Saturday 23 February 2013

Wubberducky Crochet Duck: A free pattern

 

 

This was a really quick little make and uses only a small amount of yarn.

The pattern is worked amigurumi-style in continuous spirals, so you'll need to mark the beginning of each round.

 

You will need:

Yarn of your choice and a hook to match

(I used RICO Creative Cotton, main colour 63 [light yellow] and bill colour 74 [orange] and a 4mm hook)

Stitch Marker

Toy stuffing

Embroidery thread (to coordinate with face and bill colours) and needle

Tapestry (blunt needle)

Felt (for face, optional)

2x 9mm black safety eyes

1x 12mm safety eye if you want a moving head (optional)

 

Stitches and Abbreviations:

I use US terms, so single crochet is the same as UK double crochet here.

Chain (ch)

Single crochet (sc)

Stitches (sts)

Single Crochet 2 Together (sc2tog)

 

To single crochet 2 together:

Insert hook into next stitch.

Yarn over, pull up a loop. (2 loops on hook)

Insert hook into next stitch.

Yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook)

Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops.

 

PATTERN

Head (beginning with neck and working up)

1. 5sc in magic ring OR

ch2, 5sc in 2nd chain from hook.

2. 2sc in each sc (10)

3. 2sc in each sc (20)

4. Sc 20

5. (3sc, 2sc in next sc) repeat around (25)

6. Sc 25

7. (4sc, 2sc in next sc) repeat around (30)

8-9. Sc 30

10. (4sc, sc2tog) repeat around (25)

11. (3sc, sc2tog) repeat around (20)

12. Sc 20

Measure 2 arm lengths of yarn and cut. You'll finish the head in a bit...

 

Body (neck down)

1. 5sc in magic ring OR

ch2, 5sc in 2nd chain from hook.

2. 2sc in each sc (10)

3. 2sc in each sc (20)

4. Sc 20

5. (1sc, 2sc in next sc) repeat around (30)

6. Sc 30

7. (5sc, 2sc in next sc) repeat around (35)

8-11. Sc 35

12. Sc 10, 2sc in each of next 5 stitches, sc10, sc2tog over next 10 stitches (35 sts)

13. Sc 35

14. (3sc, sc2tog) repeat around (28)

15. Sc2tog around (14)

Attach the body to the head (if using safety eye): push the eye shank into the bottom of the head and into the neck of the body and attach the collar tightly.

Stuff firmly.

16. Sc2tog around (7)

Sew closed.

 

Bill:

1. 6sc

2. (2scs in each of next 2 sts, Sc, 2scs in each of next 2scs, Sc) (10sts)

3. Sc 10

4. Sc 10

Fasten off

 

Finish Head:

Make small slits in the felt 'face' and push safety eyes through. Push eye shanks into crochet face and attach collars behind.

Sew on felt face

Attach beak

Stuff firmly

13. Sc2tog around (10)

14. Sc2tog around (5)

Sew closed.

And that should be it!

Enjoy making

Xxx

 

Sunday 17 February 2013

The one where she learns to knit ...

I still consider myself relatively new to the whole world of yarn. I taught myself to crochet just over 2 years ago and I am still learning.

 


 
And I love it, I really do.

But I felt the urge to learn something new. A challenge. Something to keep the ol' cerebral pistons and cogs turning and stop the rust from taking hold. Feeling reassured by the whole adventures-in-yarn so far, I decided knitting would be the way to go.

 

Knitting?

I recall that childhood memory of squeaky yarn on needles and triangle-shaped pieces of 'knitting', no matter how hard I tried to make rectangles.

But I had been reassured by the well-lush ShabbyChicSarah (on our recent Instagrannies knit-and-stitch meet-up) that I would, indeed be able to knit. Sarah told me matter-of-fact that not only would I be able to knit, but that I would love it.

Game on, I thought.

And so, armed with some freebie needles (thanks to the also well-lush County Rose) and a book (see below) I began my knitty journey:

Lesson 1: Casting on

 

Hey, I can do it!

 

Lesson 2: Making the knit stitch

 

 

Oh, blinkin' 'eck! MAJOR disaster.

This is actually terrible. I felt a terrible sense of doom and disappointment.

(Naturally I blamed the glass(es) of wine which accompanied me on this lesson.)

 

Lesson 3: Try again with bigger needles, chunkier yarn and TEA, not wine.

 

 

Ahhh, a bit more successfull and I have something which actually resembles knitting.

 

A bit more and I'm trying the purl stitch too.

 

 

 

Buoyed by my new-found yarn-confidence, I try this:

 

 

And this:

 

And this:

 

And I feel genuinely chuffed with my efforts.

I don't really know what to make for real yet; I'm searching out Ravelry and Pinterest for something very easy to get me started (any suggestions gladly appreciated) but I'm really pleased that I've tried.

It may come to nothing and I may decide that it's not really for me, but who knows, eh?

 

Have a great week!

Xx

PS the book I learned to crochet with was this:

'Stitch and Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker' by Debbie Stoller:

 

 

And for knitting:

'Stitch and Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook' also by Debbie Stoller

 

 

I would recommend them both! And I bought them from Amazon.

X