my little UFO Amigurumi (that's unidentified finished object)

i started this cute little thing yesterday. he was originally going to be a replica of "hoops" from hoopsandyoyo.com (if you haven't seen it, check it out, they're so awesome). but then i stopped and looked at him and i thought he looked cute just like that! i just don't know what he is.

anyway, here's the pattern. maybe someone else can use their imagination. =)

i used sugar n cream cotton yarn in hot pink with an F (4.00mm) hook.

The UFO Amigurumi

Rnd 1: Ch 2, 6sc in first ch. (6sc)

Rnd 2: 2sc in each st around. (12sc)

Rnd 3: *sc, 2sc in next st* around. (18sc)

Rnd 4: *sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in 3rd* around. (24sc)

Rnd 5: *sc in next 3 sts, 2sc in 4th* around. (30sc)

Rnd 6: *sc in next 4 sts, 2sc in 5th* around. (36sc)

Rnd 7: *sc in next 5 sts, 2sc in 6th* around. (42sc)

Rnd 8: *sc in next 6 sts, 2sc in 7th* around. (48sc)

Rnds 9-17: sc around. (48sc)

Rnd 18: *sc in next 6 sts, sc2tog* around. (42sc)

Rnd 19: *sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog* around. (36sc)

Rnd 20: *sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog* around. (30sc)

Rnd 21: *sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog* around. (24sc)

Rnds 22-30: sc around. (24sc)

Rnd 31: *sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog* around. (18sc)

Rnd 32: *sc, sc2tog* around. (12sc)

Rnd 33: sc2tog around. (6sc)

Slip st to next st, finish off, weave tail through remaining stitches and sew closed. Weave tail through surrounding stitches to hide and secure.

Legs (Make 4)

Rnd 1: Ch 2, 6sc in first ch. (6sc)

Rnd 2: 2sc in each st around. (12sc)

Rnds 3-5: sc around. (12 sc)

Slip st to next st, finish off, leaving tail long enough to sew to body.

And that's it! Come on people, I want to see some ideas!

Three ways to start crocheting in the round with no "hole"

Do you remember when you first started learning how to crochet in the round, and you got that first row done, and there was a big hole in the middle? And then you just stared at it, thinking, "what am I supposed to do about that?!" And you got so frustrated that you stabbed your crochet hook through it and threw the whole thing across the room and gave up on crocheting for 15 years.

...For those of you still with me, there are three (as far as I've discovered) answers to this problem. You should grow to feel comfortable with at least ONE of them, so you NEVER EVER encounter the "hole" problem again. (Your family members and pets within throwing distance will thank me.)

1. The first way is to disreguard however many chain's a pattern tells you to start with, and just chain 2 (3 if you're doing half doubles or double crochets). Then you cram all the stitches the pattern tells you to start with into that first chain loop. It might be difficult, and it might twist your wrist a bit, but those stitches won't be able to budge.

2. The second way, again, is to disreguard however many chains the pattern tells you to do. Chain a comfortable amount, maybe 4 or 5, and then join them. Chain 1 or 2 more depending on which stitch you're doing. Crochet however many stitches you need to into that ring, BUT, hold the tail against the ring so that you're crocheting over the ring AND the tail. When you've got all your stitches in the ring, pull the tail, and like magic, the hole disappears.

3. This method confuses me unless I have the instructions right in front of me, but I know a lot of people swear by it. It's called "the magic ring." There's an absolutely wonderful, illustrated tutorial right here: http://www.crochetme.com/Dec_Jan_0405/reads_round.html

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. There is no reason you should ever have holes ever again.

my first post, a little background on ME! =)

Who doesn't just LOVE to talk about themselves?!

Okay, so I don't. I do, but I don't. I feel like I either make myself sound so incredibly dull that you'd rather read a VCR manual than my bio, or I babble on and on and on until you know way more than you ever wanted to know. I can't seem to find that balance in between that's just enough to make you want to read more but not so much that you start thinking about whether you shut off the shower this morning in the middle of my sentences.

I'll give it a shot anyway. My name is Lisa. I'm a college student and *sales associate* for a craft store in South Jersey. I'm studying to be an entreprenuer and open up my own little yarn shop, because there are NO yarn shops in my little town; just big bad Walmart and Michael's (who currently pays me). We have AC Moore's and Joann's too, you just have to drive a little further for them. Which I have. To almost all of them within this state. Because I have an addiction.

Two addictions, I suppose you could say. They sort of feed off each other. I've always had a shopping addiction. When I was a teenager, it was shoes, purses, clothes, etc. But now, it's yarn. Supply for my other addiction, crochet. I like to knit too, but I have much more faith in my crochet. I can crochet anything. And my yarn stash has taken over about half of the room in the 2nd floor that my fiance and I share in my parents' house. Here's a picture of JUST my cotton yarn:

I told you. Addicted. But anyway, I love to design patterns too, which I plan to start selling to support these habits I have.

I also have a baby girl; she's black, fuzzy, and has a wet nose. Her name is Holly and she's a puggle! (It's a "designer dog" - part beagle, part pug.) She's about a year and a half old now and she's my little cuddle bunny. I tend to spoil her; from all the toys laying around the house, you would think I have like five kids. Nope, they're all hers. She loves to rip them all to shreds but she looks so cute doing it. Here's a pic of the little sweetie:

So I think that's a fairly decent introduction. I didn't get into my childhood memories or number of hair color changes and identity crises I went through in high school so hopefully you're not scared off yet. =)