Tag: son’s popkes

Stories

A Son’s Popkes Summer break

Sonja

In the meantime…

I’ve started working on a new pattern, a Corgi dog! I’m hoping to publish it the last week of September.

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Last week, I thought it would be a great idea to share some behind-the-scenes photos of my design process on Instagram. However, my timing was a little off, as Summer break is just around the corner. My boyfriend works in education and has a long holiday, and this break is important for me too. I choose not to work during this period or, to put it another way, I donā€™t start any new designs during these six weeks.

Taking this time away from thinking about ā€œhow should I do this?ā€ or ā€œhow can I create that?ā€ really helps to ‘unravel’ my mind. It allows me to return after Summer feeling refreshed and brimming with new ideas. Since much of my inspiration comes from nature, I use this period to wander outdoors and try to see as much wildlife as possible.

Iā€™ve already had a fabulous experience in my village following a family of long-eared owls. I discovered the chicks just as they had branched and was able to follow them for several weeks. It was absolutely wonderful to watch them grow up. And just a few days ago, when I couldnā€™t find the owl family, I discovered thereā€™s a kingfisher family living in a local pond. I had so much fun taking pictures of them hiding underneath a silly mosquito net!

Of course, new ideas always pop into my head, but for once, I donā€™t feel the need to act on them right away.

That said, Iā€™m excited about the idea of sharing more Instagram stories about my creative process, and I plan to continue with that. I have a lovely home studio that I canā€™t wait to show you. It looks very organised right now, but when Iā€™m working on a new pattern, my desk quickly fills up and things get delightfully messy.

After the Summer break, Iā€™ll finish the sheep project Iā€™m working on, and Iā€™m also planning to create an improved tuxedo cat pattern. And my shops, of course, stay open, everything there goes fully automatically.

For now, I wish you a wonderful, fun, and adventurous Summer filled with yarn crafting and more. Iā€™m currently knitting a rather cool stripy henley sweater, fingers crossed I can finish it!

Have fun, crafty peeps!

Uncategorized

Dapper Poochey, crochet rabbit pattern

Sonja

Well, what happened here? I liked Poochey in his trendy cardigan so very much that I decided to add him as a ā€œdapper rabbit patternā€ to my shops. Would youā€™ve been able to resist it? Just look at this utterly adorable crochet rabbit in his fancy outfits!

I cannot give myself all the credit for this. After I released the little cardigan pattern, Jan made a delightful collection of lovely little cardiā€™s for her crochet bunnies. After seeing her ever-so-cheerful pictures, I decided I just had to make a separate pattern for Poochey in the cardigan. I made Poocheyā€™s cardigan just for fun after seeing a knitted rabbit wearing a sweater on Instagram, but when I put the sweater on and took that picture of him a while back, I began to get the idea of making a separate pattern. But because it felt a bit strange to re-launch an existing pattern, I wasnā€™t sure if it was a good idea. Jan made me realise that it is! Not everyone who visits my blog would want this version, but I donā€™t want other crafters missing out on this.

And how much fun it is to make all those little cardigans! Not only that, but all the tiny cute buttons you canā€™t put on your own garments, you can use for little bunny cardigans. I had so much fun looking for buttons that matched my bright-coloured sweaters. I found buttons with flowers and stars, animal-shaped ones – oh, there are so many fabulous buttons to find! AndĀ I cannot help laughing at Poocheyā€™s expression every time I see it. In every single picture he has that same look of utter confusion. Which cardigan is your favourite? Mine is the green one with the star buttons.

Here are few original pattern pictures of this dapper crochet rabbit; below them you can find info about and links to buy the pattern.

Info about & links to buy the pattern

Poochey and his cardigan are made withĀ Istex Lett Lopi, a 100% wool with a lot of fuzziness.Ā If you use the recommended yarn, he will be 7 inch / 17 cm high. I would strongly recommend a fuzzy yarn, because it hides the seams of the colour changes.

The pattern is written in US terms and contains a clear and colour-coded description of how to crochet and assemble the crochet rabbit amigurumi, with extra illustrations and example pictures at the bottom to help you get everything right. In the pattern you can also find what materials you need, the yarn colour numbers, in short, everything you need to know to makeĀ your own dapper rabbit(s). All the additional information you need to know about this pattern you can find in the shop listings. You can buy this pattern inĀ my shop atĀ Ravelry, on EtsyĀ or order itĀ here.

Heads up: it has a one-dollar release discount till Thursday the 11th of June. If you already have the pattern for Poochey and Fudge but want to make Poochey like this, you can find the free pattern for the cardigan here.

Patterns

Pacu, crochet alpaca pattern

Sonja

And here he is, the fuzziest and softest crochet animal you can imagine, this is Pacu the crochet alpaca amigurumi.

crochet alpaca pattern

Ever since I started knitting, I’ve been in love with alpaca yarn. This alpaca crochet pattern is an ode to this soft and utterly fluffy animal. And the perfect yarn to create that gorgeous fur is alpaca yarn of course. I prefer alpaca yarn to knit with, because it feels so delightfully soft on my skin to wear, but for my crochet patterns I’ve always worked with a more rough Icelandic wool. For this alpaca I’ve combined my two favourite yarns to create a perfect doll. Each part of Pacu is made in two steps. First a base is made with the Lett Lopi wool, partly worked in the back loops only, and to the unworked front loops the drops alpaca yarn is attached. Like this you can create a perfect looking fluffy fleece.

For this crochet alpaca, I found it very important to create a dense outer layer that made it look like there was an animal hidden somewhere beneath all the fur. Honestly, alpacas are very sweet but a bit silly looking animals, especially after they have had a shave. There isn’t much of them left when the hair comes off.Ā Ā I shaped the fur very precisely around the snout and eyes to create that look and it gives Pacu that characteristic sweet expression. His long neck and small hooves make him a lovely doll shaped alpaca. Isn’t he the softest looking doll I ever made a pattern for?

Info about & links to buy the pattern

Pacu is made with a combination of Istex Lett Lopi, a 100% wool and Garnstudio Drops alpaca bouclĆ©, a fuzzy loopy yarn. For those of you who can’t find a very fuzzy alpaca yarn I added alternative instructions to the pattern to create the furry look with a less fuzzy yarn. Pacu is 6.5 inch/ 16,5 cm when sitting.Ā The pattern is written in standard American crochet terms and contains a clear and colour coded description of how to crochet and assemble this animal, with extra illustrations and example pictures at the bottom to help you get everything right. In the pattern you can also find what materials you need, the yarn colour numbers, in short, everything you need to know to makeĀ your own super soft alpaca amigurumi. All the additional information you need to know about this pattern you can find in the shop listings, like the yarn you need etc. You can buy this pattern inĀ my shop atĀ Ravelry, Etsy or order itĀ here.

This pattern has a one dollar release discount till Wednesday the 1st of August!

Note: how very silly, it is the warmest weather one can image and I am publishing a fluffy, woolly alpaca, how appropriate!

Patterns

Matisse, crochet giraffe pattern

Sonja

Very proud and happy I present to you my jolly new pattern, Matisse the giraffe.

giraffe amigurumi pattern

When I started designing this crochet giraffe amigurumi I loved the challenge and was excited by the idea of creating a realistic and cute giraffe doll. And I have to admit, I even surprised myself with the result. I think my giraffe looks absolutely fabulous! When the head was pinned to the first prototype body, I was stunned with how it looked, somehow I managed to get the spots in excactly the right place to get a perfect giraffe skin, it was amazing. A a few little adjustments would make everthing look ‘spot on’, but the main shape was just right.

As for all my crochet animal patterns, my giraffe had to have a realistic appearance. The spots are very important to achieve that. Real giraffes have many spots, the further down their body the bigger and there is some sort of pattern in them, like water puddles on the beach when it is low tide. I knew that with my limited number of spots, most important was to resemble that look.

Another special thing about this giraffe are his long ‘arms’. Giraffes are special looking creatures with their long necks and diagonal backs and because I wanted to make a doll shaped giraffe, it is a bit hard to reproduce that look. I think the longer arms do suggest that shape and also make this doll able to sit in different positions. I just love it when Matisse sits forward with his front paws between his legs and like that he even gets that unique giraffe shape.Ā I hope you crafters are just as surprised and happy with this doll as I am!

Info about & links to buy the pattern

Matisse is made with Istex Lett Lopi, a 100% wool with a lot of fuzziness.Ā He is 6.5 inch/ 16,5 cm when sitting.Ā The pattern is written in standard American crochet terms and contains a clear and colour coded description of how to crochet and assemble this animal, with extra illustrations and example pictures at the bottom to help you get everything right. In the pattern you can also find what materials you need, the yarn colour numbers, in short, everything you need to know to makeĀ your own realistic and playful crochet giraffe amigurumi. All the additional information you need to know about this pattern you can find in the shop listings, like the yarn you need etc. You can buy this pattern inĀ my shop atĀ Ravelry, Etsy or order itĀ here.

This pattern has a one dollar release discount till Tuesday the 3rd of July!

Stories, Uncategorized

It’s time for something new

Sonja

I’m so happy to announce that I have finished the updates. Last week I updated the last 14 patterns and now all my patterns are text edited for correct English and proofed a last time. The older patterns also have extra head shots of the animals so it’s easier the see where the eyes, ears, muzzles or bills go. And the patterns might even look more fancy than the most recent ones because of the decorative images of the animals on their backs. I will add those to the newest patterns too, but will do that ‘in between’ because it isn’t really necessary but just looking great. Adding those images made this experience more fun for sure, just look at them!

It was a huge endeavour and in the end I really got tired of it, but it was worth it. For most patterns that got a big make over, I’ve send a Craftsy and Ravelry update message. But I forgot for some and for the rest of them I skipped the messages. I didn’t want to bother you peeps with loads of emails. Here’s a list of the patterns I have updated in case you would like to have an updated version. Send me a message and your receipt and I’ll email or send the new version to your library.

There are a few patterns I made temporarily unavailable because I felt like making new and better versions of them. Basil the otter is the one I am starting with, Monty the marmot, the lop rabbit and Sjuffel the dog will follow, but I am not sure when because I also want to make a completely new pattern, a giraffe that is, after the new Basil. When I look at my work now, I am so proud. Thanks for all of your support, you crafters are fabulous!

Now we are updated. Hope to be here soon with a glimpse of a new otter.

Chit and Chat

Win a pattern with Instagram

Sonja

Hi everybody! This weekend I started on Instagram and discovered how easy hashtags work. I thought it would be fun to start a ‘Popke joy’ Instagram contest. The winner can choose one of my patterns!

Now how does the contest work?

It’s very simple. Just go out, or stay in, whatever you like and take a picture of a Popke or PopkesĀ in anĀ interesting surrounding. I made a fun example picture of Popkes inspecting my new boots. Follow me on Instagram and use hashtag #popkejoy when you share your photo on Instagram. When I search for #popkejoy, I can see all the pictures you made using the hashtag. September the 10th I will choose my favourite picture and will publish it here at Son’s Popkes. Of course I will also write the winner and ask which pattern he or she would like to receive.

In short:

Starts August the 10th and ends september the 10th

There must be a Son’s Popkes pattern crocheted animal in the picture

Follow me and use hashtag #popkejoy

Good luck!

Boot-Popkes

Chit and Chat

Summer Popkes

Sonja

amigurumi crochet patterns

The Popkes and I risked a heath stroke this afternoon, doing a photoshoot outside whilst it was 35 degrees celsius! Admitting, it was probably just me getting a bit over heated, they seemed to rather enjoy themselves really.

What a thrill, my summer holiday has almost started! Just relaxing, watching wildlife and doing long forest strolls are the things I am looking forward to so much.

I had to postpone the puffin pattern a bit, but not to worry. I think during all the relaxing and wildlife watching, I probably cannot stop myself from working on it every now and then. The puffin pattern will be the first pattern to be released.

I hope everybody is enjoying themselves as much as my crochet animals in the picture above. I wish all of you a lovely summer, cheers and see you soon!

Art

Lazy Koji

Sonja

Son's Popkes artwork, illustration.

This time I did not announce I was working on a new Son’s Popkes artwork, because let’s be honest, the last time the illustration did not turn out as I hoped. Fortunately, my latest illustration featuring nothing else but Koji, has become the artwork I fancied and I am proud to present it here.

It is simply titled ‘Lazy Koji’.

Together with my autumn Popkes artwork, I posted a ‘painting process’ slideshow. I think it is fun to show you how an illustration comes about.

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I must admit to myself, I like crocheting better, find it less frustrating. That is rather curious, as I have been drawing practically since I was born. Crocheting I have only been doing for five years now. The thing is though, when working on a painting, I can come to a certain point where I absolutely do not know how to proceed. It drives me nuts, I totally think I can never make the painting as beautiful as I fantasize, so what is the point in continuing?

For this illustration, I can show you exactly when that was, as it happens, after the second pic. There still was a lot of blue in the image and I had no idea what to do next. I just did not see it and felt like stopping. I took a break, thought about what to do and decided to just fill in the blank spaces with the colours I though would be right. And that helped. The painting now had the right mood, and for me, when the mood and colours are set, I can fill in the details and so on. Just look for yourself how much difference it made.

Maybe blue as a background colour was a bit poorly chosen for this painting and I should have started with a yellow background, but in the end, I did get it right!

Art, Stories

New logo, improved patterns

Sonja

Logo-blogThis week I’ve been busy improving and refreshing all my patterns. When I started writing these patterns I didn’t have a good logo yet and did not use the sketches as more than just the sketch. Later I decided to make the sketches in colour and to add them to the patterns.

Also, the more animals I designed, the more complete the patterns became. Because I think good quality patterns are very important, the old versions were good, but the new ones just better(looking), I decided to give all my patterns the same layout. I also changed my Son’s Popkes name logo a bit, because I noticed some people couldn’t read it. And that is very important!

I’m glad I’m finished now with refreshing the patterns, it was a lot of work and not much fun to do. Everyone who’ve bought a pattern, will get an email from either Craftsy or Ravelry with a new and free download link for the improved version. It really looks better and I’m very happy with the result.

Here’s another image to show all the sketches that are now appearing in the patterns.

Son's-Popkes-sketches-blogHaha, Son’s Popkes!Ā Thanks for all your support and I hope you like the improved patterns. If you’ve bought a pattern directly from me and want a new version, please let me know!

 

Chit and Chat

A pile of popkes

Sonja

Son's Popkes

I opened a Twitter account and of course, needed to customize my home page. A picture of a pile of popkes seemed like a nice header. Oops, I left out the lop rabbits, stupid! They where standing right behind me on a chest…..

A while back, I also opened a twitter account, but deleted it shortly after because, well because I only had 2 followers. I was afraid to become the loneliest tweeter in the world. I’m not really the tweeting kind and wasn’t going to interact that much. Still feel that way, but I did want to ‘own’ the @SonsPopkes, because who knows what happens in the future. I will try to become a bit more social and tweet. I’ll see what happens.

Oh, I haven’t tweeted yet, but I will soon, promise!