with these earrings is that they’re quite bulky and heavy for my poor ears. Sometimes when wearing them, I feel the weight pulling down my poor ears. I’m not too keen on stretching my earlobes, so I had to make a modified version:

Top: First mushroom earrings, size comparison to the new ones.

In case you can’t tell, the new mushrooms were made alongside the Pokéball earrings way back when. I know, it took a couple years. As a matter of fact, these new mushrooms were made with a modified version of the Pokéball earrings; I changed up the bottom so that they would sit flat, rather than mush up like the old ones.

I forgot to write notes for the big mushrooms, so it doesn’t look like we’ll see a recreation of those ever again. *sigh* I plan to have the mini mushrooms in my shop within the coming week.

For the sake of comfort, I prefer the smaller mushrooms because my hair and backpack don’t get tangled in them as much. They aren’t stuffed with fiberfill either, which leaves them light. However, the bigger ones have all the sweet memories. They are my way of showing that even though some bad things happened to me, I won’t let them ruin my future. And they look super adorable on ginger legs.

Iz mashram.

Hm… I think that sort of worked. Though it didn’t help the writer’s block I’ve been experiencing.

Do you prefer big mushroom earrings, or smaller ones? Comment below!

Pika, so happy~

Pokeball Earrings! – DIY #1

[14/06/14] These earrings are now available on Etsy!

Unfortunately, it appears that the Etsy shop launch will be delayed. To make up for it, however, here is a free pattern for you to try!

People might tell you I’m noted for my Super Mario mushroom earrings. Even strangers have complimented them! The problem with the earrings is that they’re heavy, because I made the mistake of stuffing them with the fiberfill stuffing I used for plushies.

This is the lesson of the day: DO NOT STUFF EARRINGS WITH STUFFING. It may not feel very heavy at first, but remember your earlobes are very delicate, and the fiberfill weight is enough to stretch them over time. Ouch!

These pokeball earrings are an improvement on that old earring-making technique. You start with a long tail, and stuff it into the earring afterward. This way it maintains its shape without weighing down your piercings. So easy, quick, and cute, you’ll want to make a pair in every type of pokeball!

 

How to make Pokeball Earrings

Materials needed:

1. Fine weight yarn in the following colours:

• Red
• White

2. *Lace crochet hook, 0.5 mm

3. 3D Paint in the following colours:

• Black
• White

4. Earring hooks (x2)

5. Scissors

*Note: The directions are based off what I personally used. A lace crochet hook is just a very tiny hook, so the smallest regular hook you can find should work as well. To make life easier, I’ve also included the number of stitches you should have after completing each round. 🙂

 

Abbreviations

st/sts = stitch/stitches

sc = single crochet

inc = increase

dec = decrease

 

Pokeballs (make 2)

With white yarn, start with a tail about 10 cm long.

Round 1: 5 sc into magic ring, pull tight to close (5 sts)

Round 2: inc into every st around (10 sts)

Round 3: sc around (10 sts)

Round 4: change to red, sc around (10 sts)

Round 5: sc around (10 sts)

At this point, stuff the white tail into the pokeball to help keep its shape. Snip off any excess that cannot fit.

//image: stuffing

Round 6: dec around (5 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a 5 cm tail.

 

Assembly

Use the tail to attach pokeballs to the hooks. Use your crochet hook to push the remaining tail into the top of the pokeball, and snip off any excess.

Using the black paint, draw a line around the pokeball, where the white and red change. It’s easier to draw half the line first, leave it face up to dry, and then finish it off.

When drawing the button, make sure that you draw it on the same side that will be facing FORWARD when you wear the earrings. Wait a few minutes for this to dry, and use the white paint to add the final dot in the middle of the button. Give the whole thing about half an hour to dry completely.

 

Enjoy your new Pokeball earrings!

 

And that concludes my first pattern. That was fun! If you want a pair but don’t know how to crochet, don’t worry! I will be selling these on Etsy once it finally gets going… *sigh*

This summer, my intention is to have a post every Friday evening. I hope you will join me at this time for a weekly dose of cute and craft!

Pika, so stylish!

Questions? Concerns? Corrections? Favourite colour? Comment below!

Pika, so happy!