SHAKEN!

On April 25, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal—the country that I’ve made my home—causing widespread devastation. The quake, the worst to hit the country in over 80 years, has wiped out entire villages, and claimed over 5500 lives (this number is increasing by the hour), injured and paralyzed many, and rendered countless homeless. The United Nations estimates that over 8 million people have been affected.

Five days after the quake and we are still digging out a few lucky survivors from under the heap of rubble that is what’s left of Kathmandu now. Those whose houses have either been rendered uninhabitable or reduced to rubble are living out in the open. Food and clean drinking water is in short supply, creating panic among the people. The situation is much worse outside of the capital city.

Though emergency relief materials, including food, water, water purifiers, and medical supplies, are being sent to Nepal from all around the world, most of these are stuck in government warehouses yet to reach the people, thanks to our utterly incompetent government who’s interested more in following ‘protocols’ and ‘procedures’ than in helping its people during a time like this.

Frustrated by the government’s slow pace at mobilizing relief materials, several local youth have partnered with local and international non-government organizations to get the job done themselves. They are collecting funds to purchase medical supplies, food, water, tarps, sanitary products, blankets, clothes, and other essential commodities and taking these items to far flung areas where government relief materials have not yet reached.

Child Reach Nepal is one such organization that is working on the ground. This organization, along with local youth volunteers, were the first to reach Sindupalchok—a district north of Kathmandu that was totally devastated by the earthquake—to distribute emergency relief materials. However, due to the sheer number of affected people, these organizations need more funds to help those who urgently need temporary shelters, food, water, and medicines.

You can help Child Reach Nepal in its relief efforts by donating here.

Another organization that needs your support is Animal Nepal, which has been rescuing and treating animals affected by the earthquake. Some of their staff members have lost their homes. A couple more are yet unaccounted for. The organization’s donkey sanctuary has been partially destroyed by the quake. Yet this team has not stopped its efforts to help the animals who need our help more than ever.

You can give Animal Nepal a hand by donating here.

For a list of verified organizations that are currently engaged in emergency relief, go here.

And to thank you for donating to any of these organizations, I’m giving you a free amigurumi pattern for the little kid known as “the Naughty Boy”. It is one of my first patterns, designed back in 2013, which I hadn’t released earlier. Please note the pattern writing format is slightly different and the pattern is untested. So if you come across any errors, please be kind enough to let me know.

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

Before I wrap up this post, I want to thank everyone who emailed me inquiring about my safety. Even as I was going through your messages, the ground beneath me was shaking—there have been over 100 aftershocks, one of which was 6.9 in magnitude! In fact, there was another tremor a few minutes ago. But what I mean to say is your messages gave me so much strength. Thank you all so much. You guys are the best. A special shout out to Viviana Lores, Sakellaropoulou Theodora, Cynthia Rhodes, Amifan, and Ainara for being the first ones to reach out. I love you, guys. 😀

Thank you for caring.

Serah

Happy Birthday, Cynthia!

Have I ever told you about a girl named Cynthia? If I haven’t, let me tell you, she’s the most beautiful person and the gentlest soul ever. Kind and patient, and loyal to a fault. Childlike wonder combined with the wisdom of a sage—that’s Cynthia for you. And guess what, her birthday is on Sunday, March 22! So, to celebrate my friend’s birthday, I’ve designed this little amigurumi bunny girl named Cynthia. Happy Birthday, my dear Cynthia! I’m so glad the universe conspired to make sure our virtual paths crossed and we bumped into each other.

So any guesses on what Cynthia did on her birthday? She spent it with her best friend Maiya, exploring one of the old palace courtyards at the Patan Durbar Square. The girls wanted me to take a picture of them at Sundari Chowk, one of the main three courtyards of the palace at Patan (also known as Lalitpur, the city of fine arts), and I dared them to stand between these carved wooden figurines of maidens astride intertwined serpents below the wooden latticed doors. To say that the girls were terrified out of their socks is an understatement. 😉

Maiya then announced a photo next to a wood carving of Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, was in order. She quickly hopped on to the pedestal and dragged a slightly reluctant Cynthia along. I had to beg them to get out of there before they were caught monkeying around by the security guards.

Next, Cynthia, the birthday girl, wanted to see Tusha Hiti, the ancient step-well that is guarded by mythical lions and serpents with jewels on their hoods. Here they are, trying to skirt their way around the scary lion to get a glimpse of the tank. Don’t the girls look scared silly? 😀

Built in the 17th century, Tusha Hiti—with three tiers of exquisitely carved stone deities on its retaining walls—is the centerpiece of the Sundari Chowk, one of the main three courtyards of the palace at Patan.

This gilded bronze spout portraying an image of Laksmi-Narayan on Garud was installed in the tank a few years ago after the original was stolen.

Then we headed to the Bhandarkhal water tank, hailed as an “exquisite example of 17th century water architecture”. Located in the garden behind the palace, this tank was once the main water storage facility for the palace. Much to Cynthia’s dismay, the tank was dry! See how sad she looks.

Never the one to miss a photograph opportunity, Maiya handed me the camera and promptly hopped next to Cynthia. In this pic, the girls are standing behind the hind leg of one of the stone lions flanking the Bhandarkhal tank. Overlooking the tank is a meditation pavilion, a feature which fascinated Cynthia. Just as soon as she had started daydreaming about time travelling back to the 17th century when the palace was in its full glory, a very loud and boisterous Maiya announced she was famished and insisted we leave immediately for the nearest eatery. And that, ladies and gentlemen, ended our little Cynthia’s birthday trip to the old palace.

And now it’s time for Cynthia’s birthday party favors: a free pattern of little Cynthia!

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

To download the pattern in DUTCH, translated by our fellow crocheter Jeannette Kemp, click here.
Thanks for helping me celebrate Cynthia’s birthday. If you like, you can leave a birthday message for our birthday girl in the comments section below. I’m sure she will be thrilled to hear from you. 🙂

Cheers!

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If you liked this free amigurumi pattern, would you please consider making a small donation to Animal Nepal? Animal Nepal is a not for profit, animal welfare and rights organization based in Lalitpur, Nepal. It runs two sanctuaries for abused and injured homeless/working animals, besides campaigning for animal rights. If you want to see the wonderful work these folks do, you can check out their Facebook page or their blog. You can also help them by donating here.

Thank you for caring.

 

Maiya, the Sweet Little Naughty Girl

Namaste! Greetings from Kathmandu.
Please let me introduce myself. My name is Maiya [my-YA]and it means “little girl” in Nepali. I’m 5.5 inch tall, which makes me the smallest human amigurumi ever to make an appearance on this blog. Yay!

Looking at me you’d never guess but I love doing silly stuff. Like jumping into a puddle (I have to make sure it’s a really tiny one though or I’ll drown) or whirling around and around till I get dizzy and go bumping around stuff (and at 5.5”, it’s easy to be knocked out by something as harmless as a table lamp!).

I don’t like staying indoors all day. So when mom promised she’d take me for a walk around the Durbar Square, I was thrilled to bits. But then she cancelled our plans, saying she had to blog, that she had to take my photos and post them here because YOU were waiting to see me! That’s why when she asked me to smile for the camera, I gave her my best crybaby look. Ha! Tit for tat!

Hello friends! I believe you’ve already met Maiya, the sweet little, naughty girl. Not only is she my first design of the year, she is also the smallest human amigurumi I have made till date. And guess what, her free pattern is now ready to be downloaded. 🙂

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

By the way, I forgot to mention this in the instructions but if you want a bit of color on her cheeks, you can lightly apply rouge using your finger tip. Alright then, have fun with Maiya. She’s cheeky but she’s lovely too. 😀

 

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If you liked this free amigurumi pattern, would you please consider making a small donation to Animal Nepal? Animal Nepal is a not for profit, animal welfare and rights organization based in Lalitpur, Nepal. It runs two sanctuaries for abused and injured homeless/working animals, besides campaigning for animal rights. If you want to see the wonderful work these folks do, you can check out their Facebook page or their blog. You can also help them by donating here.

Thank you for caring.

Rudy, the reindeer

Christmas is only about a month away. So who gets an early Christmas gift? YOU! 😀 And my gift to you is this super cute free amigurumi pattern for Rudy, the reindeer.Made with sock weight yarn and 2.5 mm hook, Rudy is around 4.5 inches tall. As the pattern only uses basic stitches (if you know how to make a magic ring, single crochet stitch, increase and decrease, you’re set to go!) and is relatively quick to make, this amigurumi will make a great Christmas project. This is one cutie you should have around you and your loved ones during Christmas. So download the pattern and start hookin’, folks! Christmas is already around the corner.

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

To download the pattern in DUTCH, translated by our fellow crocheter Jeannette Kemp, click here.

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If you liked this free amigurumi pattern—and also since ’tis the season of giving—would you please consider making a small donation to Animal Nepal? Animal Nepal is a not for profit, animal welfare and rights organization based in Lalitpur, Nepal. It runs two sanctuaries for abused and injured homeless/working animals, besides campaigning for animal rights. If you want to see the wonderful work these folks do, you can check out their Facebook page or their blog. You can also help them by donating here.

Thank you for caring.

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Keep warm and carry yarn. 😉

The Little Red Devil

When I was young, I used to be quite a major pain in a certain part of my parent’s anatomy. I often wonder roughly how many times the pleasant thought of disowning me crossed their minds, and did they see this when they saw me? So tell me, does this little kid in a Halloween costume remind you of a little trouble-on-two-legs in your life? If your answer is yes, why not make this little amigurumi devil for your darling little pain in the butt! 😉

The pattern for this 7 inch amigurumi includes instructions and step-by-step pictures on how to embroider amigurumi hair. Also included is the pattern for a pumpkin. What’s even better, it’s absolutely free! 😀

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

I hope you enjoy this pattern. And would you please consider making a small donation to Animal Nepal if you use this pattern? 🙂

Thanks for caring.

Serah

P.S. Thank you for helping Violet & Ivy make it to the list of top eight “visitors favorite patterns” on amigurumipatterns.net. You guys are the best! 😀

Batman Amigurumi Free Pattern

“I made a promise on the grave of my parents that I would rid this city of the evil that took their lives. By day, I am Bruce Wayne, billionaire philanthropist. At night, criminals, a cowardly and superstitious lot, call me… Batman.” – Hush, Chapter 12: The End | story: Jeph Loeb | art: Jim Lee

Well, you know what! Batman dropped by my place today and he said to tell you he says hi! I was expecting to him to be a lot bigger and well, you know, muscular but the fella turned out to be just a little over 6.5 inches tall! And slightly rounder around the tum! Well, Christopher Nolan, you lied—Batman doesn’t look like Christian Bale at all!

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

If you liked this free amigurumi pattern, would you please consider making a small donation to an organization that works for animal welfare in Nepal?

Animal Nepal is a not for profit, animal welfare and rights organization. It runs two sanctuaries for homeless and injured animals as well as abused working animals, besides campaigning for animal rights. If you want to see the wonderful work these folks do, you can check out their Facebook page or their blog. You can also help them by donating here.

Thanks for caring. I hope you enjoy making this little Dark Knight! 😀

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UPDATE [December 30, 2014]: How to Join Batman’s Legs

Some of you told me the instructions for joining Batman’s legs are a bit fuzzy. [Insert sound of my heart breaking here]. So I’ll try and explain it a bit differently with a sample photograph.  

Hold both legs together. Make sure the shoes face away from you. With the ‘working’ piece on the right and the second leg on the left, find and mark the stitch on the second (left) leg that would be the middle of the left inner thigh. Insert hook in this stitch and make an sc. Now sc in the remaining 14 stitches of the left leg. Next, sc in all 15 stitches on the right leg. This joins your amigurumi’s legs. The combined stitch count of the joined legs should be 30 (15 stitches per leg).

I hope this makes the instructions clear(er). 😀

Beach Bunnies Free Amigurumi Pattern

DOWNLOAD PATTERN

If you loved this free pattern, would you please consider making a small donation to an organization that works for animal welfare in Nepal?

Animal Nepal is a not for profit organization committed to improving the lives of animals in Nepal. This small, underfunded—yet fiercely committed—organization has been treating, neutering/spaying street dogs, providing them shelter, and helping them find their forever home. Animal Nepal is also known for their relentless fight against animal abuse—a widespread problem in Nepal—including those of working equines and working elephants.

If you want to help Animal Nepal, please click here to make a donation.

Thank you for caring.

Love,

Serah

UPDATE (April 20, 2014): Oops! I made a mistake in the pattern (again!). The fuddled pattern for the bunnies legs has now been corrected. If you downloaded this pattern before April 20, 2014, please download the revised pattern again. A big thank you to the folks who spotted the mistake and emailed me 🙂

Bitsy, the baby in a Donkey Suit

Here she is, as promised. Baby Bitsy in a donkey suit! But before we get to the free pattern, there’s something I want to share first. Regular visitors to this blog already know I never give up on an opportunity to tell a story based on my amigurumi characters; today’s not going to be any different 😛The idea to give this baby a donkey suit came to me after reading a few news articles on the “Brick Donkeys” of Nepal. Unlike this sweet little amigurumi baby in its pretty jumpsuit, what I’m about to tell you today is not pretty. It’s either going to jolt you into action or swear you off this blog permanently.

The brick factories in Kathmandu employ some 1500 donkeys and mules. In a country without any laws governing the welfare of animals, the abuse is rampant. Each animal is made to carry 3,000 to 5,000 raw mud bricks a day to and from the furnace. The animals are beaten relentlessly by their handlers. Pregnant donkeys work up to the day of delivery and are given only a few days to recover. These “brick donkeys” are underfed (most donkeys suffer from dehydration and malnutrition), overworked and exposed to serious hazard in the course of the work. A majority of them have open wounds. Some have wounds so severe that their spine and vertebrae are exposed (click here to see the condition of working equines in Nepal). Once the animals become too sick to work, they are left to die. In short, they are worked to death!

These are the brutalities working animals in Nepal have to face every day of their lives. From these horrible stories of animal abuse and torture was born Bitsy, the baby in a donkey suit.DOWNLOAD PATTERN

I hope Little Bitsy serves as a reminder to us all that only we can right the wrongs being inflicted on these voiceless creatures.

Animal Nepal, a not for profit organization working for animal rights, runs The Godavari Donkey Sanctuary, a rehabilitation center for the rescued, handicapped and sick working equines. This small, underfunded—yet fiercely committed—organization also runs another animal shelter where they treat, neuter/spay street dogs, provide them shelter, and help them find their forever home. Animal Nepal, which has been providing free treatment and sanctuary to sick and abandoned draft animals since its establishment in 2004, has also been advocating a day’s leave every week for the working animals and fighting for a ban on these “blood bricks”.

If you love my free pattern, please consider making a small donation to Animal Nepal to help them in their mission.

DONATE TO ANIMAL NEPAL

You can also help by signing this petition to urge the Government of Nepal to stop equine abuse, and force the brick industry to become responsible.

SIGN THE PETITION

Thank you so much for caring 🙂

UPDATE (April 03, 2014): Bitsy’s pattern is now available in Dutch, thanks to Amifan who translated the pattern. The pattern can be downloaded from her Ravelry page.

REVISION (February 21, 2014): The pattern has been revised. A few silly errors had managed to creep in, but thanks to CodyJunk who kindly pointed them out, they have been fixed 🙂

Legs/Body
Round 6: inc dec X 4, sc 10. (14)
Round 7: inc dec X 5, sc 4. (9)

Hoodie
Round 8-9: sc around. (38) (42)