Fetița cu acuarele / The watercolour girl - crochet doll

As I describe myself lately, I'm a crochet enthousiast training myself to becoming a pattern designer. And how else to begin this journey if not by allowing myself to complete such challenges as creating alike-dolls for young girls? Bellow you can contemplate my first doll, inspired by a pretty dressed girl, whose picture I found randomly in HappyButtonStore on Etsy. 

For the doll body and shoes, I used Tella pattern provided by Knottellaa on her youtube channel and facebook page. I created the dress and beret using my own imagination. Later at some point, I might be able to create a doll body of my own, and then transform this first alike-doll atempt into a pattern for you. It would be so nice, wouldn't it?

 

As a matter of fact, my objective regarding the creation of personalized dolls is creating opportunities for pattern design. So I hope it won't take long until I will be able to present you my first full doll pattern.

I release this new opportunity that I've created for myself with a contest for my romanian followers - you can find details here.

Technical details: I used Alize Bahar/Catania Originals cotton yarn, with a 2.25 mm Clover Amour hook. For the hair, I used a romanian silk (100% viscose) yarn, that I brushed after installing it on the doll head. I painted the eyes using textile colours on a piece of thin cotton cloth, then I glued them on the face. The pallette is cutout from felt, and the colour drops are crocheted with a 0.75 mm hook using embroidery yarn.
Hope that you like The Watercolour Girl as much as I do! 😍

Later Edit: Aquarella is actually the second doll I created, I almost forgot about the Girl in the Teapot, made for writer Laura, 3 years ago!

 

Miss Piggy - Free amigurumi pattern

Oh, I've never been more excited about something as I am about Miss Piggy right now! As a matter of fact, I'm writing this post in a very much hurry, just to be able to show you Miss Piggy wearing her sweeeet ruffled dress (which, by the way, was recycled from an old shirt). In the same time, I'm giving you the opportunity to make a Miss Piggy of your own, courtesy of Yana Dym Sky, her designer, which allowed me to publish my english notes describing her pattern.

As I said before, my notes are not as detailed as the original tutorial, so if you want further guidance, please watch Yana in action on her youtube channel - you can find the first part of Miss Piggy video tutorial here.

By clicking right here, you will find a short guidance for the abbreviations I'm using. For this doll, I used Clover Amour hook size 2.25 mm, with Catania/Alize Bahar cotton yarn - tight crochet for the body and loose crochet for the dress. I'm not sure about the size of the eyes, maybe 10 mm, but you can experiment with several sizes and decide what's good for you, depending on the size of your finished toy :)

1. HEAD

R1: magic ring, 6sc
R2: 6inc (12)
R3: 1sc, 1inc (18)
R4: 2sc, 1inc (24)
R5: 3sc, 1inc (30)
R6: 4sc, 1inc (36)
R7: 5sc, 1inc (42)
R8: 6sc, 1inc (48)
R9: 7sc, 1inc (54)
R10-R16 (7rows): 54sc (54)
R17: 9sc, (1sc, 1inc)x6, 1ch, skip 1sc, 10sc, 1ch, skip 1sc, (1inc, 1sc)x6, 9sc (66) (insert later the safety eyes in the holes created by skipping 1sc)
R18-R20 (3 rows): 66sc (66)
R21: (9sc, 1dec)x6 (60)
R22: (8sc, 1dec)x6 (54)
R23: (7sc, 1dec)x6 (48)
R24: (6sc, 1dec)x6 (42)
R25: (5sc, 1dec)x6 (36)
R26: (4sc, 1dec)x6 (30)
R27: (3sc, 1dec)x6 (24)
R28: (2sc, 1dec)x6 (18)
R29: (1sc, 1dec)x6 (12)
R30: 6dec (6)
Fasten off, leave long tail for sewing to the body.

2. EARS (make two)

R1: magic ring, 6sc (6)
R2: 6sc (6)
R3: 6inc (12)
R4: 12sc (12)
R5: (1sc, 1inc)x6 (18)
R6: 18sc (18)
R7: (2sc, 1inc)x6 (24)
R8: 24sc (24)
R9: (3sc, 1inc)x6 (30) R10: 30sc (30)
R11: superpose the final row, crochet together 14sc, leave long end for attaching to head.

3. MUZZLE

R1: magic ring, 6sc (6)
R2: (1sc, 1inc)x6 (12)
R3: 1sc, 3inc, 4sc, 3inc, 1sc (18)
R4: 1sc, (1sc, 1inc)x3, 4sc, (1sc, 1inc)x3, 1sc (24)
R5: 1sc, (2sc, 1inc)x3, 4sc, (2sc, 1inc)x3, 1sc (30)
R6: BLO, 30sc
R7: 30sc
Fasten off, leaving long end for sewing to head.

4. BODY

R1: magic ring, 6sc
R2: 6inc (12)
R3: (1sc, 1inc)x6 (18)
R4: (2sc, 1inc)x6 (24)
R5: (3sc, 1inc)x6 (30)
R6: (4sc, 1inc)x6 (36)
R7: (5sc, 1inc)x6 (42)
R8: (6sc, 1inc)x6 (48)
R9: (7sc, 1inc)x6 (54)
R10-R19 (10 rows): 54 sc
R20: (7sc, 1dec)x6 (48)
R21-R22: 48sc
R23: (6sc, 1dec)x6 (42)
R24-R25: 42sc
R26: (5sc, 1dec)x6 (36)
R27-R28: 36sc
R29: (4sc, 1dec)x6 (30)
R30-R31: 30sc
R32: (3sc, 1dec)x6 (24)
R33-R34: 24sc
R35: (1sc, 1dec)x6 (18)

5. HANDS

R1: magic ring, 6sc
R2: (1sc, 1inc)x3 (9)
R3: 9sc
R4-R5: (join the two parts): 18sc
R6-R10: 18sc
R11: 8sc, 1dec, 8sc (17)
R12: 17sc
R13: 8sc, 1dec, 7sc (16)
R14: 16sc
R15: 8sc, 1dec, 6sc (15)
R16: 15sc
R17: 8sc, 1dec, 5sc (14)
R18: 14sc
R19: 7sc, 1dec, 5sc (13)
R20: 13sc
R21: 7sc, 1dec, 4sc (12)
R22: 7sc, 1dec, 3sc (11)
R23: 6sc, 1dec, 3sc (10)
R24: 6sc, 1dec, 2sc (9)
R25: sc a few stitches to be able to fold it the right way, then stitch together to end, leave long ends for attaching to body.

6. FEET

R1: 7ch
R2: from 2nd ch from hook, 5sc, 6sc in last ch, 5sc (16)
R3: 5sc, 6inc, 5sc (22)
R4: 3sc in first sc, 4sc, (1sc, 1inc)x6, 5sc (30)
R5: 1inc, 1sc, 1inc, 4sc, (2sc, 1inc)x6, 5sc (38)
R6: 1sc, 1inc, 2sc, 1inc, 33sc (40)
R7: 40sc, crocheted from the back
R8: 40sc in top 2 loops
R9-R10: 40sc
R11: 4sc, 1dec, 13sc, 1dec, (1sc, 1dec)x4, 7sc, change color
R12: attach middle back, 13sc, 5dec, 11sc (29)
R13: 11sc, 4dec, 10sc (25)
R14: 1dec, 10sc, 1dec, 11sc (23)
R15: 9sc, 3dec, 8sc (20)
R16-R18: 20sc
R19: 1dec, 18 sc (19)
R20: 19sc
R21: 1dec, 17sc (18)
R22: 18sc
R23: 1dec, 16sc (17)
R24: 17sc
R25: 1dec, 15sc (16)
R26: 16sc
R27: 1dec, 14sc (15)
[left leg]
R28: 11sc, 1dec, 2sc
R29: 10sc, 1dec, 2sc
R30: 9sc, 1dec, 2sc
R31: 6dec, fasten off
[right leg]
R28: 3sc, 1dec, 10sc
R29: 3sc, 1dec, 9 sc
R30: 3sc, 1dec, 8sc
R31: 6dec, fasten off

7. DRESS

The dress I used for my Miss Piggy was just designed by me, so I'm presenting you this version. For the original version, please check Yana's tutorial here.

R1: 32ch, turn, slst into the 6th ch
R2: 2ch (counts as dc), 3dc, [1dc, 1ch, 1dc] into next ch, 2dc, [1dc, 1ch, 1dc] into next ch, 8dc, [1dc, 1ch, 1dc] into next ch, 2dc, [1dc, 1ch, 1dc] into next ch, 6dc, turn
R3: 2ch (counts as dc), 1dc, (2dc in next dc)x2, 2dc, 5ch, skip 8 stitches, 1dc, 2dc in next dc, (2sc, 2dc in next dc)x3, 1dc, 5ch, skip 8 stitches, 2dc, (2dc in next dc)x2, 4dc, turn
R4: 2ch (counts as dc), 2dc, 2dc in next dc, 3dc, 2dc in next dc, 1dc, (1dc in next ch)x2, 2dc in next ch, (1dc in next ch)x2, 2dc, 2dc in next dc, 3dc, 2dc in next dc, 2dc, 2dc in next dc, 3dc, 2dc in next dc, 2 dc, (1dc in next ch)x2, 2dc in next ch, (1dc in next ch)x2, 1dc, 2dc in next dc, 3dc, 2 dc in next dc, 2dc, 6ch, turn,
 R5: sc around

Dress shoulders: working on R3, 4dc in first 1ch space, 2dc, (2dc in next dc)x2, 2 dc, 4dc in 1ch space.

Hope you Miss Piggies will turn out just as cute as mine. Thank you, Yana Dym Sky, for the hard work invested in creating this beautiful pattern!

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Please make sure you read the first part of the amigurumi tips series - how to read the patterns proposed on this blog, before you proceed to making this toy.

If you want to post photos of what you've created following this pattern, there is a group dedicated to Papillon en Papier artwork - Papillon en Papier Wonderland. Join to keep up with my work.

CAL doll Greta - free crochet pattern, PART 4 - ASSEMBLY

My life is so busy lately, that I must confess - I cheated other priorities in order to help you finalize your Gretas before Christmas. So, here is my method for joining the parts together.

First step, you need to gather all the parts and tools together, as shown in figure 1. You will need a long needle, some buttons, strands of yarn - body and underwear colors, and pins. In figure 1, left, I highlighted the shape of the doll seen from the side - it has a curve at the back, given by the decreases on rows 19 and 20, and a curve on the face, given by decreases on rows 55 and 56 - those curves represent the bottom and the face.

Second step, you will pin-mark the first and last decrease on row 19, to help you decide next where the joining points will be, as illustrated in figure 2:

- in order to attach the legs, mark 7th and 9th rows on the underwear and 7th row from above on the legs;

- in order to attach the hands, mark 6th row from the neck, on the body, and 5th row from above on the hands.

To realise the joinings, I will explain how I did it for the legs. I passed the yarn through the needle, then I passed the needle through both holes of one button. Then, I inserted the needle into the left leg of the doll, as close as I could to the pin. I removed the pin while I was passing the needle to the other side. Then, I inserted the needle through the marks on the 9th row of the body, from my right to my left. Then, I took the right leg of the doll and passed from right to left, according to the mark. Next, I passed my needle through both holes of the second button, and executed a return to the first button on the opposite side of the doll. On the legs, I had to punch in the same place, but making sure I didn't meet the coming strand of yarn (in order to avoid tangles and allow pulling). On the body, I punched through marks on row 7. At the end of this operation, your legs should look like in figure 3. Then, you will take both yarn ends and pull as tight as you can (you may want to press from the side of the doll) until you obtain some kind of "V shape" for the underwear. In fact, it should look similar to plastic doll joints. Then, fasten off and hide the ends into the left leg.

Do similar for the hands. Then mark the belly and the bottom as pictured in figure 4, on row 15. Take the needle with white yarn , insert it from the bottom to the belly. Come back to the bottom from row 14 near the belly. Then, insert the needle into the magic ring between the legs, and come back once again to the bottom mark. Fasten off and hide the ends.

You may shape further the face as I did in figure 5 - I marked the places where I wanted the eyes and corners of the mouth, and, inserting the needle from the back of the head, I went from the left eye to the left mouth corner, then to the right mouth corner and right eye, going out through the back of the head, the same place where I entered. Pulled, fastened off and hid the ends.

For the small doll, I chose painted eyes on fabric. For the bigger doll, I used safety eyes from Aliexpress.

As I finished to decorate her head, I also present you the half-naked Lumi doll. She is some kind of self-portrait, although she looks more like me without the braids. One of the next days I will post the dress and shoes pattern, as soon as I will make them for my Lumi.

Have fun!

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Please make sure you read the first part of the amigurumi tips series - how to read the patterns proposed on this blog, before you proceed to making this doll.

If you want to post photos of what you've created following this CAL, there is a group dedicated to Papillon en Papier artwork - Papillon en Papier Wonderland. Join to keep up with my work and CALs.

Find the first part of the CAL - the hands, here.

Find the second part of the CAL - the legs, here.

Find the third part of the CAL - the body and head, here.

Find the fifth part of the CAL - the dress and shoes, here.

CAL Doll Greta - free crochet pattern, PART 2 - LEGS

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Please make sure you read the first part of the amigurumi tips series - how to read the patterns proposed on this blog, before you proceed to making this doll.

If you want to post photos of what you've created following this CAL, there is a group dedicated to Papillon en Papier artwork - Papillon en Papier Wonderland. Join to keep up with my work and CALs.

I am astonished about how this CAL was received - with so much enthusiasm and excitement! Therefore, I didn't want to delay too much the posting of the second part, so I worked hard to finish my little legs in order to share with you the next stage of this CAL. The hard part is that I work on two dolls at the same time, but I know that eventually this work will pay off and these dolls will become my two wonders!

Let's proceed with the legs!

The video for making these legs is found here.

Unlike Petus, the designer of this doll, I chose to reinforce my doll with copper wire. If you choose to use it too, you should curl the wire at the ends, just like we did with the hands. However, at the closing end, this curvature should be bigger, as illustrated in the picture bellow (g). Also, don't be afraid to use "men" tools, the name by which these pliers would be more familiar to most of you :) I use it to pull easier the needle through the work, when I want to hide yarn ends inside the body or when I embroider the eyes, but also to shape the copper wire.

I added two extra rows and knees to the original legs pattern :)

In "sock" color (white, in my case):

R1. 8ch, start in second chain from hook, 3sc in same ch, (return) 5sc, 3sc in same ch, 5sc (16)
R2. 3V, 5sc, 3V, 5sc (22)
R3. (1sc, 1V)x3, 6 sc, 1V, (1 sc, 1V)x2, 5 sc (28)
R4. (2sc, 1V)x3, 7sc, 1V, (2sc, 1V)x2, 5sc (34)
R5-R7. 34sc (34)

After R7, because I'm planing to make a different shoe model than the original, I inserted plastic soles  (cut to measure) inside the bigger feet (picture (a)), so that the doll will stand by herself even when not wearing shoes. For smaller feet this step is not compulsory, as the original pattern for the shoes (which I will post in the next stage of the call) does include using plastic soles.

R8. 15sc, (1X, 1sc)x5, 1X, 2sc (28)
R9. 4sc, 1X, 1sc, 1X, 6sc, 6X, 1sc (20)
R10. 1X, 8sc, 1X, 2sc, 2X, 2sc (16)

At this stage, you should insert your copper wire and begin stuffing the feet (picture (b), (c), (d)).

R11. 16sc (16)
R12. (3sc, 1V)x4 (20)
R13-R14. 20sc (20)
R15. (4sc, 1V)x4 (24)
Finish off. Keep the yarn end on the outside, if you want to make a crochet border to the sock. At this stage, legs should look like in picture (e).

In skin color:

R16. 24sc in BLO (24)
R17. 24 sc (24)
R18. 6sc, 1V, 2sc, 1V, 14sc (26)
R19-22. 26sc (26)
R23. 7sc, 1X, (1sc, 1X)x2, 7sc, 3V, 1sc (26)
R24. 26sc (26)
R25. 7sc, 1V, (1sc, 1V)x2, 7sc, 3X, 1sc (26)
R26. 26sc (26)
R27. 11sc, 1V, 14sc (27)
R28. 27sc (27)
R29. 12sc, 1V, 14sc (28)
R30-R36. 28sc (28)
R37. 7sc, 1X, (4sc, 1X)x2, 7sc (25)
R38. (3sc, 1X)x5 (20)
R39. (2sc, 1X)x5 (15)
R40. (1sc, 1X)x5 (10)
R41. 5X
Finish off. Hide the yarn end inside the body.

Sock edge: Using the yarn end left outside after finishing the sock, work in front loops of R16 around the leg - 2sc, (3ch, 2sc)x11, 3ch. Cut yarn and finish off.

Bellow there are some photos I took during the legs making process.

This is your finished little leg. Should I remind you how the finished doll, following this pattern, is likely to look at the end? :)

Find the first part of the CAL - the hands, here.

Find the third part of the CAL - the body and head, here. 

Find the fourth part of the CAL - the assembly, here.

Find the fifth part of the CAL - the dress and shoes, here.

Amigurumi tips part 3 - dolls hair and eyes

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There's a wide variety of solutions that you can adopt for you crochet dolls. From accessories to their appearance and clothes, they can be personalized beyond imagination, however you must know that choosing the right hair and eyes type is just a matter of personal choice and it's also part of the game. Yes, I look at doll making art with child eyes. How I wish now I knew about this art when I was a child! But I have now the chance to return to those feelings by making crochet dolls. I just fell in love with them and can't help myself but trying as many patterns and solutions as I can! And slowly, coming out with my own doll models...

Today I'm going to talk about different types of hair and eyes that I've been experimenting with in my dolls, and also about future perspectives.

1. HAIR

What I tried so far is:

• viscose hair (artificial silk), attached strand by strand to a crocheted cap - it was very time and energy consuming, so not planning to retry this version, however I have documented the process in the photos bellow.

• crocheted wig - I used it in Alexa doll, tutorial by Petus Ochoa and notes by me. But there are a bunch of variants that could be tried, and I find some of them very nice looking too. I would opt for this version of wig particularly if I was to make a doll meant for a baby - it will maintain its shape / style in time better than any other version.

• wool hair - I bought some wool yarn, not very homogenous, though (it contains some very thin parts across the lenght, which I tried to place away from the surface of the head) - I used it in Alesia and Laura dolls (Greta CAL model). I only attached the strands around the head, then secured them in a bun. I also took some pictures of the procedure - firstly, I marked the line where I wanted to plant the hair around the hair using some pins, then I started to attach the yarn.

What I plan to try:

• I have bought some artificial doll wig hair, which is sold by meter, in different lengths of hair, straight or curly - they are attached to the doll head in spiral around the head by sewing or gluing, directly to the head or using a detachable cap (which can be, in turn, a textile mesh or a soft plastic / glue hardened piece of elastic cloth or mesh). You can find a tutorial about this attaching procedure here.
• I also have found artificial hair accessories in regular stores, such as hair extensions and elastic bands which contain strands of artificial hair attached to textile cords, similar to the wig hairs specified above.
• I plan on making some yarn wigs, which are often used for Barbie-sized plastic dolls. For this procedure, it is generally used acrylic yarn, but as far as I understand, it would not allow you to obtain longer than about 10 cm wefts. For longer wefts, I think I will return to viscose, even if it's heavier. Bellow this paragraph you have some youtube references for obtaining yarn wefts for doll hair.
• alpaca hair - well, this might be a little too expensive for my budget...
• felting wool hair - I already bought some strands of such wool, but I find it quite fragile, so if you too plan to use this kind of hair, you should know that it can easily break if pulling just a little. But the styling you can obtain is amazing, and, for instance, Alyona Dudakova makes an amazing job on her elves. 
• simply yarn hair.
• of course, there are also already made hair wigs on the internet, but they come in specific sizes at enormous costs :)
• ribbon hair: I found some tutorials here, here and here.

There are various artists proposing tutorials for yarn wefts and, subsequently, doll wigs. Here are just a few:

- UNNieDOLLS

- Mozekyto

- Ganchigurumi 

2. EYES

I've tried by far four types of eyes: 

• safety eyes: these are standard hemispheres, with a safety joint at the back. These are the type of eyes used in regular plush toys, very safe for small children. There are clear versions of safety eyes, which you can customize using ceramic or nail paint. The only inconvenience is that you have to plant the eyes during crocheting, in order to attach the safety pin on the inside of your work. These eyes appearance can be improved by adding a layer of felt underneath, like I did with my first doll, using Tini Miny Design toturial.

• embroidered eyes: from my experience, this works best on unmercerized and unsilky cotton. For instance, my favourite yarns for doll body are Catania Originals and Alize Bahar yarns, but these are not appropriate for embroidered eyes. The technique works fine, perhaps, with acrylic yarn too, but since I don't use acrylic, I couldn't say. Also, I find using a curled needle compulsory for embroidering the eyes.

• painted eyes: this requires painting the eyes on a piece of cotton fabric, then securing the painting with one or two layers of varnish (or you can use nail polish). However, if you are using fabric paint, I don't think the varnishing step is compulsory. The other option I tried is acrylic paint, and it worked marvelously.

• custom made eyes: I found some thin plastic boards in the hobby store, from which I detached, using a puncher, small circles. I subsequently painted these pieces with ceramic black paint, but nail paint would work just as well. In the end, I just glued them to the toy.

Planes pattern by Marika

There are, however, other ways to obtain custom eyes, so I also plan to try sculpting them with Fimo or another type of clay, for instance.

In the end, I have three questions for you:

1. What is your favourite type of doll hair?

2. What is your favourite type of doll eyes?

3. Which of the techniques presented have you already tried?

If you have information about other types of doll hair and eyes that could be used, please share your knowledge with us. Your welcome!

Check the other parts of Amigurumi tips series:

Part 1 - Reading and understanding crochet instructions proposed by Papillon en Papier

Part 2 - Check the yarn, choose the hook, tension and stuffing

Amigurumi tips part 1 - reading and understanding crochet instructions proposed by Papillon en Papier

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I am a fan of simple, understandable within few words, crochet instructions. With intricate designs, such as the doll body, for instance, you need to maintain focus on the final number of stitches you will have on each row.

1. How to follow my patterns

Bellow is the list with the most important terms that I use in my free amigurumi patterns, own or translated / modified (the numbers highlighted in fuchsia are just examples):

• 2sc - two single crochet (one sc in each of the next 2sc)
• 2dc - two double crochet (one dc in each of the following 2 stitches)
• 2hdc - two half double crochet (one hdc in each of the next 2 stitches)
• 3V - 3 increases (2sc in each of the following 3sc - 6sc in total)
• 2X - 2 decreases (decrease is when 2 neighbor single crochet become 1 single crochet. In the example, 2X means two decreases performed one after another - so instead of the following 4sc on the previous row, you will have 2sc on the current row)
• 3inc - perform a specific number on increases (in this example case, 3) on a row, regardless of the position of these increases
• 2dec -  perform a specific number of decreases on a row (in this example, 2), regardless of the position of these decreases
• (20) - inside the parentheses at the end of a row there will always be the number of stitches you need to have on that row - in the example, 20 stitches.
• BLO - back loops only 
• FLO - front loops only (learn how to work in back or front loops only from youtube).

Occasionally I use instructions made of two stages, such as:

1. 6sc in magic ring
2. 20sc - you will continuously work 20sc (instead of 20 there can be any other number), only one sc in each sc ahead. In the example, you will end up with 3 rows (18sc)+2 more sc. I find this easier to follow that regular instructions (that use rows) in case of thin parts - fingers, arms, antennas etc.

2. Working in spiral and rounds

You need to know that, generally, all amigurumis are worked in spiral. However, there are occasions that require working in the rounds (either you will end the row with a slip stitch and continue working around, either you will return, working from the other side on the previous row - as the pattern states).

3. Right side vs wrong side of the work

There are crocheters that prefer working on the wrong side of the work. This is especially available for doll bodies that are worked with very fine yarn and crochet hooks between 0.5 and 1 mm, because the crochet body worked in spiral curls naturally with the wrong side out and is easier to work it like that. But there is also another reason behind this choice - the wrong side of the work is flatter, so the doll body will have a smoother look on the outside. I, for instance, prefer working with the wrong side out only on very thin parts (with a thickness ranging from 3 to 5sc). 

4. Color changing and finishing off

You can find plenty of information on color changing on the internet. Just google or search on youtube "color changing in crochet". The articles and videos you will find include the invisible color changing. I like best one method in particular, that I use not only for color changing, but also for finishing up almost every piece of crochet that I make. I illustrated it in this picture (pictures 1 to 6). 

5. Recommendations

First thing I recommend is to try a simple amigurumi pattern, with full instructions (not simplified as the ones I use). You will get familiarized with the terms, with how increases and decreases work and how to, basically, follow a pattern. Only after that you will be able to try more intricate designs, such as the ones I propose.

Second thing I recommend, whenever you don't understand a term or don't know how to perform a certain stitch, try first to find out a solution on google or youtube. I utilise general terms that are used in crochet, that can be looked up easily just by writing along with them the keyword "crochet". For example, if you don't know how to work an invisible decrease, look up for "invisible decrease crochet". If you really can't find a solution for the problem you face on google, contact me and I will happily try my best to help you. 

Third, I recommend you take the pictures of the finished parts/dolls as a reference for what you should end up with. This will prevent you sometimes from asking really silly questions :)

________

There will be a series of articles on the amigurumi subject. Next time I will write about the things that I learned the hard way, so stay tuned!

Check the other parts of Amigurumi tips series:

Part 2 - Check the yarn, choose the hook, tension and stuffing

Part 3 - Dolls hair and eyes

Snails and mushrooms - free amigurumi patterns

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The first to take life were the mushrooms - I started making them as soon as I heard that Iulian Tănase, a writer that I admire, was to release a new book related to snails. Then I bought the book. And only after that I started working on the snails - Prince Snail and Zuza, his (girl)friend. I decided to leave them, in the end, eye-less partly, because, even if I normally prefer all my dolls to have eyes, they look very cute as they are, and partly, because I was afraid to spoil their beauty with some animation-style eyes, which might not have been in accordance with their romantic style... You also helped me take this decision by expressing your opinion on my post in Amigurumi dolls facebook group.

The mushrooms and the shell of the snail are taken from a russian website (designer Anya Kirdyasheva), but I translated them in english for you. The body of the snail is designed by me, in accordance with the final dimensions of the shell. Please, take care that I only present the denomination of the stitches, informations on how they are worked can be found plenty on google and youtube! I hope you enjoy making these items!

...But first, let's admire a bit the photo-shoot that just happened in the garden - in my own fairytale, Zuza and Prince Snail decided to get married. They hired me as their photographer and only called the two mushrooms to be their witnesses. The bride bouquet was an autumn leaf, which she shared (instead of champagne) after the ceremony with her newlywed.

Terms and definitions:

sc - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
dc - double crochet
inc - perform as many increases as indicated, wherever you choose on the row
dec - perform as many decreases as indicated, wherever you choose on the row
V- increase (2sc in the same stitch)
X - decrease (1sc in two stitches)
BLO - back loop only
(...) - at the end of the row, you must have ... stitches on the respective row

1. SNAIL

The snails were worked using Catania Originals cotton yarn and 2mm crochet hook. They measure approximately 6x8cm (without the horns). I inserted copper wires (2mm thick) into the snail body, as it is indicated in the sketch that I made for you, bellow. The horns were covered in yarn using fabric glue.

BODY
R1: 6sc in magic ring (6)
R2: 6V (12)
R3: (1sc, 1V)x6 (18)
R4: (2sc, 1V)x6 (24)
R5-R7: 24sc (24)

Insert the horns, curl the ends as pictured above, then cover the horns in yarn. Wait for the glue to dry, then stuff the head and continue working. Stuff the body a bit as you advance. Insert the body wire after you finish and stuff the head.

R8: (2sc, 1X)x6 (18)
R9: (1sc, 1X)x6 (12)
R10: 5X, 2sc (7)
R11-R13: 7sc (7)
R14: 2inc (9)
R15: 9sc (9)
R16: 2inc (11)
R17: 11sc (11)
R18: 2inc (13)
R19: 1inc (14)
R20: 2inc (16)
R21: 2inc (18)
R22: 18sc (18)
R23: 2inc (20)
R24-R31: 20sc (20)
R32: (1X, 3sc)x5 (15)
R33: 6X

SHELL (in BLO)
R1: 5sc in magic ring (5)
R2-R4: 1inc on each row (8)
R5: 8sc (8)
R6: 1inc (9)
R7: 9sc (9)
R8: 1inc (10)
R9: 10sc (10)
R10: 1inc (11)
R11: 11sc (11)
R12-R26: 1inc on each row (25)
R27: 3inc (28)

Don't cut the yarn, turn along the front loops, slip-stitching to the peak – I worked my slip stitches not in a normal way, but from top to bottom. When reaching the peak, cut the yarn, leaving a long tail which you will pass trough some of the slip-stitches in a straight line to the bottom. Stuff the shell, then pull tight the yarn tail – the shell will curl by itself. Secure tightly. Shape the body such that it is a bit flat on the portion when the shell will be placed. At the end, I glued my shell to the body carefully, using fabric glue and some pins until the glue dried.

For the girl, I realized three little roses using 0.75mm hook, embroidery thread and this free pattern. I also worked two double and two single leaves for the crown. I attached these flowers to the head using fabric glue.

The mushrooms were worked with Drops Paris and hook 2.5 mm, tightly.

2. BIG MUSHROOM

It measures approximately 11x7 cm.

HAT
R1: 6sc in magic ring (6)
R2: 6V (12)
R3: (1sc, 1V)x6 (18)
R4: (2sc, 1V)x6 (24)
R5: (3sc, 1V)x6 (30)
R6-R9: 5inc on each row (50)
R10-R12: 50sc

LEG
R1: 6sc in magic ring (6)
R2: (1sc, 1V)x6 (12)
R3: (2sc, 1V)x6 (18)
R4: (3sc, 1V)x6 (24)
R5-R8: 24sc (24)
R9-R10: 2dec on each row (20)
R11: 20sc (20)
R12-R13: 2dec on each row (16)
R14-R16: 16sc (16)
R17: we turn and work 32 hdc or dc (as you prefer) on front loops only of the previous round (2hdc or dc in each front loop), starting and ending with 2sc (or 3sc, if you choose dc). Return to the normal direction of working.
R18: work your sc in the remaining back loops of previous round, performing 1dec (15)
R19: 1dec (14)
R20: work your sc in back loops only, performing 6inc (20)
R21-R25: 6inc on each row (50)

I embroidered the specks on the hat, then shaped my mushroom by hand, inserting a wire to secure this shape, I stuffed it as much as I could and then I glued the parts one to another using fabric glue. I did the same with the small mushroom.

3. SMALL MUSHROOM

It measures approximately 3x6 cm.

HAT
R1: 6sc in magic ring (6)
R2: 6V (12)
R3: (1sc, 1V)x6 (18)
R4: (2sc, 1V)x6 (24)
R5-R8: 24sc (24)
R9: (4sc, 1X)x4 (20)

LEG
R1: 6sc in magic ring (6)
R2: (1sc, 1V)x6 (12)
R3: (2sc, 1V)x6 (18)
R4: 2inc (20)
R5: 20sc (20)
R6-R7: 2dec on each row (16)
R8-R9: 16sc.

Embroider the specks on the hat, then glue the two parts together.

Muneca Alexa / Alexa doll - free crochet / amigurumi doll pattern

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Muneca Alexa was the first doll I tried from Petus youtube channel. She is a mexican crochet doll designer, but unfortunately her channel is only in spanish, for the moment. So I asked for her permission to post the notes I've been taken while working on her dolls, and she agreed! So, here is the first pattern I will share with you, but take good care that it represents my own interpretation, and may not contain as much explanation as her videos! So you better take a look at her video instructions too :)

Alexa doll - english instructions

ch - chain
sc - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
dc - double crochet
V - increase
X - decrease
BLO - back loop only

I worked with cotton yarn and 2.5 mm crochet hook for the doll and for the cat, so the doll is approximately 24 cm tall. For the dress, I used a smaller hook, but you might want to use a bigger hook, especially if you're using a thinner yarn, like I did!

1. LEGS (work in spiral)

[in blue]
R1: 6sc in magic ring (6)
R2: 6V (12)
R3: (1sc, 1V)x6 (18)
R4: (2sc, 1V)x6 (24)
R5: (3sc, 1V)x6 (30)
R6: (4sc, 1V)x6 (36)

[in maroon]
R7: 36sc (36); we prepare a plastic disk with the same diameter as the blue disk obtained earlier.

[in blue]
R8-R12: 36sc (36); we introduce the plastic disk into the shoe.

[in skin color]
R13: 5sc, 13X, 5sc (23)
R14: 8sc, 3X, 9sc (20)
R15: 6sc, 4X, 6sc (16)
R16-R30: 16sc (16)

[in blue]
R31: [in BLO] (7sc, 1V)x2 (18)
R32: (2sc, 1V)x6 (24)
R33: (3sc, 1V)x6 (30)

Lace:
R1: Around the base of every sc on round 31, work 18 sc (18)
R2: (1sc, 1hdc, 2ch, 1hdc in second ch from hook, 1sc - in same sc, skip 1sc)x 9 picots

Shoe strap:
14 ch, return with 13 sc, finish.

2. BODY (work in spiral)

[in blue]
R34: We connect the legs in the center with 6sc (side by side), then we crochet around 48sc (48)
R35-41: 48sc (48)

[in skin color]
R42: [in BLO] 48sc (48)
R43-45: 48sc (48)
R46: (6sc, 1X)x6 (42)
R47-48: 42sc (42)
R49: (5sc, 1dec)x6 (36)
R50-52: 36sc (36)
R53: (4sc, 1X)x6 (30)
R54-R55: 30sc (30); we start to fill the doll body and place the plastic stick/copper wire in the center.
R56: (3sc, 1X)x6 (24)
R57-R59: 24sc (24)
R60: (2sc, 1X)x6 (18)
R61: (1sc, 1X)x6 (12)
R62: 6X (6)
R63-65: 6sc (6) (you may want to make just two rows with 6sc…)

3. ARMS (work in spiral)

R1: 6sc in magic ring (6)
R2: 6V (12)
R3-R5: 6sc (12)
R6: Cluster of 3 hdc,  secure cluster with 1sc, 11sc (13)
R7: skip 1ch, (1sc, 1X)x4 (8)
R8: (1sc, 1V)x4 (12) – we introduce the wire
R9-R17: 12sc (12)
R18: (1sc, 1X)x4 (8)
R19: (1sc, 1V)x4 (12)
R20-R27: 12sc (12)
R28: 6sc, 6hdc (mirror for the other arm)

We attach the arms to the body...

4. HEAD (work in spiral)

R1: 6sc in magic ring (6)
R2: 6V (12)
R3: (1sc, 1V)x6 (18)
R4: (2sc, 1V)x6 (24)
R5: (3sc, 1V)x6 (30)
R6: (4sc, 1V)x6 (36)
R7: (5sc, 1V)x6 (42)
R8: (6sc, 1V)x6 (48)
R9: (7sc, 1V)x6 (54)
R10: 54sc (54)
R11: (8sc, 1V)x6 (60)
R12-R18: 60sc (60)
R19: (8sc, 1X)x6 (54)
R20: 54 sc (54)
R21: (7sc, 1X)x6 (48)
R22: (6sc, 1X)x6 (42)
R23: (5sc, 1X)x6 (36)
R24: (4sc, 1X)x6 (30)
R25: (3sc, 1X)x6 (24)
R26: (2 sc, 1X)x6 (18); we fill the head and we leave room for the plastic stick / copper wire. We embroider the eyes and the other features, we prepare the hair...
R27: (1sc, 1X)x6 (12)
R28: 6sc (6); connect head to the body...

5. HAIR (work in rows)

R1: 20ch, return
R2: 6sc, 12hdc, 5ch, return
R3: 3+12hdc,  6sc. Repeat until row
R35: 3+12hdc, 6sc. Fasten off really tight, by passing the yarn through the extreme waves of hair.

Pig Tails:
31ch for the short ones
41ch for the long ones, return
2sc in each ch, return
2sc in each sc

6. DRESS (you might want to use a bigger hook, work in rows)

R1: 31ch
R2: 30sc (30)
R3: 1ch, (1sc, 1V)x15 (45)
R4: 1ch, 45sc (45)
R5: 1ch, 6sc, 6ch, skip 10sc, 13sc, 6ch, skip 10sc, 6sc (25+12)
R6: [in BLO] 37sc (37)
R7-R15: 37sc (37)
R16: [in BLO] (4sc, 1V)x7, 2sc (44)
R17: (5sc, 1inc)x7, 2sc (51)
R18-R19: 51sc (51)
R20: (6sc, 1V)x7, 2sc (58)
R21: 58sc (58)
R22: (7sc, 1V)x7, 2sc (65)
R23: 65sc
R24: [in BLO] (8sc, 1V)x7, 2sc (72)
R25-27: 72sc, fasten off.

Using contrasting colors, in the front loops on rows R6, R16 and R24 we work clusters (2dc, 2ch, 2dc) in same st, skip 2st, repeat – it will result 13 clusters on row R6 and R16. We repeat this for 5 rows, on the last row work 7 sc on each 2ch space.

The cat is a free pattern, which you can find here. I wired all the 4 legs, so it can attach to Alexa's arm. If you want to see more photos of the finished Alexa, check my facebook page post.