A Critter - Free Pattern

Made this up for a Ravelry friend, so she can take part of our traveling critters group.

A Critter

Materials

Worsted Weight Yarn

Hook size E

Yarn needle

10mm safety eyes

tiny amount of yarn for facial features if wanted

Abbreviations

sc = single crochet

INC = increase (2 single crochet in same stitch)

DEC = decrease (single crochet 2 stitches together through front loops)

BLO = back loops only

rnd(s) = round(s)

Pattern

Special Instructions: Repeat instructions inside ( ) as many times as indicated for round

You can substitute (ch 2, work into 2^nd chain from hook) for beginning rnds if that is how you are more comfortable working your beginning spiral rnds.

Head

Rnd 1: Work 6 sc into magic circle or adjustable ring (6 st)

Rnd 2: INC 6 times around (12 st)

Rnd 3: (sc, INC) x6 around (18 st)

Rnd 4: (sc in 2, INC) x6 around (24 st)

Rnd 5: (sc in 3, INC) x6 around (30 st)

Rnd 6: (sc in 4, INC) x6 around (36 st)

Rnd 7: (sc in 5, INC) x6 around (42 st)

Rnds 8 – 12: sc in each sc around (42 st)

Rnd 13: (sc in 5, DEC) x6 around (36 st)

Rnd 14: (sc in 4, DEC) x6 around (30 st)

Rnd 15: (sc in 3, DEC) x6 around (24 st)

Rnd 16: (sc in 2, DEC) x6 around (18 st)

FO, leaving long tail for sewing

Add safety eyes, and facial features. Stuff head.

Legs (x2)

Rnd 1: Work 6sc into magic circle or adjustable ring (6 st)

Rnd 2: INC 6 times around (12 st)

Rnd 3: (sc, INC) x6 around (18 st)

Rnd 4: BLO – sc around (18 st)

Rnds 5 – 16: sc in each sc around (18 st)

(1^st leg, FO, leave a tail for sewing)

(2^nd leg, pause, do not FO. Use tail from 1^st leg to attach the two legs together by stitching through both layers for 4 stitches, beginning where you stopped on leg 2. FO tail. Resume stitching on 2^nd leg, by working sc in next st on 2^nd leg, then sc into closest st on 1^st leg. Continue working sc in each sc around 1^st leg until you reach the join on opposite side, move to 2^nd leg and continue working sc in each sc around..) This joins the two legs together. Mark the spot where the legs join as the center of the back, and continue for direction for body.

Stuff legs

Body

Rnds 1 – 12: sc in each sc around (you should have 32 st around. If not, inc or dec over the first two rnds to get to 32 st per rnd.

Rnd 13: Press body flat, and locate sides of body. Mark the center of the 4 stitches on each side. Sc in each sc until 2 st before your center mark. DEC one time before mark, and one time after the mark. (These two DEC will be right beside each other), continue working sc around until you reach the other side, and repeat the process of two DEC on either side of center mark of opposite side. Sc back to center back mark. (28 st)

Rnd 14: using same center side marks sc around, DEC 2 times each side of both marks for a total of 4 DEC each side, and rnd total of 8 DEC (20 st)

Rnd 15: sc around, DEC one more time at each side mark for a total of 2 DEC for rnd. FO.

Stuff body

Line up 18 stitches from head, with 18 stitches from body, and sew head and body together.

Arms (x2)

Rnd 1: work 6 sc into magic circle or adjustable ring (6 st)

Rnd 2: INC 6 times around (12 st)

Rnd 3: BLO sc in each sc around (12 st)

Rnds 4 – 12: sc in each sc around (12 st)

Stuff arms, position and attach to body

Ears (x2)

Rnd 1: work 4 sc into magic circle or adjustable ring (4 st)

Rnd 2: INC 4 times around (8 st)

Rnd 3: (sc, INC) x4 around (12 st)

Fold ears flat, lining up the stitches

Row 4: work 6sc through both layers (6 st)

FO, leave tail for sewing, and attach ears to head.

A Picture a day for the Month of May (early start) :p

So today was my anniversary meeting at work. I've made it 90 days, whoo hoo! I got a balloon attached to a sucker. On the way home, I was taking the balloon, and a co-worker asked why I wasn't leaving it on my desk. I told her I was taking it home to my kids. One could have the balloon, the other the sucker, and they could...what... fight it out? Her being a lovely person, she gave me her balloon and sucker to take home too, so the kids could each have a balloon and sucker of their own. Thanks, Mashanda!

A Picture a day for a Month

A friend of mine is doing a picture a day for a year. I thought I would start smaller, with a month. I actually want to post a couple of pics first from the past two days. We've had a lot of flooding around here.

Here's a pic from Monday, taking the kids to school, we stopped to get some pics of flooded roads in the area. This one is my fave. See the tip-top of the "road closed ahead" sign?

A pic from Tuesday, (yesterday)

Flat tire on hubby's truck. Wow. That's really flat. LOL.

I will try to remember to post a pic from every day for the next month. Or since it's almost the end of April anyway, I might continue to the end of May.

Baby Snow Bunny (in white)

Here's my baby snow bunny, complete with "fun fur" on the tail to make it cute and fuzzy. Yeah. I hate fun fur. I mean like.... really... hate.... fun fur.

Now to do one more in brown for the boy. ;)

Easter Surprise

Leave it to me to set a (almost impossible) goal. Trying to get two bunnies done in time for Easter to put in my kids' Easter baskets. I'm using the Baby Snow Bunny pattern from Ravelry, but adding some fun fur to the tail so it will be fuzzy. I'm making one in white for my daughter, and one in brown for my son. Only one week left to go and I'm not getting as much done as I'd hoped, because I've been working on this at work during breaks. I was hoping to have these done without the kids knowing about it, but I'm starting to think I might need to make them at home when I can work on bits and pieces at a time and mask what I'm doing. -sigh-

Otherwise, at least the baskets themselves are done, and I'm really hoping to have the bunnies done in time for Easter Morning. Wish me luck!

Blue Easter Basket - pattern modification

I used my Plarn Easter Basket pattern to make this basket for my son. I changed up the pattern for it, and also modified the handle pattern. I will also edit the original pattern to include these changes on the original post. Just finished this up yesterday, and also started to make another Swiffer Cover.

I miss being a stay-at-home Mom...

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. I miss being able to stay home all day and all the free time I had to pursue my interests. Now it seems like my day is pretty much filled up with working. All. Day. Long.

It makes me prioritize more though. Like with my crochet projects. Speaking of which, I still need to get started on that second Easter Basket. Just finished up a cover for my Swiffer. Here's a quick pic of that.

Haven't actually used it yet, so I'm not sure how well it works, but I will let you know. ;)

Plarn Easter Basket - Free Pattern

Materials:

Plarn in two colors. (I used cheap plastic tablecloths cut into long strips, pink and white)

Crochet Hook size H

Abbreviations:

ch = chain

sc = single crochet

hdc = half double crochet

st = stitch

sl st = slip stitch

INC = increase (work 2 sc in same st)

Basket Pattern:

Note: Do not join, work first 15 rows in continuous spiral rounds.

In main color (pink), ch 2.

Row 1: 6 sc into 2^nd ch from hook (6 st)

Row 2: INC around (12 st)

Row 3: (INC, sc in next st) around (18 st)

Row 4: (INC, sc in next 2 st) around (24 st)

Row 5: (INC, sc in next 3 st) around (30 st)

Row 6: (INC, sc in next 4 st) around (36 st)

Row 7: (INC, sc in next 5 st) around (42 st)

Row 8: (INC, sc in next 6 st) around (48 st)

Row 9: (INC, sc in next 7 st) around (54 st)

Row 10: (INC, sc in next 8 st) around (60 st)

Row 11: (INC, sc in next 9 st) around (66 st)

Row 12: (INC, sc in next 10 st) around (72 st)

Row 13: (INC, sc in next 11 st) around (78 st)

Row 14: (INC, sc in next 12 st) around (84 st)

Row 15: (INC, sc in next 13 st) around (90 st)

sl st to join to next st, ch 2

Note: We are no longer working in spiral rounds, join each round with sl st to top of ch-2

Row 16: hdc in each st around, sl st to join, ch 2

Row 17: hdc in each st around

Change to 2^nd color (white) here, and then sl st to join, ch 2

Row 18-20: hdc in each st around, sl st to join, ch 2

Row 21: hdc in each st around

Change back to 1^st color (pink) here, and then sl st to join, ch 2

Row 22-23: hdc in each st around, sl st to join, ch 2

Row 24: hdc in each st around

Change back to 2^nd color (white) here, and then sl st to join, ch 2

Row 25: hdc in each st around

Change back to 1^st color (pink) here, and then sl st to join, ch 2

Row 26: hdc in each st around, sl st to join, FO

Handle Pattern:

With 2^nd color (white), ch 51

Row 1: Starting in 2^nd ch from hook, sc back down starting ch, FO
Row 2: sc in each sc across, FO

Row 3: With 1^st color (pink), sl st down row of sc, and across short end to row 4.

Row 4: sl st down opposite side of foundation chain. FO

Alternate Handle Pattern:

With 2^nd color (white), ch 51

Row 1: Starting in 2^nd ch from hook, sc back down starting ch, ch 1, turn.
Row 2: sc in each sc across, FO
Row 3: Attach 1st color, sc across last row, with 2sc in last st. work 1 sc in short end of row, and begin row 4 with 2sc in first st.
Row 4: sc in each st across (working in opposite side of foundation ch, with 2sc in last st. Work 1 sc in short end of rows, then work 2sc in beginning corner st and sl st to join where you attached the yarn to begin this color.

Finishing:

Using 1^st color (pink), attach handles to opposite sides of basket

Color Stripes can be made in any pattern. Here is a chart showing some pattern options.