Falling for Cyndaquil

December 23, 2018 | heyheygav

Hey hey crochet lovers. The onset of Autumn brings with it a desire to nest and huddle down and enjoy the warmth inside. Few Pokemon embody the cosy desire to hibernate, and the colours of the Fall, like a shiny Cyndaquil.

A work-in-progress Cyndaquil, before the felting stage

This crocheted critter was another one created as a trophy for our friendly Pokemon Go Community Day challenges, so she’s now off living with the winning trainer. I never seem to win these challenges but I don’t mind, as I like to make the trophies then send them out into the world. Plus, I’ve probably got more than enough crochet in the house already!

The basic construction of Cyndaquil was pretty easy – you can’t really go wrong with a Sabrina Somers pattern – and it’s features are about as simple as Pokemon faces get. The fun part on this one was bringing its flames to life with ample needlefelting.

Pattern: €4.80 from Sabrina Somers – https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cyndaquil-pokemon

Yarn: Scheepjes Twinkle

Hook: 3.5mm

Flame on – it’s shiny Charmander and Charizard

May 20, 2018 | heyheygav

Hey hey crochet lovers. Every month on Pokemon Go, the developers run a special Community Day where one type of Pokemon is available in huge numbers and there’s a chance to catch rare Shiny versions. This month was the turn of fan-favourite Charmander.

I’ve fallen in love with Charmander’s pretty blue eyes

To celebrate the May Community Day, I decided to make some special Pokemon to be given as prizes for whoever caught the most and the strongest Shiny Charmanders.

For these special Pokemon I wanted some metallic yarn that would give an extra-special look to the finished creatures. I opted for Scheepjes’s Twinkle yarn, as there’s a great range of colours and strong sparkle running throughout.

Knot Bad’s chibi Charizard pattern is a departure in style for me but worked really well

The yarn is a cotton, polyester blend and has a slightly crunchy feel when you’re working with it. I’m so happy with the end result, as it crochets evenly and is much easier to work with than an eyelash yarn. The finished plushies are far from cuddly though, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you want something soft and huggable for a child’s toy.

A fun time was had on Community Day and the prize Pokemon are now happily living with their new trainers. I’ve already stocked up on some more Twinkle for more Shiny treasures in the future.

Charmander pattern: http://www.wolfdreameroth.com/2010/08/charmander-plushie.html

Yarn: Scheepjes Twinkle DK in gold and cream

Hook: 3.5mm

Charizard pattern: https://www.knotbadami.com/charizard-amigurumi/

Yarn: Scheepjes Twinkle DK in grey, red and white

Hook: 3.5mm

Vulpix catches fire

February 27, 2017March 1, 2017 | heyheygav

heyhey3 — Vulpix is a teeny fellow but with a big character

Hey hey crochet lovers. The next project on the agenda was this fiery little fellow – the fox Pokemon, Vulpix. He’s on a smaller scale to some of my other projects, but there’s still a lot of character packed in his tiny form.

What I love most of all about Vulpix is how sparkly his dewey little eyes turned out. They really help elevate the look to the anime level, and it’s well worth learning how to master this technique if you want a more accurate look.

Attempt one at Vulpix’s neck did not go well

Breaking needles – a common mishap for the needle-felter

It’s fair to say I experienced a few problems with this one, from breaking a needle trying to perfect Vulpix’s and eyes to completely redoing the neck piece after the first one made him look like a misshapen horse. He still doesn’t stand up too well but what the heck.

Pattern: $4.99 from http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vulpix-pokemon-inspired-pattern

Yarn: Sirdar cotton DK in red, rust and brown

Hook: 3.5mm

Finished size: 20cm tall