Sock Monkey Beanies + Korea Trip
I made these sock monkey beanies sometime back just before we went for our family vacation in Seoul.
I’ve seen so many adorable crocheted beanies on the Internet and I’ve always wanted to make one. Knowing it’s summer all year round in Singapore and I’ll never get a chance to wear it, I always end up not doing it.
As soon as we decided that Seoul will be the destination for our long awaited vacation, I wanted to crochet something fun and meaningful for Jimmy and I to wear to our trip. And a pair of matching beanies sounds like a perfect crochet project to keep our heads warm from the cold.
Thanks to Sarah ( Founder of RepeatCrafterMe) for the awesome pattern that she’ve provided for FREE, I was able to make these matching pair of sock monkey beanies. Her patterns were very well written and well illustrated, which makes it really easy to follow. It took me 1 full day to complete these 2 beanies and I’m really happy with how they turned out. By the way, I am a huge fan of her blog and I LOVE all her creations! Click “Here” to check out her amazing page and other creations if you have not done so! :) You’re in for an awesome treat!
Don’t you think these sock monkey beanies spiced up our whole outfit? :)
The reason why I chose to crochet sock monkey beanies out of so many other characters is because I find that sock monkey has a good mix of fun yet not too cute look, which makes it acceptable for a guy to wear. Well, at least Jimmy didn’t mind. Infact, he liked it a lot and we were really happy parading our unique beanies in the streets of Korea.
I always find that sock monkey is a really cool creation. Who would have thought that a pair of socks can be made into an adorable old school plush toy? I will definitely learn to make one someday. You can click “Here” to read more about the origins of sock monkeys.
Click “Here” for the RepeatCrafterMe Sock Monkey Beanie Crochet Pattern.
I used size Teen/Adult and did some minor changes to the pattern since I wanted my beanies to have a slightly bigger fit. I’ve added an extra Round to the hat and ear flaps. I didn’t mind having a non smiley sock monkey, so I crocheted the red and white mouth pieces together instead of separately. Here are the following changes I did to the original pattern:
Abbreviations:
st = stitch
ch = chain
sl st = slip stitch
SC = Single Crochet
DC = Double Crochet
Size Teen/Adult Hat:
Round 11-17:DC around, join, ch 2 (72 DC)
do not fasten off, begin on first earflap
Earflaps for Child -Adult:
*Chain 1, SC in next 12, chain 1, turn
Row 2: SC decrease, SC in next 8, SC decrease, chain 1, turn
Row 3-4: SC across (10 SC)
Row 5: SC decrease, SC in next 6, SC decrease, chain 1, turn
Row 6: SC across (8 SC)
Row 7: SC decrease, SC in next 4, SC decrease, chain 1, turn
Row 8: SC across (6 SC)
Row 9: SC decrease, SC in next 2, SC decrease, chain 1, turn
Row 10: SC across (4 SC)
Row 11: Make 2 SC decreases, chain 1, turn
Row 12: SC decrease, fasten off, weave in ends*
Leave 28 stitches for Adult
For the Braided Tails, I used 3 colours instead of 1. This is my FIRST TIME crocheting a beanie and it’s also my FIRST TIME making “Pom-Poms”. I’m glad I’ve learnt something new. :)
Here are some pictures we took in Seoul. It was freezing cold (-5 to -17degrees), but it didn’t stopped us from having fun! We tried so many delicious food, “Bibimbap” and “Kao Rou”- BBQ Meat were some of our favourite dishes! We also visited their local theme park - Lotte World where there is an indoor and outdoor theme park filled with rides and shows. And not forgetting our yarn adventure which I’ve shared “Here” and many other exciting and happy moments.
Thanks for sharing the joy with us. It was a fulfilling trip and wearing these handmade beanies made it a little extra special!
Crochet with Love, Rachel H
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All my little friends are gathered here today because.. It’s Little Yarn Friends 1st Birthday!
Happy Birthday Little Yarn Friends!
I can’t believe it has been exactly a year since I first started “Little Yarn Friends”. Thank you so much for all the love and support that I’ve received over the past year. It has truly been an amazing journey and an awesome 1st year! I have met some of the most amazing, talented and supportive people through this blogging process.
Catherine Leck (Founder of Anywool) is the one who convinced me to start a blog and Facebook page for my crochet hobby and to share them on the Internet. I still remember I had mix feelings while writing my first blog post, not knowing where it would lead me to. But as I kept on writing, I realised how much I actually enjoyed it. It slowly became a part of my life as I journal down my craft journey and experiences on this blog.
Once in awhile, I will look back at the items I first started making and it’s amazing to see how far I have come. From someone that was clueless about crocheting to someone who enjoys creating, making and sharing this amazing craft. It’s been a wonderful learning journey, exploring and trying out new things.
I’ve never imagine that I’ll have 700 tumblr followers and 2467 friends on Facebook to date. I feel so blessed and thankful that I can share my love and creativity with you all through “Little Yarn Friends”. Thank you to each and every one of you for embarking this journey with me, who have left your kind comments, encouraging e-mail, shared your lovely photos and stories with me. YOU have made this journey a meaningful one. I’m also so thankful for all the opportunities that came.
- Being the Co-Author of “we-love-crocheting” Tumblr Blog (Big Thanks to Josephine Wu of amoriningcupofjo creations)
- Experiencing my 1st Art Exchange with Bellebelious (Big Thanks to Desiree Ang for this wonderful exchange)
- Being featured on Inspired Crochet Magazine Twice (Big Thanks to Kristi chief editor of Inspired Crochet Magazine)
- Hosted 2 Awesome Giveaways
- Having my creations being displayed at GetVintage Store (Big Thanks to Felicia Ang for the opportunity)
- And many more…
Thank you once again for all your love and support! I hope you’ve enjoyed what you’ve seen so far. I’m definitely very excited to share more crochet goodness with all of you this coming year. May “Little Yarn Friends” continue to bring smiles to your faces and help bring some positivity and love into your lives, especially on those days when you need it most.
Sending lots of love and blessings to you and your loved ones. :)
Rachel H
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Crochet Pattern: Lil’ Melody
We would like to celebrating Easter by sharing our latest Bunny Crochet Pattern with all of you! I’m sure many of you would know this lovely rabbit. Yes, she is none other than Lil’ Melody! Lil’ Melody is approximately 23cm x 10cm and she makes a good crochet project for your long Easter weekend as well as a good gift for anyone who loves Melody or bunnies. Feel free to send us questions if you have and don’t forget to share some pictures of your new little bunny friend at “Little Yarn Friends Facebook Page” or e-mail me at littleyarnfriends@gmail.com. Happy Easter and happy crocheting!
Before we begin, you might want to click “Here” to read the story behind this creation and how I piece this creation together. It might help you in your assembling later.
If not, let’s begin!
Materials:
- Yarn(s) - Bright Pink and White 8ply Acrylic Yarn
- Crochet Hooks - Size 3.0mm
- Yarn Needle
- Tapestry Needle
- White Tapestry Thread
- Fiberfill
- Small pieces of White, Yellow and Black Felt
- Fabric Glue
- Stitch Marker or Safety Pin
- This pattern works in continuous rounds (instead of joined rounds).
- The pink collar works in rows.
- MR - Magic Ring
- sc - Single Crochet
- 2 sc in next sc - Increase
- dec 1 - Decrease
- Ch - Chain
- Sl St - Slip Stitch
- * * - Repeat Step
- F/O - Fasten Off
Assembling:
- Place the pink hoodie diagonally over the head as shown in the picture above.
- Using a white tapestry thread and tapestry needle, sew the pink hoodie onto the head.
- Using a tapestry needle and white tapestry thread, sew on Lil’ Melody’s ears at the top of the head.
- Sew on her hands and feet as shown in the picture above.
- Wrap the pink collar over her neck and arms and sew it onto Lil’ Melody.
- Cut out 2 oval black felt (as the eyes) and 1 oval yellow felt (as the nose) glue them onto her face.
- Cut out a flower petal shaped using white felt and 1 round yellow felt (as the center piece of the flower).
- Glue the round yellow felt onto the white flower petals and glue the entire flower onto Lil’ Melody’s head.
And Congratulations, you’ve completed your Lil’ Melody!
This pattern is an original pattern by Rachel H of Little Yarn Friends (March 2013). Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but you may not sell or distribute it. You can’t sell items made from this pattern since I do not own the rights to this cartoon. Thank You.
Little Yarn Friends wishes all of you a Happy Good Friday and Happy Easter! Thank you to those who’ve sent us photos of your super adorable Lil’ Easter Bunnies and Lil’ Moustache Easter Eggs. It is so much fun seeing all the different versions of these Lil’ Easter Bunnies and Lil’ Moustache Easter Eggs made from different parts of the world. Are you planning to make these little cuties for the occasion too? If you do, don’t forget to send us pictures! :) You can find Lil’ Easter Bunny’s pattern “Here” and Lil’ Moustache Easter Eggs “Here”. If you’ve made other handmade items that are related to Good Friday or Easter, we would love to see them too and share the joy with you! Enjoy your long weekend. May you be greatly blessed, highly favored and deeply loved by the Grace of our Lord!
Lots of Love, Rachel H
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Lil’ Melody
Somebody wants to play hide and seek with you. Can you make a guess who it is?
Peekaboo! It’s Lil’ Melody!
We were overwhelmed by the response we had after Lil’ Melody’s sneak preview a few days ago. Thank you for all the likes and lovely comments you’ve left on our Facebook page and on our blog. We really appreciate all the love we’ve received and we really enjoyed reading all your comments. Your enthusiasm have made us extremely excited to share this post with YOU!
Let’s get to know more about Lil’ Melody shall we?
Lil’ Melody or My Melody is a fictional character created by Sanrio back in 1975. If you are a Hello Kitty fan or you’ve seen Hello Kitty cartoons before, I’m sure you would not miss this cute little girl rabbit who always wears a pink or red hood that also covers her ears. Melody’s birthday is on the 18th January. Does your birthday falls on the same date?
Lil’ Melody is a special request from Jamie, a very kind and loyal customer who’ve previously ordered 2 customised creations from us: Lil’ Iron Man and Lil’ Kerokeroppi. You can click “Here” to read more about our Lil’ Iron Man creation and “Here” to read more about our Lil’ Kerokeroppi creation. After Jamie received these 2 amigurumis that I’ve previously customised for her, she mentioned that she really liked them and she wanted another customised doll to display at her home. Of course, I happily agreed to make one for her. As soon as she told me she wanted a customised Melody amigurumi, I knew I will have a lot of fun making this little one. I mean, who wouldn’t like such a sweet and adorable rabbit like Melody?
Jamie sent me a picture of Melody wearing this really beautiful hot pink hood as a reference. Last week, I went to Spotlight for some yarn hunting and spotted this really gorgeous shade of pink that looked really similar to the one in the picture. I was so excited to find a lovely hot pink yarn for Melody. Now, I can start making her come to life. :)
Here are some of my work in progress pictures that I’ll like to share with all of you. I’m sure these pictures will be useful if you’re planning to make your own Lil’ Melody too. :)
If you’ve been following my blog for some time, you might notice this familiar shape that many of my creations have. I called this the versatile head and body, which I’ll tweak the size to fit each character’s shape.
This pink bowl shaped is part of Lil’ Melody’s hood.
Here are pictures of Lil’ Melody’s pink bunny ears, her little pink cape, her hands and feet.
And here is her tiny little white tail.
All the parts are done, it’s time to piece everything together! Yay!
Firstly, I’ve placed the pink bowl shaped hood diagonally over Lil’ Melody’s head. It looked like Melody has a pink bowl hair cut. Then using a white tapestry thread and tapestry needle, I sewed the pink bowl shaped onto the head.
Secondly, I attached the pink ears on top of the pink bowl shaped. Melody’s ears placement is a little different from other bunnies that I’ve done. Hers were sewed really closed to the top of the head so it looked more like the cartoon. Thirdly, I sewed on her hands and feet as shown in the picture above, followed by wrapping her little pink cape or collar over her arms.
Next, I cut out 2 black oval felt for Lil’ Melody’s eyes, a small yellow oval felt for her nose, a white flower shaped felt and yellow circle felt to be pasted on top of the white flower. Lastly, I used fabric glue to paste them onto Lil’ Melody head. And our little lovely friend is complete! :)
She is all set and ready to meet her new friend, Jamie!
Lil’ Melody is such a joy to make. I hope Jamie will love her new little yarn friend.
Thank you so much for taking time to read the making of our Lil’ Melody. Now it’s your turn to make your own Lil’ Melody. I know all of you have been waiting for Lil’ Melody’s Free Crochet Pattern. I’ll get it posted really soon. :) Meanwhile, I hope you are enjoying your Easter week!
Crochet with Love, Rachel H
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