Sunday 11 August 2013

That's fantastic, little Mr Fox


Just a little FYI at the start: 

I'm on holidays in tropical Cairns at the moment and only have blogger for the iPhone. I started drafting this post on my computer and hence some links are actually clickable hyperlinks but some aren't and I will fix this when I get home to make it nice and neat. 


Please continue with more interesting crochetery... 

This one has been a while in the making...

Remember the little teaser I posted a while back?



Well I had to change quite a bit because I wasn't happy with the look. 


But I got lots of help from the ladies in the crochet lounge on Facebook - and now I want to share the love and post the pattern for my Fantastic Mr fox inspired comforter or lovey (depending on which variety of English you speak.)



The pattern

There have been some quite heated debates about pattern and copyright. I did use part of other patterns to make this but I will happily give them credit but also think I turned them into something new and unique. 


The head

I found this through moogly whose blog I absolutely love. As part of her  awesome free pattern collections,  she put a selection of free basic shape patterns online...


Here is the link to a perfect sphere PDF. I have copied this here just for ease of having the pattern together in one place. This sphere pattern belongs entirely to ms premise

Use a 5.0mm hook (H hook).

18 Row Sphere
Row 1) Ch 2. 6 Sc in second Ch from hook. (6)
Row 2) inc in each stitch around. (12)
Row 3) 1, inc, 2, inc, 1, inc, 2, inc, 1, inc (17)
Row 4) 2, inc, 2, inc, 1, inc, 2, inc, 2, inc, 1, inc, 
1 (23)
Row 5) 3, inc, 5, inc, 5, inc, 5, inc, 1 (27)
Row 6) 4, inc, 6, inc, 6, inc, 6, inc, 1 (31)
Row 7) 8, inc, 9, inc, 9, inc, 2 (34)
Row 8) 10, inc, 16, inc, 6 (36)
Row 9) 17, inc, 18 (37)
Row 10) even (37)
Row 11) 18, dec, 17 (36)
Row 12) 6, dec, 16, dec, 10 (34)
Row 13) 2, dec, 9, dec, 9, dec, 8 (31)
Row 14) 1, dec, 6, dec, 6, dec, 6, dec, 4 (27)
Row 15) 1, dec, 5, dec, 5, dec, 5, dec, 3 (23)
Row 16) 1, dec, 1, dec, 2, dec, 2, dec, 1, dec, 2, dec, 2 (17)
Row 17) (dec, 1) repeat () around (12)

There is one more row to come but I stopped here briefly and used brown yarn to embroider the eyes. Then get your stuffing and fill the head. 

Row 18) 4 scdec. Fasten off. Weave loose end through each stitch in the opening. Pull tightly to close.



The Ears.

You will need to make 4 ears (the orange and black back x2 and the white and black front x2).

Use a 3.00 mm hook (F or G hook).

Row 1 with either orange or white ch 9, sc in 2nd stitch from hook, sc across, ch 1 turn (8)

Row 2-3 repeat row 1

Row 4 sc2tog, sc in next 4 stitches, sc2tog, ch1, turn. (6)

Row 5 sc across (6)

Row 6 sc2tog, sc in next 2 stitches, sc2tog, ch1, turn (4)

Row 7 sc across (4) 

Join brown yarn,

Row 8 ( with brown yarn) sc2tog, sc2tog, ch 1 turn (2)

Row 9 sc across (2)

Row 10 sc2tog, bind off, weave in ends.


After you made the 4 ears, place the white front on the orange back and join the orange yarn through the front and back ear. Sc all around to crochet both sides together. Repeat for the other ear.


The muzzle 

Use a 3.00 mm hook (F or G hook).

I got the pattern for the muzzle from nimeo. Just added a few rows to create an even better 3d effect.
Here is the link.
http://nimoe.wordpress.com/2008/02/03/fox-amigurumi-pattern/


Rnd 1 — With orange, 6 sc into magic ring (6 sts)
Rnd 2 — [2 sc in next st] three times, With white [2 sc in next st] three times (12 sts)
Rnd 3 — 1 sc, With orange sc 5, With white sc 6 (12 sts)
Rnd 4 — 1 sc, With orange sc 6, With white sc 5 (12 sts)
I added another two rows here repeating row 4 so that the muzzle would be longer and more like a about.
Row 5-6 repeat row 4, bind off. Leave long orange colored trail of yarn to sew muzzle to head.

Using black embroidery floss, embroider nose/mouth onto muzzle.

The granny square

Use a 5.0mm hook (H hook).

There are so many tutorials for granny squares out there on the Internet that it is very easy to search and then go with whatever you feel comfortable with.

Here is a link to Meladora's granny square tutorial video. (Sorry I can't link properly cause this nice blogger iPhone app doesn't support hyperlinks.)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXag_BTLuQI

For my lovey I alternated colours every row and did about 18 rows plus an edge.

For the edge

5 dc in gap, skip on st, sc in next stitch (the middle stitch of the stitch cluster) and repeat all around. 

Finish the head and sew onto the middle of the granny square. 



The tie

When I first posted the head on crochet lounge group on Facebook some one said it reminded her (or was it her husband?!) of Fantastic Mr Fox. 

Use a 3.00 mm hook (F or G hook).

I just whipped it up.

Row 1 Chain 5 sc in second stitch, sc across, ch 1, turn (4). 

Row 2 sc across, ch 1, turn (4)

Now you basically repeat row 2 until you get to desired length. 

Antepenultimate row sc2tog, sc2tog, ch 1, turn (2)

Penultimate  row sc across, ch 1, turn (2)

Last Row sc2tog, bind off, weave in ends.

Sew the finished tie to the fox's neck. 

Finished 

I think it would also look very nice with a unicolour granny square and a striped tie...

Well anything goes really :)

Enjoy and please let me know of any bugs in the pattern.

When Mr Fox met the Little Giant


Here is the Little Giant meeting Fantastic Mr Fox...

I think he liked it... 




You can sell finished items from this pattern but please include a link to this blog in any advertisement or listings. Thanks.

Stay juicy Planet Earth...

Superfruity

Saturday 3 August 2013

Oh what a find!


Last Saturday I made a great find while  with friends at Rozelle markets...

I was just strolling along trying to get the little giant to sleep in the baby carrier and what do I spot? 


Large pile of vintage blankets at Rozelle Markets

This granny stripe blanket with an absolutely gorgeous colour combination. 

You know when you aren't looking for something and it feels like the something finds you? That's how I felt. Look at how beautiful it is.

Gorgeous vintage Granny Stripe blanket


I must have it :)

I truly hoped for the first time in my life that the person selling them wouldn't know the true value of a fabulous piece of crochet like this one. The yarn alone would have been a fortune...

So a tentative question revealed the price... 

$20. 

I didn't even haggle like you are usually supposed to on these markets...

And now it's mine. I put it in my son's room next to his little upcycled book shelf. He loves books and now we can snuggle up under a beautiful blanket and discover  where that green sheep went...



Doesn't it just look like it belongs? 

Stay juicy Planet Earth... 

Superfruity