Do You Remember Nody The Orangutan boy?

I barely remember to update my blog, and actually I should have updated this blog 2-3 weeks ago but I got a deadline.

Finally it's over! YAY!
(it's kinda sad actually, after spending a year working with the same client and then it's over, but I'll move on)
This morning I thought of making a new amigurumi, but I can't find THAT yarn with THAT particular color shade so ...

WAIT, that's not what this post was meant to be!
 Okay, back to business.  Do you remember Nody?
2-3 weeks ago I received a newsletter from BOSF.
Nody is now a big boy, he has graduated from the forest school and he is ready to go to the pre-release island.  one step closer to be a free orangutan :)
thanks for participating on the orangutanku project and of course thanks for the BOSF (The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation).

courtesy of BOSF

okay.. now let's back to the yarn and needle business

but later, after I have some coffee.

The extra hands are at the top of the closet

Yes, I hired some extra hands and I put them at the top of the closet.
Once again, sorry, I'm unable to update this blog because of so many excuses.

I keep buying new yarns until my closet now are full of yarns, but I never knit anything, not anymore.
I WILL BE BACK. definitely not soon. but I will.

I think I'm gonna be Insane

I haven't write for too long, I haven't make any amigurumi for too long.
I'm gonna be insane.

I'm not the busiest person in the work, you see I still have time to blogging.
There's a new project in the office, and the schedule are changed so there are more work to do.
meanwhile, I still doing some freelance projects.

I still have time to make amigurumi but my hands are tired doing the job on the day.
My real job, my freelance job and making amigurumi, all are using both hands.
I'm not a spider, I only got a pair of hands.
well, I hope someday I can knit using my feet.

Oh by the way, I hired some extra hands recently.  will tell you later about it ;)

The Horse Year

2014 is the Horse Year ( based on the Chinese Zodiac).  To celebrate the upcoming Chinese New year, let's make a horse amigurumi.

Feel free to modify the pattern to make your special horse amigurumi, but do not sell this pattern, or copy without mentioning this blog. And don't forget share your creation :)

Happy New Year, hope you all be healthy and this year would be a prosperous year for all of us :)

Here's the pattern:

Head

Start using brown yarn, make 6sc in a loop

Rnd1: (scinc) 6 times [12st]

Rnd2: (Sc, scinc) 6 times [18st]

Rnd3: (2sc, scinc) 6 times [24sts]

Rnd 4-5: sc around [24sts]

Continue the next round using Light brown yarn

Rnd 6-8 : sc around [24sts]

Rnd 9: (3sc, scinc) 6 times [30sts]

Rnd 10-12: sc around [30sts]

Rnd 11: (3sc, scdec) 6 times [24sts]

Rnd12: (2sc, scdec) 6 times [18sts]

Stuff it with some polyfills

Rnd13: (Sc, scdec) 6 times [12sts]

Rnd14: (scdec) 6 times [6sts]

Finish off

Neck

Using light brown yarns make 18 ch

Slip stitch to the first ch to make a loop.

Rnd 1: 18sc [18sts]

Rnd 2: sc around [18sts]

Rnd 3: (4sc, scinc) 3 times [15sts]

Rnd 4: sc around [15sts]

Finish off, leave a long tail to sew the neck to the body and the head.

Body

Start using Light brown yarn, make 6sc in a loop

Rnd1: (scinc) 6 times [12st]

Rnd2: (Sc, scinc) 6 times [18st]

Rnd3: (2sc, scinc) 6 times [24sts]

Rnd 4: (3sc, scinc) 6 times [30sts]

Rnd5-12: sc around (30sts)

Rnd 13: (3sc, scdec) 6 times [24sts]

Rnd 14: sc around [24sts]

Rnd15: (2sc, scdec) 6 times [18sts]

Stuff it with some polyfills

Rnd16: (Sc, scdec) 6 times [12sts]

Rnd17: (scdec) 6 times [6sts]

Finish off.

Foot ( make 4)

Start using Dark brown yarn, make 12sc in a loop

Rnd1: sc around [12st]

Rnd2: (sc, scdec) 4 times [8sts]

Continue next round using creme yarn

Rnd 3-5: sc around [8sts]

Stuff it up, then Continue next round using brown yarn

Rnd 6: (2sc, scdec) 2 times [6sts]

Rnd 7-9: sc around [6sts]

Finish off, leave a long tail to sew the leg to the body.

Since I have trouble in translating the crochet term using English, I make a picture of the instruction for the tail and hair part (I believe there's an english term for horse hair, but I don't remember it).

click to zoom for a better view

sew all the parts to its place, add some eyes, and some details using embroidery.  in my version, I add a creme spot at the face.

That's not an Amigurumi!

When I started this blog, I thought I would make a lot of amigurumis and only amigurumis.  I think I am one of the first Indonesian knitter/crocheter who exclusively making amigurumi.  I wrote in this blog for 6 years, I wrote a book.   And things are different now that everybody is making amigurumi.  It's too mainstream.  So I quit.  I lost my purpose in knitting.  After having a long knitting break, I secretly decided to retired from knitting.  

Till a few days ago, a lightning struck me.

Nah, just kidding.  After I gave up, I no longer think that knitting and blogging are a must do job.  Suddenly I am free to do whatever I want, it doesn't have to be knitting or blogging.  Knitting is no longer a burden.  And now, I find that knitting is fun again.  Even knitting using someone else pattern (which I rarely do before).  It's a new thing for me, and it's surprisingly fun.

I made a baby hat using a pattern from http://blogs.thetucker.com/knit/2011/03/27/textured-baby-hats/

This hat is for my future niece, who will be born soon.  (Can't wait to see you).

I'm really an amature in making wearable item, but that doesn't mean I have to stick in making just amigurumi :)

Hello 2014!

Happy New Year!
May the 2014 become a very prosperous year for all of us :)

Dear Reader, you might have noticed how I became unproductive blogger and crafter last year. it was actually because of my 2013 resolutions to be a real animator.  Not that I'm a fake animator, it was because I was so active in many craft event on 2012 and got some publications, I got no time to make an animation.  I was so shame of myself, to call myself an animator without making any animations.  So I dedicated my 2013 to make some animations and become an active animator.
as for the 2014, I think I'd like to continue what I was doing at 2013, which could mean less and less amigurumi :(
but i really hope I could get over through this knitting block.

Not another excuse, Des!

I don't know what happen to my knitting& crochet activity, except that I haven't do it for a long time.

when I was at work, I thought that it would be fun to crochet something instead of clicking the mouse.  But when I'm not at work, I don't knit too.

my new boarding house now have a TV with subscribed TV cable, I now could knit while watching Walking Dead. but:

1. The mosquitos love watching TV too.

2.  The TV is so old, everytime the walkers appeared, the TV turns dark.  (I'm old enough to watch gory stuff!).  Watching FOX Channel in HD is also useless, cause the problem is with the TV.

so I gave up on watching The Walking Dead *sigh.

Although I didn't pay for the AC, my room now is cooler than my last room, it's quite comfortable to knit inside the room.  but I don't.  I have a new toy named iPad. Before I got one, I thought, it would be easier for me to knit while looking at the pattern on my iPad.  yes, it's easier to look for a pattern, as well as a lot of application.  Long time before I'm a knitter, I was a gamer.  

I feel bad for the abandoned and unfinished amigurumi.... but I can't stop myself from playing games.