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

Alfur from Hilda

Do you watch Hilda on Netflix? If you don't, get on that. 

We've probably watched the first season four times through now, heading into a fifth as we countdown the days till Season 2 premiers. Our three year old girl loves it. I wanted to crochet a tiny Alfur, but the more I thought about it, the less I thought that would work very well. I considered Sculpy clay too... but of course decided to go and learn a new skill: Needle Felting. 

I ordered the Clover needle felting pen tool and a multipack of unspun wool that had the red and white colors I liked. I also ordered a set of leather finger covers and a needle felting mat from Amazon after I stabbed myself many many times the first few attempts. I basically just read a bunch of blog posts by others and watched a few you tube videos.

I made a yellow ball. I know... wow right. But then added another and worked up a few tiny eyes and a beak and voila! A fat chick spirit from Spirited Away! Then I tried out a sort of fuzzy ghost, which was cool to leave part of it unspun and unfelted to give it that wispy ghost look. More recently I'm trying to make a character from a webcomic I like, but am not sure how it't turning out...

These experiments helped get me a bit of confidence, but of course I couldn't just stop with needle felting... of course not. I decided I wanted him to be able to be posable. That meant needle felting the body around a skeleton. I attempted to make my own armature with beading wire, and while it looked ok, it was not the right color, nor very sturdy.

this black wire was way too thick

So I decided to outsource the skeleton to a friend who does paper flowers. I figured she would have a better knowledge of wires and could wrap it in black so that it would look correct to the character. 

my attempt

I sent her my rough drawing, a picture of what I had come up with, and an idea on scale and she sent back like the perfect thing. Shoulders can move a little and the wire is tough enough that a bend will stay in place. She also coated it in clear modge podge which should keep it safe should when I pose him in the leaves and stuff. Of course I forgot to take a picture of the new armature sans felt...

wrapped skeleton

With a round head, cone shaped body, cone hat, two small ovals for hair poufs and two long ovals for ears... I had me a little Alfur! The eyes, eyebrows and smile were tricky... But the pen tool has three needles, which can easily slide out, so I was able to use one needle for these small parts. Just takes patience and a lot of poking. 

Got to say... all that poking is nice and cathartic if you manage to not stab yourself...

Difficulty: Easy

Time to complete: about 4 hours

Totoro Tattoo Concepts v2

One of the most consistently popular blog posts I have done is the first Totoro Tattoo Concepts post, from back in 2013.

A good friend is looking to get another tattoo soon and I casually remarked that I really need to move on from wanting to having... She of course is super excited now, and so I started to revisit the original idea I had. When we left off I had narrowed the idea down to a Totoro and a gingko leaf. That's pretty basic I am coming to see. Not to mention my design is a bit flat.

the 2013 design

The new idea is in the same vein but just much more. A while back I splurged with christmas money on a Noritake Totoro bone china cup and saucer. I was kind of stunned to see the lovely colors, line work and realism of the floral art mixed with the totoros I love.

the Noritake Cup I bought

The more I thought about it, the more this art became the inspiration for what I want to get now. I want color, I want little details, delicate line work and color. It could easily include a gingko leaf instead of the flora they use. And I could also add a few other things, like a jonquil or maybe an aster flower to represent my hubby, soot sprites, and acorns to name a few. I started looking through all the different designs and thinking about where I might want it to be on my body. I decided on getting it like a high cuff right below the bend of my elbow on the inside. Then I printed out a lot of the designs I really liked and started tracing and composing a shape.

version 2.0, super rough sketch, obviously would need a real tattoo artist to give it the once over

It is important to say that nothing has really changed in terms of other's negative opinions that I know I will hear, nor with my crippling fear of needles. What has changed is that I realized if I keep telling myself "one day" I can keep pushing it off without ever growing past my fear. Now just need to get the art polished up and save up my pennies...

The Creature

Back in 2008, I put up a short post about an Illustrator drawing I did of the Creature (from Samurai Jack, season 3, episode 33, a cartoon by Genndy Tartakovsky). With the recent news that the show is to return this year, I thought it might be fun to revisit this character. Also, if you have not watched this show, GET ON IT. It's seriously great and has some excellent stories. If you need further proof know that it is the only instance in which the font Papyrus does not drive me up a wall. Yeah.

The Creature, as it is called, is the most obvious of references in this episode to the works of Hayao Miyazaki, which is chock full of them. Itself being a parody of the noble Totoro, of which I have great fondness. The episode itself is sometimes called the Crystal of Cagliostro, a reference to the film, the Castle of Cagliostro, which was Miyazaki's feature length directorial debut film.

So, for this post, I decided to try to make a crochet plush of the Creature. The picture above is very similar to the scene where one of the characters meets Totoro in the forest for the first time. The creature does seem to get a bit smaller as the episode progresses.

First things first was to find all the colors I would need. A teal for the main body, a light teal for the belly, light blue for the belly details, darker blue for the arms and ears, yellow for eyes, dark pint for mouth, pink for tongue, white for teeth, a little green for his head leaf things, and black for embroidery. I decided to also pull a little light yellow to maybe make a pair of those butterflies that fly around his head.

Most colors I just had bits of on hand but I bought a new skein of With Love by Red Heart in Blue Hawaii (a teal color) for the body to make sure I had enough for all the parts. I also use Bernat Handicrafter Cotton in Sky Blue (in the Nautical color series that was discontinued) for the lightest bits, and Red Heart Soft in Teal for the darkest bits.

For a simple looking creature, he actually had a lot of parts and I wanted to get some of the larger details right. I first set about making a body shape that I think felt right as I was making this up as I went along. Of course, once I had him mostly finished at the end of this process I realized I could have made his belly and lower body a bit larger. The face is made up of eight parts, which then get some embroidery to really pull it all together.

The ears were a bit of a challenge, since I wanted to keep the shape and colors correct. So they are made from two parts that snug together and then get sewn down. It was also important to me to get them to face the right way once sewn on.

The arms are a fairly simple shape and I kept the increases to the edges to give it a flatter shape in the upper arm. A few lines to get the fingers and they were complete.

I had originally thought to do the arms and legs from the same pattern but the arms are a solid color where as the legs have two colors. So these are made from two shapes that get sewn together and stuffed. I then added the foot pad and a little embroidery for the toes and toe pads.

I also went back and watched the episode to make sure he had a tail, which I remembered him having, but he does not in fact have. It is instead a light peach bare butt. This thing is pretty funny looking. So I made nice peach oval and sewed it in place.

As I started stuffing and sewing the pieces down he really started to come together. The little bits of embroidery really help and I'm so happy with how all the colors look together.

Finally I decided to make him the three head leaves and two flies, which are seen fluttering about his head. Since the leaves stand up on his head, I stiffened them with a mixture of water and glue.

While letting the leaves dry I was able to put all the rest of the parts on and get a good look at my Creature. He's really spot on I think, except being a bit short, but really cute.

With the leaves added, he is complete. I kept thinking about ordering another voice box for him, as he makes some truly great sounds in the episode, but for now I have other items to be moving on to.

Finished!

Difficulty: Intermediate
Time to Complete: 35 hours
Finished Size: about 13" tall and 10" wide
As with Lion and Blathers, the Creature has a full pdf pattern and if you would like it feel free to email me a request.