caitcrochets

Chinese-Filipina. Uni student. Hobby crocheter. Amigurumist for 7 years and counting. More active on my Instagram: @caitcrochets  

[caitcrochets]

Hello!

To all my new legit followers (and not just the bots hahahaha), hi! Thanks for stopping by~ 

This is just a small PSA that I’m not very active here atm. I usually just share my Instagram posts on here, but I might use this blog for the occasional progress pic, text post, or maybe even for pattern posting (...?) But for now, I’m really only using this tumblr to like other tumblr posts and find inspiration :) 

I am quite active, though, on my Instagram (@caitcrochets), so if you wanna see more real-time updates, you can check that out!

Thanks for your understanding! Hopefully I can manage my energy and time enough to get to know the wonderful fiber art and crochet community here on tumblr! :D 

[caitcrochets]

🐢🦆 After 2 months of endless revision, I finally finished the 3rd project of my "Experiments in Crochet" series: my spin on the Turtle-Duckling from Avatar: The Last Airbender! ATLA is a show that pretty much defined my childhood. I remember eating dinner as quickly as I could back then so that I could catch the next episode, be it a new episode or a rerun in between books/seasons. Though the show is set in a fictional world, the themes, creatures, settings and characters are always somehow grounded in reality. It may be branded as a kid's show, but over the past couple years of series rewatches, I think it becomes even better with age. 😄 I chose the turtle duck because it is one of my favorite fictional animals from this series (second to the koala sheep 🐨🐏), and I wanted to challenge myself with complicated shapes and color changes. I still have a lot left to learn, but so far, I am very satisfied with how it turned out! I have a few more ATLA-themed projects lined up in my list, but for now, I'll leave you all with this. Bis dann! Pattern used: Turtle Duckling by me (@caitcrochets ) Yarn used: Monaco 4ply Acrylic (Shade # 10,19,52,61), Love Knots Yarn (Shade # 00077,00083), 8mm safety eyes, polyfill . #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #amigurumi #atla #turtleduck #freehand #ownpattern #handmade #craftersofinstagram #crochetgram #yarn #artistsoninstagram #gantsilyogang #gantsilyo #gantsilyoph #gantsilyophilippines #handmadewithlove https://www.instagram.com/p/CKvs-KArHqJ/?igshid=fhw3qf84gqyu

[caitcrochets]

Hello! I'm back! And what better way to start the new year by posting one of my favorite projects of 2020: Duo the Owl! It only arrived to its new home with Cheezy a few days ago, so I felt I was ready to release the pictures here! As a language learner, I have definitely tried out different apps including this one, and this little fellow was both a cute and a terrifying as it motivated me to keep learning. Granted, I haven't used Duolingo in a while since I began studying German formally in uni, but my friend and classmate wanted something to celebrate her finishing all the Duolingo German lessons last year, so I took the challenge and made my version of it! I won't say it's very precise, but I think I got most of the defining elements right. I'm quite proud of this one (even if its empty gaze condemned me for the 3 months it took me to finish all her other commissions 👀). Hope it motivates you to get back to learning! 😉 Pattern used: Duo the Owl by me (@caitcrochets) Yarn used: Monaco 4ply Acrylic Yarn (Shade# 1,20,36,50,100) #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #amigurumi #duo #freehand #handmade #craftersofinstagram #crochetgram #yarn #artistsoninstagram #gantsilyogang #gantsilyo #gantsilyoph #gantsilyophilippines #handmadewithlove https://www.instagram.com/p/CKV3kbaLzTu/?igshid=1vt1qffq4o045

[caitcrochets]

Meet Cheezy the Cockatiel 🧀🐦, the 2nd project of my "Experiments in Crochet" series! He's named after and based on my dear classmate's own cockatiel (and will be going to her hopefully once the holidays come along!). . Before COVID happened, she used to talk about how much she missed her birb. She'd even send us videos and pictures of him in the group chat when we needed a little motivation. So I got the idea to make one as a fun challenge for myself! This is my first time making a realistic crocheted animal replica, so I looked through a lot of reference pictures on the internet. It also helped me use up some of the leftover materials from other crafting and crochet projects! 😄 . This series is merely a personal endeavor; none are commissioned, and all patterns are made by me! I also cannot guarantee posting one project each month due to busy student life, but I do share project updates and random everyday things on my stories every now and then! 😉 'til next time! . Pattern: Cheezy the Cockatiel by Caitlin Tan Materials: @monacothread 4ply Acrylic Yarn (# 12, 19, 22) & Mercerized Cotton Thread (B100, B260), polyfiber filling, craft wire #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #cheezythecockatiel #amigurumi #cockatiel #birb #originalpattern #needlefelting #handmade #craftersofinstagram #crochetgram #yarn #artistsoninstagram #gantsilyogang #gantsilyo #gantsilyoph #gantsilyophilippines #handmadewithlove https://www.instagram.com/p/CHCy3HoLTSc/?igshid=skl9he8szj4u

[caitcrochets]

😃🐦🧀 #comingsoon #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #amigurumi #originalpattern #handmade #craftersofinstagram #crochetgram #yarn #artistsoninstagram #gantsilyogang #gantsilyo #gantsilyoph #gantsilyophilippines #handmadewithlove https://www.instagram.com/p/CGwsesRBU2p/?igshid=1jku4s3jbrv1r

[caitcrochets]

"A kingdom of isolation, And it looks like I'm the queen." ❄️ . Finally finished my first ever human amigurumi project: Elsa! I love this look so much, but I couldn't find a pattern I liked that matched this look, so i just made my own. She took a lot of trial-and-error (and maybe a week of being bald and faceless), but I think she turned out great! Plus, you can remove her cape and gloves to enhance her "cold never bothered me anyway" vibes ❄️ . AND, she's a gift for the first friend I made in uni, real-life Elsa @myrthena ✨ (surprise!!! 💕). I love her, and I miss being the Anna to her Elsa in our sing-alongs between breaks in uni, so making this Elsa was both a fun experiment for me and a gift for a very dear friend! . Pattern: Elsa (Coronation) by me (caitcrochets) Materials used: Monaco 4ply Acrylic (# 10, 47, 49, 232, 244, 100) Mercerized Cotton Thread (B76, B100), Love Knots Acrylic (# 00058), polyfiber filling https://www.instagram.com/p/CF6ZGmeBK5D/?igshid=khlsond2414f

[caitcrochets]

🎉100-FOLLOWER PROJECT-THROWBACK DAY 7: Lemon Stress Ball (by @twinkiechan) and Earth (by SimplyCollectibleCrochet). Swipe LEFT for pictures from 2016! For the last installment of this series, here are my parting gifts for my academic writing teacher and my World History teacher during my junior-high graduation in 2016. The globe was for the history teacher, and the lemon was for my writing teacher, who always made "lemonade out of life's lemons". These were also my last two projects before I lost the motivation and stopped crocheting regularly. (I did crochet some commissions every now and then, but those were only small, one-off projects.) Getting back into it now, about 3 years after I stopped, I'm doing it not because I need to use my skill to make money (tho I might consider open commissions soon) but because I just really wanna make stuff again. This time, I'm a part of a supportive crochet community, plus, the process has finally become exciting again! That's what really made me crochet so much back then in the first place. Whatever happens now, well, time will tell. But as long as I have some yarn in my stash, I don't think I'll be be dropping this anytime soon😉 And that's it for my crochet project throwback series! I still have other past projects that I haven't talked about yet, but I'll probably post the others as individual throwback posts in the future. It's crazy to think that I had made all of that (and more) in only my first year of crocheting! This was a nice trip down memory lane 😄 Thanks for (now more than) 100 followers! I'm very grateful for your support, and I hope to see you all throughout the rest of my crochet journey on Instagram! 謝謝, mag-ingat po kayo, und bis dann! Patterns: Lemon Stress Ball (http://blog.twinkiechan.com/2015/04/06/free-crochet-pattern-and-video-lemon-stress-ball/), Free Earth Crochet Pattern by (https://simplycollectiblecrochet.com/2015/02/give-him-the-world-free-earth-crochet-pattern/) Materials used: Monaco 4ply Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 49), Love Knots Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 00007, 00058, 00063), polyfiber filling https://www.instagram.com/p/CF3CsJ_BdBv/?igshid=ocybdwae8vvl

[caitcrochets]

🎉100-FOLLOWER PROJECT-THROWBACK DAY 6: Winnie the Pooh Tsum Tsum (by mybackyardmonsters) and Tsum Tsum Mickey and Minnie Mouse (by Sheep Shaved). Swipe LEFT for a stack of Pooh bears (with 1 commissioned feminine Pooh) and a mouse couple from 2016, as well as my 2020 worktable Pooh bear. If I were to recommend any pattern to a beginner at amigurumi, Tsum-Tsums would be in my list. The body has a simple structure, and you go wild with the experimenting for the body parts and add-ons! I wasn't a total beginner at this point, but these simpler patterns were a welcome reprieve after months of complex ones. The only difficult part in making these was actually with the non-crocheted parts. Mickey and Minnie, who were commissioned by my aunt overseas, required felt— unlike the Pooh, whose thread-embroidered face was my only concern. This was before online shopping was a thing here, so we had to ask my mom's friend to buy it for us from a craft store 2 cities over. And when I finally got it a month later, the felt for the face was in the wrong color, so I had to stick them in bleach for 3 days to get the right color 😅. It worked out in the end, but this really made me appreciate how much more accessible crochet and crafting has been over here in the span of about 5 years! Back then, I had no one else to fangirl about yarn and patterns with except for myself. But now, the community has become so much bigger and much more inclusive, and it's such an encouraging thought, especially when we feel like we're not growing at all. Some of the patterns used this series aren't available anymore, but as long as there are people who still make them, I think we'll be just fine 😊. Thoughts? Lemme know in the comments, and I hope to see you tomorrow for the last part of this 7-day series! ✨ Pattern used: Pooh Tsum Tsum by mybackyardmonsters (https://mybackyardmonsters.tumblr.com/post/109380135271/poohpattern) Mickey and Minnie Mouse Tsum Tsum by Sheep Shaved Materials used: Monaco 4ply Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 18, 21, 100), red and tan felt, marker, white poster paint, embroidery thread (red and dark brown) https://www.instagram.com/p/CF0XynpBmfz/?igshid=179qeohy4g9mq

[caitcrochets]

🎉100-FOLLOWER PROJECT-THROWBACK DAY 5: Pokeball (by WolfDreamer) and Pikachu (by @53stitches). Swipe LEFT to see my 2016 attempts at making both! So if you've checked my past posts, you'll know that I've made this Pikachu recently. The first attempt, though, was a commission from a friend back in 2016. And in the same year, I made the Pokeballs as gifts: one for my classmate's birthday, and another as a send-off gift for my cousin who was going back after his long-overdue visit home. I was also steadily taking commissions within school, meaning anyone I passed by would find me crocheting while walking with a bag of WIPs hanging from my arm. I did get some weird looks, but it started a lot of conversations with some awesome people, and many who asked seemed genuinely interested to know what I was making. I'm glad I could help debunk the myth that crochet is a grandma hobby that is only limited to blankets and doilies (which is fine, but there's so much more you can do with a hook and some yarn!) These two projects taught me about changing colors and using different yarn brands in the same project. While the two brands I used are both classified as DK weight, Love Knots is still a tad thinner than Monaco. Thus changing yarn was difficult, since I needed to adjust my tension, but it's also taught me to be more flexible. I also learned how to change colors more cleanly, which is definitely a skill I'm using a lot more in my current projects (the most recent of which will be posted after this series is done!). We're only two more days away until the end of this series! If you're still reading this, thanks for sticking around while I reminisce and ramble about my beginnings as a crocheter! I hope my little stories motivate you to push on with your own projects! See you tomorrow for another set of familiar friends (And do comment your guesses down below hehe 😉)! Patterns used: Pokeball by WolfDreamer, Pikachu Amigurumi by 53stitches (https://53stitches.com/pikachu) Materials used: Monaco 4ply Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 21, 100, 66), Love Knots Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 00007), Safety Eyes (10mm), Red Felt, polyfiber filling https://www.instagram.com/p/CFyXIgwByTO/?igshid=1pbzmcxt9q2w2

[caitcrochets]

🎉100-FOLLOWER PROJECT-THROWBACK DAY 4: "Coffee Cup" (modified from "Little Cafe con Leche Cup" by Amigurumi World). Swipe LEFT for pictures of the custom one I'd made back in 2016! . Making this little cup was a lesson in embroidery using yarn and a tapestry needle. I had just bought my first few blunt yarn needles at this point and wanted to use up the leftover yarn I had from making all the other projects, so in a sense, this was another of my go-to stash buster projects. Plus, the outside of the cup wasn't the only customizable part; the content itself was, too. I had so much fun mixing up ang changing how they looked. It was a nice change from the monotony of most of the other stuff I used to make. . This one has a quite a short backstory, to be honest, but I decided to include it because a) I made so many of them back then, and b) most of my skills in embroidering with yarn came from making these little friends! Now that I have discovered needle felting on crochet, I haven't been using this technique for a while, but it's still an important basic skill for making amigurumi. I'm grateful I got a lot better at embroidery through all my practice making these cups. . The next 2 days of this series feature some of the stuff I've remade during quarantine! Can you guess which ones I'm referring to? Drop it in the comments below if you wanna, and stay tuned for tomorrow to find out if your guesses are right! . Pattern used: Little Cafe con Leche Cup by Amigurumi World . Materials used: Monaco 4ply Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 66, 100, 28) Love Knots Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 00002), Safety Eyes from @yarnsph (8mm), polyfiber filling . #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #amigurumi #coffeecup #amigurumiworld #handmade #craftersofinstagram #crochetgram #yarn #artistsoninstagram #gantsilyogang #gantsilyo #gantsilyoph #gantsilyophilippines #handmadewithlove https://www.instagram.com/p/CFvbdsuhl6T/?igshid=cim702gb7fm4

[caitcrochets]

🎉100-FOLLOWER PROJECT-THROWBACK DAY 1: "Kawaii Potato" (Character by Emily's Diary/@theshunbun, Pattern by Amyula). Swipe LEFT for pictures of the ones I'd made back in 2015! . Remember this little potat? Well, I had a bunch of friends who were equally as soft and kawaii, I was an enthusiastic beginner crocheter, I had just found the pattern online (which is sadly gone now huhuhu) and I had wanted to give them a gift. I think you can figure out what happened after 😅. . If this pattern taught me anything, it's that look for exact yarn shades that are also affordable and accessible for beginners like me to use is HARD AF. The peach yarn I eventually used for the octopuses (yes, it's correct, I checked) made it look like a sunburned toe or something, and the Monaco peach yarn I got was actually flamingo pink and made it look like a finger 😂. And I had both 1 DOZEN 18g skeins for EACH. SHADE. To this day, I have not consumed any of the flamingo pink and am still waiting for a project that I might need it for. So unless you trust the color of the yarn through your phone/computer/tablet screen, be careful when buying yarn remotely/not in-person. Or, if you're sending someone to buy it for you, please give them the EXACT SHADE CODE and DON'T rely on color names unless there is no shade code given at all. This was a hard-hitting lesson, but, well, it also taught me resourcefulness. The two pictured above, were requested to not include the blush (idk why either haha), but I normally used my tinted lip balm to give it its signature flush, since I was 15 and we had no lipstick at home. . Have you had any yarn-buying mishaps or color-matching struggles? Feel free to share in the comments below, and see you all again tomorrow! . Pattern used: Kawaii Potato Amigurumi by Amyula . Materials used: Rose Acrylic Yarn (Peach), Monaco 4ply Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 100), Safety Eyes from @yarnsph (10mm), Polyfiber filling. . #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #amigurumi #kawaiipotato #amyula #emilysdiary #theshunbun #handmade #craftersofinstagram #crochetgram #yarn #artistsoninstagram #gantsilyogang #gantsilyo #gantsilyoph #gantsilyophilippines #handmadewithlove https://www.instagram.com/p/CFtJ_vRhjwe/?igshid=1f7xe187jdku8

[caitcrochets]

🎉100-FOLLOWER PROJECT-THROWBACK DAY 2: Octopus Amigurumi (by me). Swipe LEFT for photos of this design in peach and in light blue (2015). . Back in 2015, I was still so new to crochet that I stuck to following free patterns online. This was totally fine until I was asked to sell my stuff for the school fair. This was in high school, so making time to fulfill commissioned orders was no issue; rather, it was because up until then, I had been crocheting designs I was not allowed to profit from (due to artist request or copyright claim). Plus, I had about 216g (twelve 18g skeins) of acrylic yarn in a shade of peach that was supposed to be for skin but ended up looking sunburned instead 😅. . Thus, I decided to use the skills I'd learned from making the Cat-Mouse and made my first ever original design and original pattern: an octopus with a customizable sash. I added the blue option later, when I found myself with more light blue yarn than I knew what to do with. And, well, they sold really quickly, which was very encouraging! . This project didn't just test my knowledge of the stitches; it also tested how well I knew my crochet shapes and if I knew how to adjust the pattern to fit the look I was going for. It was also my first "Körperteilsalat" (literally German for "body part salad") experience, and it really taught me how to be organized while fulfilling commissions. Crocheting 8 tentacles also meant sewing on 8 tentacles, which was a nightmare but was also quite therapeutic when I needed the repetition. . Maybe I'll post the pattern for this in the future? Let me know in the comments below! I might release it in celebration of another account milestone! 😉 See you tomorrow for the next installment! . Pattern used: Octopus Amigurumi by me . Materials used: Monaco 4ply Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 21, 40, 100), Love Knots Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 00001, 00014) Safety Eyes from @yarnsph (10mm), Polyfiber Filling https://www.instagram.com/p/CFqSXolhsFW/?igshid=1kzog9cs88ta7

[caitcrochets]

🎉PROJECT THROWBACK DAY 1: "Cat-Mice" (modified from Maneki Neko by @studio_ami). Scroll down for the backstory, and swipe LEFT for some variations: Conductor Cat (2015), Director Cat (2015), Bless Cat (2016), Scurf Cat (2016), Valentine Cat (2016) (not the Victorious character hahaha I love her tho!) and the latest: German Cat (2019). . Second to the giraffe, I started making these maneki neko (lucky cats), using different hook sizes every now and then because I couldn't get the tension right all the time. Some looked really wonky, others weren't very proportional 😅. Some were big and thiccc while others were tiny with the biggest ears. Eventually I found a sweet spot with the hook size. I still used DK weight yarn (Monaco 4ply Acrylic), but I found that using a 3.0mm hook worked for me best. It was with this pattern that I began to master some of the basic fundamentals of amigurumi (such as the basic stitches, working in the round, filling a plush properly, attaching safety eyes, and basic embroidery). . The name "cat-mouse" was unintentional. Because of the large ears on such a small plush, people thought that they were mice instead of cats, so I nicknamed them "cat-mice" and it just stuck. Since I began making these, they were always created as gifts for teachers, mentors, and friends whom I really treasure. Usually, they were for people who I knew I wouldn't be seeing for a long time, or those who I wanted to have something to remember me by. And, as a cat person, this seemed like the obvious choice. Personalizing each one for each recipient made things even more fun! I may not make these as much anymore, but they're all quite special to me (and if I ever need a gift in a pinch, I can still whip these out in an hour HAHAHA). Pattern used: Maneki Neko Amigurumi by Studio Ami (modified) . Materials used: Monaco 4ply Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 1, 2), Safety Eyes from @yarnsph (8mm), Polyfiber Filling . #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #amigurumi #catmouse #manekineko #studioami #modifiedpattern #handmade #craftersofinstagram #crochetgram #yarn #artistsoninstagram #gantsilyogang #gantsilyo #gantsilyoph #gantsilyophilippines #handmadewithlove https://www.instagram.com/p/CFoJcmlBfrc/?igshid=1ggan1wlwz8gd

[caitcrochets]

I've reached 100 followers! It might not seem like a lot, but to me, this is a milestone. Thank you for supporting me and my work! ✨ . I only made this account as a dump of sorts for all the photos of my old projects. 😅But seeing all the awesome stuff the crochet community has been making in this platform has inspired me to not only use up my 2 year old yarn stash, but also to bring my own unique stuff to the table. I'm still learning, and I still have quite a long way to go, but that's what makes the whole process so fun! . To the people who have supported me even before I made this account, to all the new friends I've made from across the world through Instagram, thank you so much for sticking around! I do have quite a lot of projects lined up for the rest of the year. Hope you'll stay for the rest of my crochet journey 💕 . (Oh, and stay tuned! For the next 7 days, I'll be sharing photos of some of the projects from when I first began crocheting 6 years ago before I made this account!) . #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #craftersofinstagram #crochetgram #artistsoninstagram #gantsilyogang #gantsilyo #gantsilyoph #gantsilyophilippines https://www.instagram.com/p/CFn0xLcBRrE/?igshid=1lzy6tdobr8dc

[caitcrochets]

School begins tomorrow, and everyone's favorite lazy egg is such a mood. 🍃 . I made this little guy for one of my best friends! He's been lying around in her room for almost a week now (sans plate hahahaha), and from what she tells me, he's found a lot of new surfaces to lie on right away 😂. . Pattern: Lazy Egg Gudetama by me Yarn used: @monacothread 4ply Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 13, # 1, # 100) . #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #amigurumi #gudetama #lazyegg #originalpattern #handmade #craftersofinstagram #crochetgram #yarn #artistsoninstagram #gantsilyogang #gantsilyo #gantsilyoph #gantsilyophilippines #handmadewithlove https://www.instagram.com/p/CE6inalh_hj/?igshid=256mjltr63ph

[caitcrochets]

Finally finished all the gift WIPs I have left over from last year! To those who were checking my stories last week, the project I was making was Eevee! Sending this and Pikachu off to their new owners this weekend (and starting a new set of personal amigurumi experiments!) 😊 . This was also a cool opportunity to try needlefelting with yarn! I never knew stabbing something more than 50 times could be so therapeutic 😅 (and, no, like all needle-crafters will say, I am not a serial killer) Thanks @ohanacraft for your amigurumi needle felting tutorials! I can't wait to try this technique with future projects! . Pattern: Eevee by @53stitches Materials used: @monacothread 4ply Acrylic Yarn (Shade # 66, # 61, # 60), Brown Safety Eyes (10mm) from @yarnsph . #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #amigurumi #eevee #pokemon #53stitches #53stitchespattern #handmade #craftersofinstagram #crochetgram #yarn #artistsoninstagram #gantsilyogang #gantsilyo #gantsilyoph #gantsilyophilippines #handmadewithlove https://www.instagram.com/p/CE1kzAEBSSS/?igshid=2cwyieaarhz0

[caitcrochets]

Finally finished this commission! It took me quite a while to make this from scratch (It's my 5th original pattern and only my 3rd original design(s)!), and it was frankly a learning experience I'm glad I went through. I still have a long way to go, but this was a fun project to do before school begins next week! . Pattern by me (Caitlin Tan) Yarn used: @monacothread 4ply Acrylic Yarn (# 1, # 13, # 21, # 25) and Mercerized Cotton Thread (B1, B100), Love Knots High Bulk Acrylic Yarn (# 00007, # 00083) . #crochet #crochetersofinstagram #amigurumi #chicken #hen #chicks #eggs #originalpattern #handmade #craftersofinstagram #crochetgram #yarn #artistsoninstagram #gantsilyogang #gantsilyo #gantsilyoph #gantsilyophilippines #handmadewithlove https://www.instagram.com/p/CEwfJXLheBq/?igshid=ff2h52sjp13q