Crochet Keychains in my Etsy Shop

 I'm nearing the one year anniversary of the start of my Etsy shop: Lady M's Menagerie! Many thanks to those who have supported me in this endeavor! 

I'll confess that my enthusiasm for the shop waned a bit over the last few months. My enthusiasm for most things was dampened as I was dealing with a thyroid related hormone imbalance. I had no energy for anything and just felt tired and blah all the time. Thankfully, about a month ago I met with a new endocrinologist who took me seriously when I told her I was tired all the time in spite of my bloodwork showing I "should" be fine. She altered my prescription and added a new one, and finally I am starting to feel a little more energetic. (Yay!) 

So with that newfound energy, I wanted to add something new to the shop... the question was, what? 

The first weekend in October I spent several hours watching General Conference and crocheting mini animals. An oft repeated question was, "What animal should I make next?" Animals included a walrus, a platypus (with a hat of course), a turkey, a dragon, and the list went on. I had a blast creating these cute little creatures!

These keychain sized plush creatures are smaller than the animals I already had, but they still have the same basic style. They are made out of the same super soft Bernat Velvet/Baby Velvet yarn. While I didn't create them with the plan of adding them to the shop (they were just fun to make!), I think they are a great addition!  

So here are the new members of the Menagerie (You can order them here if you are interested.):

This orange cat reminds me of Lala, our cat who died last year.

I don't know why, but I think this is my favorite of my crocheted cats.

Is there another good name for a white cat besides Snowball?

Hello, black kitty.

   

And a brown cat... Can you tell that I'm kind of a cat person? (I'd probably be more of a cat person if I wasn't allergic to real ones.)

This lion is really just a pussycat with mane.

Walrus - I love the tusks!

Bock bock

A platypus...

...some specific Platypus?
(Hat sold separately... It doesn't fit on very well when a keychain is attached.)

Oh the places this little piggy will go!

A rabbit (I don't really like how it turned out and will probably create a new one soon.)

Grumpy frog. He just looks like he's glaring at me!

The ferret... Almost identical to my ferret, but smaller.

Isn't this the most adorable penguin?

I've tried a few different types of elephant... this one will probably evolve as well.

This is a polar bear... I could put him in the Frigidaire but I worry about what he might do in there.

The horse. This is the only one with legs... he just didn't look right without them.

The manta ray. He was actually adapted from a pattern by Lauren Espy.

This monkey looks better in person than he does in the picture.

I made this bee some time ago... that's why it has a different type of keychain attached.

This tortoise looks tired. Maybe he just finished a race?

Happy Thanksgiving! This turkey was an adventure.

Octopus are actually some of my favorite creatures to make just because I love the twisty arms!

This little guy is supposed to be a fox.

And finally, my little blue dragon!
(I tried to put wings on him, but appendages and these little guys don't really get along very well.)

So that's the crew. I'm excited to put them out there. I look forward to seeing which ones people like.

(P.S. They'd make great stocking stuffers!)