Finishing Amigurumi: Tucking in the Tail

Just a quick tip today; many of you probably already know this, so this short post is really geared towards very very new beginners to crocheting. Also, I'm pretty sure I've instructed people to hide the tail in some of my patterns, so maybe this will help people who have no idea what I'm talking about!

There are two basic types of crochet pieces:
Type 1. Some pieces are left open and then stuffed and sewn onto other pieces. A good example of this kind of piece would be the arms or legs of an amigurumi animal.

Type 2. Some pieces are crocheted all the way closed when they are finished; stuffing occurs while there is still an opening, but the opening is crocheted closed to finish the piece. A good example of this kind of piece would be a ball shape, like in an amigurumi fruit.

No matter which type of crochet piece you are doing, you should be left with a little yarn tail. In crochet pieces that are Type 1, you would use the tail to attach the crochet piece to other crocheted pieces... the tail is like your thread! But once you've finished sewing your pieces together, what are you going to do? For crochet pieces that are Type 2, you usually aren't going to sew your crochet piece onto anything... it's essentially done just the way it is! So what do you do with the tail? If you cut it where you ended your crocheting, your whole crochet piece could unravel.


To finish your amigurumi for both Type 1 and 2 pieces, use your crochet needle or a yarn needle to pull the tail THROUGH your crocheted piece/ amigurumi. Then, at the point where the tail exits the amigurumi again, pull the yarn taut and snip the remaining tail off... the rest of the tail should disappear into the body of your amigurumi!

Here it is in real life:

Unthirsty Plant Sale!

Over the weekend I went to the Halawa Xeroscape Garden Plant sale, which featured lots of plants, cacti, and other succulents that don't require a lot of water... which is great for conserving water during the hot hot summer! I actually had wanted specific plant that I had seen last year, called a "string of pearls" ( I like them because they look like peas), but alas!!! They didn't have any :(

It was still super fun looking at all the catci, and I ended up getting a little leafy succulent and a sea-urchin shell to put him in, for a grand total of $2.50. He is cheering up my bathroom for now... he'll probably move to my room if he doesn't like the bathroom.

boo... school stuff sucks!

The only thing my camera has been taking pictures of lately is books.... no fun!

old old book.... I had to wear gloves and use a metal spatula to turn the pages.... that's probably the most exciting thing about being a historian (unlike being an anthropologist like Indiana Jones where you get explore temples and get all the girls... ha ha just kidding; I know anthropologists aren't really like Indie!)

I'm sure all of you have agreed with the above statement sometime in your life! Anyway, that's why I've been short on posting this week... and why this post will be kinda nills. I've actually been working on my thesis, like the good graduate student that I am (*snort*). However, due to my [incredible] work ethic, I am now a wee tiny bit closer to finishing my first chapter. And although it's been a really boring month of DAILY trips to the archives and also more recently some really slow writing, I feel quite proud actually :D Anyway, sorry there is nothing more exciting to share for now... hope everyone had a nice week/ and is planning to have a nice weekend!

August Calendar is here!

Sorry for the slight delay; I was waylaid by last minute karaoke, and sweet-tea vodka/lemonade with friends, haha! Since August often marks the beginning of the school season for lots of kiddies (and kiddies at heart) I thought incorporating a school bus in this month's calendar would be appropriate, and hopefully make the prospect of having to return to school a little bit more bearable :D Please visit my flickr or my photobucket to download; enjoy!

Oscar and Scout are off to school in a big yellow school bus. Luckily they are in each others classes... it will be oodles of fun!

cloud 9 by paperchase

Gaaaah! Why, Paperchase, why? Why must you tempt me with your evil cuteness at a time when I am strapped for cash?!

Haha, have you guys seen the new line of uber kawaii items from UK stationary designer Paperchase, aptly named Cloud 9 (because if you get any, you'll likely be on cloud 9!) I saw a post about it by the girls over at supercutekawaii, and now I must needs some cuteness! Luckily, Borders Books stocks Paperchase, and we still have a few Borders here in the Islands (but I don't know if they are stocking it yet????). Time to bust out the giftcards!

fun stuff!!!

Look at what I found on my vacation... it's an "eco-friendly alternative to paper (or plastic) cups!" only they still look like paper/ plastic cups... hee hee, funny! They're made by a company called Copco, who also make other products with being green in mind. Having a cup of something from a coffee establishment is kinda like a status symbol to some people... which is why I'm pretty sure Copco decided to make their thermoses look like disposable cups! But other than that, you can take these cups into your favorite coffee/juice/tea/smoothie place and ask them to put your drink into it... that way you use less cups and help to save some earthly resources :D


Anyway, I bought one as a souvenir from my vacation... it was $9.99 at the Hilo Ben Franklin store. I actually never drink coffee, and even though I prefer tea, I rarely drink it (seriously, its too hot in Hawai`i!). Because of this I chose the clear plastic "cold beverage to go cup" which I really like! It's a nice, heavy plastic, and the straw is substantial too... the lid is even screw on, and there is a plastic wraparound on the cup so that your hand doesn't get condensation on it. The only thing is I wish it was a little smaller; 24 oz is like the biggest size at starbucks/coffee bean/ other coffee establishments. Since I'll most likely be using my cup to classy on up some nice unsexy water, the bright side is that now I can carry 24 oz of cold goodness from the school's water fountain to my office :D