Thursday 13 October 2011

Ellyot

So did you get your copy of Crafteroo Magazine? Isn't it great! There are so many projects I want to try - the paper flowers and felt fortune cookies are top of my list right now, but aaargh, it's agonising - I don't have time to do them yet! I've been working really hard on getting a couple of projects together for the next issue - it's only out in January, but we needed something for the cover asap. So please meet Ellyot - my very own design, from top to bottom. Do NOT nick him, right? I would be very sad (not to mention angry. You have been warned). Please take that as my assertion of copyright etc - the pattern will be free but for personal use only, neither pattern nor made-up product is for resale (except by me).


Now that the grump is out of the way (sorry about that, I just read this morning of someone on one of my favourite forums getting ripped off and it made me super-cross), let me tell you all about him! I am so chuffed with Ellyot - and with my own pattern-making skills, he literally came together in one go, apart from one re-work of his trunk. I love the way he stands - I thought his head would be terribly hard to balance but the way I've formed his legs seems to give him extra stability. And how darling is his granny square saddlecloth! He was one of those projects that seem to come to you in a dream - actually no, it wasn't a dream, it was a 3am wake-up call from a teething D that made me think of him. Guess those middle of the night feeds are good for something! I looked all over the place and haven't found another elephant-with-saddlecloth anywhere, so I can say that this little guy is truly an idea out of my own head, uninfluenced by anything other than the real thing.

Anyway. He's an intermediate amigurumi, I would say - most easy amis are simple double crochet (er, sc to my US friends) but I've also used some trebles and round-the-post stitches which give him some interesting textures and challenges. I'm hoping to make a little how-to video for that so that beginners don't get frustrated. Personally I find the round-the-post stitches so fantastic for making 3D shapes; I'm surprised more amis don't make use of them.

I've posted him everywhere this morning because I'm so pleased with him (K wants to take him to school for Show & Tell tomorrow - eek!), and quite a few people have said that he's lovely, they want one, but they don't crochet...so I'm thinking of making a few for the shop, with a donation to an elephant welfare charity as part of the price. You could pick your own saddlecloth colours, too. What do you think?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

love it, I need an ellyot in my life! x

Nic :) said...

so cute!!! x x

Caroline said...

Thank you! I am thrilled to bits with him, as you can probably tell! I hope people enjoy making him as much as I did. :)