Moji-Moji Design

Original Amigurumi Crochet Patterns


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Spencer the Spider

I’m not usually a fan of spiders at all, but I was out cleaning the shed today and bumped into this little fella. I’ve got to admit, he doesn’t look as scary as some spiders that I’ve seen (well, maybe those fangs….)820SpiderHe’s been very busy building some rather carefully constructed webs ready for his house warming party later. The guests have started to arrive already.

First there were two.820Spider3Then there were three.820Spider1 Next thing you know, four of these little monsters are tucked up together getting ready for a big night in. The Bluebottle kebabs and aphid salad are ready to serve and everyone is buzzing with anticipation. (Or is that just the kebabs I can hear?)820Spider4 With eight legs apiece to shake their (rather generously sized) booties with, they really are quite the party animals. Spencer can even play the fiddle and still have six legs left to dance a jig! It’s going to be one helluva party in my shed tonight.

I was invited and I thought I might try to be brave and go along – but then this big Black Widow arrived and suddenly I’m thinking… I’ll take a rain check on that. I know her tricks. BlackSpider She’s got a habit of playing dead and then biting your ankle when you’re not looking! Not my idea of fun!!820DSCN4302I think I’ll just leave them to it. I know the famous saying ‘If you want to live and thrive, let a spider run alive’ but I think it’s going to be me doing all the running every time I bump into this lot together.SpiderParty There’s just way too many eyes and legs gathered together in one space. I’d love to try to get over my arachnaphobia but I think I’ll have to take it one spider at a time.


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The Outdoor Studio

It’s been a scorcher of a week here in Worcester. I’m still a little bit yearning to be back at the seaside though that has been nearly compensated for by having such a lovely spot in the garden in which to work. It’s become my outdoor studio space since Hubby finished making the big new dining table a few weeks ago. DSCN4213There’s certainly plenty of space with which to tackle all my crochet projects and the dappled shade is perfect. (As you can see, Tigger thinks so too). If you look carefully you can see a little teaser of my next crochet pattern!

The table has been thriftily recycled out of the boys old playhouse. They’ve passed that stage in their lives when a small wooden hut on stilts is enough to provide them with hours of imaginative role play and hide-away fun. Now that the wood has been re-purposed it serves to pull all the family together for some laid back al fresco meal times.DSCN4216 We all enjoyed some great new vegetarian barbecue recipes from the BBC Good Food website that were completely lip-smackingly delicious.

 Melting-Middle Aubergine Parcels and Courgette and Haloumi Skewers

In the balmy evenings I’ve been sitting out until after dark, stealthily working on the stack of granny squares I started last weekend.

They’ve now all been edged in a slightly different multi-tone yarn. This is a James C Brett yarn and I’m really pleased with the way it has framed the Noro squares and tied all the random elements of colour together. Those contrasting twists are just gorgeous. Here are the squares before and after I edged them.

I’m planning on making a poncho and a bag out of these. When the weather finally gets cooler I’ll be finding my warm and richly coloured ensemble very useful I’m sure!DSCN4223Lushious colour contrasts make each square totally unique and are going to leave me spoilt for choice as to how to combine them. I’ll keep it all quite random I think…

Now it’s time to get back to my new amigurumi design. I’ve got some final pattern writing to do which means an evening installed in front of the computer and away from my new outdoor studio. I’m looking forward to getting it finished though and adding another creature to the Moji-Moji family.

Here’s a final sneak peak of them as a work in progress.DSCN4210Curious little things that they are, I think they’re enjoying a sneak peak back at you too!


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A Weekend Away

Well hello again! It’s been a very hectic couple of weeks since I last managed to post. I’ve just been away for a much needed break by the sea and now feel completely recharged and ready to tackle my huge to-do list back home. It’s amazing what a change of scenery can do for the spirits! Now you might guess that my recipe for a dream weekend includes organizing some holiday crochet as a top priority.DSCN4019I reckoned that this should be enough yarn for a minimum six hours in the car and a few hazy hours at the Jurassic Rocks Festival on Saturday, plus a lazy Sunday on the beach. And in case I do run out, I have a back up project. Little necklace purses for my next craft fair. Both projects are using self striping yarns so I get all the fun of working with lots of colour but without having to pack up tons of different balls of yarn.DSCN4027 I can cope for the weekend if I forget a change of clothes or my toothbrush but I’m not so laid back if I don’t have a project to keep my hands occupied.  It’s my meditation and recreation all in one. So Saturday morning has arrived and we have woken up to thunderstorms and torrential rain here in Worcester. Time to check the weather forecast…and it’s not looking too good, with severe weather warnings in place for much of the country, most specifically down south which is where we’re headed!DSCN3832 Not to be deterred we pack up wellies, waterproofs and umbrellas. A good time will be had – regardless of the British weather. After all, a rain sodden car journey can always be made more tolerable and much brighter with a few balls of cheery coloured yarn.DSCN4039In the end the wet weather and stormy clouds cleared completely by the time we reached Weymouth. So glad we didn’t chicken out and cancel our weekend. Instead I got to do a bit of drinking and crocheting while listening to some local bands and basking in the sunshine:DSCN4056DSCN4058These lovely blue skies certainly cheered everyone up and added to the bon homie! Several hours and several bands later it was time to retire to the tent with a whole day by the seaside to look forward to tomorrow. Bliss! After packing up the tent in the morning we headed off in search of a cup of tea. It took us longer than we anticipated because of all the distractingly beautiful views on the way from Portland to Weymouth.DSCN4075DSCN4071 But we got there in the end. In fact right at the bottom of this street was a life-saving brew. DSCN4079DSCN4081(Those are hubby’s hairy arms by the way, not mine, but you probably already guessed as much!) With the morning ritual of a good old cuppa sorted we were ready to head off to Chesil Beach for a few hours of rest and relaxation. I took some photos of beautiful tangles of fishing nets on the way as I can’t resist anything remotely yarn like!

And at last we arrive at the beach.DSCN4108Time to have a good look through my Granny squares from yesterday evening.DSCN4106Hmmm, I think this one may have been made after one too many ciders last night! It’s definitely not very square. I love the way the colours echo the sea and the pebbles though.DSCN4113I made a few more squares but then decided a bit of beach art in the form of a yarn bomb might be more appropriate. I got hold of the biggest pebble I could lay my hands on and, inspired by all the fishing nets I’d been photographing, I set to work. An hour or so later and here’s my homage to the sea-side.

There is a strict policy about not removing pebbles from Chesil beach so I hope it gets to stay there until the 100% natural wool yarn just weathers away one day. I had lots of fun improvising with my rock while Hubby had a much needed snooze. Time to say goodbye to Chesil and hello to Weymouth. We’re off in search of a crab salad!DSCN4140There’s plenty of eating places to choose from so we took our time and had a wander around all the little alleys full of wonderfully tacky kiss-me-quick hats, buckets, spades, saucy postcards and the obligatory sticks of rock.

Then off to the harbour…DSCN4152 …where we ate the perfect crab lunch from the Ivy Coffee House on Cove Row.DSCN4172Lovely views and an outdoor table in the shade made it all just perfect. DSCN4167Now for a tub of cockles and a bit more exploring before we head off home.DSCN4165DSCN4156DSCN4183 DSCN4175  On the horizon is the Isle of Portland where we spent last night camping underneath the stars.DSCN4178 The clouds have been very kind and stayed light and wispy around the periphery of the sky all weekend. We have a car boot jam packed full of wet weather gear in all it’s forms but I’m certainly not complaining that we didn’t get to use it. Back in the car at last and the journey whizzes by. I’m a little sun burnt (yes, we packed wellies but didn’t think we’d need to pack any sunblock, but as the saying goes – ‘Life’s a beach and then you fry’). I’m a little tired too but the Radio is on and I’ve still got a ball of yarn left and so I embark on the last of the Granny Squares. Looks like rain again as we get nearer to Worcester.DSCN4188 Ah well, no-one can say that we haven’t had our fair share of sunshine this weekend. By the time we arrive back home I’m glad to unpack, have a cool bath to take the heat out of my lobster red shoulders and take a minute to assemble all of my weekends crochet achievements. Not a bad haul for such a busy couple of days. Now the next fun bit is deciding what to make with them. Whatever they end up being used for they’ll always remind me of my gorgeous weekend of fun in the sun.DSCN4196 DSCN4201

I never needed my back up project of crocheted necklace purses in the end. I’ll just have to schedule another trip to get those finished in time for the autumn craft fair season. What a lovely thought!


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Summer Flowers and Rain Showers

What a week for unpredictable weather! Although as most summers are like this it might be more accurate to say that the weather is predictably unpredictable! I’ve been crocheting outside when the sun has been shining and crocheting indoors when it’s been raining. To make things easier I’ve re-purposed a wash-bag and filled it with all my crochet and craft essentials so now I’m always ready for any weather eventuality!

In the hope of more good than bad weather this summer, I’ve been sewing some pretty flowery bunting for the garden made out of a few cheap and cheerful shower curtains (and the bunting will match my new crochet bag too. How cool is that!)

Here’s one of the finished lengths.

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Hmm, another of those projects temporarily halted by one of my cats taking up residence on top of it. That’s the kind of sour-puss face I’m not messing with. Tigger can stay put for a while, I’ve got some crochet to be getting on with anyway!

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I’m still working on the daisy squares and have used some of them to make a cushion cover.

I’m going to make a few more with some of the other squares. It’s kind of nice to have a quick fix project sometimes and they’ll be perfect for when I’m lounging around outside, in between the storms!

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The view from my bedroom window says it all about this weeks mixed bag of meteorological horrors and delights!

So, whether the weather be good…

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or whether the weather be bad…

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or whether the weather be somewhere in the middle…

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Here’s to another week of happy hooking and bunting making under stormy and/or sunny skies!