On the Tenth Day of Christmas

Day 10 and these cuties finally arrived to their new home. My dear friend "Jazz" (the woman who I featured a few days back) ordered these for her two little boys.

Again, I have learned so much from making little stuffies like these. The blue/green one is a little thicker than the red/orange guy - stuffed him a little and it seemed to make his head a little more stable. I have also learned that hair is a pain in the butt sometimes. "J" has a slightly crooked face, but I think he looks heroic. "C" has the written mouth, while "J" has a mouth made similar to the stitch used for the eyes. (Can you guess which one I like better?)

They may have been a little difficult, but they are well worth it. I love them so much. I may make some next year for my nephews. I really hope Jazz's little boys love them as much as I do. These will forever go down in my book as a favorite pattern that I'm totally willing to repeat.

Standing guard over my yard - or at least until they move to their new home!

The pattern can be found at RedHeart.com under the name Boy and Girl Super Heroes. They're adorable and not as difficult as I had originally thought. And they actually work up rather quickly too, since the head and body are one single piece. The thing that took the longest was the cape, but even that wasn't too terrible. Learned so much about weaving in tails for these guys too.

I'd like to remind you that anything that you see within my blog I can make custom for you. And almost every pattern I find is available to you on the Free or Paid pattern pages at the top. Feel free to contact me or dive into the pattern pages! If you make something from any of those pattern, I'd love to see! I'll even give you a free feature just so that others can see the amazing work that you've done as well!

On the Eighth Day of Christmas

Day 8 and a sort of "repeat", if you will. The first day was about the little blue teddy for my youngest nephew, Michael. Well, today's photo is of the little green teddy I made for my oldest nephew, Keoni.

I really do love this little guy and may even make him again, but bigger! Wouldn't he just look adorable a bit bigger? Size comparison, he's a little longer than my 7.5in hand (from middle fingertip to wrist). He's wider than that, too, of course.

Ain't he just the cutest?

Remember that this pattern is from Lion Brand and is called Bear in a Jiff. It is on the "Free Patterns" page, but you will need an account to be able to use Lion Brand's patterns.

Be sure to stop by Kota's CC on Facebook to like and share all of these photos! They'll be ongoing until December 25!

On the Second Day of Christmas

FINALLY!! Here is Day 2 of my lovely Advent Calendar!

Day 2 brings us what I've made for my nieces this year. There is a purple one that matches this one, with a pink bow and nose of course, but I haven't gotten a snap shot of her yet. The skirt is just some lace I picked up at Wal-Mart and sewed it on. I thought it made the bunny cuter. I've even been told I should make a guy bunny with a little tux, give her a veil and look! A bunny wedding set! I may just have to try that.

The pattern for this is easily found on Ravelry. It is called "Bunny JÄNKS". I would advise you sew the nose on before continuing with the body. I did this twice and I sewed the nose on afterwards both times. It was crazy. Also, I'd get some regular safety eyes (and maybe even a safety nose?) instead of the buttons I used. I mean, I adore this cute little thing, but I know what I would do differently now.

I have opened up spots, as many as I can, this year in hopes of getting more people who would like some free advertising. If you'd like to be featured this year in the Advent Calendar, stop by Kota's Crochet Creations on Facebook and send me a message. I'll let you know what I need from you or even just give you more information. I'm starting my free advertising tomorrow with a very special friend of mine, so be ready for it!

On the First Day of Christmas

And here is the first day of my Crochet Advent Calendar 2014! Are you guys excited as I am?

I've mentioned a couple of times that I decided to give gifts to all of my nieces and nephews this year. Last year, I only got around to making one gift for the niece who lives with her grandparents (my in-laws), the purple cat scoodie. This year, I made each one of them a stuffed animal.

The boys got little teddy bears, Keoni in green, his favorite color, and Micheal got blue (since he's only 2 and can't make that kind of decision yet). I made a boo-boo when crocheting Keoni's only because I didn't use the same yarn I used to make Michael's to make Keoni's. Michael's is made from Bernat Baby Softee yarn and Keoni's is made of Red Heart Super Saver. Though, the scarves are made of BBS yarn, since I'm trying to use up some of my scraps.

They're adorable little bears that are super easy to make. For your own teddy bear, check out Lion Brand's Bear in a Jiff. It's an adorable little bear and it is super easy to whip up. This was my first amigurumi and I can't believe how easy they were. I'm definitely not used to crocheting in what is basically a spiral, but it was easier than I thought it was. If you don't have good stitch markers (like me, oddly enough), a safety pin works marvelous. It's what I've been using for a while now. Cheap too.

Tomorrow you'll get to see what my nieces are getting for Christmas. :D I won't ruin the surprise because that won't be any fun. (Though, if you've been following my Facebook page, you may already know what they're getting. Don't spoil the fun for anyone else!)

Remember to spread the word about my Crochet Advent Calendar! I'm also going to be posting links to various other artists who crochet and create marvelous items and share their patterns with the whole of the internet.