Sonja

Winter Popkes

January 23, 2016 Sonja

Last night, I realised I probably had missed my change to make a winter Popkes picture. But this morning, when I looked out of the window, I was relieved to see there was still a bit of winter left, despite the rain of the night and it being a few degrees above zero.

This time I did not hesitate and took some of my crochet animals with me on a trip to the forest. Luckily for me, it was very snowy still and the light was just dazzling in the low winter sun. The winter Popkes picture was made.

Enjoy the rest of winter. I hope you crafters in the east of the US will not have it too rough. Be safe!

Patterns

Lopi, crochet lion pattern

January 4, 2016February 25, 2020 Sonja

Look! Now we all can become lion tamers, the pattern is finished. You have already seen the teaser picture of Lopi the crochet lion, but here he is in full glory.

This was a lovely crochet animal to design. The most intensive part of making this crochet lion was inserting all the manes. Before I started I had thought of different ways to make the manes. I could use a mane cap, or just sew in the manes. I decided to go for manes crocheted right into the stitches. It’s not very difficult to do and gives the perfect result. (You just fold a piece of thread in half and pull it through the top part of a stitch with your hook and then fold the tails of the thread through the loop.) When I had all the manes inserted, the lion looked rather silly with his reggae hair. But after brushing and cutting, and some more brushing and cutting, he looked absolutely marvelous. Even my first attempt had such a beautiful lion look. I decided to change the mane colour for the final version but definitely would use this technique. The rest of the lion was fun to make, especially the haired tail, which also looked splendid after the hairs were inserted.

This crochet lion is not very difficult to make. The crocheting bit is very easy but giving the lion the final haircut does require your own skills. I can’t exactly instruct how long each hair has to be. I explained it as good as possible and with help from the pictures I (always) add to the pattern, I think everyone will be able to give his or her lion a nice lion mane cut.

Now, where can I get this pattern?

The pattern for this glorious and cuddly crochet lion, you can find in my shop at Ravelry, Etsy or order it here. Lopi is 6 inch / 15 cm tall when sitting. He is made with Istex lett lopi, 100% wool. The pattern contains a clear description of how to crochet and assemble the lion with example pictures at the bottom to help you get everything right. In the pattern you can also find what materials you need, the Lopi colour numbers, in short, everything you need to know to make this king of the savanna.

And heads up, the pattern has a one dollar release discount only the first week.

Art

Lopi lion teaser picture

December 30, 2015 Sonja

Here is a little something for those of you waiting for the lion pattern. Lopi hanging out in his natural environment.

If anyone now is wondering if I am in Africa somewhere, the answer is no. This picture is taken in ‘Nationaal park de hoge Veluwe’ in the Netherlands.

Happy New Year to all of you!

Art, Uncategorized

A merry popkes Christmas

December 18, 2015December 18, 2015 Sonja

Howdy how! I wish you all a Christmas full of cheer and a very creative new year. To start the joy, I painted a Christmas card to amuse you all. It is titled ‘Popkes making a Snowpopke’.

My Holiday has just started and I’m going to do what I love doing. Hiking, watching movies and knitting a cardigan, a new hobby I have just discovered. Have fun too dear crafters!

See you in a few weeks.

Stories

A lot of Popkes

December 8, 2015December 8, 2015 Sonja

These two photos I received from enthusiastic crocheters really made me smile. The dolls all are very beautiful made and the pictures are so amusing.

Christine has made many of my patterns, maybe even all of them and she’s incredibly good at it. I especially love how she gives her dolls their own character and uniqueness. For some of them she embroidered the eyes and with a gorgeous result. And this picture is just brilliant.

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Heather also made me laugh. I opened her email and tahdah, there were all these amazing looking Lumis! Look at them, aren’t they gorgeous? These also all have a different personality, just look at how she placed all the eyes a bit different. Some close together, others far apart. These arctic foxes make fantastic Christmas presents.

I always enjoy getting pictures from finished dolls, but these two really stood out and I wanted to share them with you. Thanks so much Chris and Heather!

Patterns

Odi, little owl crochet pattern

November 9, 2015February 25, 2020 Sonja

And here he is. Meet Odi, a crochet little owl.

Never have I been so insecure during the process of designing a crochet pattern. Thankfully, now I am very happy with my little Odi. Why was this so difficult?

Well, I wanted to create a crochet owl that resembled a real owl species. There are loads of crochet owl patterns to find online, and you can see they are owls, but they don’t look like real owls, you probably know what I mean. And I wanted to make a little owl.

Giving it a sweet face, was the first obstacle I stumbled upon. I made several heads and they all looked quite unpleasant. When I finally had succeeded in making a sweet little face, I had trouble getting the size of the body right. At some point after taking things apart who knows how many times, I just continued working because of the amount of time I’d already spend on this project. And then there came a turning point. I had this lovely idea for the legs and feet and it did look so adorable, that the love for my crochet owl came back. I finished the feet and attached them to prototype Odi. It looked marvelous. Now I only had to make some wings and the little owl was finished.

But then, when I looked at the promotional and pattern pictures I had taken, I realized there still was something wrong with this doll. He did not look owly enough. His beak was much too big. After all this work I could not just let that be. So, I made a new tiny beak and took new photos. Now I can finally show you the result. I know Odi is not completely realistic looking. I did exaggerate the colours of the beak and feet to make him a more fun and expressive crochet owl. Just look at him!

How to get this whimsical crochet owl pattern?

The pattern for this adorable and rather realistic looking owl, you can find in my shop at Ravelry, Etsy or order it here. Odi is 14,7 inch / 12 cm tall when sitting. He is made with Istex lett lopi, 100% wool. The pattern contains a clear description of how to crochet and attach the bird with example pictures at the bottom to help you get everything right. In the pattern you can also find what materials you need, the Lopi colour numbers, in short, everything you need to know to make this lovely creature.

And heads up, the pattern has a one dollar release discount for the first week.

Ok, this one is just for fun.

Art

An owly preview

November 3, 2015 Sonja

My owl pattern is almost finished and just in time, here is a sketch of Odi to give you an idea of how he is going to look. I am not going to tell too much in this post about how the process went, that is for when I publish the pattern, but I can say this was a very difficult animal for me to make. Luckily, after all the work, I am satisfied now and can publish the pattern next week.

And the real Odi does resemble the sketch quite a lot actually. His face is a little different and he doesn’t have the surprised expression as the sketched Odi has, but yeah, this really is him.

Stories

Autumn Popkes

October 15, 2015October 15, 2015 Sonja

Most of you probably know by now Autumn is my most favourite season by far. I enjoy strolling through the forest beneath those magnificent threatening skies, while listening to the rustling of the beautiful coloured leaves that soon will fall and breathing in the scent of moist and mushrooms. It is the season I engage in with every sense of my body.

Last year, to celebrate, I made a Son’s Popkes artwork set in Autumn and this year I fantasized about a special picture like the one I made for Summer.

Yesterday I finally had the change to go to a park nearby and collect leaves in all my favourite colours. While gathering some chestnuts, I felt if someone was watching me, but I didn’t see anybody. But later, when I looked up into the trees to see if there were fresh chestnuts still there, I saw this gorgeous big crow sitting right above me on a branch, curiously looking at me. ‘Ah’, I said to him, ‘I thought I felt somebody watching me, it was you!’

Back home I arranged the leaves I collected and took the picture. Enjoy Autumn everybody, it is over before you know it.

The pattern I am currently working on is of an owl. It took me a while to create a sweet looking face (the first heads I came up with looked rather unpleasant and mean) and that is why I wasn’t able to post a sketch already. To be continued….

Uncategorized

Boason, crochet rhino pattern

September 23, 2015February 25, 2020 Sonja

Proud and happy, I present my new pattern, Boason the crochet rhinoceros.

A long time ago, when I was still an art student, I bought this utterly cute WWF rhino plush in a local shop. It was not the usual plush toy you expect for a rhino, but a slender, sturdy version of a rhino youngster. It had this look I loved at first sight.

Now you all understand, that my main goal for this crochet rhino pattern, was to create that same look. Of course I was not going to make a crochet copy of that particular plush, but it had to give me that same feeling. And now, when Boason is finished, I can proudly say I did achieve that goal. Boason isn’t at all the same as the plush toy, but he has that unique slender but robust, sturdy look. He’s not very rotund, like a common rhino amigurumi, but has a more muscular appearance.

Boason is sitting almost 5 inch /13 cm tall. He is made with my favourite Lett Lopi yarn, which gives him his rustic appeal. Here are some more pictures of Boason and below it you can find more info about this crochet rhino pattern.

How to get this pattern?

The pattern for this sturdy crochet rhino, you can find in my shop at Ravelry, Etsy or order it here. It contains a clear description of how to crochet and attach the beast with example pictures at the bottom to help you get everything right. In the pattern you can also find what materials you need, the Lopi colour numbers, in short, everything you need to know to make your own crochet rhino friend.

And heads up, the pattern has a one dollar release discount till the 30th of september.

Uncategorized

A popkes village

September 12, 2015September 12, 2015 Sonja

Last week a dear crocheter told me about the big project she was engrossed in with my patterns. For her granddaughter, she made a complete mouse family in a lovely handmade village, with other animals to accompany them. She took the animals outside, made pictures and put them all in a book for her granddaughter. That is one lucky girl to have such a creative grandmother!

I was very curious how it all looked so I asked her if I could see some pictures. She emailed me one of the village. When I saw the picture I had to write a post about what she made. The little village looks fantastic, so beautiful made, the little tree house and picknick site and the gorgeous animals. For me it is so wonderful to see how my designs come alive in this little fantasy world for children to play with. Just look at it!