Tiny Rudolph

OK so he looks a bit like a Clanger dressed as a reindeer because I just made him up as I went along but he was quick to make and (I think) very cute. I do have some ideas of improvements if I made him again but I’ll just tell you those as I go along because now he’s finished I don’t have the heart to replace him (very sad I know!)

You’ll need:

• Small amounts of light and dark brown yarn and a suitable sized hook to match the yarn (I used DK weight yarn and 4mm hook.)
• A scrap of red yarn or some red embroidery thread for his nose.
• 2 black seed beads and black thread for eyes (or just black thread if you have no beads)
• Something to weight the base – he won’t stand up otherwise. I used three 5p pieces but anything small and heavy will work
• A small amount of stuffing
• A yarn needle
• A stitch marker to keep track of rounds

We will be working in a continuous spiral so use a stitch marker to keep track of the start of the rounds. Crochet into the back loop only of all stitches and the terms I use are English – look at the conversion chart for the American equivalents.

The first change I would make is that I’d complete the first 5 rounds in dark brown yarn (to create the hooves (hoofs?)) and then change to the light brown and continue as the photos show.

BODY

Round 1. In dark brown yarn create a magic ring with 6dc and slip stitch closed

Round 2. 2dc in each stitch (12 stitches total)

Round 3-7. 1dc in each stitch (12 stitches) Change colour to light brown yarn after round 5.

Round 8. (2dc, dc, dc, dc) x 3 (15 stitches)

Round 9. 1 dc in each stitch (15 stitches)

Round 10. 2dc, htr, tr, tr, tr, 2tr, tr, htr, dc, dc, 2slst, slst last 4 stitches (18 Stitches)

Round 11. 2slst, dc, dc, htr, htr, tr, 2tr, tr next 5 stitches, 2htr, dc, dc, slst, slst, slst (21 stitches)

Round 12. slst first 5 stitches, dc, htr, tr next 7 stitches, htr, dc, slst last 5 stitches (21 stitches)

Round 13&14. 1dc in each stitch (21 stitches)

Insert weight into bottom of feet

Round 15. (miss one stitch, dc next 6 stitches) x 3 (18 stitches)

Round 16. (miss one stitch, dc next 5 stitches) x 3 (15 stitches)

Stuff

Round 17. (miss one stitch, dc next 4 stitches) x 3 (12 stitches)

Round 18. 1dc in each stitch (12 stitches)

Round 19. (miss one stitch, dc next 3 stitches) x 3 (9 stitches)

Add a little more stuffing if needed

Round 20. (miss one stitch, dc next 2 stitches) x 3 (6 stitches)

Round 21. miss one stitch, dc, miss one stitch, dc, miss one stitch, slst.

Fasten off and weave in ends

TAIL

Insert your crochet hook around a tr on the back of the body from round 11 and pull through a short length of light brown yarn. Tie the 2 ends in a knot a few times until the tail is as long as you want it then trim then ends.

ANTLERS

Repeat the process for tail on either side of the head in dark brown yarn to create the antlers. Leave a length of yarn when you trim them to create branches.

Here is where I would make another change if I did this again: I would make two antlers on each side of the head then knot these together to create a thicker base that tapers and creates more branches at the end.

FACE

Sew a scrap of red yarn (or embroidery thread) around and around the tip to create the nose. the more times you sew around the bigger you can make the nose.

sew a black seed bead to each side of the head for the eyes.

LEGS

I messed about trying different things with the legs and in the end sewed around with light brown yarn to define the legs then sewed dark brown yarn around the bottom for the hooves. If you followed the improved instructions then you will already have hooves so I would just sew once up the front, back and each side in light brown yarn to divide the base into 4 legs.

Filed under: amigurumi, amigurumi, crochet, instructions, amigurumi, Christmas, crochet, crochet pattern, cute, easy, reindeer, rudolph

Dress-up Bunny

Here is my latest pattern. He is a(nother!) bunny – I do love crocheted bunny ears :) I’ve called him Mr Rabbit and he likes to dress up. He has three costumes so far; the first is SuperBunny – crime fighting daredevil to the stars. He has a mask to protect his identity and a rather dashing cape that goes ‘swish’ in the breeze. Of course he also has an alter ego outfit that is a simple collar and tie. No one suspects his superhero antics even though Mr Rabbit and SuperBunny have never been seen together…..

His second costume is a ghost – since Halloween he’s been addicted to cutting holes in sheets and scaring anyone he can find:

And with Christmas fast approaching Mr Rabbit is getting into the festive spirit by tying on a fake beard and handing out presents to all his family and friends.

I had the idea for dress-up bunny about 5 months ago and have been working on it on and off  since then. It is my latest pattern for sale to help me restock with wool when I go home over Christmas – there’s a serious lack of wool shops around here :)

The pattern for the bunny and all the costumes is available for £3 (that’s about $4.66 USD on 28/11/11) and you can either

click here to buy it directly from my website via paypal 

or you can buy it through Ravelry.

If you only want one of the outfits then you can buy them separately for £1.50 each ($2.33 USD on 28/11/11) . Each pattern contains instructions for making the bunny and that particular outfit.

    

Buy the SuperBunny pattern directly via paypal. or from Ravelry.

   

Buy the ghost bunny pattern directly via paypal. or from Ravelry.

   

Buy the Santa bunny pattern directly via paypal. or from Ravelry.

If you’re not keen on theatrical rabbits or just don’t want to pay for patterns then do keep checking back as i’ll have more free patterns for you soon.

Filed under: amigurumi, amigurumi, crochet, instructions, amigurumi, bunny, Christmas, costume, crochet, crochet pattern, cute, ghost, instructions, pattern, pdf download, rabbit, Santa, superhero

Zombie Phone Case

I had a request from a friend for a zombie phone case and after a little bit of thinking this was the result. The thing that really makes it great, I think, is the hanging out eyeball and I can’t take any credit for that whatsoever – I saw it on an amigurumi bunny of doom at a blog called A Clockwork Angel and instantly knew it had to be the focal point of the phone case.
To make this case first follow the instructions for the flower phone case in grey (or green would look good) up to step 6. Go on, go do that now – we’ll wait for you….

Done that now? and your phone fits nicely inside? Good then let’s continue:

FASTENING STRAP

You don’t have to have a strap to close the top but I think the fact it’s on one side instead of central and that it hooks around the ‘good’ eye all adds to the creepy/quirkiness. Maybe there used to be a strap on the other side too but that eye just couldn’t take the strain….? If you want a strap too then stop your dc spiralling towards one side and chain long enough to loop down to the centre of the case while the phone is in it. Now dc into the next stitch of the case and slip stitch the next few stitches.

HAIR

If you have fluffy yarn like I did then change to this yarn and complete a couple of rounds of 1dc in each stitch – keep going until there is as much hair as you want. If you don’t have fluffy yarn then fasten off the grey yarn and you could tie lengths of a contrasting colour yarn around individual stitches on the top of the case and trim them into tufts. This will be more time-consuming but you have more freedom for the hairstyle – odd random tufts, male pattern baldness or a Mohican maybe.

FACE

If you are using a strap then the button eye should be positioned first and used as a basis to build the rest of the face. Put the phone into the case to locate the best position for the button so that the strap fastens easily and securely. For the popping out eye I used a small black bead inside a larger white bead but as you can see on the Bunny of Doom just a black bead looks great too. Thread the bead onto a length of pink thread or thin yarn and repeatedly knot the thread to create the eye entrails (or whatever they’re actually called!) until it is a good dangling length. Using black thread sew a patch opposite the button to act as an eye socket and pull the ends of the pink thread through either side of the centre of the socket. Tie the ends together and trim inside the case.

Finally using black thread again sew a mouth as shown in the photos or in any expression you like, I’m sure the options are endless!

Filed under: amigurumi, crochet, instructions, other, amigurumi, creepy, creepy cute, crochet, crochet pattern, easy, instructions, mobile phone case, zombie

One Piece Toadstool

This pattern is for a mushroom or toadstool with a ribbed underneath to represent the gills. They are made in one piece, starting at the base of the stem and working upwards with instructions for two different shapes of top (one shown as a mushroom and the other as a toadstool here). The only sewing involved is for the white spots on the toadstool.

What you will need:

*Red, brown and cream or white yarn and a suitable sized hook (I have used DK yarn with a 4mm hook making the finished toadstool ~10cm tall). Gauge is not important as the finished mushroom/toadstool will vary in size with type of yarn/size of hook and tightness of crocheting.

*Stuffing

*A stitch marker

*A yarn needle for sewing on the white toadstool spots

Techniques/stitches used:

Magic ring, slip stitch, double crochet, half treble, treble, changing colour.

Instructions are included for both left and right-handed crocheters.

Fully illustrated, detailed instructions for these are available for £1 (that’s about $1.61 at the time of writing). You can either buy now via paypal or purchase through Ravelry:

If you have any questions or want any help with this project you can email me at cultofcrochet@gmail.com and I’ll have plenty more free patterns soon so do keep checking back.

 

Filed under: amigurumi, crochet, instructions, crochet, crochet pattern, instructions, mushroom, one piece, pattern, pdf download, toadstool

Hugo the fluffy puppy

Hugo is my friend’s dog. I made a crochet version of him for her birthday and here he is. There’s no pattern though I’m afraid as I couldn’t tell what on earth I was doing most of the time. The fluffy yarn is called “Fancy that!” – it looks good and feels really silky and nice but was an absolute pain to crochet with. I just randomly increased and decreased into whatever stitches I could see and hoped for the best. His nose is embroidered in normal black yarn and his collar is a strip of felt. I didn’t manage to get all his black and white markings the same but I think he did turn out pretty cute in the end. Never again though!

Filed under: amigurumi, crochet, amigurumi, crochet, fancy yarn, fluffy, puppy

Bunny finger puppet

Last time I saw my niece and nephew I took them a couple of things I’d crocheted – they liked them but then just came up with a long list of things they wanted for next time! Top of the list was a bunny and a spider and since I’ve not had a lot of time to make things I’ve made them as finger puppets – small and very quick. The best finger puppet I’ve ever seen has got to be the killer bunny finger puppet but sadly I think my niece was after something cuter. The little eyes on the killer bunny are just the most awesome things – they’re so tiny! If anyone knows where I can get buttons that small please leave a comment or send me an email.

Now on with the pattern:

As always my crochet terms are English so look at the conversion chart for American equivalents.

I used a 3.5mm hook (for the spider) and a 4mm hook (for the bunny) and worsted weight yarn. You may have to increase another round if you go for smaller hooks/thinner yarn. We’ll be working round in a spiral crocheting into the back loop only of each stitch.

BASIC BODY

Round 1. Create a magic ring with 6dc

Round 2. 2dc in each stitch (12 stitches total)

Round 3. 1dc in each stitch. No need to keep track of rounds – just keep going around until the body is as long as you’d like it then sl st a couple of stitches and fasten off.

EARS (x2)

Step 1. Chain 8

Step 2. Turn. sl st in 2nd chain from hook. dc, htr, 3tr, htr, dc, sl st.

Fasten off and sew onto head.

Stitch on buttons or beads for eyes.

SPIDER

Make the body the same as for the bunny but instead of fastening off:

Step 1. ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and each stitch of the chain.

Step 2. dc in next stitch of body.

Repeat steps 1 & 2 until you have 8 legs. Fasten off.

Glue lots of eyes onto the front (the front is where there is a gap between the legs).

Filed under: amigurumi, crochet, instructions, amigurumi, bunny, crochet, crochet pattern, cute, easy, finger puppet, instructions, pattern, rabbit, spider

(almost) one piece giraffe pattern

What you’ll need:

orange yarn

a small amount of brown yarn

a suitable size hook for the yarn used

yarn needle

regular needle

black thread

beads/buttons for eyes

As always i’ll be using English crochet terms so have a look at my conversion chart if you’d prefer American terms. Crochet into the back loop only of all stitches unless the instructions say otherwise and continue working in a spiral, using a stitch marker to keep track of rounds. I’m left handed and so the diagram for the legs is also left handed. You’ll need to reverse the direction if you’re right handed (ie. anti-clockwise). If you can’t figure it out leave a comment or send me an email and I’ll gladly redraw the diagram right handed and add it into the instructions.

HEAD

Round 1. With orange yarn create a magic ring containing 6dc.

Round 2. 2dc into each stitch (12 stitches total)

Round 3. *2dc into first stitch, 1dc in next stitch. *repeat 6 times (18 stitches total)

Round 4. *2dc into first stitch, 1dc in each of next 2 stitches. *repeat 6 times (24 stitches total)

Round 5. 1dc in each stitch.

Round 6. *miss 1 stitch, 1dc in each of next 3 stitches. *repeat 6 times (18 stitches total)

Round 7. *miss 1 stitch, 1dc in each of next 2 stitches. *repeat 6 times (12 stitches total)

STUFF. Do not fasten off but continue with neck

NECK

Round 8-17. 1dc in each stitch.

STUFF

Round 18. *2dc into first stitch, 1dc in next stitch. *repeat 6 times (18 stitches total)

Round 19-20. 1dc in each stitch.

Round 21. *2dc into first stitch, 1dc in each of next 2 stitches. *repeat 6 times (24 stitches total)

Round 22. dc 9 stitches, htr, 2tr, 2tr, 2tr, 2tr, htr, dc 9 stitches (28 stitches total)

Round 23. dc 9 stitches, htr, tr, 2tr, tr, 2tr, tr, 2tr, tr, 2tr, htr, dc 9 stitches (32 stitches total)

Round 24. dc 10 stitches, htr, htr, tr, tr, 2tr, 2tr, 2tr, 2tr, tr, tr, htr, htr, dc 10 stitches (36 stitches total)

Round 25-28. 1dc in each stitch.

Do not fasten off but continue with legs:

LEGS

Round 1. The next stitch you are about to complete is stitch number one and there are 36 stitches in the round (see the diagram below)

dc 9 stitches, chain 9, dc back into stitch number one to create a loop. Continue in the direction you are going:

Round 2-5. 1dc in each stitch.

Round 6. Change colour to brown. 1dc in each stitch.

Round 7. *miss 1 stitch, 1dc in each of next 3 stitches. *repeat until there are only a few stitches left, slip stitch the hole closed and fasten off.

With orange start at stitch 10 (on the diagram – the next stitch from the leg you just completed) and repeat steps 1 to 7 for the second leg.

Repeat for the remaining two legs, starting at stitch 19 and 28 respectively.

Stuff the legs and the body:

Using orange yarn stitch the legs together.

Attach a length of orange yarn to the back end and chain ~6 stitches to create a tail:

NOSE

Round 1. With brown yarn create a magic ring containing 6dc.

Round 2. 2dc into each stitch (12 stitches total)

Round 3-5. 1dc in each stitch.

STUFF and sew onto front of head

HORNS

Use a crochet hook to pull a length of brown yarn through a stitch on the top of the head. Knot together 4 or 5 times and trim. Repeat on the other side of the head.

EARS (x2)

In brown ch6.

TURN

sl st in 2nd chain from the hook, dc, htr, tr, sl st.

Fasten off and sew onto the side of the head

FINISHING

Using black thread sew buttons or beads to the front of the head for eyes and sew two patches of black on the nose for nostrils. Weave in any loose ends and give him a name like Geoffrey, George or Gerald :)

Filed under: amigurumi, crochet, instructions, amigurumi, crochet, crochet pattern, cute, giraffe, instructions, pattern

Hedgehog Pincushion

I keep stabbing my pins into anything nearby when I take them out of a project and this can cause problems, depending on who’s sitting nearby…. so I made this little hedgehog – he doesn’t mind being stabbed by pins at all, in fact they’re part of his look.

We’ll be working amigurumi style so use a stitch marker to keep track of rounds and just keep going in a spiral. I’ll be using English crochet terms so have a look at my conversion chart if you’d prefer American terms.

What you will need:

a small piece of felt/fabric

2 buttons/beads (for eyes)

brown yarn and a suitable size hook (I used worsted weight and a 4mm hook)

a yarn needle

a regular needle (for sewing the beads/buttons)

black thread

pins

stuffing

BODY

Start by cutting a circle of felt or fabric ~8cm in diameter. If your fabric is likely to fray then cut the circle slightly larger, tuck under the edge and pin to create a hem all the way around. with the yarn you’re using for the body blanket stitch all around the edge of your circle. Make the stitches quite close together, you’re aiming for about the width of one crochet stitch. (I imagine you’ll be able to do a much neater job than I have!)

Now take your hook and the same yarn and dc in each stitch around the circle. When you’ve been all the way around once use your stitch marker to keep track and complete 4 more rounds with 1dc in each stitch.

ROUND 6. *dc in 2nd stitch from the hook and the next 4 stitches. *repeat until you have completed 1 round.

Because the number of blanket stitches in the beginning will not be the same for everyone then you probably won’t have the exact number of stitches needed for an exact number of repeats. Don’t worry about this – just stop wherever you are when you get back to the stitch marker and start the next round as normal. If this part of the body looks slightly uneven when you have finished then just make sure that this is where you sew on the nose and it will all be hidden.

ROUND 7. *dc in 2nd stitch from hook and next 3 stitches. *repeat until round complete.

ROUND 8. *dc in 2nd stitch from hook and next 2 stitches. *repeat until round complete.

STUFF

ROUND 9. *dc in 2nd stitch from hook and 1 more stitch. *repeat until round complete.

STUFF A BIT MORE

ROUND 10. *dc in 2nd stitch from hook. *repeat until there are no stitches left. fasten off and weave in ends.

NOSE

ROUND 1. Create a magic circle with 6dc and slip stitch closed.

ROUND 2. 2dc, dc, dc, 2dc, dc, dc (8 stitches total)

ROUND 3. 1dc in each stitch (8 stitches total)

ROUND 4. 2dc, 1dc next 3, 2dc, 1dc next 3 (10 stitches total)

ROUND 5. 1dc in each stitch (10 stitches total)

ROUND 6. 2dc, 1dc next 4, 2dc, 1dc next 4 (12 stitches total)

ROUND 7. *2dc, 1dc next 3,*repeat twice more (15 stitches total)

ROUND 8. 1dc in each stitch (15 stitches total)

ROUND 7. *2dc, 1dc next 2,*repeat 4 more times (20 stitches total)

Fasten off leaving a tail for sewing onto the body. At this point you may think the nose looks a bit odd (see photo) but it will look much more nose-like once it’s attached and you embroider on the black tip so don’t worry.

Stuff the nose and sew onto the body.

FEET (x4)

ROUND 1. Create a magic circle with 6dc and slip stitch closed.

ROUND 2. 1dc in each stitch.

fasten off and sew onto underside of body.

FINISHING

Sew on 2 beads/buttons for eyes and use black thread to create the nose tip. Now add your pins for his spikes – try experimenting with different “hairstyles”

Filed under: amigurumi, crochet, instructions, amigurumi, crochet, crochet pattern, cute, hedgehog, instructions, pattern, pin cushion

Bunny & Frog phone case pattern

I seem to be obsessed with phone case at the moment – I now have about six different cases and just the one phone. I suppose I could make one more and have a different one every day of the week…

Anyway these two are the latest – a cute bunny and a hungry frog. They both have flip lids/hoods to keep your phone secure and the frog’s tongue is a strap that catches a fly to fasten even tighter!

I spent a long time writing up very detailed, fully illustrated instructions for these and I really want to make a shrug/shawl/cardigan but can’t afford lovely soft wool :( ahh poor me. So i’ve taken the big decision to offer this pattern for sale. You get full photo instructions for both these cases in both left and right handed versions for just $1 (that’s only about 63p). You can either buy now via paypal or purchase through Ravelry:

If you have any questions or want even the tiniest bit of help with this project you can email me at cultofcrochet@gmail.com and I have plenty more ideas brewing so check back soon for some more free patterns.

Filed under: amigurumi, crochet, instructions, amigurumi, bunny, crochet, crochet pattern, cute, easy, frog, instructions, mobile phone case, pattern, rabbit

One piece penguin pattern

This project is small and quick to make. We’ll be working in a spiral using a stitch marker to keep track of the rounds. Crochet into the back loop only of all stitches and I’ll be using English terms so look at a conversion chart if you’d like American terms. Lets go!

Round 1. With grey yarn create a magic ring containing 6dc.

Round 2. 2dc into each stitch (12 stitches total)

Round 3. *2dc into first stitch, 1dc in next stitch. *repeat 6 times (18 stitches total)

Round 4. *2dc into first stitch, 1dc in each of next 2 stitches. *repeat 6 times (24 stitches total)

Round 5-14. 1dc in each stitch.

Round 15. *miss 1 stitch, 1dc in each of next 3 stitches. *repeat 6 times (18 stitches total)

Round 16-18. 1dc in each stitch.

STUFF

Round 19. *miss 1 stitch, 1dc in each of next 2 stitches. *repeat 6 times (12 stitches total)

Round 20. slip stitch next 3 stitches, dc, dc, dc, tr, tr, tr, dc, dc, dc. (12 stitches total)

Round 21. 1dc in each stitch.

Round 22. slip stitch next 3 stitches, dc, dc, dc, tr, tr, tr, dc, dc, dc. (12 stitches total)

Round 23. 1dc in each stitch.

STUFF

Round 24. *miss 1 stitch, dc next stitch. *repeat 6 times (6 stitches total)

Round 25-26. Change colour to yellow and 1dc in each stitch.

Round 27. *miss 1 stitch, dc next stitch. *repeat until no stitches left.

Fasten off and sew all ends through the body, pull tight and cut off so the end disappears inside.

Cut out an elongated semi circle shape in white felt as shown in the photos and sew to the front using blanket stitch or whatever you like the look of. Sew through the body and the corner of the felt piece a few times in yellow, as shown, to create feet.

Use black thread and create French knots for eyes (I couldn’t actually get them to work so just embroidered little circles but I think the knots would look better.)

Filed under: amigurumi, crochet, instructions, amigurumi, crochet, crochet pattern, cute, easy, instructions, pattern, penguin