Nikki Zeo here! I’m a wife, a mom to 4 crazy kids. Former nurse, now a stay-at-home mom. Craft supply hoarder and doll maker. My mom taught me how to knit and crochet in grade school after learning from a friend of hers. At first I just knitted scarves and hats then I transitioned to … Read more About
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I am a wife, a mom and a blogger. I created Pig Loves Mouse to share my passion for crocheting dolls. I am an avid crafter but my main craft is crochet. My mom taught me how to crochet at a young age and have been in love with it since then. It is my … Read more Want to Help?
Happy Star Wars Day! I know I’m posting this a little late in the day, but is it ever really too late to start a new crochet project?
If you’re looking for a last-minute way to celebrate, I’m re-sharing my Advanced BB-8 Tutorial. This project is a step up from your basic amigurumi—it’s all about those crisp details that make the droid look like it just rolled off the screen.
Grab your hook and your favorite acrylic yarn to use and let’s make something epic before the sun sets on Tatooine!
I recently took the initiative to improve a pattern I had in my shop for a while now. I’ve been putting it of and putting it off and decided that it was time to just do it and get it over with.
If you’ve been on the internet as long as I have, there are things you notice that have drastically changed over the years. Etsy is overflowing with patterns. Ever since 2020, people have taken up crafting as a way to cope with challenging times. Some creators started their small businesses at that time because there was really nothing much to do. I took up working out to lose the extra weight from being pregnant with my third child.
In the past when you searched for patterns on Etsy, you would get a variety of patterns to choose from and you would know that they were real patterns. You would also get quite a few that use acrylic yarn. There was no snobbery on what type of yarn is for a what project. There really wasn’t much bias on what you would buy to use on a project. You wouldn’t even have to mention what brand and people would just go out to Michaels or Joann to get their supplies. Even the patterns themselves would be different. The wording was different. So that’s why I had to revamp my pattern. That and there had been some errors with it. I also had to film a video which apparently is somewhat of a requirement nowadays. I’ve had to adjust my pricing because filming takes some time and effort. When people ask for a video, I usually don’t make one because it takes a while and I would have to drop my current projects to make it. So now, I am making it a habit to record “difficult to understand” parts of my patterns.
So if you’ve followed me since the beginning, you would know that I took a long hiatus from YouTube. In that time I was wasn’t crocheting as much and I didn’t post as often as I used to. I got married and had kids and honestly, I don’t even know why I stopped crocheting. Other than the occasional baby blankets, booties, hats and dolls, I didn’t make anything else. I wasn’t as connected to the communities I once cherished. I had replaced them with a life I created with my husband. I guess it was just time to end that chapter of my life and to rethink and reorganize my thoughts about what I’m creating content for. Now that I have fully returned to YouTube and content creation, it’s been a struggle. The internet isn’t as accepting as it once was. Everyone is just a little bit more critical. There’s so much drama within the crochet community and a whole lot of cliques that I don’t quite care for. Everyone (and I mean, EVERYONE), has a brand deal or a sponsorship. Back then, no one wanted to do sponsorships and they had to explain why they did them.
Another thing I noticed was the change to chenille yarn when making dolls. I don’t even know when chenille yarn came into the picture. I looked it up and it makes sense that it became popular around 2020. At first I thought that chenille yarn (being soft and easy on the hands when crocheting) rose into popularity with the hyyge trend (where everything is cozy and no stress), but hyyge was popular several years before. I still don’t know why people suddenly associate amigurumi with chenille yarn and it seems like some YouTube crocheters won’t even consider other yarns a possibility or an option. I watch several YouTubers and many of them just use chenille. There are some others who still use acrylic but the majority use chenille. I get the hype and why people love it. I love it too but it’s very limiting in what you can do. You can’t do much detail with chenille and that’s why I still prefer acrylic or similar yarns to acrylic.
Anyway, I didn’t really have a plan for this post other than to just chat about what’s been on my mind. I did post new patterns in my shop and re-activated a couple of patterns on my Etsy if you want to check them out. I will list them here:
If you’ve been following me on YouTube you have probably heard me talk about my obsession with bags and shawls. I have been into making bags lately and it’s been fun. The last bag I finished was my daughter’s bunny bag. The video for the finished bag with be up this Friday. I don’t have a tutorial for it so it’s a pretty chill, grab your WIP kind of video. The first bag of 2025 was this granny square bag.
If you saw my short, I was in the process of making the Rebecca cardigan from This is Us and I totally made the wrong granny squares. They weren’t even close to being what they looked like on the cardigan. I made traditional granny squares and the cardigan required a type of sunburst granny square. I filmed myself crocheting the square for each round and then I just didn’t have the time to film because I had other videos to post. I might make another video showing you how to make one. It’s not my pattern because all I did was look at a picture and figure out how to make it. I didn’t buy the pattern but if you want to, it’s available on Etsy. Just search for the Rebecca cardigan pattern and you will find it. The squares I made were the wrong ones so I decided to make a bag out of them.
After that I made this bag as a homage to the Sackboy doll who made my whole YouTube channel possible. I made him into a bag and it doesn’t carry much but he’s cute to carry around. My son can put his cars and small toys in it.
Next I finished the bunny bag which was my most detailed bag this year. If you have any suggestions on what bags to make next please let me know. I have a plan for my next one which is related to an upcoming movie in September.
So the shawls I have been making are pretty fun but takes a while to finish just like any wearable. The first one is this one: https://mijocrochet.se/2016/11/23/secret-paths-sjal-shawl/ The pattern is very easy to follow and its very pretty. I used Red Heart Melange. It’s ok to work with. It’s not consistent in the weight. There are some parts that are fuzzy and then thin. I like the over all look but it’s not the easiest to work with. I can’t just pull a whole lot of it when crocheting because it twists when it’s unraveled. Frogging it is also a pain. The yarn tends to grab onto itself and gets stuck when you have to start over a part of your work. This is probably the last shawl I will make with this particular yarn. The next shawl I started (Yes, my WIPs are slowly growing. I get really impatient so I start more while I’m working on one.) is going to be in Lion Brand’s Mandala. It soft and very nice to work with so far. I will give my final thoughts when I have worked up a little more of the scarf. I’m following this video for it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxvhTUGWM0U&t=12s&ab_channel=HookedbyRobin . It’s a lightweight one and it seems a little more lacey than the first one I’m working on. I’m just really excited for Fall and Winter!! I can’t wait to finish my shawls and cardigan and finally use them. How about you guys? What are you working on? Please leave a comment and I hope you are having a great day 🙂
Red Heart Super Saver in white, black, red, cream, brown, grey and light grey
Darning needle
Size 3.5mm hook
Scissors
Stuffing
Helmet:
Rnd 1. With red color. Rnd 2. Inc x 6. (12) Rnd 3. (1sc. Inc.) x 6. (18) Rnd 4. (2sc. Inc.) x 6. (24) Rnd 5. (3sc. Inc.) x 6. (30) Rnd 6. (4sc. Inc.) x 6. (36) Rnd 7. (5sc. Inc.) x 6. (42) Rnd 8. (6sc. Inc.) x 6. (48) Rnd 9. (7sc. Inc.) x 6. (54) Rnd 10. (8sc. Inc.) x 6. (60) Rnd 11-27. 60sc. (60) FO.
White face on helmet:
Row 1. Chain 2. Row 2. 3sc in sc starting in the second chain from the hook. (3) Row 3. Inc x 3. (6) Row 4. Chain 1. Turn. 6sc. (6) Row 5. (1sc. Inc.) x 3. (9) Row 6. (2sc. Inc.) x 3. (12) Row 7-12. Chain 1. Turn. 12sc. (12) Follow the video for the rest of the white face. Sew this part onto the helmet.
Eyes (Make 4):
Rnd 1. Use black color. 6sc in magic circle. (6) FO. Sew onto the face. You can embroider white dots in the eyes if you want but this is optional. This pattern is for the eyes for the helmet and the face.
Side circles for the helmet (Make 2):
Rnd 1. Use grey color. 6sc in magic circle. (6) Rnd 2. Inc x 6. (12) Rnd 3. (1sc. Inc.) x 3. (15) FO. Sew onto the side of the helmet as shown in the video.
Embroider the grey lines on the helmet. Also embroider the mouth with black color.
Head into the body:
Rnd 1. With cream color. 6sc in magic circle. (6) Rnd 2. Inc x 6. (12) Rnd 3. (1sc. Inc.) x 6. (18) Rnd 4. (2sc. Inc.) x 6. (24) Rnd 5. (3sc. Inc.) x 6. (30) Rnd 6. (4sc. Inc.) x 6. (36) Rnd 7. (5sc. Inc.) x 6. (42) Rnd 8. (6sc. Inc.) x 6. (48) Rnd 9. (7sc. Inc.) x 6. (54) Rnd 10-24. 54sc. (54) Rnd 25. (7sc. Dec.) x 6. (48) Rnd 26. (6sc. Dec.) x 6. (42) Rnd 27. (5sc. Dec.) x 6. (36) Rnd 28. (4sc. Dec.) x 6. (30) Rnd 29. (3sc. Dec.) x 6. (24) Rnd 30. (2sc. Dec.) x 6. (18) Rnd 31. (1sc. Dec.) x 6. (12) Rnd 32. Inc x 12. (24) Rnd 33. Change to grey. (2sc. Inc.) x 8. (32) Rnd 34-45. 32sc. (32) At this point you can either attach the body now or later. I attached it now because it means less ends to weave in. Rnd 46. BLO. (2sc. Dec.) x 8. (24) Rnd 47. (2sc. Dec.) x 6. (18) Stuff the body. Rnd 48. (1sc. Dec.) x 6. (12) Rnd 49. Dec x 6. (6) FO. Sew gap closed.
Fingers (Make 4):
Rnd 1. 6sc in magic circle. (6) Rnd 2-6. 6sc. (6) FO for all the fingers except for the 4th one. Follow the video for how to attach the fingers together.
Thumb (Make 2):
Rnd 1. 6sc in magic circle. (6) Rnd 2. Inc. (7) Rnd 3-5. 7sc. (7) FO. Sew onto the hand. Make sure that you are sewing this on the opposite sides of the hands. You are sewing the thumb slightly towards the palm side.
After you connect all the fingers, you should have 24 stitches.
Hand:
Rnd 1. This is the round where you connect all the fingers. (24) Rnd 2-8. 24sc. (24) Rnd 9. (4sc. Dec.) x 4. (20) Rnd 10. 20sc. (20) Rnd 11. (3sc. Dec.) x 4. (16) Rnd 12. (2sc. Dec.) x 2. (14) Rnd 13-20. 14sc. (14) FO. Stuff and sew the gap closed. Then sew the arms to the body as shown in the video.
Legs (Make 2):
Rnd 1. Use grey color. 6sc in magic circle. (6) Rnd 2. Inc x 6. (12) Rnd 3. (1sc. Inc.) x 6. (18) Rnd 4. (2sc. Inc.) x 3. (21) Rnd 5. BLO. 21sc. (21) Rnd 6-11. 21sc. (21) Rnd 12. (5sc. Dec.) x 3. (18) Rnd 16. (4sc. Dec.) x 3. (15) Rnd 17. 15sc. (15) FO. Stuff and sew the gap closed just like in the video.
Shoulder pads (Make 2):
Row 1. With light grey color. Chain 2. Row 2. 3sc in second chain from the hook. (3) Row 3. Chain 1. Turn. Inc x 3. (6) Row 4. Chain 1. Turn. (1sc. Inc.) x 3. (9) Row 5. Chain 1. Turn. (2sc. Inc.) x 3. (12) Row 6. Chain 1. Turn. (3sc. Inc.) x 3. (15) Row 7. Chain 1. Turn. (4sc. Inc.) x 3. (18) Row 8. Chain 1. Turn. (5sc. Inc.) x 3. (21) Row 9. Chain 1. Turn. (6sc. Inc.) x 3. (24) FO. Sew onto shoulders as shown in the video.
Shirt:
Row 1. Chain 11. Row 2. 10sc starting in the second chain from the hook. Row 3. Chain 1. Turn. (1sc. Inc.) x 5. (15) Row 4-6. Chain 1. Turn. 15sc. (15) Row 7. Chain 1. Turn. (2sc. Inc.) x 5. (20) Row 8-13. Chain 1. Turn. 20sc. (20) Row 14. (4sc. Inc.) x 4. (24) Row 15-20. 24sc. (24) FO. For the side of the shirt you are going to work on the left and right sides of the shirt. See the video for more instructions. Each side should have 16 stitches. Next: Row 1. Dec x 2. 8sc. Dec x 2. (12) Row 2. 12sc. (12) Row 3. Dec x 2. 4sc. Dec x 2. (8) Row 4. 8sc.
Shoes (Make 2):
Follow the video for how to make these.
Circles for the shoes (Make 2):
Rnd 1. Use grey color. 6sc in magic circle. (6) Rnd 2. Inc x 3. (9) FO. Sew onto the shoes.
Red Heart Super Saver in cream, red, white and black
Big Twist Baby Bear in yellow
Darning needle
Size 3.5mm hook
Stuffing
Scissors
You can replace any of the yarn brands with anything you prefer 🙂 I know that Big Twist Baby Bear isn’t available anymore and the alternative is Loops and Threads. I’m not quite sure if they are exact dupes because Erica from  Doseofkawaii showed that the Big Twist Posh isn’t the exact same as the Loops and Threads Posh Purl. They mention that it is the same on their website but it might not be. Maybe in the future they might change it but for now it’s as good as it’s going to get. Or you can use Premier Parfait Chunky. I love that brand too 🙂
Head:
Rnd 1. Using cream color of Red Heart. 6sc in magic circle. (6) Rnd 2. Inc x 6. (12) Rnd 3. (1sc. Inc.) x 6. (18) Rnd 4. (2sc. Inc.) x 6. (24) Rnd 5. (3sc. Inc.) x 6. (30) Rnd 6. (4sc. Inc.) x 6. (36) Rnd 7. Change to Big Twist Baby Bear in yellow. (5sc. Inc) x 6. (42) Rnd 8-13. 42sc. (42) You can stuff the body at this time and along the way as well. But before stuffing, I embroidered the eyes, nose and mouth. I also sewed on their ears before finishing up the head. Rnd 14. (5sc. Dec.) x 6. (36) Rnd 15. (4sc. Dec.) x 6. (30) Rnd 16. (3sc. Dec.) x 6. (24) Rnd 17. (2sc. Dec.) x 6. (18) Rnd 18. (1sc. Dec.) x 6. (12) Rnd 19. Dec x 6. (6) FO. Sew the gap closed.
Ears:
For the ears, follow the video on how to do that. Use Red Heart in cream for the middle of the ear and Big Twist Baby Bear for the outer portion.
Body:
Rnd 1. Use Big Twist Baby Bear in yellow. In this section you are going to do some surface crocheting. Follow the video for more instructions. In total you are going to have 42 stitches for the body. This will be your first round. Rnd 2. (12sc. Dec.) x 3. (39) Rnd 3. (11sc. Dec.) x 3. (36) Rnd 4-11. 36sc. (36) I sewed the arms in before finishing up the body. Also stuff the body and along the way. Rnd 12. (7sc. Dec.) x 4. (32) Rnd 13. (6sc. Dec.) x 4. (28) Rnd 14. (2sc. Dec.) x 7. (21) Rnd 15. (1sc. Dec.) x 7. (14) Rnd 16. Dec x 7. (7) FO. Sew gap closed.
Tail end of body:
Rnd 1. Use Big Twist Baby Bear in yellow. Surface crochet this as well. Follow the video. You should have a total of 24 stitches. (24) Rnd 2. (1sc. Dec.) x 8. (16) Rnd 3-4. 16sc. (16) Rnd 5. (2sc. Dec.) x 4. (12) Stuff this part of the body. Rnd 6. 12sc. (12) Rnd 7. Dec x 6. (6) FO. Sew the gap closed.
Tail:
Use Red Heart in red. Follow the video for instructions.
