Floppy neck in Amigurumi

 So I am scrolling through a crochet group on Facebook and I see this post about how to fix a floppy neck. The responses at the time were nearly 30 but in my opinion only 3 were the best advice. Well that is not entirely true, some were good only if it is going to be displayed as art and not a toy for a child.

Some info to consider (as seen in the pic) the original post had a finished body with a already sewn on head, loose stitches, loose stuffing, one arm sewn on and the head was floppy. 

Here are some of the responses:

1) slide wooden dowels or twisted pipe cleaners inside to hold a frame
2) a dowel running from the chest through the neck INTO the head halfway up
3) Wood dowel.
4) put a wooden dowel 
5) Try taking a needle to rearrange the stuffing in her neck
6)use a needle and put a stitch on each side of the neck
7) Stuff neck and use mattress stitch
8) Crochet a tube to insert into the neck
9) the foam part of a hair roller would work
10) Try attaching the other arm and see if that doesn't straighten it out, maybe the one arm has

it off kilter
11) remove her head and reattach it
12) please don't use a wood dowel or wire if this is for a child remove her head then crochet a

sausage shape and stuff firmly, your sausage should be the same size as the neck hole then

about the same size as the head in length, push the sausage half into the body and sew it in place

then push the other half inside the head and sew to the neck. This is much safer and if you use the

same colour as your skin will hide any gaps as well as keep the head upright without ever getting

floppy. Over time stuffing does compact but by using this method the stuffing has no-where to go

so stays stiff
13) sew another row round for support
14) I read some time ago about using foam curlers and that's a perfect fix the next time I make a

doll or bear, etc.
15) When you sew the head on leave a space then start pushing stuffing in between the neck and

body then finish sewing
16) Stuffing and more stuffing. I make a lot of toys and you need to put an extreme amount. You

can also add a crochet ring inside the neck , plastic Tube, wood dowel etc but I don’t usually have

to unless it's a ginormous head
17) I stuff the body and then stick Qtips in the stuffing, leaving approx two inches of the Qtip

sticking up out of the stuffing. Continue crocheting the neck and head, stuffing as you go.
18) A ruffled collar
19) I have found that if I start from the feet up (or butt up) and continue to the head without it being

a separate piece that needs to be sewn on the head doesn't flop around as much.
20) I would also suggest that you go down a full size hook to make stitches tighter
21) Tighter or smaller stitches might make her more steady (and as a bonus, less stuffing showing

through!)
22) Put the other arm on. See if that fixes it. If not try pipe cleaners or popsicles stick in the center

of the stuffing in the neck
23) Work a chopstick down from top of her head, thru neck, into body, in center of stuffing.
24) use dowel rods most of the time. You can also attach the head one row further down. Or sc

crochet a strip long enough to wrap around the neck then sew into place
25) When doing Amigurumi or any dolls a good rule of thumb is to use a hook size 2 mm smaller

that the recommended size for that yarn. I also, when making dolls, crochet a tube that I insert,

smaller than the neck size and at least 2" up into the head and 2" into the body that I stuff very tight.

It keeps the head from wobbling.
26) I had this problem when I made some rabbits that had thin necks. Someone suggested

crocheting a tube that fit into the neck but also went into the head and body a bit.
27) More stitches could help stabilize the neck
28) Tack it down tighter with more stitches
29) Sew it on straight

Okay first of all, did you laugh? I sure did!

Some of these responses cracked me up, made me shake my head and worst of all made me say wtheck!

Dowels: if it is going to be an art piece then fine, by all means go ahead but PLEASE do not put a wooden dowel or any other hard object in the neck if it is going to be given to a child. The last thing you want is to be responsible for a child inuring themselves on your toy.

Stuffing: Rearranging the stuffing may work but not in the long run because over time and with use the stuffing will condense and you'll have a floppy head again.

Firm, solid stuffing is preferred but remember not to over stuff to the point of seeing your stuffing through the stitches.

Foam rollers: I have actually used this method before and it can work well depending on the roller you use (nothing with hard plastic parts, just foam) but again I wouldn't recommend it if it is a toy that will be given to a child to play with. If you don't have any rollers and need a quick fix, you might consider cutting a small piece of a foam pool noodle.

I am thinking that #17 must make super tiny necks for Q-tips to be used but again I don't recommend adding hard object unless it is going to be a art piece.

Okay #10, 18, 22, 29 cracked me up!

I can't say that the mattress stitch won't work but I have never used it.

Sometimes doing a resew can be just the trick, maybe it was sewn too loosely or some stitches were missed.

#13, 6... I don't know what they thinking or how they think that might work.

#19... True

#20, 21... Critiquing her work

#8, 12, 25 and 26... Thank you for giving what I believe to be the best advice. A crochet tube the same size or just a stitch or two smaller does the trick every time and there is not cause to worry about injury to a child.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So over all a 1/3 of the responses suggested putting a hard object in the neck! I hope those were art pieces and not toys for children.

Well, I know this piece was long but maybe it will help you in deciding how to fix a floppy neck.

Happy Crocheting!

"Subscribe" pop up is annoying...

 

I know this is not entirely crochet related, it's more of an overall websites issue, crochet and otherwise. "Subscribe" pop ups are all over the place, nearly every site you go to nowadays has one.  I get you want subscribers, I want them too. A website is nearly nothing without subscribers and audiences, I get it, I do. 

I have spent the day browsing around other crochet sites and even some other sites (just depends on how sidetracked I get).

The #1 aggravation is....

The pop up subscribe form!

I may want to subscribe after I see what you offer. 

I no sooner than get the page opened and the subscribe pops up and you can't view what is on the page till you make it go away. Most all the sites I went to today were new sites I had never been to before and that is how you greet someone? 

With a high pressure subscribe form before I can see what your page is about?

I am not impressed with that tactic. I mean you could at least wait till I am about to leave and throw it up there, I might actually be inclined to fill it out then, if I liked the content of your site.

I visited this one site where I made the pop up go away, viewed the content and thought "I just might want to get their newsletter" but guess what, it is not available anywhere on their site other than the pop up.  They obviously didn't think that one through very well.

When I decided to do a newsletter I actually thought about doing a pop up but I couldn't figure out how to do it without it being the first thing you see, so I opted out of that. Last thing I want to do is annoy my potential customers and audience. 

Maybe that is why they are all at the beginning of your visit, maybe they can't find how to move it just like me. 

If you are planning to add a subscribe pop up, you might want to think twice about when to present it and make sure there is an alternate way to subscribe later in their visit.

Crochet business thoughts around the round table ...

Let's walk into a business meeting here at Southern Gal's Crochet. The place where we (the hubs and I) gather and discuss everything is at the round table. Topics range from running the house, paying the bills, how our jobs are going and of course new plans for the business. 

Yes, technically Southern Gal's Crochet is MY business but let's get real he plays a big part in it, such as making post office runs, buying yarn and more yarn and more yarn. Haha! Truthfully though I run by ideas and use his keen eye on whether the parts look crooked, he is key to my success.   

Now to the point, several times I have had the idea of branching into products for sale. Here is what we discussed and the decisions.

This will be happening:

One of the first things I want to get going in this branch will be safety eyes. If you don't know already, I have strong opinions about them and what kind to use and how to use them. I was thinking that a good way to combat these feelings was to just go ahead and offer them in my shop. 

This may be happening:

The next item we discussed was a travel pack of  crochet accessories. I don't know about you but I am forever forgetting something like a yarn needle or scissors. I don't want to carry a bulking organizer, just something that will fit in my purse and have some of the immediate essentials. 

We have done so much research on the travel pack, it is an investment that can be a gamble of being a hit or miss. I am sure other small business's feel the same when thinking about expanding but I pointed out (and to quote my mother) "we wont know till we try". Long story short 2 days later, we are still thinking about it.

This might not be happening yet:

Next up on the table is making project bags. I have been wanting to do this for a very long time but it just never seems to come to light. Not enough time, in the day to do it all. This one might have to be put on the back burner for a little while longer. Bags may or may not look like the picture below, I won't know till I actually make some and see which style I like best.

Hope you enjoyed attending our meeting today and would love to hear your input.

Happy Crocheting!

Winter storm knitting

Oh my what a 12 days it has been! 

For me it started with hubby home for two days vacation time plus the weekend. His plan was to have 4 days off for his b-day weekend but he didn't plan on being home for 11 days!
I don't know about yall but for me it is really hard to stay in my "at home" work schedule with him under foot and yabbering all the time. 

I had started knitting his bday scarf on the 10th but was trying to be secretive about so I was only able to work on it when he was at work or asleep.

Then the storm hit, power went out and took the water with it. Oh goodness it was cold for us old Texans, we were all bundled up but still trying to be a bit active to keep the blood flowing. For 2.5 days we lived pioneer style. Knitting by lamplight at night and gathering snow and roof runoff for water during the day.

I knitted his scarf, my scarf and even a pixie hat, LOL! I looked ridiculous in that hat but I it was helping me stay warm. No, your not getting a picture of that! Hahaha.

While I was making the hat, my hubby is watching me and suddenly he says "that don't look too hard".

Dude, really?! My brain is yelling things that I didn't say. 

For me knitting is a challenge, self taught and I make a jillion mistakes and the needles slip, stitches get turned around or lost completely. I am getting a bit better but still nowhere near teaching level. Truth be told, I'm not even sure I cast on right. LOL!

I gave him some yarn, needles and showed him the cast on and the first row. Somehow he managed to get the last stitch with a 4 inch loop on it. He tried again and well next thing I know he is ripping it out and wrapping the yarn around the skein, he was done! Haha, maybe next time but it was fun for him to join me for a moment.

(As you can see he is wearing his new scarf and also sporting a very old helmet hat crocheted with 2 strands of yarn.)

Happy knitting and crocheting!

"Hey We Crochet" crochet group

Hey We Crochet Facebook crochet group
 
I started the day off normal enough... 

Declutter my desk area, always a must after finishing one project and before starting a new one. Well at least it is for me, not everyone is nuts like me. While I was doing that I was also browsing Facebook. 

I ran across an interesting post in a group page for designers talking about group pages that let you self promote. I started doing some searches of crochet groups, unfortunately so many look fun to be in but don't allow self promotion. 

Mostly this rule is because some people post their stuff everyday and sometimes multiple times a day, ruining it for the rest. I get it but boy can it be frustrating. Say I want to post a pic of my work, as a designer, it is of course going to be something I created with my own pattern. Other members of the group ask where can they get the pattern. Guess what! You are not allowed to post the link because that would be self promoting, it can get very aggravating. 

I know if this bugs me and other designers as well, then there needs to be a fix.

Suddenly I remembered my sister had opened a crochet page awhile back (turns out "awhile back" was actually 8 yrs ago! LOL!), I hadn't thought of her group in such a long time I had actually forgotten about it to tell the truth. Last I saw, she and I were the only members.

I looked it up. It said the page had been archived because the admin left, I was the only member left and did I want to reactivate the page and be the admin. 

I thought "well here is my chance to have a group that can be fun and allows limited self promotion." I really didn't have to think on it too long, I knew almost immediately it was time to do it.

I do hope you will join us over at Hey We Crochet

Happy Crocheting 

What to know about tails...

 

Tails? What are they and how I use them.

No we wont be talking about doggy tails, even though they are super cute.

A tail in pattern language is the beginning yarn or the ending yarn.

How do I use it? In amigurumi there are several ways I use tails.

Beginning tail...

1) first and foremost I use it to knot the beginning tail secure so there is no way the circle will come loose.

2) When I make a magic circle, I typically have a beginning tail of 5 inches but depending on what I am making, I may choose to add extra length to it and use it as stuffing. Like say the fingers on the Christmas Thief or the tail on a monkey. Small things that are no bigger than a pencil benefit from just using the yarn tail as stuffing, rather than trying to stuff with fiber fil and having the stitches stretch and then having white stuffing show through. Yuck! Nobody wants to see that.

3) lets say I am making the bottom of a foot with chain stitches that are worked in the round, I know to leave a bit extra tail for sewing and stuffing. For me the ends tend to have a hole in them from having 4 stitches in one chain. This will drive me nuts, so I fix it with a few stitches with the beginning tail to close the gap a little. Then I lay the extra remaining tail over the chain line and tack it down with either stuffing or a drop of fabric glue. 

4) leaving an extra long beginning sewing tail. Typically used for sewing when a ending tail is not available, is in the wrong spot for where you need it or extra pieces are being added.

Ending tail...

1) most often than not the ending tail will be used for sewing the entire piece to another piece. Like sewing the opening or ending of a leg to a body.

2) it may also be used as a sewing tail for sewing gaps, in between pieces such as when putting two or more pieces together to make one piece like a hand.

3) I may use the ending tail to weave the last stitches closed  or just weave the tail through some stitches to secure it.

One thing I definitely don't do is cut the tail shorter than 2 inches unless absolutely necessary.

Hope this helps. Happy crocheting!

Size will vary...

"Size will vary based on hook size, materials and crochet style."

When you see this line, does it mean anything to you?

I can't stress how much this is true. 

I get pictures and messages sent to me all the time of how their item came out much bigger than what is indicated on the pattern. To the point that I might need to add to all the patterns that I crochet very tight (but I don't feel that I do) cause my 9 inch item seems to be most peoples 11 inch item. Even if you used exactly the same yarn, exactly the same hook size, your style of crochet may be a lot looser than mine. I have even had my testers who use smaller hooks come out with larger results. I have to say sometimes it baffles me how but of course I know just one factor can change the results. 

The best I can do is give a gauge to follow. If you want the item to be as close to the size indicated, then following the gauge is your best option. To do this you may need to adjust your hook size to accommodate the materials your using and/or your personal crochet style.

Feeling stuck...

Some days are spent with the yarn in my hand waiting for something to come to me, like Frankie sitting there with a blank canvas and a paintbrush just waiting for the brush to take over and do something, some times all you get are two eyes.

I have had soo many of those days throughout my career as a crochet designer. But after it hasn't happened in awhile you tend to forget till... wham it happens. 

I have tried several times to get my brain going on a project and I literally end up with a ball that wont take the form I am trying to achieve. 

It's a reality check. I am not a master artesian of yarn by any means but when the patterns just flow forth with ease, I guess I tend to get a big head about it. 

Then sets in the frustration cause seriously this shouldn't be that complicated but for some reason it is messing with me. 

Best thing to do is walk away, find something else to do while you process what might be going wrong. This usually helps me clear my head and also keeps me from scrapping the whole project completely. But that is not to say I haven't ever totally given up on a project cause believe me, I have. 

I humbly admit there are some ideas in my head that I truly don't have enough knowledge to make it happen. Maybe someday but not anytime soon. A goal to look forward to.

I hope if you are feeling stuck that this will help you to know it happens to everyone.

Happy Crocheting!

 

Plans for 2021

 

Well as most of us know... plans can change at anytime but I like having a plan anyway.

Do you schedule your days, weeks, months?

I admit sometimes have so much going on, I have even scheduled my day down by hours.

Thankfully I don't have my whole year planned out, YET! Haha. I laugh cause I know in just a few months the schedule will be bursting at the seams.

Things on the list for this coming year...

Aliens

Swans

Penguin pillow cover

Diaper baby Kangaroo

Finish up a doll

Thanksgiving pilgrims

Dino monster truck

and soo soo many more...

I see a lot of holiday patterns getting done this year.

I truly hope I can get it all scheduled well and completed.

I want to wish you all a happy year ahead with lots of finished projects!

Happy crocheting!