Embers of The Last Campfire

Recently I became a bit obsessed with the Embers from the game The Last Campfire a game from Hello Games. It all started when Elizetta Crafts posted a picture of her newly released pattern on Instagram. They just looked so adorable. I then played the game which occupied a good portion of a weekend. The story is about a blue Ember who must help other Embers who are forlorn and lead them to the campfire to be joined by other Embers. Here they discover Hope and friendship. It is a sweet story and the visuals are beautiful. So it started with the crocheting of two and my little campfire I had made previously was perfect for pictures.

Two then became four and the making of Embers has continued. There is definitely a family of them now. I still need to create a bedroll for the Red Ember and a magical horn for the Blue Ember so they can can have accessories like they have in the game.

Accessories are now including a tent which I think needs to be slightly bigger and I may have to play the game again so I can check out what colour it needs to be painted. Suppose I could just check out some playthroughs but it will be more fun to play the game through again myself.

 

I also need to take some screenshots so I can make a spirit totem and perhaps some of the bird characters. The visuals of this game has so much potential for the creation of adorable amigurumi or just dollmaking in general.

Basic Hat for Gamer Girl

Many of my hats are started from a base pattern I created.  My preference was for a solid base so I could easily add embellishments like face details and ears so it is done using single crochet. It is a basic pattern and very beginner friendly as the only stitches used are single crochet and increase and it is done crocheting in the round.

The yarn I normally use is #2 (fine) and 100% cotton my finished hats fit a head circumference of 8.5" to 9". My preferred hook size is 2.25mm, recently I have been using a Furls Odyssey as these have become my hook of choice. 

A picture of my Furls Crochet hook collection in the beautiful display case my husband gifted me

 Otherwise I use Clover hooks as I find both these brands much better when crocheting for any length of time. Your finished measurements may vary slightly from mine as it greatly depends on how tight you do your stitches but if you are a creator of Amigurumi your tension is probably similar to mine.

I have been enjoying the process of creating hats for my Gamer Girl dolls. By adding ears and other embellishments it is possible to create little hats for practically any fandom. The inspiration is endless and the possibilities neverending.

Basic Beanie Hat

Round 1     MR 6

Round 2     6inc (12)

Round 3     (1sc,1inc)*6 (18)

Round 4     (2sc,1inc)*6 (24)

Round 5     (3sc,1inc)*6 (30)

Round 6     (4sc,1inc)*6 (36)

Round 7     (5sc,1inc)*6 (42)

Round 8     (6sc,1inc)*6 (48)

Round 9     (7sc,1inc)*6 (54)

Round 10    (8sc,1inc)*6 (60)

Round 11-22  60sc (11rows)

Fasten off

A basic beanie finished with one of the books I use for inspiration

Hat Designs

Have been busy designing different hats for my Amigurumi dolls. Finally found the perfect size of styrofoam ball to make some hat stands. Wooden candlesticks + styrofoam balls = hat stands.

Inspiration for hats vary and I have been going down many rabbit holes on the internet looking at official imagery and fanart. It is so easy to get sidetracked when looking at fanart and it is so enjoyable. Lots more hats are in the works as every Gamer Girl Doll is going to need her own hat. Part of the issue so far is to try to keep them simple, many of my design ideas start to get elaborate. Limiting my materials to cotton yarn, felt and embroidery thread is helpful to keep the designs simple. 

The design process for me often includes simplifying my original design concept. It has gotten to the stage where I often don't finalize a design anymore as I just end up eliminating much of it. I now try to keep it all a bit more abstract so I won't overthink each stage. The tendency to get hyper focused is very easy for me and something I try to curb, otherwise nothing gets done. 

Gamer Girl Dolls progress has been going well. The doll wigs I got work well and allow for a variety of hair colour and length. Also found some keychains that mean I can give each doll her own controller :0) It's nice when an idea comes to fruitation. 

Hats. Hats and Hats

 Have gradually been getting back into the swing of things. I've been getting caught up on projects and managing to stay focused a bit more. Still looking for that magic way to STAY FOCUSED. Basically I have way to many ideas milling around in my head at all times. That is the end of my Whinging about Focus for this post. (Whinging is one of my favourite British words)

For the month of May Hats will be my focus. Hats are an obsession recently be it sewing them for other people, making them for dolls or acquiring a new one for myself. Hats can also have so many accessories themselves- hatboxes, feathers, hatbands, hatpins, hat stands. The goal of May is to create an item related to a hat or a hat itself each day of May. Some will be for humans, some for dolls and perhaps even some for my dog. 

For the last bit I have been experimenting with 3D prints of crowns in a variety of sizes and styles. The nylon filiment constantly prints with fine strings on the crowns but it just adds for some creativity potential. I have been doing some troubleshooting to correct this problem but I also kinda like the effect. Am considering adding some spiders to complete the cobweb effect, those crowns could be the perfect addition to a more sinister doll. So far I have much better luck using PLA filiment or Eco Abs filiment. The world of 3D printing is a newer interest of mine and there is a lot to learn.

Another goal this month is to update this blog as it has sat neglected for quite a while. My creative output has definitely changed since moving to Seattle so a reboot of everything is necessary.