Doctor Who's Done

Well, I'm done! Kinda sorta done, I mean. I fulfilled my order, and that means done. A couple of years ago I made a full set of Doctor Who doctors with the TARDIS and the Doctors 1-11. The same client that ordered them asked me to make a set of Companions and Villains to go along with them. These are some fans, y'all, and I can't blame them. There are some really cool characters on Doctor Who so she named off all of her favorites and I went to work. I finished the dolls in time for Christmas and now the patterns are all done too!

Doctor Who Companions and Villains Amigurumi Set

I have all of them listed on Ravelry and Etsy individually, and there are now two sets you can buy: The Doctors and the TARDIS set, and the Companions and Villains set. These sets are enormous. They have lots and lots of photos, illustrations, a list of yarn for each doll, and should be easy to follow. Here are some photos.

Amy Pond Amigurumi

River Song Amigurumi

Clara Oswald Amigurumi

Rory Williams Amigurumi

Weeping Angel Amigurumi

Dalek Amigurumi

Cyberman Amigurumi

The Master Amigurumi

All the Doctor Who Amigurumi together!

Anyone missing here? I've had several requests for Martha, so I'll probably do one of her some time in the future. What else can you think of? I feel like I've given the Doctor a pretty thorough treatment (ha see what I did there?), but I'm always open to suggestions!

Coming Up Roses Hat and Giveaway!

* UPDATE: Giveaway Extended!

While I most enjoy making little cute creatures and amigurumi or AmiguruME people, of course, I also like to take a break once in a while and make scarves, hats, and stuff like that.
The awesome people at Yarnspirations were kind enough to send me the yarns to make something from their Fall Lookbook, and there's a ton of gorgeous projects to choose from. I decided on the Coming Up Roses hat, not only because its a glorious pattern but also there happens to be a beautiful Elliott Smith song of the same name. But, I digress.

I made this hat from the @yarnspirations_xo Fall Lookbook using #bernat satin yarns ❤️ #cominguproses #crochet *link at craftyiscool.com

A photo posted by Allison Hoffman (@craftyiscool) on Nov 11, 2014 at 11:46am PST

Isn't it rad?? I love the colors, and the pattern may look complicated with all the color work, but its actually really simple to do.

Coming Up Roses Hat from Yarnspirations

The whole flower motif is cross stitched onto a very easy single crochet hat. It would be fun to make in different colors too, like a black hat with a big blue rose, or brown with a beautiful coral/orange rose. Take a look at the rest of the free projects in the Look Book. See anything you want to make?

Leave a comment below with what you think you'd like to make. I'll choose one winner late on MONDAY 11/17  to receive the yarns needed to make the Coming Up Roses Hat! Make sure you leave your email address so I can notify you if you've won!

Trick or Treat?

How about a FREE pattern? This is a fun Halloween pattern I wrote for Michaels Stores that is quick to work up. Get started now, and you'll have several done in time for your favorite trick or treaters!

 Kids love to dress up, especially at Halloween, and one of the hardest decisions they have to make all year is what costume they'll wear for the big night! This little amigurumi kid comes with three options: a witch (or wizard), a superhero, or a jack o'lantern. Dress him or her up and put the little treat bag into place for some pretend trick or treating. The doll can be customized with different flesh tones and hair color to match the lucky little kid that gets to keep it.

Dress Me Up Trick or Treater

Materials List
Caron "Simply Soft" – Bone (A, 1 skein) for flesh tone, Black (B, 1 skein), Mango (D, 1 skein), Grape (E, 1 skein)
Lion Brand "Woolease" -- Paprika (C, 1 skein) for haircolor
Caron "Simply Soft Party" -- Red Sparkle (F, 1 skein)
Crochet Hook, Size 3.5mm (US E)
Yarn needle
9mm safety eyes
Pink embroidery floss
Embroidery needle
Black felt
Craft glue

Notes:
Doll, hat, and pumpkin costume are worked in the round in unjoined spirals. Use a locking stitch marker if necessary to mark the beginning of each round. When you complete a round, move the marker to the loop on your hook and continue crocheting.
Gauge is not important for this project. Use recommended hook or hook that enables you to crochet tightly enough to prevent large holes in the fabric.

Keep reading for the pattern!

Friday FAQs -- Skin-toned yarn

Every Friday I'll be posting a Frequently Asked Question that deserves a good answer!

Question: What yarns do you recommend using for skin tones?

Answer: In my book I went over some different yarns I like to use for skin tones. When I make dolls I tend to use a lot of the main color skin yarn and it is surprisingly really difficult to match skin tones!

(Are you listening, yarn companies? YES I'm ready to help you come up with a line of multicultural yarns for skin tones!)

So, like, THIS, in YARN!

Lots of the yarns I end up using are beige, tan, brown, and variations of those. In my never-ending quest for peach caucasian toned yarn, I have found some winners and some losers. Unfortunately lots of peach yarn you can find is neon-ish and hurts my eyes. Doesn't work for skin.

It's fairly easy to find brown tones for darker skin. I love using Red Heart "Soft" yarn in Toast, Hobby Lobby's "I Love This Yarn" in Toasted Almond (available in store only, apparently), and Bernat "Satin" in Sable
 (lighter still).

For a peach complexion, I love using Caron "Simply Soft Yarn" in Light Country Peach, which is getting increasingly hard to find and I have to order it online, and a new one for me,  Hobby Lobby "I Love This Yarn" in Light Peach.

What yarns have you found that work well for skin tones? I'd love to hear!

What FAQ would you like answered next week? Please post below!