April’s Amigurumi Army theme was “let’s pig out!” I had been wanting to try Kristie’s Kids’ pig pattern for a while, so that gave me the excuse to make it a priority.
At first, the pig was a little pink egg with ears:
Then I found another skein of matching embroidery floss and made the legs.
Finally, I put that pig to work.
Long ago, I began crocheting a Sesame Street yip yip alien, as explained by wikiHow. I made one false start well before the new year and according to my Ravelry records I started a second one on February 20th of this year. I altered the pattern a fair bit – I was skeptical of it when it said to chain 2.5 to 3 inches in order to make a loop an inch in diameter, an endeavor that requires over 3 inches of chain; but really I changed it so the decreases for the “head” were in the middle instead of at the edges. I was hoping that would make the mouth a better shape, though I am unsure of the quality of the results. My version is also a fair bit bigger than the pattern’s. Finally, I did long chains slip-stitched into loops around the base instead of the individual chains lark’s-head-knotted in pairs onto the base.
Instead of making the straw-piece eyes recommended by wikiHow I made – well, a bunch of eyes that are now in my “to use as stuffing” bin. I settled on: with black, start a magic ring, make one full sc and begin a second. For the final loop of that second sc change to white, and then make four more sc in the magic ring in white. Pull the ring tight. Continuing in white, still, continue around the circle making 4 more sc in back loops only. Tie the loose ends of the black and white yarn securely to the end of the black yarn still connected to the skein, and cut all three close to the knot. With the remaining white strand, make two invisible decreases, but use the back loops instead of the front loops. Slip stitch if desired, cut yarn leaving a long tail, and sew to close off back end of eyeball. Put loose end through side of eye for sewing to head.
I don’t think I can recommend that method.
Without further ado, though:
I admit, I LOL’ed at the pig at the sewing machine.
The yip-yips are pretty cute, but seem like they have more (or maybe just thicker) legs than I remember.
🙂 Thanks! Mom gave me the mini sewing machine. It was fortunately sized.
The yip-yips have lots of little tentacles, and in the original (Muppet) version I think they’re just the bottom of the fabric cut apart into strips. The pattern (which I admit, I am not really that satisfied with) had tentacles just as thick as these and suggested having a lot of them was good because the yip-yip could then stand on its own. I think the “thicker” part is because with them crowded together they poof out from the bottom of the body. Ida No. Probably won’t be making that one again.