Free knitted Hobbes pattern

I'm so excited about this!
I've had quite a few knitters ask me
if I could convert my pattern into knitting.
Unfortunately I don't have the skills to do that.

So I was really happy when I received

a message from fellow Ravelry member seesarahknit.
 along with this cute picture of her knitted Hobbes.

 I'll let her tell the rest.
Thank you Sarah for having the skills to
convert it and the kindness to share it.

And here's the link to

  Sarah's Ravelry page.

Make sure you check out her avatar

 (her adorable cat named Zoe).

And here is the link to
My crochet Hobbbes pattern

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

When I first saw suki’s adorable Hobbes, I showed it to my husband, who promptly exclaimed that he wanted one! But, there was a problem...I can’t crochet. So, I converted suki’s pattern to make a knitted Hobbes, instead. Below is the supply list, abbreviations, and pattern for all the Hobbes parts.

Please note: If you have questions about knitting the pattern, feel free to contact me on Ravelry @ seesarahknit. If you have questions about assembling Hobbes, or any non-knitting Hobbes related questions, please contact suki on Ravelry @ sukigirl74.

Disclaimer: Please do not sell this pattern or sell items produced by it. See suki’s note on her pattern post.

Disclaimer 2: This has not been test knitted or reviewed by anyone but me. If something doesn’t make sense, give me a holler! If you want to see my knitted Hobbes, go here: http://ravel.me/seesarahknit/mfhp.

Many thanks to suki for her kind permission to write up this pattern, and even more thanks for sharing it on her blog.

Enjoy!

Sarah C.

 Hobbes knitting pattern

 Supplies needed:

Size 6 dpns or circular needles long enough to do magic loop. 

Gauge is not super important...you just want to make sure your stuffing doesn’t show through.

1 skein orange yarn (I used Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in Terracotta)

1 skein black yarn (I used Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in Black)

1 skein white yarn (I used Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in White)

(A note on yarn choice: Any Worsted/Aran weight will do...I used acrylics because they’re durable and wash easily. I used less than 170 yds of each color).

Yarn needle

Stitch marker to mark beginning of rounds

1 piece black felt

Black thread/embroidery floss

Sewing needle

Polyfill stuffing

Abbreviations:

 K= knit

P: purl

St/sts: Stitch(es)

Kfb: Knit through the front and the back of the st

Ssk: slip slip knit

K2tog: Knit 2 sts together

M1l: Make 1 st Left

M1r: make 1 st Right

CO: Cast on

BO: Bind off

St st: stockinette stitch

You should also know how to knit jogless stripes in the round.

  

Head

 In orange, using sz 6 dpns, CO in the round, 

being careful to mark the beg of rnd and not to twist sts.

Row 1: CO 8 sts, join in the round

Row 2: k all

Row 3: kfb 1x on each needle. 12 sts

Row 4:k all

Row 5: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 18 sts

Row 6: k all

Row 7: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 24 sts.

Row 8: k all

Row 9: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 30 sts.

Row 10: K all

Row 11: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 36 sts.

Row 12: k all

Row 13: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 42 sts.

Row 14: K all

Row 15: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd .48 sts.

Rows 16-17: k all.

Now start the stripes on back of head.

Row 18, 19, 20, 21: k16 sts in orange then 32 sts in black (48 st)

Rows 22-24:  work even in orange

Rows 25, 26, 27, 28: k16 sts in orange then 32 sts in black (48 st)

Rows 29-31: work even in orange

Rows 32, 33, 34, 35: k16 sts in orange then 32 sts in black (48 st)

There will be some small holes where you changed colors 

(and this is the only part that will have them.) 

Stitch them together before you stuff the head.

The rest of the head is worked in orange only.

Rows 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43: work even in orange.

Row 44: [k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1]* repeat to end of round. 42 sts.

Row 45-46: k all

Row 47: [k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1]* repeat to end of round. 36 sts.

Row 48-50: k all

Row 51: [k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1]* repeat to end of round. 30 sts

Row 52-54: k all

Row 55: [k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1]* repeat to end of round. 24 sts.

Row 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61: k all. BO, leave long tail for sewing on head.

 Ears (Make two)

These are just 2 triangles 

In black, using sz 6 dpns, CO in the round, 

being careful to mark the beg of rnd and not to twist sts.

Row 1: CO 4 sts, join in the round

Row 2: k all
Row 3: k1, m1l, k until 1 st remains on needle 1 until 1 st remains on needle 4, m1r, k 1(8 sts).

Row 4: k all

Row 5: k1, m1l, k until 1 st remains on needle 1 until 1 st remains on needle 4, m1r, k 1 (10 sts).

Row 6: k all

Row 7: k1, m1l, k until 1 st remains on needle 1 until 1 st remains on needle 4, m1r, k 1 (12 sts).
Row 8: k all

Row 9: k1, m1l, k until 1 st remains on needle 1 until 1 st remains on needle 4, m1r, k 1 (14 sts).
Rows 10-14: K all. CO, leave enough yarn to sew to head. Stuff ears and hand press them to make them look like ears.

Tail

Start from tip of the tail. Stuff tail as you go.

In black, using sz 6 dpns, CO in the round, 

being careful to mark the beg of rnd and not to twist sts.

Row 1: CO 6 sts, join in the round

Row 2: k all
row 3: Needle 1: k1, kfb, k until 1 st remains on needle, kfb, k1. 

Needle 2: k1, kfb, k until 1 st remains on needle, kfb, k1. 

Needle 3: K all. 

Needle 4: k1, kfb, k until 1 st remains on needle, kfb, k1(12 st)

Row 4: k all
Row 5:  increase 2 sts on Needle 1only. K rest of sts.(14 st)

Row 6:k  all
Rows 7-9: Switch to orange. K even on all 3 rows.

Rows 10-13:Switch to black. K even on all 3 rows.

Repeat Rows 7-13 until you have 13 orange stripes and 13 black stripes.
Then add another stripe of orange (repeat row 7-9 once).

BO, and leave tail long enough to sew tail onto body.

Body:

Starting from bottom up.

In orange, using sz 6 dpns, CO in the round,

being careful to mark the beg of rnd and not to twist sts.

Row 1: CO 8 sts, join in the round

Row 2: k all

Row 3: kfb 1x on each needle. 12 sts

Row 4: k all

Row 5: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 18 sts

Row 6: k all

Row 7: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 24 sts.

Row 8: k all

Row 9: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 30 sts.

Row 10: K all

Row 11: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 36 sts.

Row 12: k all

Row 13: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 42 sts.

Row 14: K all

Row 15: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd . 48 sts.

Rows 16-17: K all even

Rows 18-21: Switch to black. K all even.

Rows 22-25: Switch to orange. K all even

Work rows 18-25 until you have 6 stripes of each color. Then, start decreasing.

Decrease section:

Row 1: Switch to black. [k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1]* repeat to end of round. 42 sts.

Rows2-4: k all

Row 5: Switch to orange. [k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1]* repeat to end of round. 36 sts.

Rows 6-8: k all

Row 9: Switch to black. [k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1]* repeat to end of round. 30 sts

Row 10-12: k all

Row 13: Switch to orange. [k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before end of needle, k2tog, k1]* repeat to end of round. 24sts.

Rows 14-16: k all

BO, leaving a long enough tail to sew head to body.

Muzzle

Knit flat! Use size 6 needles.

CO 8 sts.

Row 1: k all

Row 2: p all sts

Row 3: k 1, m1L, k (and add 2 more sts evenly) until 1 st remains, m1R, k1. 12 sts.

Row 4: p all sts

Row 5: k 1, m1L, k (and add 4 more sts evenly) until 1 st remains, m1R, k1. 18 sts.

Row 6: p all sts

Row 7: k 1, m1L, k (and add 1 more sts evenly) until 1 st remains, m1R, k1. 21 sts.

Row 8: p all sts

Work in stst for approx. 28 rows. End on p row. (Note: it is a good idea to check how long the muzzle is getting about 18-20 rows in. Once the muzzle is about ½-1” shorter than desired length, start decreasing as indicated below)

Decrease section:

Row 1: k1, ssk, k (and decrease evenly 1 more st) until 3 sts remain, k2tog, k1. 18 sts.

Row 2: p all

Row 3: k1, ssk, k (and decrease evenly 4 more sts) until 3 sts remain, k2tog, k1. 12 sts.

Row 4: p all

Row 5: k1, ssk, k (and decrease evenly 2 more sts) until 3 sts remain, k2tog, k1. 8 sts.

Row 6: p all

BO, and leave a very long tail to sew muzzle to head. Stuff muzzle lightly as you sew it to head. I would recommend sewing on the nose and mouth before you sew on the muzzle, or at least making sure you haven’t sewn on the entire muzzle/stuffed it fully before adding on the nose and mouth.

Legs (make 2)

 In white, using sz 6 dpns, CO in the round, 

being careful to mark the beg of rnd and not to twist sts.

CO 8 sts, join in round.

Row 1: K all

Row 2: K1, Kfb, k to end of needle one time on each of 4 needles.12 sts.

Row 3: K all

Row 4: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rndK 1 row. 18 sts.

Row 5: k all

Row 6: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 24 sts.

Rows 7-16: Kall even

Rows 17-20: Switch to black. K all even

Row 21-24: Switch to orange. K all even

Repeat rows 17-24 until you have 4 stripes of each color. 

BO, leaving enough orange yarn to sew to body.

Arms (make 2)

In white, using sz 6 dpns, CO in the round, 

being careful to mark the beg of rnd and not to twist sts.

CO 8 sts, join in round.

Row 1: K all

Row 2: K1, Kfb, k to end of needle one time on each of 4 needles. 12 sts.

Row 3: K all

Row 4: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd K 1 row. 18 sts.

Row 5: k all

Row 6: [k1, M1L, k to 1 st before end of needle, M1R, k 1]* to end of rnd. 24 sts.

Rows 7-16: K all even

Rows 17-20: Switch to black. K all even

Row 21-24: Switch to orange. K all even

Rows 25-26: Switch to black. K all even.BO, leaving a long enough tail to sew arms to body.

Tummy patch:

 Knit flat.

Using size 6 needles, CO 6 sts.

Row 1: k all

Row 2: p all

Row 3: K1 m1L, k to 1 st before end, m1r, k1. 8 sts.

Row 4: P all

Row 5: K1 m1L, k to 1 st before end, m1r, k1. 10 sts.

Row 6: P all

Row 7: K1 m1L, k to 1 st before end, m1r, k1. 12 sts.

Row 8: P all

Row 9: K1 m1L, k to 1 st before end, m1r, k1. 14 sts.

Row 10: P all

Row 11: K1 m1L, k to 1 st before end, m1r, k1. 16 sts.

Row 12: P all

Measure work at this point¾you’ll want to stop knitting evenly when you get that distancefrom your desired height.

Work evenly in st.st until work measures about 1 ½” (or however high your increase section was) from desired height.

Start decreasing:

Row 1: K1, ssk, k to three sts before end, k2tog, k1. 14 sts.

Row 2: P all

Row 3: K1, ssk, k to three sts before end, k2tog, k1. 12 sts.

Row 4: P all

Row 5: K1, ssk, k to three sts before end, k2tog, k1. 10 sts.

Row 6: P 1 row

Row 7: K1, ssk, k to three sts before end, k2tog, k1. 8 sts.

Row 8: P all

Row 9: K1, ssk, k to three sts before end, k2tog, k1. 6 sts.

Row 10: P all

BO and leave long enough tail to sew patch onto body. Do not stuff!

After you’re done knitting, sew on the muzzle and tummy patch. Attach ears and limbs and tail. Using the felt, cut out two eyes and two stripes for the top of Hobbes’ head. Pin everything in place before you sew it on to ensure you’re happy with the placement.

Crochet Union Jack pillow wip

I'm trying to get myself back into crochet

by posting my wips.

I'm calling this my Union Jack pillow.

I bought the pattern here

I really like this basket that I found at the thrift store.

It holds up to 6 different balls of yarn.

For this project there is just 3 colours so

I can tuck my hook, the instructions and

my project into the remaining spot.

I love that everything I need for

a project is kept nicely together.

I'm curious what other people use to hold their work.

Almost finished my chanson en crochet

This lovely shawl is called Chanson en crochet.
The free pattern info and errata can be found
here.
 I decided to block it before finishing it

so that I could gauge if it needed to be lengthened.

This yarn (Patons SWS in Natural Berry) is beautiful

 but it is a nightmare to rip out.

The colour is off in the photo...it is, in person
a lovely deep ruby red.

fish to sushi amigurumi

Everyone seems to love sushi.
My youngest son and his girlfriend
would eat it daily if they could 
so when I saw this pattern
it made sense that I make it for them.

But this sushi and fish are slightly different.
Inside the fish is a sushi, they actually transform. 
Cute eh?
 Here is a pic of the sushi in the middle of 
transforming.


Click here for the free patten.
 I found that making the pieces themselves were easy,
but putting them together was a bit fiddly.
Also it's not easy to push the sushi into
the fish and vice versa.  
You really have to put some effort into it.
But it's such a unique pattern
that I think it was well worth the effort.

MollieMakes vegetables (Craft Book Challenge)

A while back I found a wonderful vintage bag

at my local thrift shop

and ever since then I have used it as my market bag.

But I've always wanted to gussy it up a bit and

when I saw issue 5 of MollieMakes mag

I knew how I would do it.

I also wondered what else I

could make with these cute veggies.

Then I started to think ahead to

spring when I could start planting

my garden and I came up with these

garden markers.

Pretend that the apples are lovely garden dirt.

 I used chopsticks because I have a lot of them.

I'll have to make more with tomatoes, beans, etc.

The patterns were really easy and quick to make.

I subscribe to the emagazine

because here it is about a third of the price

of the printed version.

I've called this a craft book challenge item 

despite the fact that it came from a magazine.

So for me, at least,

I'm including magazines and books

in both digital and print form.

fingerless gloves in tapestry crochet

 

Here is a picture of my finished gloves.
I finished them back in April
on a beach in Florida.
It wasn't the best place to work on
them since I had to work from a chart
and keep track of a lot of different colours.
But it will be fun to wear
them in the chilly fall and think back to
where I made them.

Craft Book Challenge (CBC)

I've joined the Craft Book Challenge.

In a nut shell....
Each month you make a project
from one of your craft books.
Doesn't have to be big project
and it's no big deal if you do miss a month.
It's a fun idea started by Liesl
(check it out by clicking the button in sidebar).

It's a great way to inspire everyone to take
those books off the shelf and make something.

When I crocheted my tea cosy

I needed some flowers

to embellish the top so

 I chose three different roses from

100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet

by Lesley Stanfield

This one is my favourite, it's called Ruffled  Rose.

Check out the back of it.
The last 2 rows naturally fold over to form
a really nice finish.

The red one is called Flared Rose,

the orange one is Centifolia Rose.
They are both made by crocheting a
long strip and then rolling it up.

I originally wanted to make
peppermint leaves since that is my
favourite tea but
I liked the look of roses better and
you can also make tea from rose hips.

My newest teacosy

Here is a bit of a lop-sided picture

of my latest tea cosy

 

I made three flowers to go on the top

There is a bit of a story on how this cosy came about.

Back in 2009 I found this brown, green and orange cosy

at a garage sale.

 

 

At that time I had never seen a cosy like

this and wondered it I could make one like it.

I could figure out most of the pattern but

I really couldn't figure out how the ridges were made.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when

I decided to look again on Ravlery

and there I found a bunch of cosies that

were made from an Australian booklet.

 

A sweet Ravelry member explained how

the stitch was made.

Turns out it is a puff stitch which

is made around the back post

of another puff stitch.

It causes this lovely edge that 

stands out nicely from the flat dc.

Here is a shot of my cosy from the

other side which shows the ridges better.

 

I have to say this was a fun project from start to finish.

Free Hobbes Crochet Pattern

I've finally decided to write up my Hobbes pattern

and instead of selling it 

I'd like to give it to you for free.

The reason he is free is because
the creator of Calvin and Hobbes,
Bill Watterson

did not want to commercialize his work

so keeping that in mind

Please don't sell this pattern

and don't sell the completed work.
 I feel that part of enjoying Calvin and Hobbes
is also respecting the man who created it.
So this pattern is offered to people
who want to make Hobbes for themselves 
or a loved one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I originally made this up for my son because

of his love for Hobbes (he's 23 now)

I armed myself with Watterson's brilliant
drawings as a reference.

I made this pattern to look as close 

as possible to the Hobbes' drawings .

I realized that Hobbes could be
broken down into basic shapes.
His head is really just a fat cylinder,
his arms, legs and body are really
just cylinders with stripes on them.

He also had the muzzle of a cat
so I looked to the famous Amineko cat.
And despite what it looks like
that muzzle is just an unstuffed, flattened
cylinder too.

 Once I got the shapes down  I worked on size.
I had to make sure that each part was
in the right proportion to each other.
It was actually quite fun and challenging
to create a 3D yarn toy
from a 2D drawing.

 Until I started making him I never realized how different

Hobbes looks from a regular cat.

His head and body are a lot longer than
an normal cat plus

 he has the shortest fattest legs.

That caused me problems since

tubular legs and arms don't want to bend.

And if he can't bend then he can't sit

which means he couldn't sit under 

trees waiting for Calvin to bring him to life.

So I compromised a bit by not stuffing

the upper parts of his arms and legs.

Not exactly perfect but the best that I could do.

 I hope you enjoy making him

and I'd love if you left comments!
If you do  make him please let me know.
Also please credit me as designer and
include a link to this post
when you do post pictures.

Resources:
There are a lot of sites that have tutorials for making jogless stripes.

Hooks and Needles.... color stripe tutorial

NeedleNoodles.......jogless stripes

Pattern notes 

You will need:

Hook size: 4.5mm

Worsted weight yarn in orange, black and white (less than a 100 g ball each).

Black felt for eyes, nose and 2 stripes

A small strand of embroidery 

Darning needle

stuffing

All stripes (except 2 on top of head) are made by changing

colours in the pattern.

Please note that you will be working in the round.
Also note that
 at the end of each round you will slip stitch to join and chain 1.
This will minimize jogless stripes (see above resources).

Head:

Using orange yarn
(1)  6 sc into magic loop, tighten loop (6 st)
(2)  [2 sc  in each stitch ]         (12 st)

(3) [1sc into the 1st sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (18 st)
(4) [1sc into each of next 2 sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (24 st)
(5)  [1sc into each of next 3 sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (30 st)
(6) [1sc into each of next 4 sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (36st)
(7) [1sc into each of next 5 sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (42 st)
(8) [1sc into each of next 6 sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (48st)
(9) Work even             (48 st)

Now you start on the black stripes at the back of his head.

When you switch back and forth between black and orange you will have to fasten

off each colour. This will result in a  lot of ends...I didn't weave them in since they 

are tucked inside his cute head but that decision is up to you.
But don't worry...this is the only part of the pattern where this happens.

(10-11) make 16 sc in orange then 32 sc in black (48 st)

(12) work even in orange
(13-15) Same as  rows (10-12)

(16-17) make 16 sc in orange then 32 sc in black (48 st)

The rest of the head is worked in orange only.

(18-21) work even   (48 st)

(22) [1sc into each of next 6 sc, 2sc decrease] 6 times (42st)

(23) [1sc into each of next 5 sc, 2sc decrease] 6 times (36 st)

(24) Work even

(25) [1sc into each of next 4 sc, 2sc decrease] 6 times (30st)

(26) Work even

(27) [1sc into each of next 3 sc, 2sc decrease] 6 times (24 st)

(28-30) Work even, fasten off leaving long yarn to sew head on.
Stuff head

Muzzle: Do not stuff!
 In white
(1)  6 sc into magic loop, tighten loop (6 st)
(2)  [2 sc  in each stitch ]         (12 st)
(3) [1sc into the 1st sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (18 st)
(4) [ 2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 5 stiches]  3 times   (21 st)
(5-18) work even
(19) [2sc decrease , 1 sc in next 5 st] 3 times   (18st)
(20) [1 sc in next st, 2sc decrease]          (12 st)
(21) decrease in every stitch   (6st)
(22) decrease in every stitch (3 st).
If you rather you can skip this last row and sew the hole up with yarn instead.
Fasten off leaving enough yarn to sew muzzle to head.


Ears (Make two)
These are just 2 triangles
In black
(1) 4sc into magic loop (4 st)
(2) increase in every st  (8 st)
(3) [1sc into each of next 3sc, 2sc into the next sc] (10 st)
(4) [1sc into each of next 4sc, 2sc into the next sc] (12 st)
(5) [1sc into each of next 5sc, 2sc into the next sc]  (14 st)
(6) work even
Fasten off and leave enough yarn to sew to head.
Hand press them to look like ears

Putting the details on.

The eyes, nose and stripes on the top of his head are all made of felt.
Use the picture for placement...pin everything on first so you can make
sure that it all looks good. Take your time with this part.
This is the most important part of the whole pattern...it's what makes
your stuffed toy become Hobbes.
I take a picture of it ...that helps me a lot.

All the felt pieces are hand sewn on with thread, the muzzle is sew on with yarn.
Sew the nose onto the muzzle and add a couple of embroidery lines below the nose,
Put some stuffing behind the muzzle piece and sew onto head.
Sew the eyes on about the same level as the bottom stripe.
Sew on ears and 2 stripes using picture as help.

Body:
Starting from bottom up.
In orange
(1)  6 sc into magic loop, tighten loop (6 st)
(2)  [2 sc  in each stitch ]         (12 st)
(3) [1sc into the next first sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (18 st)
(4) [1sc into each of next 2 sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (24 st)
(5)  [1sc into each of next 3 sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (30 st)
(6) [1sc into each of next 4 sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (36st)
(7) [1sc into each of next 5 sc, 2 sc into the next sc] 6 times (42 st)
(8) work even

(9-10) using black work even
(11-12) using orange work even

Continue working rows 9-12 until you have a total of 6 stripes of each colour.
(33) in black [1 sc in next 5 st, 2sc decrease] 6 times (36 st)
(34) work even
(35) in orange work even
(36) [1 sc in each of next 4 st, 2sc decrease] 6 times   (30 st)
(37-38) in black work even
(39) In orange  [1 sc in each of next 3 st, 2sc decrease] 6 times (24 st)
 Fasten off

 

Legs (Make 2)

In white
 (1)  6 sc into magic loop, tighten loop (6 st)
(2)  [2 sc  in each stitch ]         (12 st)
(3) [1sc into the next first sc, 2sc into the next sc] 6 times (18 st)
(4) [1sc into each of next 2sc, 2sc into the next sc] 6 times (24 st)
(5-9) work even
(10-11) in black work even
(12-13) in orange work even
Repeat  rows 10-13 until you have 4 stripes of each colour
Fasten off leaving enough orange yarn to attach to body.


Arms  Make 2

Work the same as the legs but skip row 9.
Also at the end, do another row of 10 and 11 of black.
Fasten off and leave enough black yarn to sew arms onto body.

Tail:
starting from the tip of the tail
In black
(1)  6 sc into magic loop, tighten loop (6 st)
(2)  [2 sc  in each stitch ]         (12 st)
(3) [1sc into each of next 5 sc, 2 sc into the next sc]  2 times   (14 st)
(4-5) work even in orange
(6-7) work even in black
Repeat Rows 4-7 until you have 13 orange stripes and 13 black stripes
Then add another stripe of orange (rows 4-5)
Fasten off and leave enough orange yarn to sew to body.

Belly Band (oval)
Don't get scared off this section
His tummy patch is simply an oval.
If you know how to make one then just skip this section totally.
In reality ovals are very simple...(it's the written instructions that make them seem complicated
to make especially as you add new rounds.)
All the increases in an oval are at the ends.
The straight sides have no increases.

I'll give you written instructions for the first round since it is easy,
then I'll show you visually where the increases go for the next rounds

Ch 16 in white
Round 1:
Remember to mark your first stitch with marker
Starting in 2nd chain from hook sc 14, 3sc in last st.
Rotate work around and start working on other side of chain.
Sc 13, make 2sc in last st.


Now look at this drawing:

I've drawn out 4 ovals that represent the four rounds
The red arrows represent where the increases occur.

You should note 2 things
1-The number of increases stay the same during each round
            (3 extra increases at each end for a total of 6 increases)
2- There is one increase that always stays in the same place and the other two take
'steps' away from this centre increase. It's like they are getting mad at the bossman
and the longer they are with him the further they want to be from him.

In Round 1 all three increases were in the same stitch. (at each end)
They were friends.
Now for the rest of the rounds

Round 2:
Notice that the two side increases have moved away from the centre increase.
They now are 2 stitches down from it (separated by a sc)
So what you are going to do is first mark the centre stitch at both ends.
Just do it by eye.
Now count down 2 stitches on both sides and that is where your side increases will go.
Do that also for the other end.

Now crochet that row putting increases only in those places. (6 in total)
Every other stitch will be worked evenly..don't forget to put a sc in between those increases.

Round 3: Again mark your two centre stitches...count down 3 stitches on both side...that is where your increases go.
Every other place gets a sc.

Round 4;  Mark your two centre stitches...count down 4 stitches on both side...that is where your increases go. Every other place gets a sc

For me 4 rounds fit Hobbes nicely but if you want it larger just 

continue moving those side increases down a stitch for each round.

Putting the body together

Stuff the body and sew on the belly band.

Stuff the arms and legs but only stuff the joint area lightly as 

you want to make him bendable.

Use yarn to sew on the appendages.

Sew head onto body adding stuffing if needed.

Pick him up, give him a hug!

Crocheting potholders/hotpads

A couple of these will be sacrificed to the

coffee gods...they will be used as 

cleanup cloths.

 But the large ruffled one will be spared.

I can't bring myself to use it.

I had such fun making it and love the 

colours in it.

It has a great vintage feel about it.

This picture shows the lacy base.

Here is a shot of the back

after the ruffles are added.

You can see how the rows are

made in zig zags.

I followed 

this great 2 part tutorial

on the Royal Sisters' blog.

The patterns for the purple and brown

ones came from

Beyond the Square Crochet Mofifs by Edie Eckman.

This is really a wonderful book with

lots of great, quick patterns.

I adapted 

this free pattern

to make the pink hexagon.

A garland of crochet flowers for my chandelier

There is still a lot of snow on the ground
on this lovely Valentine's Day.
So I brought some spring into the house
in the form of crochet flowers.

Here is the free pattern
on Ravelry.
When I made it
it was only in German here

free German pattern.
It took me a while to figure
it out since google translate
doesn't include translation for
crochet stitches.
But it was a fun challenge.

You can make this garland as long

or as short as you like.

The flowers are made first and then

added as you make the vines and leaves.

It's the type of project you really

don't have to concentrate a lot on.

I'm in love with my Barista

I'm also sleeping with him.

(okay....he is also my husband.)

We both love going to coffee houses so a few years back

he decided to buy an espresso machine for home.

It's a semi-automatic and produces

the most wonderful espressos

and cappuccinos.

So for Valentines Day I'm

making him some cloths to use

for clean up.

He doesn't care if they are cute

or not....they just need to be functional.

But that doesn't mean I can't have fun.

This first one was so easy to make.

It is basically an open mesh with

strips of crochet woven in.

I actually made it first with a white mesh

but changed my mind and made the grey version.

These next two are my favourites.

The are made in a lovely vintage cotton

that I found at the thrift store.

These I'm going to keep for myself.

I'm working on a few more so

will post those soon.

One glove syndrome? No way!

I'm determined to finish the pair.

 But I will take a wee break for a few days
to make some quick projects with heavier yarn.

This hasn't been blocked yet
so it's a bit wobbly.
I'll make the buttonhole later when

the second one is finished.

I must admit that I'm getting quicker

at jacquard crochet although

my tension is still uneven.

Practice hasn't made perfect

but it has made it easier.

Year of the Hare

I haven't been able to start 

making a bunny to celebrate 

the Chinese Year of the Hare.

I promised myself that I could

only work on 2 projects at a time.

Since the New Year has officially started

  I'll post my bunny projects

that I've made in the past for now.

A bunny rattle

 

A vintage-style bunny

An Ugly Bunny

My son's holey gloves got the Mario treatment...crochet style

My son loves his gloves, 

to the point where they now have large holes in them.

When I promised to fix them I was thinking

of simply crocheting a brown rectangle as a patch.

Then I realized that I could be more creative so

this is what I did.




He's had his gloves for years

and he is the type of kid 

who would rather get something fixed

than buy something new.

(Takes after his mum :D)  

He still really likes Mario so

he was really happy with them.

Also in this picture is my beagle

who was sick all day today and part

of yesterday.

I was so happy to see her sniffing around,
hopefully she

will be eating again soon.

Crocheting backwards without tripping

I've made a bit more progress on my gloves.
The colour pattern on the decreases isn't perfect
but since they will be worn
by an imperfect person (me, me, me)
 I'm happy.

I've reached the wrist stage which means

I'll no longer be working in the round,

I'll now be working in rows back and forth.

This means that I will need to use 

another technique that's new to me:

backwards crochet.

The little piece at the bottom is my

practice piece.

Athough they sound similar 

backward crochet is not the same as reverse crochet.

Reverse crochet or crabstitch is worked

with the right side facing you and results

in a twisted stitch.

Backward crochet is a little harder to explain.

Basically this technique 

makes sure that the wrist (worked in rows)

will look like the rest of the glove (worked in rounds).

edit:
I forgot to distinguish which rows were made by which technique.
The glove itself was made with jacquard,
which is a colorwork technique where you
work the different colours and carry the
unused colour along the wrong side (in strands).

I used both jacquard and backwards crochet
in the red sample.
The jacquard is the green and red rows
worked on the right sides.
This is alternated with straight red rows
that are worked in backward crochet
on the wrong sides.