Crochet Sarubobo dolls

I'm sure that most of you know what Sarubobo means, but in case you don't know here's the definition from wikipedia:

" A sarubobo is a Japanese amulet, particularly associated with the town of Takayiama. Sarubobos are red human shaped dolls, with no facial features, made in a variety of sizes. Traditionally, sarubobos are made by grandmothers for their grandchildren as dolls, and for their daughters as a charm for good marriage, good children and to ensure a well-rounded couple."
And...
"Sarubobo literally translated from the Japanese as "a baby monkey".
There are several reasons why the amulet has this name. The sarubobo is associated with three wishes- protection from bad things, a happy home, a good match, having an easy delivery on birth."

Well, I don't really believe in lucky charms, but I fell in love with Sarubobo dolls because they are so cute, and I have decided to create a crochet pattern.
They are small enough to be considered amigurumi, size varies from 4.5cm to 6.5cm.
The pattern includes a step-by-step tutorial for making a sarubobo keychain,


a sarubobo pincushion,


a sarubobo fridgie,



a flying sarubobo with ballons,


sarubobo mama and baby


I used left over yarn from shawls and I think it is a nice pattern for recycling wool and thread!
Pattern is available on my Ravelry
and on ETSY

Update on Tango Shawl

This has never happened to me before, two posts in the same day... but I have just finished pinning my Tango shawl and I really needed to tell somebody :).
I will begin working on the pattern tomorrow. Ok, here's a sneak peek.

Someone is selling our free patterns!

Yep, that's right! I have just found a Blogger's Blog where a person from Singapore is actually selling several other people's free patterns. So much for copyright. How sad !?!

Warm weather & satisfied customers

Firstly, I want to thank Pamela, who bought one of my crochet patterns from my Etsy store and sent me photos of the finished shawl:



It took her less than a week to finish, what a fast crocheter! :)
Not like me, that with the weather getting warmer and warmer I'm experiencing the usual change-of-season symptoms which include a slight loss of energy that makes any activity slow and rather difficult. At the same time, as a sort of compensation, my brain is working overtime and I have already planned the next 2-3 months workwise. I have set a deadline for finishing the ufos (at least the ones that are not going into the frog basket), including Tango shawl, for the end of June. Then I will take a break from shawls, well maybe not completely, for something new for me. As usual I will alternate crochet hooks and knitting needles: switching between these two "modes" keeps my brain always in full activity. More in the next post.;)

Lei wedding ring afghan pattern

Project details:

size: 17"x 51"- cm90 x cm130
yarn: approx. 450gr fingering weight wool
2mm crochet hook

Pattern is available on my Etsy store or as pdf download on Ravelry (I'm missrita).

Afghans in spring

An afghan can take several months to finish, so it makes sense to start working on it perhaps in spring or in summer and have it ready for the following autumn-winter season. I was looking at some beautiful quilts on a magazine a couple of months ago and I decided to crochet a small blanket. I was pleasantly impressed by the double wedding ring motif in particular, which is so popular and at the same time I wanted to create a simple pattern, an alternative to the common granny square.
This is what I came up with.

Isn't it pretty? It would make a lovely gift for a wedding or for Christmas.
I count on having the pattern ready by Monday and I will be posting more photos as well as details about the project.

Next week will be a busy one. I need to get stuck into some serious spring cleaning, which includes rearranging the bir's for the warm season, then I plan to finish the Tango shawl. That shouldn't take me more than 2-3 days, unless I get distracted by a new inspiration. You never know!

Etsy? And why not!

So I have made the decision. I have set up my Etsy store and sold 2 patterns in 2 days. Not bad for a start! I will be adding more patterns regularly so what can I say... visit my Etsy store! Link is on sidebar -->

:)

It's that time of the year...

There isn't a corner of the garden that is not in full bloom. Like every year it happens suddenly, one morning I step outside and..wow.. what I see takes away my breath. Anyone with a sane mind would be out there smelling, observing, enjoying... and what does yours truly do? Knit! For some mysterious reason I seem to be more interested in the colour of yarn than in the colour of the gifts of mother nature. But that isn't entirely true. The deep red of my roses has given me inspiration for this shawl, which I have called "Tango".
Sneak peak...


Those who know me know that red is not one of the colours I like to wear but I had this beautiful laceweight wool in my stash that kept blinking at me.
One thing I have learned about red is that there's no way you can work with it at night, not even with all the lights on. Or maybe it's just me?
Anyway, I plan to have it ready for testing by the end of next week. Fingers crossed!

Pavone Shawlette pattern ready!

This shawl is worked from the neck down in five panels, ending with a simple crochet edging.
Experience level: advanced beginner.
Size: Approx. 130cm wide at widest point, 65cm long at longest point (after blocking).
Materials needed:
Approx. 300gr DK weight yarn
4mm (US 6) circular knitting needle
3.5mm (US 5) crochet hook
Markers.

Gauge: 22sts and 30 rows = 10cm (4ins)

Pattern and details on My Original Designs

This is for Katrin, Sara, and Carla, my volunteer test knitters: thank you ladies for your precious help!! :)

Carla's Pavone

Pavone Shawlette test update

My tester Sara is using Rowan RYC Silk Wool DK in purple! Isn't it fantastic? She's doing a great job. :)