Designer focus - KristieMN

For the last couple of weeks I've been making more of a concerted effort to try and fill my Christmas box and to help me I've been using a number of free patterns by the fantastic crochet designer KristieMN.

Kristie has designed a large number of patterns which she has either very kindly made freely available on her website or sells from her Etsy shop (www.kristieskids.etsy.com). She has a great selection of patterns and if you are an amigurumi addict like me then you'll love her clear and simple patterns.

My family and friends all remember the little crocheted ladybirds that I made a ton of to use as decorations at my wedding reception. They were attached to the flower arrangements as well as being hidden in a number of places around the venue. All of them were found and taken to new homes apart from the two that I managed to keep hold of for myself! After seeing just how popular those cute little ladybirds turned out to be I bookmarked a number of the other free patterns that I liked and making them up was such fun :-)

My favourite out of the free patterns is probably the little mouse just above. A very quick project to make and so cute! I love how tiny this little one is, I love it's cute round ears and little tail. The bumble bee above is also a very quick project, and with the round black head and little pipe cleaner antenna it seems to go well with the ladybird.  

Next up I made the little horse, but this took me much longer than the other creatures and I found that putting all the separate parts together pretty fiddly so I'm not likely to make this one again any time soon. He turned out okay though and I'm quite happy with how he looks even if he isn't quite as cute as I had hoped for.

Lastly I made up this very cute sheep that I enjoyed making a great deal. The pattern for the body seemed a little odd as you had to turn the work after every row which is unusual when working in the round. However after a few rows of doing this you saw that it started to create a slightly bobbly texture that made the sheep look fluffy.

There are a load more free patterns available on Kristie's web page which are well worth having a look through, and then if you are still keen to have a go at some more patterns be sure to visit her Etsy page. I can also highly recommend her Lazy days (and Lazy days 2) patterns that I've made a few items from over the years.