Tag Archives: patterns

The very flower of nerdiness

Bright ideas

I was struggling for today’s blog post, because I have a lot of works in progress but nothing super-near finishing. I was concerned about deciding the topic and then having to stay up until midnight finishing the project! However, I found my way. The other day I finally started Planet M File’s firefly, which was a quick project.

Using bright red instead of country red makes him look kind of like a vampire, to me, so I adjusted the facial embroidery accordingly.

He vants to suck your blood.

Thinking of ways to make this a longer blog post, I brainstormed other things that light up. I figured there was no way that starting on Tuesday evening I would finish another animal that lights up, but I could do a lightbulb. So I did. A compact fluorescent lightbulb, in fact.

And then I made an incandescent light bulb to be his friend. I don’t know why cartoon lightbulbs are traditionally yellow, but I have a huge amount of mildly nasty-feeling yellow yarn so I went ahead and used it.

The incandescent was freehanded to match the CFL in size (which did not quite happen), but I have a pattern for the CFL.

Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb (modeled after a 60 Watt equivalent, but is larger):
You need: small amounts of white and gray worsted weight yarn, appropriate hook for a tight stitch (I used E/3.5mm), two white (or silver or beige) pipe cleaners, and a small amount of stuffing. I also used small rocks in the bottom of both bulbs to get them to stand up.

In white: sc a tube 20″ long and less than 1 1/2″ around. This will depend on your gauge; for me with soft worsted weight yarn and an E hook, 5 sc around gave 1 3/8″ circumference. It does not matter how you start the tube because the ends will be hidden; magic ring, ch 2 and sc in first one, ch and join with sl st. Dealer’s choice.

After about 12″, stop and insert the first pipe cleaner. Your tube should be barely big enough for it. I like to fold the end over so the cut end can’t snag the yarn, and I recommend cutting about 1 1/2″ off the pipe cleaner to put the join closer to the middle of the tube. You will find that you can only push the pipe cleaner in from the end for so long, and then you have to scrunch the tube onto it. Finish the 20″ and leave a long enough yarn tail to sew the tube ends to the base of the bulb. Insert the second pipe cleaner to meet or slightly overlap the first, scrunch the end of the tube down a bit, cut the loose end off (should be about 3″, or 1 1/2″ if you cut the first one) and unscrunch the tube.

There is only so much you can do to get the tube into shape before it’s sewn onto the base, but to have the ends in the right places and orientation for sewing you should twist it now and fix it up later. At about 3/4″ from each side of the center point, fold the tube in opposite directions. You are looking at the top when it makes an S shape. Now coil the long ends around; each will make 1 1/2 rotations, interleaved with each other, before folding down to meet the base.

I’m not completely thrilled with the base, but as long as you shape it by hand it’s okay.

In white:
1. sc 7 in magic ring
2. 2sc around (14)
3. *2sc, sc* around (21)
4. *2sc, sc 3* 5x, sc (26)
5-8. sc around (4 rows)
This is a good time to sew the bulb onto the base. Center the ends of the tube on row 2, across the center point from each other.
9. *dec, sc 3* 5x, sc (21)
10. *dec, sc 2* 5x, sc (16)
sl st and FO white.
In gray:
Put slipknot on hook and sl st to row 10.
11-15. sc around (16 sc; 5 rows)
Stuff! I used fiber until I got the the gray part and then switched to rocks.
16. *dec, sc 2* around (12)
17 *dec, sc* around (8)
FO. I had to stick some more rocks in before doing the final drawstring. Shape by hand; you could get a better form on the bulb if you stitched the coils together but I didn’t feel like it.

Maneki neko

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While trying to think of crochet patterns I would like, I looked at my little ceramic lucky cat, bought in San Francisco’s Chinatown many moons ago. Locale of purchase notwithstanding, the maneki neko (beckoning cat) is a Japanese sculpture to bring luck, customers, and/or money to the owner – the raised paw is beckoning good fortune. The coin is labeled “ten million ryō”, which is something like ten billion US dollars.

I started the design process before really looking for existing patterns. I found a few, but only one at the level of detail I wanted, and it was not the shape I was looking for, so I persisted. Three heads, four raised arms, five legs, two lowered arms, and three bodies later, I present to you the pattern.

Good Luck Cat (beckoning cat, maneki neko)
Use worsted weight yarn and an E or F hook, in white except for the collar, which is red. You also need:
* some stuffing
* a small gold bell for the collar
* yellow, gold, or gold-painted felt for the coin
* a black paint pen for the coin and optionally for the facial features (otherwise, black embroidery floss for the features)
* small amounts of red, black, and orange or tan felt, or the same colors in fabric paint (I used Tulip Soft fabric paint in gold metallic (on white felt for the coin), red velvet, ebony matte, and golden tan matte, and a DecoFabric paint pen in black)

Head:
1. sc 6 in magic ring
2. *3sc, sc, sc* 2x (10)
3. *2sc, sc, 2sc, sc, sc* 2x (14)
4. *sc, sc, 2sc, sc, sc, 2sc, 2sc* 2x (20)
5. sc around (20)
Top center is between sts 9 and 10 of rnd 5. Embroider face here (if embroidering).
6. sc, dec, sc, *dec* 5x, *sc, dec* 2x (12)
7. dec around (6x); FO (6)

Alternative (simplified head):
1. sc 6 in magic ring
2. *2sc, sc, 2sc* 2x (10)
3. *2sc, sc, 2sc, sc, sc* 2x (14)
4. *2sc, sc, sc, 2sc, sc, 2sc, sc* 2x (20)
5. sc around (20)
embroider face, if applicable
6. *sc, dec, dec* 4x (12)
7. dec around, FO (6)

Ears (make 2):
ch 3; sc dec (the second and third ch from hk; not inv dec); ch 1; FO

Body:
1. sc 6 in magic ring
2. 2sc around (12)
3. *2sc, sc, sc* 4x (16)
4-6. sc around (16)
7. *dec, sc, sc* 4x (12)
8-9. sc around (12)
stuff
10. dec around; FO (6)

Raised foreleg:
1. sc 5 in magic ring (5)
2-4. sc around (3 rnds, 5 sc)
Now proceed flat, turning after each row.
5-9. sc 2, ch 1 (omit ch in row 9), FO
Fold flap over opening of tube and then fold under so last row meets free edge of tube. Stitch flap to itself and to tube.

Lowered foreleg:
Worked in rows. Ch 6.
1. 2sc in 2nd ch from hk, sc across (6)
2. ch 1, *sc, 2sc* across (9)
3. ch 1, sc across (9)
4. ch 1, dec, dec, sc, dec, dec, FO (5)
Sew row 1 and 4 together to make a tube; slipknot end is paw.

Rear legs (make 2):
These start with a magic ring but proceed in rows, not rounds.
1. sc 3 in magic ring (3)
2. ch 1, 2sc across (6)
3. ch 1, sc, dec, dec, sc (4)
4. ch 1, sc, dec, sc, ch 3 (3 + ch)
5. starting in 2nd ch from hk, sc across (5)
6. ch 1, sc across (5)
7. [no ch] sl st in 2nd st from hk, sc across (3 + sl st)
8. [no ch] sc 2, FO
Fold bottom of leg so row 8 matches row 3 (fold line between rows 5 and 6) and sew. Make sure to fold one leg in each direction. Tighten the initial magic ring and puff the row 1-3 portion of leg out toward the smooth row 1-5 side (the outside).

Collar:
ch 14; optionally, sl st across.
or, in embroidery floss with 1.3mm steel hook: ch 17, sc across.
or, cut a narrow strip of red felt, 1/4″ by 2 1/4″.

Assembly:
Following the picture, sew the forelegs and rear legs to the body. Paint the inside of the ears red, draw on the facial features, and paint the tan part of the calico spots. Once the tan part is dry, paint the black part of the spots. Alternatively, cut out small triangles of red felt, small ovals of orange/tan felt, and even smaller ovals of black felt and glue or stitch on. Paint some felt gold if necessary, and when that is dry draw on the “ten million ryō” characters. Sew the ears to the head, the head to the body, and the raised paw to the side of the head. Cut out the coin (if you are picky, paint the new edge and let dry) and sew or glue it to the lowered paw to hold it in place. Thread the collar between the raised leg and the neck and sew it around the neck, sewing the bell onto the overlapped edge and placing it center front.

Grumpasaurus trogdoriensis

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My sister is suffering continued ankle problems from a misstep on Easter Sunday, and it’s making her grumpy. Just the excuse I needed to create a crochet Grumpasaurus.

He is made of mildly scratchy acrylic, because Grumpasauruses are not cuddly. I was inspired by Kat’s knit Grumpasaurus, but mine looks very little like hers and is probably overcomplicated. I sewed the limbs on before closing up the bottom, but after stuffing the shape changed a bit and his legs are not even close to symmetrically placed.

Should you want to take a Grumpasaurus home with you, here is the pattern. See the crochet reference page for abbreviations and pattern conventions. For this I used invisible decrease.

Grumpasarus Body:

1. sc 6 in magic ring
2. 2sc around (12)
3. *2sc, sc* around (18)
4. *2sc, sc, sc* around (24)
5. *2sc, sc 5* 4x (28)
6. 2sc, sc, sc, 2sc, sc 11, 2sc, 2sc, sc 11 (32)
7. sc 18, 2sc, 2sc, sc 12 (34)
8. sc 19, 2sc, 2sc, sc 13 (36)
9. sc 21, 3sc, sc 14 (38)
10. sc 3, 2sc, 2sc, sc 17, 2sc, 2sc, sc 14 (42)
11. sc 3, 2sc, sc, sc, 2sc, sc 18, 2sc, 2sc, sc 15 (46)
12. sc 5, 2sc, 2sc, sc 21, 2sc, 2sc, sc 16 (50)
13. sc 31, 2sc, 2sc, sc 17 (52)
14. sc 6, dec, sc, dec, sc 21, 2sc, 2sc, sc 18 (52)
15. sc 6, dec, dec, sc 21, 2sc, 2sc, sc 19 (52)
16. sc 4, dec, sc, dec, sc 21, 2sc, 2sc, sc 20 (52)
17. dec, dec, sc, sc, dec, dec, sc 40, dec (47)
18. dec, sc, sc, dec, sc 18, 2sc, 2sc, sc 19 (46)
19. sc around (46)

Somewhere around now, embroider the face.

20. 2sc, sc, 2sc, 2sc, sc, 2sc, sc 19, 2sc, 2sc, sc 19 (52)
21. sc, 2sc, sc, 2sc, sc, sc, 2sc, sc, 2sc, sc 43 (56)
22. sc 3, 2sc, sc, 2sc, sc, sc, 2sc, sc, 2sc, sc 12, dec, dec, sc 7, 2sc, 2sc, sc 7, dec, dec, sc 9 (58)
23. sc around (58)
24. sc 28, dec, dec, sc 6, 3sc, 3sc, sc 6, dec, dec, sc 8 (58)
25. sc 38, 3sc, 3sc, sc 18 (62)
26. sc 25, dec, dec, sc 12, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hk and down ch (3 sl st), sc into next st of prev rnd, sc 11, dec, dec, sc 5 (58 + ch + sl st)
27. sc 39, sc 3 into rem lps of ch, 2sc in turning ch (tip of tail), sc 3 in sl sts, sc 19 (66)
28. sc 9, 2sc, sc, 2sc, sc, 2sc, sc 8, dec, sc, dec, sc 16, 3sc, sc 16, dec, sc, dec, sc (67)
29. sc 45, 2sc, sc 21 (68)
30. sc 46, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hk and down ch (3 sl st), sc into next st of prev rnd, sc 21 (68 + ch + sl st)
31. sc 46, sc 3 into rem lps of ch, 2sc in turning ch (tip of tail), sc 3 in sl sts, sc 22 (76)
32. sc 5, dec, sc 6, dec, sc 6, dec, sc 27, 2sc, sc 25 (74)
33. sc 6, dec, sc 3, dec, sc 3, dec, sc 30, ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hk and down ch (3 sl st), sc into next st of prev rnd, sc 25 (71 + ch + sl st)
34. sc 5, dec, sc 3, dec, sc 3, dec, sc 28, sc 3 into rem lps of ch, 2sc in turning ch (tip of tail), sc 3 in sl sts, sc 26 (76)
35. sc 5, dec, sc 5, dec, sc 31, 2sc, 2sc, sc 28 (76)
36. sc 3, dec, sc 3, dec, sc 3, dec, sc 30, 3sc, sc 30 (75)

From here you no longer work in rounds; you are making the bottom flap of the body. Odd rows proceed head to tail and even rows tail to head. You may still use inv dec because the only row that uses it faces the right way. Unless otherwise directed, do not use a turning chain, and make your first sc or sl st into the second stitch from the hook. Turn after every row.

37. sc 2, dec, sc 3, dec, sc 3, dec, sc 29, sl st (40)
38. sl st, sc 33 (33)
39. ch 1, 2sc in 1st st, sc 29, sl st (31)
40. sl st, sc 30 (30)
41. sc 26, sl st (26)
42. sl st, sc 25 (25)
43. ch 1, sc 22 starting in first st, sl st (22)
44. sl st, sc 20, sl st (20)
45. sl st, sc 16, sl st (16)
46. sl st, sc 14, sl st (14)
47. sl st, sc 10, sl st (10)

FO, leaving a long tail. Stuff firmly and sew the flap to the free stitches of round 36.

Grumpasarus Arms (make 2):

1. sc 6 in magic ring
2. *2sc, sc, sc* 2x (8)
3-4. sc around
5. sc, hdc, hdc, sc 5
6. hdc, dc, dc, hdc, sc 4
7. sc, hdc, hdc, sc 5
8-10. sc around (3 rows)
11 (partial round). sc 5, sl st.
FO, leaving a long tail to sew with.

Stuff with a doubled length of pipe cleaner, bent in the middle, to assist with the elbow bend. Sew onto the Grumpasaurus so he is fists-on-hips.

Grumpasarus Legs (make 2):

1. sc 6 in magic ring
2. 2sc around (12)
3-6. sc around (4 rows)
sl st and FO, leaving a tail to sew with.

Stuff and sew onto the Grumpasaurus on the bottom of each side, forward of the center point.

Flowers and cupcakes

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May’s Amigurumi Army mission was flowers. Actually, the week from Apr 28 to May 4 in Iron Craft was also flowers, but I did not complete anything in time. I had a sad half-done daylily on my end table for half the month.

Finally I decided to go for it, finished the daylily, and made a flower that I intended to be a carnation but which may have ended up more like a small rose.

Patterns! Note that both flowers involve stopping or turning in the middle of a row. Abbreviations are explained here.

Rose or Carnation:
In any plausible color. (which with dyed carnations is pretty much any color)
- ch 37
- sc in second ch from hk, (ch 2, sc) five times, sc 30, ch 2, turn
- hdc 18, sc 12, ch 3, turn
- sc, (ch 3, sc) eleven times, sc, (ch 4, hdc) seventeen times
- ch 1, sc down side edge, FO.
- Roll up starting with narrow end.

Daylily:
make 5 in orange, yellow, or desired color.
- ch 10, sl st in second ch from hk, sc, hdc, sc 5, sl st
- ch 1; on opp side of starting ch: sl st, sc 3, sl st
- FO. Sew together overlapping each petal on the previous. To match real daylilies, the first petal should be completely on the top and the last one completely on the bottom.

After sewing the flowers together I wrapped the loose floss ends around pipe cleaners and wound them with florist’s tape.

Meanwhile, I joined another monthly crochet challenge group on Ravelry, and their May theme was food. I had previously made a lemon and an apple, but my food crochet was pretty limited. I couldn’t think of what to do, until I realized I’d never made a cupcake, which seems to be the canonical crochet foodstuff. I freehanded one over the course of two days. Afterward I discovered I couldn’t find any pins with plastic ball ends (nor the tomato pincushion I think they were in…) to be sprinkles. I did, however, know where my leaf-ended pins were, so I made another rose to top the cupcake. The one I made sure to sew so the bottom was a flat disc, not too tight, and then fluffed out the petals a bit more.

Bonus Post: Iron Craft Challenge #23

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I finally had time to do the Iron Craft challenge again, which this week was called You Are Here: make something with a map or make something that looks like or is inspired by a map.

In my stash were two world maps sent by the charity Doctors Without Borders, and a piece of scrapbook paper I’m pretty sure I didn’t buy that was a piece of a road map, but I couldn’t think of what to do with them. While doing something else at the sewing machine I looked over at the scrapbook paper and thought about stitching the lines onto fabric, but that with all the red roads it risked looking like a bloodshot eye. Then I thought topographical maps would translate really well to embroidery, but tried in vain to find a good topographical map relevant to my life (I am from the flat lands, and also there are a great many websites that promise free topographical maps and provide nothing of the sort). Somewhere along the line the idea of a topographical map of something non-topographical popped into my mind, and after a little more research and work I present to you Landscape of Love:

If I did it right, it is a topographical map of a larger-than-life pair of lips (and surroundings). The fabric is cotton calico and the floss is DMC satin, which is a terrible thing to work with – even if you spend time pumicing your fingertips and filing your nails between each session, it catches on the needle itself. I haven’t decided what to do with it yet, though it would make a good boudoir pillow. Although actually, I’m not so impressed by my stitching. I am very proud of the pattern, though, and in case you like it too, I actually made the effort to put it in sharable form, suitable for size changes.

Reve Appleseed

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I am involved in the Upper Valley Sew-Op, a project of the Upper Valley Food Co-Op in White River Junction, VT. The logo of the Co-Op is a red apple with one leaf.

One night at the drop-in open hours, I started making one of the Lion Brand apple patterns (registration required to see the pattern). I got bored and started at the other end of my skein of red yarn to design a small flat apple pattern, finishing the large apple later. I had recently made a dozen or so of PlanetJune’s Love Hearts, the smallest of which is done as one round on a magic circle, shaping coming entirely from stitch height. I followed that model; the pattern is below. All pictures link to larger versions, and if any of them look odd it’s probably because I tweaked them to try to make the stitches clearer.

Small Apple Ornament
Abbreviations explained here.

Materials:
Small amounts of red, green, and brown worsted weight yarn
Size G/6 (4.0mm) hook
Yarn needle

Apple:

With red, make a magic circle, pull a yarn loop through, and ch 1.
Into circle: dc, 6 tr, 2 dc, 6 tr, dc.
Ch 1 and sl st into circle.
Pull circle tightly closed, sew yarn ends into apple to hide, and trim.

You may find that you need to scrunch the stitches together as you go along to make room for all of them, but hold on to both strands of the magic circle when you do so it doesn’t tighten up.

Pictures: apple halfway finished (one of the 2 dc done), complete and mostly tightened.

Leaf:

With green, make a slipknot, leaving about a 4″ tail.
Ch 4. Starting with second ch from hook, one st per ch, work sl st, sc, sl st.
Ch 1. Proceeding on the opposite side of the ch, sl st, sc, sl st again.
Sl st in first st to join; cut about a 3″ tail and pull through.
Sew slipknot end of yarn through leaf to emerge at about the same point as the other end of the yarn.

Picture: ready to make first slip stitch on second side of chain and final joining slip stitch. The larger loop is the second one (closer to the hook end) and the smaller is the final loop of the previous stitch.

Stem and finishing:

For an ornament, cut about 15″ of brown yarn.
Feed each end through a red loop near the top center of the apple, front to back, keeping the two yarn ends even length. Bring the ends toward you over the brown loop and then feed them front to back through the loop. Pull snug. You may also make a lark’s head knot (properly it will be a reverse lark’s head), but it will not look as much like a proper apple stem, as you will see two split brown marks at the bottom.
Knot the brown yarns together about a half inch from the apple, and again a good ornament-hanging distance away from the first knot (I just use an overhand knot, treating the two strands as one).
Tie the leaf to the stem by feeding one of the leaf’s yarn ends between the brown yarn strands, between the apple and the first knot. Tie the leaf yarn ends together (I use a square or granny knot) and sew them back through the leaf to hide. Tug the ends of the leaf to make them pointier.
Trim the ends of the green yarn, and cut the brown yarn about a half inch above the second knot.

Pictures: What the lark’s head looks like, my attempt to show the knot I actually use, and that knot tightened down.