Sel’s Orenda

Orenda (n.) a mystical force present in all people that empowers them to affect the world, or to bring about change in their own lives ♡♡♡ crocheter ‖ editor ‖ book reviewer ‖ writer horror lover ‖ stuck in spooky season she/her ‖ 19 y/o

[selsorenda]

One year. 365 days. 365 opportunities to create.

What would you do if you had the chance? Would you seize the opportunities or let them tick by? Time is always passing... might as well make the most of it.

Starting tomorrow, Saturday, November 21st, 2020 I will be making creative content every day for an entire year. This was an idea inspired heavily by the YouTube channel Unus Annus, where the creators made videos every day for a year and then deleted them all at the end. My content, however, will stay permanent.

Throughout this year I will be making a few different categories of things, such as crochet & amigurumi, photo edits, book reviews, short stories, and even an attempt at writing a short novel based on classic slasher films. Sprinkled throughout will be other things such as makeup looks, polymer clay, perler beads, and possibly other crafts (because really, who can predict exactly what ideas may spark over time?)

This is a project that I hope will be a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to seeing just what all I’ll make.

If you’re more into visuals, I also have an Instagram for this project. You can find it here.

I also have a TikTok, where I make crochet videos.

[cabbge]

Looking up free crochet patterns online is so wild because sometimes you’ll strike gold and find the coolest pattern ever, and sometimes you’ll find something so horrendous that you have to close out of the internet for a few minutes just to recover

[selsorenda]

and sometimes it’ll come up as free and then you click through and it’s like “surprise this actually costs $5”

[selsorenda]

I finally have gotten the chance to try out a chenille yarn! When I found Premier Just Chenille yarn at Dollar Tree, I couldn’t help but pick up 2 of every color. Day 152 is an amigurumi squid made using the color Light Blue. Paired with a 6 mm hook and a pattern from Ravelry, it took 4 hours to make. The last picture is the fluff that was lost along the way 😂 I also made a TikTok/instagram reel about this squid, so feel free to check that out as well!

[selsorenda]

Over the past year, I’ve collected quite a lot of plushies, both store bought and handmade (though mostly the latter.) I wanted a fun way to display them all, so for day 151 I crocheted a hammock to hang a few of them in. I plan to make one or two more for the rest as well, since it was a quick project at around 4 hours. The yarn I used for this one is Big Twist in Varsity Blue, paired with a 5 mm crochet hook. The pattern I followed, believe it or not, came from WikiHow.

[icedvanillacoffee]

i’m trying to learn to crochet, so if anyone knows anything about it, can i get some recommendations on some good yarn to use?

[selsorenda]

For just starting to learn, Red Heart Super Saver is very affordable and easily accessible; you can find it at Walmart. It is kind of rough though, so your finished project won’t really be soft or flexible. On the flip side it will be sturdy, so depending on the project that could be a pro instead of a con.

Joanns has their own yarn brand called Big Twist that is also affordable, and is much softer than Red Heart Super Saver. I’ve found that it splits a little bit while working with it, but not to the point it’s unmanageable.

If you prefer to shop online, Brava Worsted from We Crochet/Knit Picks is a fantastic option. You’ll get less yardage per skein, but it’s soft and has beautiful color options. It’s one of my personal favorite yarns.

And in the off chance you live near a Dollar Tree, they carry a yarn called Premier Just Yarn. (But it can be hard to find, it seems only some of the stores stock it.) The worsted version is my absolute favorite yarn, and it only costs $1 per skein! I’ve seen that some people don’t like it whatsoever, but if you do find it it’s worth picking up a couple skeins to try and see what you think.

If you have any questions, lemme know 💙

[selsorenda]

Something practical, day 150 is a crocheted grocery bag holder using a crochetitcreations pattern. It took about 4 hours to make with a 5 mm hook and Premier Just Yarn in Bright Teal, Deep Wine, and Leaf.

[selsorenda]

Another make using an @aradiyatoys Mini Kingdom pattern, day 149 is an amigurumi butterfly. It took about 4 hours to make with a 3.5 mm hook. The yarn I used is I Love This Yarn in Ivory, and Brava Worsted in Custard, Sky, and Blush.

[selsorenda]

A gift for my sister-in-law’s birthday, day 148 is an amigurumi mallard duck using a pattern from The Fuzzy Bee Crochet. It took roughly 6 hours to make, using a 2.75 mm hook. The yarn I used is Brava Worsted in Leaf, Big Twist in Varsity Yellow, and I Love This Yarn in Ivory and a brown shade. I love that the rain hat is removable 🥰🦆

[selsorenda]

Using up the scrap pile, day 147 is 5 crocheted scrunchies. As always, they have been made by fitting as many half double crochets onto the hair elastic as I could before running out out yarn. Each scrunchie takes about 20 minutes to make.

As is quite obvious, the past few weeks my posts have not been consistent, and definitely not daily. Unfortunately I’ve been dealing with some health issues and haven’t been able to dedicate nearly the time needed to keep up with daily projects. Though I hope to get back to daily or at least every couple of days within a week or two.

[selsorenda]

Another project from @aradiyatoys Mini Kingdom book of patterns, day 146 is an amigurumi drummer boy, plus his drum. I’ve actually worked on this project over the course of a couple weeks, just finishing it today after about 14 hours of total work. All the yarn I used is from MiraHandcrafts, except for the skin tone, which is Brava Sport Weight in Cream. The hook size I used is 3.75 mm.

[selsorenda]

Another Gotta Make ‘Em All, day 145 is an amigurumi slowpoke. I picked slowpoke as I knew it would be an easier make, but also because of its cute sleepy nature. The pattern I used is from ICrochetThings, and this piece took me 4 hours to make. The yarn used is Premier Just Yarn in Light Pink, Brava Worsted Sport Wright in Cream, and I Love This Yarn in Ivory. I paired them with a 3.5 mm hook.

[selsorenda]

Another one of my favorite pokemon, day 144 is an amigurumi pumpkaboo. It took roughly six hours to make, following a pattern from TheLittleDoor. All three yarns used were from Brava Worsted, and I paired them with a 3.5 mm hook for the majority and a 2.75 mm hook for the curled stem. I’ve made a TikTok video showing the process of making this project, so feel free to check that out as well!

[selsorenda]

As a child, I always leaned towards water type pokemon. Now, at 19, all of my favorites tend to be fire and/or ghost type. A prime example is litwick, of whom I’ve made in amigurumi form for day 143. I used a pattern from Kat’s Creations, Brava Sport Weight yarn in White, and the two purples are from Mira Handcrafts. My hook was a size 2.75 mm, and this project took 3 and a half hours to make.

[selsorenda]

My first ever time attempting to crochet a piece of clothing, day 142 is a crocheted crop top. I had seen so many I liked on Pinterest, and decided to finally try to make one myself. Since I liked different elements of different inspiration pieces, I ended up free handing this piece. The body is made up of half double crochet, with a chained scallop style edge. The straps are made up of a chain coming from the front and back, meeting and tying on top of the shoulders. In the end it came out a tiny bit big, but considering I plan to mostly wear it overtop turtlenecks, I’m not upset about that, especially since it was my first clothing piece and I didn’t use a pattern! The yarn I used is Premier Just Yarn in Slate paired with a 4 mm hook.

[selsorenda]

Yet another pokemon, day 141 is an amigurumi lotad. This guy was pretty finicky and came out a tiny bit wonky, but he’s cute nonetheless. (Thankfully, since he took 6 hours to make.) The pattern I used is from Kats Creations, and I paired it with a 2.75 mm hook. The yarn is Big Twist in Varsity Gold and Varsity Blue, and Brava Worsted in Peapod and Dublin.

[selsorenda]

Continuing on in the journey of making many pokemon, day 140 is an amigurumi poliwag. It took 3.5 hours to make using a pattern from Left Handed Crocheter and a 2.75 mm hook. The yarn used is from Mira Handcrafts.

[selsorenda]

Similar to bees, it seems like everybody is crocheting frogs nowadays. So, for day 139, I decided to make one as well. I used this pattern from PaintItColorful, minus the arms and legs. It took me two and a half hours to make, using the yarn under technique, which I’m much slower at. The yarn used is from Mira Handcrafts, and my hook was 2.75 mm.