on the hook: shaping up.

well. it's been a long time since i kept up with wednesday wip but i have A LOT on my hook right now i thought i'd take a break and share what's going on in my amigurumi world this week....

LOVE how my first of two dragons are turning out. i'm using the Choose Your Own Dragon Adventure pattern by FreshStitches. i worked on him more this past weekend than i actually have this week and i'm itching to pick him up again but i wasn't too smart and started him before the Ravellenic Games started... so instead of whipping him up quick and entering him in an event i had to set him aside and work on something else for awhile. not a big deal, i'll get him (and then his sister) finished up soon. 

my goal for the Ravellenic Games as part of Team Ami by Design was to design a project to enter into the Toy Toss and it's been kind of hard going. i'm currently obsessed with the idea of designing a baby rhino and my first attempt was a total disaster. to keep a long-ish story super short (you can see some of the design process here Baby Rhino on Ravelry)... my first idea was to create a realistic baby rhino inspired by our trip to the zoo a few weekends ago to see the LEGO Safari. i was struck looking at the huge intricate lego sculptures that they essentially where designed just like a amigurumi would be, the rows of legos even kind of looked like stitches! i quickly discovered (about 70% through the piece) that realism isn't my thing (at least not yet) and that crocheting a super thick yarn with a hook that is way too small is incredibly painful.

so, i decided to get back to basics and sketch up a rhino that was more "me"... something i would have fun designing that would still stretch my skills. enter that little cutie up there in my sketch + another new friend (designed by MyGurumi) to practice some "new to me" shaping techniques...

you can't tell but this sweet ball of blue is going to be a seahorse! i'm using MyGurumi's Charly Seahorse pattern to work on some different shaping stitches that i've never used before... extended single crochets and slip stitches. my hope is that this will help me better understand how to create a bulgy belly while keeping the back of a quadruped straighter and how to stitch up a tight curved piece for horns, tails, etc. just trying to add more to my amigurumi design arsenal while getting another super cute friend for little miss or someone else really special! 

so that's what's on my hook this week... but what else am i working on? why opening up my etsy store of course! it's officially going to happen and i'm super nervous and excited. i'm starting out with just a few special orders but have plans to include a few patterns (on etsy and ravelry) as well as some listings that will be perfect for holiday amigurumi shopping! September 1st is my deadline to have it open but I'll be posting more information soon soon soon! 

love  ♥

note: if you are a non-ravelry using reader of my blog... the Ravellenic Games is an event that Ravelry organizes to coincide with the Olympics every two years that has "olympic themed" events for you to enter projects into. you can only enter projects you start/end during the running time of the olympics. you can get more info on them here!