Knit Blue Kangaroo now available at CreativeCritters

Over the last few years I've knit several different blue kangaroos for a variety of customers, but haven't had one listed in my shop as a regular item.  Most customers learned about my blue kangaroos from my Gallery of past work.  The last knit kangaroo I created was headed all the way to Australia!  I developed my own knitting pattern for these kangaroos and have adapted it several times over as I found new ways to improve the design.  I just listed this cute kangaroo in CreativeCritters today.  I'm not sure how long she'll last- they seem to sell pretty quickly!

I used soft and silky Homespun yarn in Montana Sky Blue for the body and Waterfall for the belly.  I really love Homespun yarn because it's so soft and has such a nice texture when you knit with it.  Anyone who does a lot of knitting or crocheting knows that it's a real pleasure to work with a good quality yarn, and of course it creates a very soft and cuddly stuffed animal.

For this particular kangaroo I completely revamped my old pattern and got pretty creative as I knit.  This is one of the reasons most of the items in my shop are one of a kind creations- I always seem to end up changing how I make them, even if I start out following a pattern.  I guess it's just the artist in me- LOL. 

This particular kangaroo ended up with a lot of personality!  Sometimes these things just sort of seem to happen on their own.  I had a general idea of how I wanted her to look, but really didn't know how she would turn out until I had most of the parts sewn on.  And as always, the true personality really came out once I added her eyes, nose, and ears. 

I used gray fleece fabric for the nose, which is lightly stuffed and securely sewn on.  I used the same fleece behind the eyes, which are black plastic safety eyes, making this safe for children.  I stuffed the kangaroo softly with polyester fiberfill, with the goal of keeping her very soft and cuddly.  Adults and children will both love giving this cute stuffed animal a big hug!  I may be all grown up myself, but I still love to cuddle up with a soft stuffed animal.  I think there are some things we just never grow out of!
If you're interested in purchasing this blue kangaroo just click on any of the pictures to be taken to the listing in my shop.  And if you're looking for something in a different size or color combination, just email me at macreativecritters@gmail.com with your request.  I can also create a variety of other stuffed animals.  If fact, I'm currently working on a knit dragon right now (and this is definitely a challenging project!).
Thanks for sharing the creative cuteness once again!

~Michelle of CreativeCritters

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Stuffed Animals from CreativeCritters

I never really did outgrow my childhood love of stuffed animals, and once I learned how to sew my own stuffed toys I created my own little zoo.  I have a wide variety of stuffed animals available at CreativeCritters, and continue to add new critters on a regular basis.  Some are plush and sewn from soft fur fabrics, fun prints, and soft chenille,  and some are knit in different types of yarn.  My most recent addition is my knit penguin.

I created my own pattern for this funny penguin and even sculpted the eyes from polymer clay.  I like having the ability to completly customize my creations.  I've used polymer clay to make my own eyes, teeth, claws, noses, and other parts for my stuffed animals.

I also make plush teddy bears with jointed arms and legs.  These bears are just full of personality, and each is a one of a kind creation.  I use high quality fur fabric and sew the bears by hand.  Right now I have bears in blue, pink, brown, purple and white.  They range in size from my tiny 7 inch bear up to my big 18 inch tall bear.

And for Easter I've got an adorable knit purple and white bunny rabbit.  The variegated purple yarn inspired this rabbit.  The color made me think of Easter, and Easter bunnies.  When I was little Gramma would always hide a stuffed animal with my Easter basket, and I just loved those bunnies!

And to indulge my love of fantasy I've sewn stuffed dragons as well.  This one was created using some of Gramma's floral print dresses.  The bold bright colors make this a very happy dragon!  This  large dragon is 22 inches tall and she took many hours to sew.  Her wings, claws, and tail are wired so they can be positioned into different poses.

My love of animals certainly shows up in my creations.  I've got everything from little ladybugs, to hedgehogs, cats, dogs, walruses, to fish and birds.  From cute and cuddly to wild and whimsical, you just never know what kind of animals might show up at CreativeCritters! ;-)

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Stuffed Critters from CreativeCritters

Just a sample of the handcrafted stuffed animals, teddy bears, and knit toys created by CreativeCritters on ArtFire.com. Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the listing, or if you'd like, simply view my entire Stuffed Animals category to see all the stuffed toys available. Thanks so much for stopping by!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Give your sweetheart a handmade teddy bear for Valentine's day

I've been having a lot of fun creating handmade, one of a kind teddy bears lately.  Bears like Throckmorton (with the long teal blue fur) and Perdita (with the purple fur) are made from high quality faux fur fabric and stuffed with polyester fiberfill.  In the case of Throckmorton, I also added plastic pellets to add weight and "floppiness".  Throckmorton is 17 inches tall and his sister, Perdita is 18 inches tall.  Both have plastic safety joints in their arms, legs, and head.  They also have plastic safety eyes and embroidered mouths.

Then there are my knit bears, which were created with acrylic yarn and stuffed with polyester fiberfill.  The little purple bear measures 6 1/2 inches tall, the pink, red, and white bear measures 11 1/2 inches tall, and the cream and gold bear measures 18 inches tall.  I embroidered the eyes, mouth and nose for the small purple bear.  The larger knit bears have plastic safety eyes and noses, and embroidered mouths.

 

All of the pictures are linked, and will take you directly to the listings.  Thanks so much for checking out my sweet and cuddly handmade teddy bears!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Loom knit stuffed animals, Christmas ornaments, and catnip toys

A few months ago I was looking for a quicker way to knit stuffed animals.  I decided to try my hand at some of the knitting looms I've seen in the craft store. These are circles of various diameters (mine are plastic) with evenly spaced pegs around which you wrap your yarn.  The looms allow you to create a knit tube with no seams.  I started with a very small loom, and slowly added to my collection.  The smallest ones are great for tails and similar long, thin cords.  As the circles increase in diameter they can create arms, legs, bodies, hats, sweaters, and more.  Some of the first items I created with the looms were catnip toys, which I stuff with my own organic catnip.
I used my two smallest looms to create the head, body, tails, and ears on my catnip dog, cat, and bunny.  I've also found loom knitting to progress a bit faster than flat knitting, and it's a little easier on my hands.  I used the small loom to create tiny hats for some of my Christmas ornaments (I knit the scarves in the regular manner).  And the purple stockings (which hold some adorable polymer clay kittens) were knit with a small loom as well.
Very recently I've been knitting teddy bears.  These stuffed toys are very soft and cuddly- great for children and adults alike.  I think everybody should have at least one teddy bear.  I made the little purple bear first, with Valentine's Day in mind.  This is the sort of gift I would love to get.  When I saw how well he turned out, I thought I'd try my hand at larger bears.  All of these were created with my own patterns.  When my cream and gold bear turned out so nicely, I figured I'd do a slightly different bear in red, pink, and white (another good one for Valentine's Day).  In my opinion, she's even cuter than the gold bear (although he's quite adorable himself!). 


I hope you enjoyed all my loom knit creations.  There will certainly be more to come.  I'm mulling over ideas for a knit dragon, among other creatures, so be sure to stop back often.  You never know what you'll find at CreativeCritters!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Cats can be found throughout CreativeCritters

I'd like to showcase some of the different types of cats available in my studio today.  My first "real" pet (other than hamsters and gerbils) was a cat.  Mischief was his name, and he certainly lived up to it!  Before Mischief I always thought I wanted a dog more than a cat.  It took about 2 seconds after holding my first kitty to realize I was a cat person.  I do adore dogs, and all other animals, but my first love will always be cats.  I connect with them on a very deep level, and have always felt an affinity to them.  I've had many cats since Mischief, and each has been a very important part of my life.  Now I have Ozzy and Cedric, both certified catnip inspectors.  Ozzy has an artistic streak of his own, and he likes to check out all of my work.  He's put his purr of approval on all the items below.  You can click on any of the pictures to go directly to the listing, or simply browse through CreativeCritters, where cats prowl through many of the categories, including Gifts Under $20, Catnip Toys, Jewelry and Magnets, Knit Toys, Cloth Dolls, Animal Sculptures, Fantasy Sculptures, and Christmas Themed Gifts.

Thanks for stopping in to take a look at all my different kitties!  Be sure to check back often for new additions!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Gifts under $20.00

If you're on a budget this year and looking for unique handcrafted gifts under US $20.00, I have quite a selection of inexpensive, high quality handmade items available.  I just added a new Gifts Under $20 category to my studio, making some of these items easier to find.  All of my Catnip Toys are under US $20.00 as are all my Erasers and Pencil Toppers, and nearly all my Knit Toys are under US $20.00. Below is just a sample of what you can find in my shop.  You can click on the picture to go directly to the listing, click on the category links above, or click on CreativeCritters to view my entire shop.  Hurry in to be sure you get your gifts in time for Christmas!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters