Two Birthdays

As the summer drew to a close, we celebrated two very special birthdays.  Our youngest daughter entered her teen years and our oldest daughter exited them.

Camila's 13th Birthday

Making something for a 13-year-old is definitely a challenge!  Instead of making another animal amigurumi, I decided to try my hand at making an anime character.  The older sisters informed me that Camila’s favorite anime character was Shikamaru – a teen-age ninja with a touch of bad attitude from the show Naruto.

I was unable to find a pattern for this doll, so I had to venture out on my own on this one.  I did have some good pictures to work from which helped a lot on the details since I don’t follow the show.




Camila shows off the final result.

  

Drawing from:

http://northwolf89.deviantart.com/art/Shikamaru-Nara-142191509

This is one of the drawings that I used to help me as I crocheted Shikamaru.

  

 

When Camila packed Shikamaru to take on our family vacation, I knew that the gift had been a winner!

Jasmine Turns Twenty

I couldn’t believe it; my little girl was turning 20!  For Jasmine’s birthday, I decided that I would make a sweater.  I found a beautiful pattern on-line and got right to work. 

The motif across the yoke of the sweater was intricate and required following the pattern very carefully.  I had to undo sections several times when I got distracted and missed a small step.  Ugh! 



Jasmine models as I admire the fruits of my labor.

The free pattern for this sweater can be found at:

http://www.naturallycaron.com/projects/avalon/avalon_1.html

With Jasmine's birthday fast approaching, I had no choice but to take the project with me on vacation.  The three hour drive to San Diego went by in a flash as I stitched away.  I followed the directions for size small, but when I finished joining the motifs together, I realized that it was going to be way too big for Jasmine.  With no time to start over, I decided to make some adjustments.  I added a couple of rows around the neckline with decreases to bring the whole top section in smaller.  I also took it in under the arms.  With the help of her younger sister, Maria, serving as a model, I was able to get the sweater sized correctly and I finished up the night before Jasmine’s birthday party.  Whew!!! 

The sweater fit perfectly and in the end it was well worth the headaches that it caused me.