Happy Thanksgiving to all the Americans and US residents out there, and anyone else who would like to be wished a Happy Thanksgiving.
This Thanksgiving, in addition to friends, family, health, and financial security, I am thankful for…
MONSTERS!!!
I am also thankful for a little time off. Work has been hectic and intruding greatly into the rest of my life, so this weekend will be good for getting caught up at home and produce some things to show you in the coming days. Have a lovely holiday!
I was really hoping to show you a monster today, but there were technical difficulties. So here are some emergency pumpkins.
And here’s the pattern! (conventions and abbreviations here)
1. Form magic ring, ch 1, and sc 5 in ring. Tighten.
2. Sc, *2sc, sc* twice (7 sc). Finish off beginning yarn end.
3. 2sc around (14 sc).
4. *2sc, sc* around (21 sc).
5-8. Sc around (4 rnds).
9. *Dec, sc* around (14 sc).
10. Dec around (7 sc). Stuff!
11. Sc, *dec, sc* twice (5 sc).
Use the perfect finish and thread the yarn through the middle of the pumpkin and out through the magic ring before you tighten; stitch back and forth between rounds 1 and 11 to pull the middle of the pumpkin top and bottom together. FO.
Add a stem or a face as desired. I threaded two pieces of brown yarn into the top of the pumpkin, crosswise, and interleaved square knots (right over left for each pair followed by left over right for each, etc) and then made an overhand knot to finish off.
Happy Halloween!
This is the September Ravelry CAL and Amigurumi Army mission post, which would usually appear two weeks from now (second Thursday of the month after the mission). However, I’m done with them already, and I am going to stop taking part regularly. I have too many of my own projects that are higher priority. So here’s the last of the regular-participation posts.
The CAL theme was “back to school.” I tried to make Stumpy a backpack, but I didn’t measure very well (read: at all) and it was a little snug. However, it fit the Hug Monster:
I did this by chaining, making an oval by stitching around both sides of the chain (with three sc in each end) for two rounds, I think, and then stitching around with no increase until it was as tall as I wanted the front opening to be. Then I switched to stitching in rows, slip stitching at the end to make the first few rows each decrease in length, and then stitching straight (with a ch 1 at the start of each row) until the flap came down far enough. The straps were made just like the coffee mug handle, below, except that I didn’t join new yarn for them – for one of the rows of the bag I did the straps in FL only and then continued with the bag flap in the BL.
I have foreshadowed the next item: coffee! I could have personalized the mug but nothing jumped out at me.
That is, until the coffee did!
The theme for Amigurumi Army this month was “Amis with a Twist.” I got the coffee monster idea from Irka!, though hers is better executed (you may remember her from the fish to sushi pattern). For this one I have an actual pattern.
Coffee:
1. 7 sc in magic ring
2. 2sc around (14)
3. *2sc, sc* around (21)
FO yarn. Join new yarn in BL at a different spot around the circle.
4. sc in BL around (21)
5-10. sc around (21; 6 rows)
11. *dec, sc* around (14)
12. dec around (7)
Stuff, FO, embroider face.
Mug:
1. 7 sc in magic ring
2. 2sc around (14)
3. *2sc, sc* around (21)
4. *2sc, sc, sc* around (28)
FO yarn. Join new yarn in BL at a different spot around the circle.
5. sc in BL around (28)
6-12. sc around (28; 7 rows)
FO.
For handle: join new yarn to row 11. Ch 20, sl st to row 6.
Sl st again in row 6 one stitch away in direction back bumps of chain face.
Hdc in back bumps of chain back up to top of mug; the first one will be awkward.
Sl st one stitch away from initial yarn join; FO.