Assembly or Dissection?

Sometimes the assembly process actually looks more like a dissection...

 This adorable Ballerina Mouse is well on her way to being completed.

Crochet sections are done and I just need to source some ribbon

 for the ballet shoes and then I will begin attaching all the little parts.

The body construction is unusual, in that both ends are closed...

which means that the closed head needs to be attached to the closed neck.

I think that every other toy I have ever worked on had an open neck, which the head sat on.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Birth of a Mouse

I need to make a bunch of gifts for Little People at the moment... 

and let's face it - creatures are so much more fun than booties, bonnets or blankets!

Not quite feeling the inspiration to work up a design of my own, 

so I've been trawling Pinterest for ideas.

Rather than quirky designs, I'm feeling drawn to more traditional cutesy patterns.

You can take a peek here if you'd like to see what I've been "pinning"

I've decided to go with the Ballerina Mouse from Heart & Sew.

It's a free pattern - take a look for yourself!

Traveling well so far...

Sam the Unicorn

Ahhhhhh... a finished project!

It's been such a horrendously long time since I've seen a project through to completion,

 I'd almost forgotten about this blissful sense of satisfaction.

I can't stop ADMIRING him

Isn't he glorious?

Really and truly glorious... I'm absolutely smitten by him.

(pattern here)

I had a really hard time choosing the yarn for his scarf. 

Everything I tried just looked BLEARGHHHH

But I love the way these oranges POP...

and the ever so slight FIERY sensation

As for the hair colours... they remind me a great deal

 of this hair style which my Master Seventeen had a little while back:

I found my blog!

 

Somehow I managed to lose my blog...

I could read it, but I couldn't access it to edit!

and I was wanting to show you this Little Guy...

or the beginnings of him, at least.

As you can see, I'm still obsessed with this pattern:

Twinkle Toes the Unicorn by Alison North

- Stay tuned to see how he turns out -

Pattern Flashback

 

I was browsing through some of my old patterns,

looking for inspiration...

When I stumbled on this little gal!

Shelly the Colourful Sea Turtle

is an adorable knitted toy, which I designed back in 2013...

Much as I love the pattern,

I think the reason this one makes my heart skip a beat 

is the precious little munchkin holding the toy.

Struggling to accept that this little girl is now five and a half years old,

and starts Primary School in just a week or so.

They say time flies... and I'm really starting to feel it!

Shelly the Colourful Sea Turtle 

is available as a FREE PDF PATTERN

click here for more information

and to download

We're not done yet!

Of course there's more...

JUST A FEW MORE

'cause I really do love these little guys

*****

Check out this precious GEM created by SallyAnn

It seems to me that this guy is an old PARTY ANIMAL
(perhaps it's the style of horns which give me this feeling)

I feel that he has been around the block a few times,

but he still knows how to celebrate

and have a good time

He doesn't party as much as he used to

(as evidenced by the cob-webby strands from his horns, of course!)

but he does like to give the younger kids a run for their money

(it's possible I'm making all of this up, but it seems likely to me)

click here for SallyAnn's project page

 

*****

Sarah says that she began this project thinking she would

 do battle with her inner beast and try to beat him!!!

But instead she has learned to LOVE her inner beast

(even the undesirable qualities)

and also to love the INNER BEASTS of others

click here to more photos of Sarah's beast

including his rat tail

Apparently, people with wide set eyes are very tolerant and broadminded...

 but they also possess a flagrant disregard for authority and advice.

I wonder if this is true?

These eyes are VERY wide set!

(and tiny, I wonder what that indicates?)

*****

 This delightful character from Sue

really puts a smile on my face...

I can't pin point EXACTLY what it is that I find so appealing

but I think it's because he's so damn hairy!

He just looks like a giant shaggy ball of yarn ends grew a face

and some horns

* I really do love him *

Sue was originally planning to trim away some of that excess hair,

but I'm so glad she changed her mind and left him au naturel

 click here for Sue's project page

 *****

Now this one looks like I do, after a rough day at work! 

More than a little disheveled, with eyes that just don't look like a match...

Kajsa has crafted this FEISTY inner beast, known as

THE GREAT GOOBERLICIOUS

You'll notice rather a healthy beard happening,

and if you check out the project page

there's a whole lot of hair around back, too!

 (PS. the beard wasn't even intentional, just a brilliant accident of yarn placement)

Can you believe that this is Kajsa's FIRST CROCHET PROJECT???

What an incredible effort!

*****

The final INNER BEAST I'd like to share is Melba's

CHEERLEADER BEASTIE

(complete with pom poms)

I love Melba's intention with this glorious creature...

I'll paraphrase a little, but here is what the cheerleader beastie means to her:

* REMINDER - enjoy life more, and shake out that negativity *

* CHEER LEADING SUPPORT - to complete all those unfinished projects *

* REMINDER to appreciate what you have, and not focus on what you don't *

There's something in that for all of us, I think!

click here for Melba's project page

*****

and here's my little guy who started it all...

I can't tell you how happy it is to see his TRIBE gathering!

A HUGE THANKS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU
 WHO HAS CREATED AN INNER BEAST TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD

IT REALLY DOES MAKE MY HEART HAPPY TO SEE THEM ALL
(and I am enormously proud)

If you are inspired by these wonderful projects, and want to make
an INNER BEAST of your own,

be sure and link your project to the pattern on Ravelry

so that we can all enjoy your creativity

*** INNER BEAST PATTERN HERE ***

The TRIBE is growing...

More INNER BEASTS to share today...

I really do love each and every one of these guys!

So often our creations look even better in real life too,

 so I can only imagine how truly adorable these creatures must actually be.

*****

Are you familiar with the children's book

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE?

This INNER BEAST created by Andrea seems like

 it would fit right in with the illustrations in that story...

The eyes are odd, and the horns are mismatched.

It seems that the row of pink stitches directly under the eyes could almost be the mouth,

but in my imagination it is stitched closed. I wonder why?

Andrea has added extra yarn tails to the head...

some are knotted, some plaited,

and there's some curls hidden in there, too!

If you look closely, you'll see that this beast is weighed down by a ball and chain...

Which is a shame, because I want to DANCE with this beast! 

I know it sounds bizarre,

but there’s something about this creature that makes me want to dance… 

I can almost hear the beating of a tribal drum… and I’m starting to tap my feet..

check out Andrea's project page here

Inspired to make a second creature,

Andrea then brought this THREE HORNED BEAST to life...

I love the way the red eyelash yarn at the bottom of the face

 makes it look as though he has a beard,

and if you look really carefully 

just below the beard and slightly to the right

you'll spy his wooden heart

more photos of this beast on Andrea's project page

 *****

Sometimes you start out following a pattern... and then get a little distracted.

Like Margaret did when working on her beasties below!

Apparently she didn't read the pattern properly,

her stitch count was incorrect,

she only used a single strand of yarn,

and the arms and legs don't match!!!

Yet still they look INCREDIBLE

click here for Margaret's project page, featuring both of her beasts

 This beast speaks to me of great happiness.

I think it begins with the ruffle around the neck, 

which makes me think of a circus clown...

there's all those bright and cheery colours,

then those sunflower eyes

(we all know that sunflowers are the largest, happiest flowers of all time)

I love that she is suspended for the photograph,

allowing all those yarn ends to dangle freely...

almost like tentacles!

Riding on the success of her first beast,

Margaret created her second one, and called her LILYFUSS

She reminds me of a quaint old duck,

struggling between her head and her heart.

Her heart tells her to be true to herself,

 to embrace each and every one of her quirks,

and refuse to age gracefully...

But her head tells her to be graceful, demure and proper...

to pop on on her pearls and her fancy hat,

and conforms to society's norms. 

(maybe I read too much into that one!)

 

*****

Meet MURGATROYD ROUGE

created by P

Those red horns make her look like a complete devil,

and the eyes are so overstated!

They remind me of the old saying

EYES LIKE SAUCERS

(used to describe someone's expression of amazement)

click here to see P's project page

P also made a beast for her friend...

this one is called GRISELDA GRIS

(doesn't she have an incredible knack for naming beasts?!?!)

GRISELDA has STARS IN HER EYES

(another wonderful saying, used to describe

 a feeling of blind excitement and hope for the future)

the most precious little knot for a nose,

and a fabulous mop of hair on top of her head!

you can see more photos here on the project page,

 including the bows on her toes

 

*****

I know you want to see more of the tribe,

but you'll just have to wait until tomorrow!

* MEANWHILE, HAVE YOU MADE YOURS YET? *

You know you want to, and the pattern is FREE

Multiplying Beasties

These INNER BEASTS really are breeding...

and some of my friends are responsible for MORE THAN ONE creation:

Jorel has been working with my patterns for a number of years now,

and I always find her take on them refreshing!

She would always come up with something totally outside of the box...

and I love watching her creations emerge.

Sadly, Jorel had lost her CRO-JO

(her crochet mo-jo, of course)

and her creative spark had gone walk-about...

But something about the INNER BEAST has piqued her interest,

and she has surprised even herself, by generating an entire tribe of QUIRKY beasties.

Jorel has been making beasties to give away, to people who need to externalize some bad stuff.

(and, don't forget - I only published this pattern two weeks ago, this woman is on fire!!!)

 Her vision of these beasts is that they become the repository of all that bad,

so you can move forward without burdens holding you back 

I LOVE THAT IMAGERY!

Here is Beast #1 - click here for the project page

It was mentioned in the forums that this little guy almost looks like a baby, 

reaching his arms out - asking to be picked up. 

Now that I have seen those outreached arms, I can't un-see them!

I love his baby arms, the jingle bells around the neck, and those really unusual eyes

Here is Beast #2 - click here for the project page

Loving the mismatched flowery eyes,

 and blue and purple together always create a visual treat for me

 Here is Beast #3 - click here for the project page

This mismatch is even greater in these eyes - and it really appeals to me.

Meanwhile those tails of ribbon yarn give some variety to the texture...

Here is Beast #4 - click here for the project page

I like to think of this guy as a little jester!

Possibly the out-turned horns, with the dangling pom poms?

He just has a mischievous quality about him, 

and you just know that as soon as your back is turned he'll be up to no good!!!

(he's got those soft fluffy feet for sneaking around with, too)

 

... and now Jorel is working on an ANGEL BEAST

for a dear work friend who is coming out of a particularly rocky 2016...

Apparently it's not yet finished - but I think it's perfect already! 

Some of the pieces are only pinned in place, and Jorel is contemplating a change of eyes...

but wondering whether the sad look might in fact be perfect for this project.

The recipient is a cat person - so the ANGEL BEAST is sorting a cat necklace,

and may end up with kitty ears instead  of horns...

We'll have to wait and see

click here for project page

 

Do you see how DIFFERENT these beasts are?

How they all have their very own personalities?

And even though ALL FIVE of these beasts have been created by

 the same person - they are all wonderfully unique???

Isn't it a brilliant display of how creative and clever people can be?

*** TRY MAKING ONE OF YOUR OWN ***

you'll find the free PDF pattern here

* give it a go - you can't possibly go wrong * 

(any "mistakes" you make will simply become design flaws, I promise!)

and if you need more inspiration - take a look at yesterday's beasts

Taking over the world... one beast at a time!

So, the strangest thing happened... 

Two weeks ago, I released an unusual new pattern.

It was a little odd... left of centre...

not at all mainstream!

 

I wasn't even convinced that anyone would use it...

I expected maybe two or three people to join in the fun...

I was kind of WRONG!!!!!

Already the pattern has been downloaded almost 500 times,

and the family of INNER BEASTS is growing

*****

Let me share some of the images which are warming my heart.

These are NOT made by me,

but are either made using my pattern - or are inspired by it...

*****

Loren is the brains behind the INNER BEAST MOVEMENT, as she is the 

clever one who challenged me to design a beast and create a pattern to be shared with others.

This is her BRAINLESS WONDER!

Part beast, and part gremlin...

 He loves to tangle Loren's yarn, 

hide her tools (especially the yarn needles) 

and otherwise thwart her efforts to finish projects

You can view Loren's project page here - and read more about him

I especially love the blue "outie" horns, those mismatched eyes... 

and the tufts of yarn at the side of the face, 

where I imagine his ears are - and also on the top of his head

 

*****

Meet Leslie's Inner Beast...

Of course, purple is my favourite colour - so I was always gonna love this guy!

But check out those tufts of hair and psychedelic eyes

(don't stare at them for too long or your head will start to spin)

click here for Leslie's project page

 

*****

Cyra has gone all ARTSY with her contribution

(and I love it)

Meet BERTHA BLING... her friends call her BATTY!

Half woman and half beast, Bertha occupies her days by creating havoc and laughing very loud.

 

She's been known to kick over glasses of water, hide the back door key,

leave a tap running in the bathroom, tip over a box of yarns... 

and even left a hand/claw print in the un-set jelly!!!

But how could you possibly stay mad at her?

She's glorious - and reminds me of a Greek goddess!

check out Cyra's project page here

I also love that's she has mastered the 

"DUCK FACE" pose, when taking a selfie!

 

*****

From artsy to SWEET... meet Heather's creation!

It looks to me like this INNER BEAST craves sweeties...

(I'm sure we can all relate to that)

 

I'm in love with the featured beads, the button heart... 

and who can resist a glitter pom pom nose?!?!

check out the project page here

*****

Last one for today is MAMA'S SCHATJE by Ria...

 

Schatje means Sweety... 

and Ria made the beast for her mother (who suffers from dementia)

in the hope that it will help her when she's feeling down or angry.

 

I don't know how Ria's mum feels about this little guy - but I LOVE HIM

 

Especially the way his body is so consumed by yarn tails,

that it almost loses it's shape entirely... it makes me wonder whether 

he was a SHAPE SHIFTER in a previous life

He somehow manages to look like a pile of yarn ends 

(left over after weaving in a large striped blanket, or something similar)

just lifted itself up from the counter and came to life!

 

check out Ria's project page here

 *****

 

But we can't be finished JUST yet... 

because I haven't spoken about our PRISONER from the top of the page 

Clever Nell is the mastermind behind this one...

and the reason I have been singing "he used to bring me roses, I wish he could again"

(for those non-Aussies who might not be familiar, it's the theme song from Prisoner, 

an Australian soapie set back in the late 70s/early 80s... have a listen here) 

 

Nell was also my partner in the yarn swap,

 so it is her yarn ends you see on display in my INNER BEAST pattern 

 

Nell has added dangly messes coming from the head of her beast, 

to represent all the miserable thoughts he’s trying to throw at her... 

and a comb over hair do, just because it suited him!

click to view Nell's project page here

But it didn't stop there...

Nell also went on to create a miniature beast - using embroidery thread and a 1.25mm hook!

The very aptly named MISS BALANCIA was created to remind Nell to seek a balance in her life. 

She’s about 3 inches tall, and carries a fan in her long arm to cool down Nell's racing mind. 

She has punk rocker clones knot spiked hair, and a diagonal mohawk down her back and tummy.

Oh, and she has a pink moustache, which apparently matches Nell's.

(I've yet to meet Nell, but with a pink moustache - it sounds like she'd be easy to spot in a line up)

Here's a photo of those two beasts together, 

so you can really appreciate how TINY the MISS BALANCIA really is!

*****

I'll be back soon, with more photos of the ever growing tribe!

You're welcome to bring your very own INNER BEAST to life...

The pattern is HERE - a free PDF

and there are several CROCHET-ALONGs happening on Ravelry

Join in the fun, in one of these three places:

laughing purple goldfish designs

international freeform forum

cro-kween designs

 

 

Yes, it's ANOTHER unicorn...

It's official.

I am obsessed with making these unicorns.

 

They are just so adorable...

I don't seem to be able to stop.

Here's the pattern, if you need to make one too!

Inner Beast

Could I possibly design an INNER BEAST DOLL? she asked

One that would represent your voice from within...

the one which which fills you with doubts… 

makes you question your decisions, 

your happiness, and your ability to succeed. 

A nameless, faceless creature – who needs to be tamed! 

A creature you can pinch and poke, and throw across the room.

Scream at, jump on, and bite on the butt if you need to.

 

A creature with the following characteristics...

(most of which I managed to stick to)

human shaped

no face
horns
crazed eyes
big butt
could sit on a desk
legs that are easy to grab
use crazy yarn and solid held together
worked in crochet

I love how the crazy yarn blurs the edges of his shape, 

even if it made him really difficult to photograph clearly!

The eyes were actually added as an afterthought,

as it was so difficult so see any details in the photos, 

and you just needed something to pinpoint where the face was.

I actually loved the anonymity of him without eyes… 

and may end up removing them again…

This piece was designed to complement the Magic Ball Swap 

held in December 2016 at the International Freeform Forum.

The pattern is available as a PDF download from Ravelry

(currently free)

here is the link

If you'd like to chat with others working on the same project,

head on over to this Ravelry thread and join in the fun 

(or just check out the other INNER DEMONS as they are released!)

and if you're new to the idea of Crazy Yarn - check this out