Happy Texas Independence Day, y'all!

Free Amigurumi Texas flag pattern

Born and raised in Texas, and proud to be, I had to make something Texas related! Today is Texas Independence Day, so it seemed fitting to write up this free pattern for the iconic Texas flag, with a CraftyisCool twist. He's smiling!

Hope you enjoy!

 Texas Flag

  by Allison Hoffman

Materials:
Worsted weight yarn
  White (A)
  Blue (B)
  Red (C)
Black embroidery floss
Polyester stuffing
Black 9mm safety eyes
White felt

Tools/Notions:
E Hook
Yarn needle
Embroidery needle

Key:
ch: Chain
sc: single crochet
st: stitch

Flag:
Row 1: With white yarn A, and starting with a long beginning yarn tail, ch 11. Sc into 2nd ch from hook and next 9 chs (10 sts)
Rows 2-13: Ch 1, turn. Sc into each st.
Change to red yarn B at end of Rnd 13.
Rnds 14-26: Ch 1, turn. Sc into each st.
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.

Blue Side of Flag:
Row 1: With blue yarn C, ch 7. Sc into 2nd ch from hook and next 5 chs (6 sts)
Rows 2-26: Ch 1, turn. Sc into each st.
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.

Assembly:
Align edges of Flag and Blue Side of Flag. Stitch together with blue yarn tail.

Fold panel and stitch long edge of blue/white and blue/red edges with yarn tail. This will be the back center seam.

Flatten the Flag so red is at the bottom and white is at the top. Stitch the blue short edge closed with matching yarn.

Insert safety eyes as shown and stuff Flag.

Stitch remaining edge closed and weave in ends.

With black embroidery floss, stitch a loose “v” shape for a smile.

On a small piece of white felt, lightly draw a star with a disappearing ink pen or pencil. Cut the star from the felt, flip over, and glue or stitch to the blue portion of the Flag as shown.

Attach a short piece of ribbon to top of Flag for hanging.

Please let me know if you have any questions about this pattern, or if you need any help.  The items you make from this pattern may be resold as long as credit is given as “Pattern by Allison Hoffman, craftyiscool.com”.  Thanks!

Yarns Used in this Project:
A: Hobby Lobby “I Love This Yarn” — White
B: Hobby Lobby “I Love This Yarn” — Red
C: Hobby Lobby “I Love This Yarn” — Royal

Kissing Piggies! Free Valentine's Day Pattern

KISSING PIGGIES

I wrote this pattern for Michael's stores a couple of years ago for Valentine's Day. They make a cute little gift for your special someone!

Two sweet little piggies kiss with the help of magically magnetic snouts. Crocheted in squishy soft Loops & Threads® Snuggly Wuggly™ baby yarn, these two make precious Valentine's gifts that are fun to make and fun to play with.

MATERIALS

Loops & Threads "Snuggly Wuggly" – Pink (A, 1 skein) and Candy Pink (B, 1 skein)
Crochet Hook, Size 3.0mm (US D/3)
Tapestry Needle
Polyester fiber-fill
Black DMC Embroidery Floss (1 skein)
2 - Black rounded 0.63 cm (1/4") buttons with shank or 5mm safety eyes
2 - 0.63 cm (1/4") extra strength or heavy duty magnets
Embroidery Needle
Scraps of matching fabric (for ears)
White thread
INSTRUCTIONS

Body (Make one with yarn A, one with B)

With yarn and D hook, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, sc 6 into ring. Pull tail gently to close ring.

Rnd 1: Work 2 sc into each st (12 sts)

Rnd 2: *(2 Sc into next st, sc into next st), rep from * to end of rnd (18 sts)

Rnd 3: *(2 Sc into next st, sc into next 2 sts), rep from * to end of rnd (24 sts)

Rnd 4: *(2 Sc into next st, sc into next 3 sts), rep from * to end of rnd (30 sts)

Rnd 5: *(2 Sc into next st, sc into next 4 sts), rep from * to end of rnd (36 sts)

Rnds 6-14: Sc into each st around.

Rnd 15: *(Sc2tog, sc into next 4 sts), rep from * to end of rnd (30 sts)

Rnd 16: *(Sc2tog, sc into next 3 sts), rep from * to end of rnd (24 sts)

Rnd 17: *(Sc2tog, sc into next 2 sts), rep from * to end of rnd (18 sts)

*Insert a stitch marker to hold your place. If you are using safety eyes, insert them now according to package directions, between Rnds 4 and 5, 9 sts apart. Stuff body firmly. Continue adding stuffing as you complete the next two rounds.

Rnd 18: *(Sc2tog, sc into next st), rep from * to end of rnd (12 sts)

Rnd 19: Sc2tog around (6 sts)

*You will continue crocheting to make the tail.

Row 20: Sl st into next st, ch 8, work 3 sts into 2nd ch from hook and next 5 ch, sl st into next st (18 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a long strand of yarn for sewing. Use a yarn needle to weave the remaining strand through the last round, closing the hole. Weave in ends.



Snout (Make one with yarn A, one with B)

With yarn and D hook, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, sc 6 into ring. Pull tail gently to close ring.

Rnd 1: Work 2 sc into each st (12 sts)

Rnd 2: Working into Back Loops Only (BLO), sc into each st around (12 sts)

Rnd 3: Working into both loops of each st, sc into each st (12 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Use black embroidery floss to embroider two straight stitches onto Snout for nostrils.

Sew Snout to Body, centering it between the eyes, and leave an opening. Insert the magnet into the Snout, then fill in with stuffing. Finish sewing opening closed. Weave in ends.

When creating second Snout, make sure to check that the magnets are situated in each Snout to attract, rather than repel, each other.

Legs (Make four with A, four with B)

With yarn and D hook, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, and sc 5 into ring. Pull tail gently to close ring.

Rnds1-5: Sc into each st around (5 sts)

Fasten off and leave a long tail. No stuffing is necessary. Sew Legs to underside of Body.

Ears (Make two with A, two with B)

With yarn and D hook, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, and sc 3 into ring. Pull tail gently to close ring.

Rnd 1: Work 2 sc into each st around (6 sts)

Rnd 2: *(2 Sc into next st, sc into next st), rep from * to end of rnd (9 sts)

Rnd 3: 2 Sc into next st, sc into next 8 sts (10 sts)

Rnd 4: Sc into next 5 sts, 2 sc into next st, sc into next 4 sts (11 sts)

Rnd 5: Sc into each st around.

Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Flatten Ear to form a triangle. Sew to Body three rows behind each eye.

Flower (Make one with B)

With yarn B, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, and sc 9 into ring. Sl st the opening closed.

Rnd 1: *(Ch 1, dc and hdc into next st, sl st into next st), rep from * to end of rnd. Last sl st is made into first st of the round.

Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Sew onto Piggie's head near her ear.

Finishing

Thread the embroidery needle with embroidery floss, knotting one end. Insert the needle into the Body under the Snout and make a "v" smile with the embroidery thread, keeping the stitches loose to round out the smile. Bring needle back up to the surface between stitches and knot the thread close to the fabric. Insert needle back into Body and out through a stitch, clipping it close to the surface so that it retracts back inside.

Cut two 0.63 cm (¼") triangles from fabric scraps and stitch into place on Ears with white thread.

Abbreviations
Ch: Chain
Sc: Single Crochet
Hdc: Half Double Crochet
Dc: Double Crochet
St: Stitch
Rnd: Round
Rep: Repeat
Techniques

Adjustable ring: Make a ring with yarn. Insert hook into ring, yarn over and draw up a loop. Ch 1, as directed in pattern. Work the stitches required in pattern into the ring. When complete gently, but firmly, pull tail to close up the ring.

BLO(Back Loops Only): Instead of inserting hook under both loops of the next stitch, insert hook under only the back loop of the stitch. This leaves an unworked loop in the front.

TIPS

The pieces are all crocheted 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.

Oink Oink! Enjoy! Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy New Year with BB-8! FREE pattern

*** The pattern for Rey is now available! She comes with a PDF for BB-8 too! Available in my Etsy shop and on Ravelry!

I'll tell you a secret. Until I had a nephew, I had never seen Star Wars. I knew the major characters, but nothing about the plot and never had an urge to watch. I grew up in a family of girls, so maybe that's why? I was more interested in Cabbage Patch Kids than Ewoks. I started watching the movies and now with three boys of my own, I've seen them all many many times. It was exciting to see the prequels in the theater, but nothing earth-shattering. I guess the letdown lots of people felt with those movies made the anticipation for the newest movie, "The Force Awakens", even greater. We knew the characters months before the movie was released, and BB-8 was super cute in the trailer. It was pretty much a no-brainer that I'd crochet him. 

To celebrate the dawning of a new year (welcome, 2016!), I've written a pattern for BB-8! He is now FREE for good! I had a lot of requests as soon as I took the pattern down and I had planned on putting it in my Etsy and Ravelry shops, but hey everyone likes free stuff, right?

BB-8

Materials:

White worsted weight yarn (A)

Gray worsted weight yarn (B)

Orange worsted weight yarn (C)

12 mm black safety eye

5 mm black safety eye

Gray felt

Black thread

Red, Blue, Gray embroidery floss

White round elastic cord

20mm doll joint

Craft glue

Tools/Notions:

E Hook 

Yarn needle

Embroidery needle

Black permanent marker

Key:

ch: Chain

sc: single crochet

st: stitch

invdec: single crochet 2 st together

Body:

Rnd 1: Starting at the top of the Body, with yarn A and E hook, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, sc 6 into ring. Pull tail to close hole, but leave a tiny hole. (You will insert the doll joint here and need a little opening to make it fit easily) (6 sts)

Rnd 2: 2 Sc in each st (12 sts)

Rnd 3: *(2 Sc in next st, sc in next st), rep from * to end of rnd (18 sts)

Rnd 4: *(2 Sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts), rep from * to end of rnd (24 sts)

Rnd 5: *(2 Sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts), rep from * to end of rnd (30 sts)

Rnds 6-11: Sc in each st around.

Rnd 12: *(Invdec, sc in next 3 sts), rep from * to end of rnd (24 sts)

Rnd 13: *(Invdec, sc in next 2 sts), rep from * to end of rnd (18 sts)

Insert a stitch marker to hold your place. From the inside of the Body, insert the post of the doll joint through the beginning hole in Rnd 1. Stuff Body firmly. Continue adding stuffing as necessary as you work the final rounds.

Rnd 14: *(Invdec, sc in next st), rep from * to end of rnd (12 sts)

Rnd 15: Invdec around (6 sts)

Fasten off and leave a long tail. Weave tail through the final round and pull to close the hole. Weave in ends.

Top of Head: 

Rnd 1: With yarn A (white) and E hook, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, sc 6 into ring (6 sts)

Change to yarn B (gray) at last st of Rnd 1.

Rnd 2: 2 Sc in each st (12 sts)

Change to yarn A (white) at last st of Rnd 2.

Rnd 3: *(2 Sc in next st, sc in next st), rep from * to end of rnd (18 sts)

Rnd 4: 2 Sc in first st, sc in each st around (19 sts)

Rnd 5: Sc in next 12 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 6 sts (20 sts)

Rnd 6: Sc in next 10 sts, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 9 sts (21 sts)

Rnd 7: Sc in each st.

Change to yarn B (gray) at last st of Rnd 7.

Rnd 8: Work a sl st into each st around. Keep the stitches relatively loose so they won't pull the last round tight. 

Fasten off and cut tail. Weave in white and gray ends. With gray felt, cut a 12 mm diameter circle. Cut a tiny slit in the center and insert the post of the 5mm eye.  Insert the 12 mm eye between Rnds 4 and 5, and insert the 5mm/gray felt circle eye 2 sts away and one round down, between Rnds 5 and 6. Set Top of Head aside.

Head Base:

Rnds 1-3: Repeat as for Top of Head, all in yarn A. Keep the beginning Rnd 1 loose to leave an opening in the center for the doll join post to fit through, as you did in the Body. Fasten off. Leave a long tail for sewing.

Construction:

Align Head Base over doll joint post sticking out of Rnd 1 of the Body. Push post through the hole all the way. Place flat washer over the post, then place locking washer over the flat washer. This should lock the doll joint mechanism into place. 

Sew Top of Head to Head Base with yarn tail and a yarn needle. Stuff as you sew up the last few stitches, making sure not to overstuff. You want the Head Base to be as flat as possible. Weave in ends. Make sure not to weave any ends through Head and Body or the Head will not turn. 

Body Decoration:

Orange Rings (make 6):

With yarn C, ch 20. Fasten off and leave a long tail.

With yarn tails, stitch rings into place. Place them equidistant from each other, one on each of four sides, and one on "top" and “bottom". I like to pin them all in place first (see above) so I can see where I arranged them (slightly askew as you can see in the photo), but placement is up to you. As in the construction, make sure you don't weave tail through to the Head or it won't turn fully. With yarn C and a yarn needle, stitch short stitches from the outside toward the center of the circle. (see below)

With gray felt, cut shapes to put into the centers of the Orange Rings. I cut them rather randomly (see below), but you can look at BB-8 photos if you want them exactly like him! For one of the rings, cut a gray circle, and cut it across in three segments. Glue gray pieces into place with craft glue (or super glue if you're careful!), or stitch with matching thread.

For the gray sliced circle panel, stitch a red French knot and a blue French knot with embroidery thread on the lower section of the circle. Refer to photo below. 

Thread an embroidery needle with one strand of black thread. Stitch long straight stitches between Orange Rings. Refer to photo above.

Also with one strand of black thread, stitch an outline around BB-8's eyes as shown. Short stitches around the top will "curve" better than longer stitches. Stitch long straight stitches around the head from top to bottom as shown.

Thread a yarn needle with orange yarn C. Stitch short straight stitches around the base of BB8's head.   Stitch a continuous ring around the top of BB-8's head one round below the gray round. Weave in ends.

With gray embroidery floss or thin yarn, embroider French knots on the Body next to each black line separating the panels, to resemble tiny screws. Weave in ends.

Antennae:

Thread a yarn needle with elastic cord. Knot one end. Insert yarn needle into Head and pull up at the spot you want the first antenna. Cut the cord. Apply a tiny bit of craft or super glue to base and tip so it won't fray or pull through. For second antenna, knot a strand of cord and color with black marker near the knot. Pull through Head and up through the top and cut, making it a little longer. Color the tip black. Apply a little craft or super glue to base and tip to hold into place and prevent fraying.

Your little BB-8 astromech droid is done! I think this project would be fun if you made him even smaller out of thread or sock-weight yarn, or even bigger with chunky yarn! The pattern will remain the same, but only the hook size needs to be changed. 

Please let me know if you have any questions about this pattern, or if you need any help.  The toys you make from this pattern may be resold as long as credit is given as “Pattern by Allison Hoffman, craftyiscool.com”.  Thanks!

Yarns Used in this Project:

A: Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn — White

B: Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn — Gray

C: Hobby Lobby’s Crafter’s Secret — Orange 

*If you would like to sell the items you make from this pattern or any of my patterns, please feel free, but on your listings make sure to include "Pattern by Allison Hoffman/craftyiscool.com"  Thanks!

Watch for BB-8's friend Rey coming soon in my Etsy shop and Ravelry store!

Golden Girls 30th Anniversary! This calls for some Cheesecake!

I've gone on about my love of the "Girls" before, and I know how you all feel about them as well, so we won't waste much time recanting our favorite scenes, favorite Dorothy cut-downs, or Sophia one-liners. I could type for hours about funny memories I've had while watching Golden Girls or jokes my sisters and mom and I bring up on a weekly basis from the show ("..I've just been thrown out of an unauthorized Elvis-fan-club... I'll try to pick up the pieces and go on with my life... I mean there must be a support group for people like me.") but you all have heard it all before! 

Now's the time we get to celebrate. Thirty years ago TODAY, the Golden Girls changed TV forever. I'm sure they'd all been told their times had passed, they were too old to star on their own shows, and America wanted the young and the restless. Glad they proved them wrong.

For the anniversary, we all get cheesecake. Not just any cheesecake, crocheted cheesecake! It will keep forever! No refrigeration required. Make a few slices and reenact your favorite scenes, no judgment here.

Golden Girls Cheesecake

Materials:

Off-white sport or fingering weight yarn* (A)

Brown sport or fingering weight yarn* (B)

Red sport or fingering weight yarn* (C)

C hook

Polyester fiberfill

Yarn needle

*If you want to use worsted, be my guest. I've been using finer gauge yarn lately and loving it. You may also want to up your hook size to E.

Stitches:

Ch : chain

St : stitch

Sc: single crochet

Hdc: half double crochet

BLO: back loops only; you will crochet into the back loop of each stitch instead of under both loops

Top of cheesecake:

Row 1: With yarn A and C hook, ch 3. Work 2 hdc into 3rd ch (2 sts)

Row 2: Ch 2, turn, 2 hdc into each st (4 sts)

Row 3: Ch 2, turn, hdc into each st.

Row 4: Ch 2, turn, *(2 hdc into next st, hdc into next st), rep from * across (6 sts)

Row 5: Ch 2, turn, *(2 hdc into next st, hdc into next 2 sts), rep from * across (8 sts)

Row 6: Ch 2, turn, *(2 hdc into next st, hdc into next 3 sts), rep from * across (10 sts)

Row 7: Ch 2, turn, hdc into each st.

Row 8: Ch 2, turn, *(2 hdc into next st, hdc into next 4 sts), rep from * across (12 sts)

Row 9: Ch 2, turn, hdc into each st.

Row 10: Ch 2, turn, *(2 hdc into next st, hdc into next 5 sts), rep from * across (14 sts)

Row 11: Ch 2, turn, hdc into each st.

Row 12: Ch 2, turn, *(2 hdc into next st, hdc into next 6 sts), rep from * across (16 sts)

Row 13: Ch 2, turn, hdc into each st.

Row 14: Working around entire triangle, ch 1, sc down long edge 17 sc evenly, 3 sc in last st for the corner, 17 sc evenly up other long edge, 3 sc in corner, sc 16 across top, sl st into beginning ch (36 sts)

First side of cheesecake (continue working):

Row 15: Ch 1, working into BLO, sc into 18 sts of first long edge of triangle (18 sts)

Rows 16-20: Ch 1, turn, sc into each st (working into both loops of each st now) (18 sts)

Fasten off. 

Row 21: Join yarn B for crust with a sl st into the first st of Row 20. Ch 2, hdc into same st and next 17 across (18 sts)

Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing edges closed later.

Second side of cheesecake:

Row 15: Join yarn A with a sl st in corner edge of other long side of the triangle top. Ch 1, sc into BLO of same st and each st across (18 sts)

Rows 16-20: Ch 1, turn, sc into each st (working into both loops of each st now) (18 sts)

Fasten off. 

Row 21: Join yarn B for crust with a sl st into the first st of Row 20. Ch 2, hdc into same st and next 17 across (18 sts)

Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing edges closed later.

Back of cheesecake:

Row 15: Join yarn A at corner with a sl st, ch 1, sc into BLO of first st and each st across (17 sts)

Row 16: Ch 1, turn, sc into each st (working into both loops of each st now) (18 sts)

Fasten off.

Row 21: Join yarn B for crust with a sl st into the first st of Row 20. Ch 2, hdc into same st and next 17 across (18 sts)

Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing edges closed later.

When you're done so far, you'll have a piece that looks like this:

Bottom of cheesecake:

Using yarn B, repeat Rnds 1-14 of Top of cheesecake. Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Set aside for assembly.

Sauce:

*This may seem confusing! There is one main chain, and several branching chains.

With yarn C, ch 22. 2 hdc into 3rd ch, sc into next 8 chs, ch 8 (branching chain made), 2hdc in 3rd ch from hook, sc in next 5 chs, sc into same ch you started at (back to main chain), sc in next 5 chs, hdc in next 5 chs, 5 hdc in last ch, turning to work opposite side of beginning ch, sc in next 5 chs, ch 12 (branching chain made), hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, sc in next 8 chs, sc in same ch you started at (back to main chain), sc in next 3 chs, hdc in next 3 chs, ch 12 (branching chain made), 3 hdc in 3rd ch from hook, sc in next 9 chs, hdc in same ch you started at (back to main chain), hdc in next 3 chs, sc in next 5 chs, sl st in last ch. 

Fasten off. Leave a long tail for sewing into place.

Cherry:

*Make as many as you want! I made 6.

Rnd 1: With C, make an adjustable ring, ch 1, sc 6 into ring. (6 sts)

Rnd 2: 2 sc into each st (12 sts)

Rnds 3-4: Sc into each st.

Rnd 5: Insert a little stuffing, and sc2tog around (6 sts)

Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing to cheesecake.

Assembly:

With a yarn needle, stitch up corners of cheesecake top and sides. Try to keep the angles as sharp as possible. 

Stitch the Bottom to the Top around the sides and back, inserting plenty of stuffing as you go.

Pin the Sauce into place over the Top, arranging it however you'd like. Stitch into place with the yarn tail.

Sew Cherries on top.

Eat the cheesecake. If you want.

Hope you enjoyed the free pattern! Of course you cannot possibly use this cheesecake pattern if you don't already have the girls!! Make sure you pick up your copy of the Golden Girls pattern on Etsy or Ravelry, both available for instant download. 

**Please do not use this pattern to sell cheesecake. This is a free pattern and should only be used for gifts. The patterns I sell are ok to use to sell items to sell, but not the freebies. Thanks for your cooperation!