Kid Gloves & Ear Warmer

You may have seen on the news that Texas had a rather drastic Snow-pocolypse February 12-19th. We got 5 inches of snow and were stuck home with the kids for about a week. As its Texas, I dont really have any super warm gloves or anything for the kids. So I whipped up a pair of fingerless gloves and a matching ear warmer.

Ear Warmer Pattern: https://www.youshouldcraft.com/twisted-ear-warmer-crochet-pattern/

Fingerless Gloves: http://two-little-cs.blogspot.com/2013/03/simple-fingerless-gloves-for-whole.html

I used some scrap yarn that is velvety black with green, blue, purple for the ply. Very cute, but also might last over more than one winter (and color favorites). I didn't have enough to finish the ear warmer so I supplemented it with black Big Twist from Joann's.

Both patterns are super easy. I made the toddler gloves, which are actually a tiny bit big, but she should grow into them nicely. The ear warmer I did make the twist look, but that made it too small on her head... we have large heads in this family. So I added a few inches of black and added ties, so I can change the size to be larger or smaller as needed. The velvet yarn didn't really have a ton of stretch. 

Time to complete: 2 hours, one for the ear warmer, 30 min each for gloves
Difficulty: Easy

White Woff

OK. Maybe it's time to stop with Hilda projects... but after this one.

A local yarn sale had a ton of cool stuff, and one of the things I bought just for the whim of it was Berroco Macro, color 6701"Snowshoe Hare", 7 Jumbo Weight Wool Acrylic blend taking a whopping 19mm hook. 

A Woff is a simple enough shape, just a big sphere with a tapered tail. The only tricky bit was that I wanted it to be as big as possible with the limited yarn I had, once again playing yarn-chicken with my skeins. I sort of guesstimated getting more than halfway through the Woff body at the end of the first skein, ensuring I’d have enough to finish as well as make a tail and ears. The muzzle I made with a very close off white color, but in a much thinner weight - Red Heart Soft in Off White, 4mm hook. A little bit of black for the nose and eyes - Big Twist in Black, 4 mm hook. Pure white for the eyes. The tail I tried to taper off in the sort of signature wiggle shape of the tails in flight. 

After making the ears, I had a little bit left so I decided to try a technique from All About Ami where you brush the finished piece with a cat slicker to get a furry look. I started to make a flat swatch to test this on before doing the big Woff, but realized I might have enough to make a small sphere which would be a more accurate test... and then when I had enough to make the tail I knew I had to make a baby Woff. After an excessive amount of brushing, the baby Woff was indeed a very nice furry fluff ball and it helped to conceal the holes between the stitches which I thought were rather large, but that’s a side effect of working with large hooks. One thing to note, I did do the brushing outside as a ton of fuzzies were generated in the process, and the fluff on the slicker will make some excellent fluff for felting. 

BIG Woff, 15mm hook

• Mc 5 (working from nose to tail)
• Inc around (10)
• Sc, inc (15)
• 2sc, inc (20)
• 3sc, inc (25)
• 4sc, inc (30)
• 5sc, inc (35)
• 6sc, inc (40)
• 7sc, inc (45)
• 8sc, inc (50)
• 8 rows sc around (60)
• Dec, 8 sc
• Dec, 7 sc 
• Dec, 6 sc
• Dec, 5 sc
• Dec, 4 sc
• Dec, 3 sc 
• Dec, 2 sc

Tail starts here:

• 3 rows sc around (15)
• Going to do some inc/dec to get a wavy tail shape
• Dec, 6sc, inc, 6sc
• Dec, 6sc, inc, 6sc
• 2 dec, 5sc, 2inc, 5sc
• 15sc around
• 2inc, 5sc, 2inc, 4sc
• Inc, 6sc, dec, 6sc
• Taper off now, stuff as you go along. 
• 8 Sc, dec, 5sc
• 7sc, dec, 5sc
• Dec, 5sc, dec, 4sc
• Dec, 3sc, dec, 4sc
• Dec, 2sc, dec, 4sc
• Dec around till it’s closed 

Ears, make 2, 15mm hook

• Mc 3
• Inc around (6)
• Sc, inc around (9)
• Sc around 2 rows
• Dec, sc around (6)
• Sc around, Stuff leave tail to sew to head 

Snout, 4.25mm hook, used some colored pins to mark out where it should be sewn in place to prevent it being crooked.

• Mc 6
• Inc
• Sc, inc
• 2sc inc
• 3sc inc
• 4sc inc
• 5sc inc
• 6sc inc
• 7sc inc
• 8sc inc
• Sc around

Eyes: 

• Mc6
• Inc 12
• Sc, inc 18 
• 2sc, inc 24
• 3sc, inc 30
• 4sc, inc 36
• 4sc, hdc, dc inc, 3dc, 3 trb inc, 3dc, dc inc, Hdc, 5sc, hdc, dc inc, 3dc, 3trbinc, 3dc, dc inc, hdc, sc
• 7sc, hdc, hdc inc, 2dc, dc inc, 3dc, dc inc, 2dc, hdc inc, hdc, 10sc, hdc, hdc inc, 2dc, dc inc, 3dc, dc inc, 2dc, hdc inc, hdc, 2sc, sl st

Nose:

• Mc6
• Inc (12)
• 3 Sc, inc, 4sc, inc, 3sc (14)
• 14 Sc around 
• Pupil chain 5, 
• Sc in first, 2sc, 3sc in last turning to other side, 3sc (9)
• 3hdc in one, 4sc, 3hdc, 4sc, slst

Tiny test:

Mc6

Inc around (12)

Sc, inc (18)

18 Sc around for three rows

Dec, sc (12)

Dec (6)

Sc around for two rows

Dec, 4sc

2sc, dec , sc, dec

Tiny mouth:  Mc6 12 18 24 Three rows 24 around

Tiny eyes:

Mc6

12

Sc, inc, 5sc inc 4sc

Pupils and Smile embroidered on.

These work up fast. Maybe about 1 hour for the little all told. Maybe 4 for Big Woff.

Little one measures about 6 inches wide, 10 inches from nose to tail.

Big one measures about 12 inches wide by 25 inches long nose to tail.

To be honest the little one gets played with a lot more since its like the perfect size for making fly through the air. (read throw it)

Difficulty: Easy

Mini Jorgen

Tired of Hilda yet? Don't be. 

I knew I liked the concept when I picked up two of the graphic novels in a bookstore in Santa Fe back in 2017, and was smitten with the show from episode two and the appearance of Jorgen, the Midnight Giant. 

I really want to make a giant, toddler sized Jorgen, but that much yarn is expensive and I really want to get something nice if it's going to be that large. So at a local shop's winter sale I picked up a few skeins of Cascade Yarns, ReVerb (recycled) 3.75mm, Color 04 "Jet." The sort of loose twist was nice as well as that it has some very slight variegation to it, not enough to be "heathered" but enough to be interesting. 

With the thin weight I should be able to write up and test a pattern, that should scale nicely up to a worsted or bulky weight yarn should I find something suitable. In the meantime, I wanted this mini Jorgen to be awesome... that of course means making my own life difficult. I wanted him to be posable. Like with Alfur, I decided to try a wire armature and watched a short video on a very basic skeleton. I used some thin beading wire I had lying around, and since this one doesn't have to be seen anywhere, I figure my somewhat amateur attempt won't matter.  

I did need to sketch him out first to get a scale to try to make him to, and to be sure that the armature would fit. His super long neck and head is what really prompted this as I did not want to have a big floppy head... That meant designing the pattern so it could fit around the skeleton.

I started with the legs, doing a very basic shape and taper, making 2. I left a loop at the end of the legs and had plenty of yarn from the MC start that I knew I could anchor the skeleton to the body. So I joined the legs and worked up into the body. I stopped about half way and turned him inside out to tie the feet to the skeleton and then slowly stuff up into the body. I normally like to stuff as I go along but inserting the skeleton after the stuffing would be problematic to say the least. 

After anchoring the skeleton the feet, it was a bit of pain to keep crocheting in the round around it, but manageable. I tapered off the body into the neck and head, stuffing along till closing it. I let the arm wires stick out and then made the marks, slipped it on over them with stuffing and then sewed them in place. Easier to type than do. Since the finished doll is only about 8 inches tall, the tiny ears and eyes and nose were a bit of a puzzle. I did try to crochet the features out of a contrasting tan sock yarn but it was too small and unformed for my liking. So it turned back to my newly acquired skill of needle felting to make some tiny features. I rolled small balls of white and tan and then felted them into place on the head. I actually am very pleased with how it turned out, I was a little unsure I would have enough room on the face. 

Time to complete: about 4 hours
Difficulty: Intermediate 
Size: About 8 inches tall

Mini Jorgen
inc - increase - 2 sc in one stitch
dec- decrease

Legs - make 2

R1. MC6
R2. inc around (12)
R3-4. 12 sc around
R5. 2 dec, 8 sc (10)
R6-20. 10 sc around 
Leg joins - with toes pointed same way, work 4 sc through both legs to join, work in a circle around the outsides, 6sc, 2 increase, 6sc, slip stitch to front of 4 chain, then keep working in the round. (18)

Body - from Butt to top of head

R21. inc x2, 14 sc, inc x2 (22) increases for belly should be in the direction of the toes
R22. 22 sc around
R23. 4sc, dec, 4sec, dec (should be middle of back), 6sc, dec, 3 sec (20)
R24. 20 sc around
R25. 4sc, dec, 8sc, dec, 4sc (18)
R26. 3sc, dec, 7sc, dec, 3sc (15) 
R27. 3sc, dec, 6sc, dec, 2sc (12)
R28. 12 sc around
R29. 12 sc around - stuffing down into body and legs here. 
R30. 12 sc around - work over wire arms - if doing wire skeleton 

R31. 12 sc around
R32. 3sc, dec, 4sc, dec, 2sc (11)
R33. 11 sc around
R34. 8sc, dec, sc (10)
R35-48. 10 sc around - stuff neck as you go along, working around wire
R49. dec, sc around 
R50. dec around, and bind off, use tail to sew into top of wire skeleton - tough I know

Arms - make 2

R1. MC4
R2. inc, sc, inc, sc (6)
R3. inc, 2sc, inc, 2sc (8)
R4. 8 sc around
R5. bobble stitch (5hdc in one, slst to first, ch 1), sc around 7 (8) (bobble makes thumb)
R6-19. 8 sc around, bind off, use tail to sew to body over arm wires. I did half then stuffed, then sewed close to body.

Eyes, Ears, Nose - needle felted to head

Tontu from Hilda

Boy I have been making quite a few Hilda inspired things lately. Today's post is on Tontu, a nisse or house spirit from both the first and second season. As a character I was not sure I liked him at the start but he's grown on me, and his design is too perfect for crochet to not have made one. The tricky part was finding the right yarn.

I used Bernat Pipsqueak in Chocolate with a J 10mm hook for the head and tail. This yarn is kind of hard to work with but the fact that it's a big circle made it easier since you basically have to feel the stitches and not actually see them. The softness and fluffiness was too perfect though, and the color was close enough.

The body and nose are done in Red Heart Soft in Off White, 4mm hook. The slight sheen and tight wind gives it a nice contrast to the head fluff. For the sweater I chose Big Twist Soft in Gold, 4mm hook. 

Most of my patterns start out with a very basic shape sketch, that way I can plan how I want to build the parts. I started with the legs since that would be a good way I though to get the size right. I've done these kind of feet and arms so often I didn't even write the pattern out. It starts with a short chain and working an oval around it, two rows of 18 around that oval or so. Then three rows with a decrease toward the long end so that the leg is 12 sc around... I worked two legs then joined them together in the middle and working around the outside of both so that they would be seamless into the body. 

The arms are simple tubes, a magic circle with 6 sc, then 12, two rows of 12, then one row with a bobble stitch as the thumb and sc around with a decrease. Arms are 10sc around up to a shoulder then stitched shut and sewn onto the body. From the legs through the torso is a simple working around, then up where I wanted the shoulders to be I did a few decreases on the outsides to try to get a slope to shoulders into the neck, which I left pretty big so his head might not be too floppy. (It is anyway.)

The tail is again a long tube shape, think it was 8sc around. I made the tail bulb end separately. That is also a small circle and in the middle I did four bobble stitches to try to get that sculpted poof look. Not sure that was too successful, but it's better than a basic ball for sure. I used the fur yarn to sew the head onto the body and same with tail bulb to tail, helped make that seam hidden and fluffy. 

The sweater was a total fluke. I have not made any clothing that fit anyone as of yet. Shawls totally don't count cause they don't have to be fitted. I picked Big Twist Soft yarn in Gold, also using a 4 mm hook. 

I had one real goal with the sweater: get that knit look. I cannot knit, so I used the "waistcoat stitch" to get it close. You work into the vertical legs of the sc stitch to get that V shape. I made three tubes, one for the body, and two for the arms. Then I joined all three pieces together like I did with the legs, but at each join area I did a decrease on the front and back to get that sort of raglan taper. I worked two rows of back loop double crochet on the ends of the sleeves and sweater and did four rows around the neck. The back loop gives it that horizontal lined look, which I thought contrasted nicely and made it look really finished. 

Obviously this didn't fit over his head, but the neck was wide enough to get the tail, legs, and finally arms into it. Sure he has to get dressed weird, but it looks great.

I really love the scale he came out to be... as I feel its pretty close to "life" size.

Difficulty: Intermediate (to hard if you have trouble with fur yarn)

Time to complete: 12 hours

PS. Super cool that I can share stuff like this with the creators... 

https://twitter.com/khyarete/status/1343269341295505413?s=20

Look Alive Hat

 As soon as I saw the album cover for Look Alive, I knew that I needed to make up a silly hat to match. 

I spent a little too much time making this... next time darker yarn, at least twice as many spines.

Doing a search on Ravelry, I found this Ribbed Winter Hat pattern by Nea Creates. With the very distinct front and post double crochet ribs it looked perfect. I made one small change and added three rows of single crochet around the base, as I like a little edging on my hats. I used a 4mm hook and Redheart Soft in Guacamole.

After that it was a mindless sort of task to add the spines. I tried at first with two colors of embroidery thread, but not only did it quickly fall off, but I ran out super fast. Then I found a brand new skein of yellow crochet thread. I cut about 4 inch lengths and held two together to make a simple tassel with a knot at the base to keep it secure. I did every other vertical rib and every other stitch so as to not be too knotted.

I trimmed them all down once done to let them stick out a little better more like spines. I also added a bit extra around the brim as the album art does seem to be dense around the edge. 

Time to Complete: 6 hours
Difficulty: Easy