Crafty Reason

WIPWBRB

  • Crochet John Travolta

    A couple weeks ago, a fellow crocheter friend reached out to ask me a very interesting question: someone needed a crochet doll of John Travolta’s character from the ’70s movie Grease made in just 2 weeks. Was I up for taking on this project? The really interesting part: it was a gift for a baby! I was intrigued.

    Back in early 2021, I had crochet three Bernie Sanders dolls shortly after a photo of him bundled up at the presidential inauguration went viral. Two had been requests from friends and previous Crafty Reason customers, and I made an extra one for Crafty Jason, since he is a huge Bernie fan (I am, too). I had followed a nicely detailed pattern to make Bernie, but I thought I could use the same basic doll pattern and make little modifications to make him look more like Danny Zuko.

    The head and body of the doll are basically the same, except I gave Danny a short-sleeved white t-shirt and changed the shape of the hands and color of the yarn so they looked more like hands and less like mittens, although I kept the same cartoon-hand shape. Since this was for a baby, I didn’t use any wire inside to shape his arms or legs, and so I made his arms a bit shorter as they wouldn’t have to be pose-able to wrap around in front for warmth. I also didn’t use any cardboard to shape him so that he would sit, thinking he will likely be less decoration and more snuggly doll, and I didn’t use a large marble to give him sitting weight, keeping cuddliness in mind.

    Danny Zuko is a very stylish dresser (for the 1950s), not that Bernie isn’t, but Danny’s overall look is a bit less concerned with warmth and comfort. I changed his sock and shoe color to match the pictures of Danny I found online (I may have watched some or all of Grease at a slumber party when I was little, but I don’t remember much of it except that I don’t like musicals). I sewed on a belt buckle, gave him a tall jacket collar, and designed a large white T into the back of the jacket, to represent Danny’s signature T-Bird logo, which is slightly more intricate, but would have required embroidery floss to truly replicate, and I wanted to avoid that since this was for a baby.

    Danny’s hair was the biggest challenge. According to the internet, his hair style was known politely as “duck butt.” It was slicked back with sideburns on the sides, and big floppy curls tumbling around his forehead in the center. I wished I could replicate it similarly to how Jason made Bernie’s, by crocheting a flat mat and then having him brush it out with a pet hair brush. Since this would be for a baby, though, I couldn’t have loose stringy bits that could be sucked on and possibly swallowed. Instead, I shaped his slicked-back parts as a flat mat, with sideburns and a slightly irregular back, then made the large curly part similarly to how I made the coiled legs on my donated Octopus for a Preemie, starting with between 3 and 5 chains for each curl to give it some depth and dimension.

    Even though they aren’t a huge deal, I want to briefly mention the eyes because I always struggle with baby-safe eyes, my preferred way of adding eyes being dabbing hot glue where the eyes will be, and then stabbing a safety eye through each glue blob. I somehow make so-called “safety” eyes even less safe by not using the difficult-to-attach snap in the back. When making this large-knot style of eyes, I always have to make several and then choose the two that look the most alike, because they always look oddly variable in size. Same with the eyebrows. “They are sisters, not twins!” as an old esthetician friend of mine used to cheerfully say.

     

  • Pattern: Schwartz’s AKA “Flick’s” Hat from A Christmas Story

    Written by Reba at Crafty Reason
    http://craftyreason.com

    Credits:

    Based on Schwartz’s Stocking Cap, original on display at A Christmas Story House & Museum: https://www.redriderleglamps.com/collections/replica-hats-beanie-caps/products/a-christmas-story-schwartz-stocking-cap-replica

    Movie screenshot appears courtesy of MGM/UA Entertainment Co.

    Pattern inspired by: “Santa’s Helper” Free Crochet Elf Hat Pattern With Ears
    https://makeanddocrew.com/free-crochet-elf-hat-pattern-with-ears/ 

    A Christmas Story Costume Designer: Mary E. McLeod

    Wardrobe Department: Lynda Kemp

    Terms/Abbreviations:

    MC: Magic circle

    CH: Chain

    DC: Double crochet

    SL ST: Slip stitch

    HDC: Half-double crochet 

    BO: Bind off

    You Will Need:

    5mm crochet hook

    Yarn:

    Color A: Gold

    Color B: Red

    Color C: Cream

    Color D: Brown

    Pom-Pom Maker (biggest size)

    Pattern Notes:

    You will be crocheting a long stocking cap starting at the tip and ending at the head. The hat is crochet in rows, not a spiral, due to the striped color pattern. I found it easiest to carry the colors throughout rather than binding off and reattaching at every color change. You will have a long row of attached yarn along the inside of your finished hat (see picture below). Always change colors when slip stitching to the top of the beginning chain for an even, clean color change. Beginning chain 3 counts as a stitch.

    Instructions:

    [[Begin stocking]]

    Foundation (Color A): MC

    Round 1 (Color A): Ch 3, 5 dc in ring, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (6 dc)

    Round 2 (Color A): Ch 3, dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (6 dc)

    Round 3 (Color A): Ch 3, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (9 dc)

    Round 4 (Color B): Ch 3, dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (9 dc)

    Round 5 (Color B): Ch 3, dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (9 dc)

    Round 6 (Color C): Ch 3, dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (12 dc)

    Round 7 (Color C): Ch 3, dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (12 dc)

    Round 8 (Color D): Ch 3, dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 3 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (15 dc)

    Round 9 (Color C): Ch 3, dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (15 dc)

    Round 10 (Color C): Ch 3, dc in next 3 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 4 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (18 dc)

    Round 11 (Color B): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (18 dc)

    Round 12 (Color B): Ch 3, dc in next 4 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 5 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (21 dc)

    Round 13 (Color A): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (21 dc)

    Round 14 (Color A): Ch 3, dc in next 5 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (24 dc)

    Round 15 (Color A): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (24 dc)

    Round 16 (Color B): Ch 3, dc in next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 7 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (27 dc)

    Round 17 (Color B): Ch 3, dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (27 dc)

    Round 18 (Color C): Ch 3, dc in next 7 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 8 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (30 dc)

    Round 19 (Color C): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (30 dc)

    Round 20 (Color D): Ch 3, dc in next 8 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 9 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (33 dc)

    Round 21 (Color C): Ch 3, dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (33 dc)

    Round 22 (Color C): Ch 3, dc in next 9 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 10 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (36 dc)

    Round 23 (Color B): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (36 dc)

    Round 24 (Color B): Ch 3, dc in next 10 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 11 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (39 dc)

    Round 25 (Color A): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (39 dc)

    Round 26 (Color A): Ch 3, dc in next 11 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 12 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (42 dc)

    Round 27 (Color A): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (42 dc)

    Round 28 (Color B): Ch 3, dc in next 12 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 13 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 29 (Color B): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 30 (Color C): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 31 (Color C): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 32 (Color D): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 33 (Color C): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 34 (Color C): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 35 (Color B): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 36 (Color B): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 37 (Color A): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 38 (Color A): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 39 (Color A): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 40 (Color A): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 41 (Color B): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 42 (Color B): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 43 (Color C): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 44 (Color C): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 45 (Color D): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (45 dc)

    Round 46 (Color D): Ch 3, dc in next 13 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 14 dc, 2 dc in next dc) twice, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (48 dc)

    Round 47 (Color C): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (48 dc)

    [[Begin cap]]

    Round 48 (Color C): Ch 3, dc in next 6 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 7 dc, 2 dc in next dc) 5 times, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (54 dc)

    Round 49 (Color B): Ch 3, dc in next 7 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 8 dc, 2 dc in next dc) 5 times, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (60 dc)

    Round 50 (Color B): Ch 3, dc in next 8 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 9 dc, 2 dc in next dc) 5 times, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (66 dc)

    Round 51 (Color A): Ch 3, dc in next 9 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 10 dc, 2 dc in next dc) 5 times, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (72 dc)

    Round 52 (Color A): Ch 3, dc in next 10 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 11 dc, 2 dc in next dc) 5 times, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (78 dc)

    Round 53 (Color A): Ch 3, dc in next 11 dc, 2 dc in next dc, (dc in next 12 dc, 2 dc in next dc) 5 times, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (84 dc)

    Round 54 (Color A): Ch 3,dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (84 dc)

    Rounds 55-56 (Color B): Ch 3, dc in each dc, sl st to 3rd ch at beginning of round to join. (84 dc)

    Round 57 (Color C): Ch 2, hdc in next 9 dc, dec in next hdc, (hdc in next 10 hdc, dec in next hdc) 5 times, sl st to 2nd ch at beginning of round to join. (78 hdc)

    Round 58 (Color C): Ch 2, hdc in next 8 dc, dec in next hdc, (hdc in next 9 hdc, dec in next hdc) 5 times, sl st to 2nd ch at beginning of round to join. (72 hdc)

    Round 59 (Color D): Ch 2, hdc in next 7 dc, dec in next hdc, (hdc in next 8 hdc, dec in next hdc) 5 times, sl st to 2nd ch at beginning of round to join. (66 hdc)

    Rounds 60-65 (Color D): Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, sl st to 2nd ch at beginning of round to join. (66 hdc)

    Round 66 (Color D): Ch 2, hdc in each hdc, sl st to 2nd ch at beginning of round to join, BO, weave in ends. (66 hdc)

    Finishing / Final Assembly

    Make a large pom-pom and sew securely to the hat’s stocking tip. I used gold, red, and brown (very little red since I ran out of the yarn).

    Please feel free to sell the hats you’ve made, but please credit Crafty Reason and link back to the pattern here if you do so. Please contact us at craftyreason@gmail.com for permission if you wish to reproduce this pattern. Also, send us a message if you notice anything wrong with the pattern. Happy crocheting!

    ~Crafty Reba
    Learn more about Crafty Reason at http://craftyreason.com/about-us/

    This pattern is also available on Ravelry. You may purchase a PDF of the pattern there if you would like your own formatted copy.

     

  • Special Penguin

    This summer, my Dad passed away after his second battle with mantle cell lymphoma. We were very close, good friends as well as being father and daughter. I miss him every day, and it still takes my breath away sometimes when I am startled to remember that he is gone.

    My parents got married when my Mom was nineteen years old, so she had never lived alone before, and had been married to my Dad for over 50 years. I almost immediately had the idea, very soon after my Dad’s funeral, to make her a Build-A-Bear with a recording of my Dad saying something to her. That of course morphed into the idea that I could crochet her a stuffed animal and make a voice recording like in a Build-A-Bear.

    To decide which animal to make, I looked to my Dad for inspiration. He used to love going to Mystic Aquarium. My parents were members, and before he got sick the second time, they used to visit Mystic several times a year. He loved to stand and watch the beluga whales as they swam around and played together. I found an ok pattern for a beluga whale, but it wasn’t obvious what it was. It wasn’t particularly huggable. My eyes couldn’t stop tearing up every time I thought of my Mom alone in the house they had lived in together since the early 1980s. She had to be able to hug the stuffty.

    Then I remembered how Dad also loved the penguins at Mystic Aquarium. Father penguins are the ones who care for the young, keeping the egg warm. A penguin seemed perfect. I found a cute, soft, baby penguin pattern. Perfectly huggable. I bought a little recordable voice box and Jason helped me record my Dad’s final voicemail message to my Mom, along with a silly recording we had made in the hospital earlier in the summer of him calling her name over and over as he used to do. “Sar, Sar, Sar!” (My Mom’s name is Sarah.) At the time, we had joked that I was recording it so we could sneakily change Mom’s cell phone ringtone to that, so she would still hear him calling her even while she was home and he was in the hospital (which didn’t turn out to be much time at all, as she was always by his side all day, every single day while he was there). At the time I had a twinge of a bad feeling–what if this recording would become our memory of Dad calling her all the time? And then it did.

    I added a little pocket to the front of the penguin so that we can easily change the batteries in the recorder when they eventually wear out. Of course it has a heart. I bought special yarn of the softest feel to make him the perfect snuggle companion. I worked steadily to finish the penguin so that I could give him to my Mom as soon as possible. I know that someday, it won’t make me cry to see the penguin sitting next to Mom when we video chat while she’s in bed at her house, or in our guest bed which is her bed whenever she wants to come visit us. Someday it will just make me smile to push the heart and hear his shaky voice tell my Mom how much he loved being her backseat driver.

  • Temperature Blanket Repair

    Over the past year I have learned a valuable lesson the hard way. Hopefully most crocheters don’t have to go through the pain of watching a project they worked hard on start coming apart because they didn’t weave the ends in well enough. That is what happened to my poor temperature blanket. I didn’t leave long enough tails, so even though I crocheted over them, as the articles and blog posts of instructions for C2C temperature blankets that I read suggested, many little holes had formed throughout the year as those little tails came unraveled and popped free from the squares they were woven into.

    I already have always felt a little meh about the blanket ever since I discovered last fall that I had misunderstood the C2C instructions, so instead of each day having a consistent number of squares of one color indicating its high temperature, the last three months of the blanket have fewer and fewer squares representing each day, until the last few weeks are just one square per day. The blanket falling apart just made it worse, even though I have always been comforted knowing that if I had actually followed the instructions accurately, the blanket would have been too large to be functional anyway. It’s a perfect size as it is.

    It took almost four painstaking hours of carefully sewing and knotting and weaving the tiny little ends back together. Often there was less than an inch to work with in a particular color. Sewing is my least favorite part of a project, so this was a task that has taken me months of mental prep to actually sit down and work on. Now that (most of, probably) the holes are secured, I’m back to being happy with the blanket (but I think I’ll never make a temperature blanket again!).

  • Pattern: Spiral Purse

    My daughter has just reached the age where she wants to carry her own purse. Over the past couple of months, she has used her allowance money to buy two different purses. One she liked but it was too small to hold everything–she learned the lesson of practicality and function over fashion early! The other one fit everything all right, but she declared it “just wasn’t her.” So I thought (as she put it) “Hold my hook!” (my crochet hook, that is) and I came up with a purse that is 100% her! It’s funky and fun and colorful and unique. And it fits everything, too.

    Pattern: Spiral Purse

    Written by Reba at Crafty Reason
    http://craftyreason.com

    Terms/Abbreviations:

    MC: Magic circle
    DC: Double crochet
    BLO: Back loop only
    STS: Stitches
    HDC: Half-double crochet
    SC: Single crochet
    CH: Chain
    WC: Waistcoat stitch, aka knit stitch
    WS: Wrong side
    RS: Right side
    BO: Bind off

    You will need:

    Red Heart Super Saver Neon Stripes (less than 1 skein)
    Sizes 4 and 5 crochet hooks
    Zipper (I used a rainbow zipper to match the bright colors in my yarn)
    Embroidery needle
    Sewing machine or needle and thread

    Pattern Notes:

    You will be crocheting a round purse with a spiral pattern in a continuous spiral. It is simply constructed, with two round sides, one long loop that comprises both the base and the strap, and a zipper closure with two small flat pieces to attach the zipper to the purse. The zipper closure is optional and may be modified to meet the preference of the user. You may add a flap closure, or a chain loop around a button, or you may even leave the top completely open, although if you do this, I suggest crocheting the strap a little more closely “in” over the top of the circles, so that the purse will hold its shape better. With the zipper closure, the tops could be as wide as the strap allows for the easiest access.

    The Waistcoat Stitch (WC) aka Knit Stitch will create a sturdy base and strong strap for your purse. Heart Hook Home has a great step-by-step guide including a video tutorial (https://hearthookhome.com/waistcoat-crochet-stitch/). If you don’t feel confident crocheting in the waistcoat stitch, you can do single crochets instead.

     

    Crochet Instructions:

    Purse sides–Make 2.

    With size H (5mm) crochet hook, in a variegated color worsted weight yarn:

    1. 12 dc in mc (12)
    2. (Inc dc) around (24)
    3. In BLO until otherwise stated, (Inc, dc) around (36)
    4. (Inc, dc x 2) around (48)
    5. (Inc, dc x 3) around (60)
    6. (Inc, dc x 4) around (72)
    7. (Inc, dc x 5) around (84)
    8. (Inc, dc x 6) around (96)
    9. (Inc, dc x 7) around (108)
    10. Continue in this pattern, increasing stitch count by 12 (increasing the single DC count by one) each round until the diameter measures 10”. 
    11. For final round, final three sts: hdc x 2, sc, sl st to first st in previous row. BO and weave in end. Note: after cutting yarn, you can pull it all the way up through the stitch, then weave it around the next stitch and back through the original stitch, making the end a little less noticeable. Then weave in end as desired.

     

    Purse bottom and strap loop–Make 1.

    Use same hook and yarn:

    1. Ch11. (11)
    2. Starting in 2nd ch from hook, sc across. (10)
    3. Ch1, turn. Sc in same st, wc x 8, sc in last st, ch1, turn. (10)
    4. Rep row 3 until purse bottom and strap measures your desired length. (Mine was 47 inches.)
    5. Fold strap in half with WS facing out. SC across, attaching two sides together. (10)
    6. Turn project RS facing out, sideways, and place one purse side against the strap, lined up along the edge. Work SC into the strap lined up with the sc sts along the purse side. BO and weave in ends. Repeat with other purse side.

     

    Purse zipper closure attachments–Make 2.

    With size 7 (4.5mm) hook:

    1. Ch6. (6)
    2. Starting in 2nd ch from hook, sc across. (5)
    3. Ch1, turn. Sc in same st, wc x 3, sc in last st, ch1, turn. (5)
    4. Rep row 3 for 51 rows, until strap is 52 rows long. BO and weave in ends.

     

    Finishing / Final Assembly

    Depending on the type of zipper you get, you may have to trim the zipper to the length you want and attach the pull. Cut it a little longer than you expect to use. Using a sewing machine or by hand, attach the zipper to the closure attachment strips with the zipper in the center. Then using embroidery needle and project yarn, sew the zipper to the top/opening of the purse, starting at the front strap end, moving across the strap, across one circular top side of the purse, across the other strap end over the zipper, and across the other circular top side of the purse. Tuck the extra flaps of closed zipper inside the purse just underneath the strap on either side.

    Please feel free to sell the purses you’ve made, but please credit Crafty Reason and link back to the pattern here if you do so. Please contact us at craftyreason@gmail.com for permission if you wish to reproduce this pattern. Also, send us a message if you notice anything wrong with the pattern. Happy crocheting!

    ~Crafty Reba
    Learn more about Crafty Reason at http://craftyreason.com/about-us/

    This pattern is also available on Ravelry. You can purchase a PDF of the pattern there if you would like your own formatted copy.

  • 2021 Temperature Blanket: Finished!

    Happy New Year! I finished my temperature blanket on New Years Day.

    The temperature blanket ended up being a bit different than I had originally planned, but I am really happy with how it came out. It’s the perfect size for snuggling up in to watch a movie, instead of being too huge to really do much with. This happened because I accidentally wasn’t turning the rows correctly during the straight part, but I didn’t realize it until much too late. (I could have unraveled the entire summer’s worth of work, but definitely didn’t want to do that!) So from October on, I did only a few squares each day instead of 20 (decreasing down from 3/day to 1/day towards the end of the year). Overall I’m happy with how it came out, and I think I like it better this way than I would have if I had done it correctly!

    Probably my favorite part of making the blanket wasn’t even the crocheting, it was actually recording the daily high temperatures to figure out which colors to use. I set up a spreadsheet to track them, with a formula to show me the average temperature. I was surprised to learn the average temperature where I live was 59.8 degrees Fahrenheit. I hope to live somewhere warmer someday! But I guess then I wouldn’t need the blanket.

  • 2021 Temperature Blanket: Month 8

    The temperature blanket of course has continued to grow! I managed to find a good substitute for the mint green that is actually even softer than the original yarn, and is a pretty close color match. I’ve also since run out of and had to buy more of the soft rose (70s) and arbor rose (80s) colors, and I’m very close to running out of rich orchid (90s). Since it’s almost September, I’m thinking I may not need to buy another for that one, but we’ll see! The weather in New England is so unpredictable. It has been an alternately super rainy/chilly and hot summer.

    I’ve finally recently started to decrease on both sides, so each row I complete is a little shorter than the last. If we’ve calculated correctly, on New Year’s I’ll be finishing the final square at the very corner.

  • Pattern: Pocket Pony (Crochet or Knit)

    I work part-time at the ranch where my daughter and I ride horses, and I wanted to make a fellow ranch worker’s daughter a ragdoll horse for her third birthday. The original horse was a little bigger and not as floppy as I had hoped. I thought it would be cute if the horse were smaller, and the Pocket Pony was born!

    Pattern: Pocket Pony (Crochet or Knit)

    Written by Reba at Crafty Reason
    http://craftyreason.com

    Crochet Terms/Abbreviations:

    Ch: Chain
    Sc: Single crochet
    Sl st: Slip stitch
    FO: Finish off

    You will need:

    size G/4mm hook
    I Love This Yarn! Toasted Almond
    I Love This Yarn! Brown
    Small amount of Fiberfill stuffing (or can use scrap yarn to stuff)
    Black 10mm buttons or embroidery thread for eyes
    yarn needle

    Crochet Pattern Notes:

    Watch my three-part video tutorial to follow along and crochet your Pocket Pony with me!

    When sl st and turning without ch 1 (row 12), I lay the working yarn across the sl st before I do the first sc to hide the sl st.
    In my video tutorial (video 1, 19:50), I made the sl st in the same st as the last st of the row, but I later changed the pattern slightly so the sl st is in its own st, so that count is a little different (12 sts in row 12, instead of 11). I hadn’t been counting the sts correctly in the video!

    Finished pony is about 4” tall x 5” long (from nose to tail).

    I’ve made several variations using different colors of yarn, different colored buttons for eyes, making the tails different thickness and lengths, and lengthening the ears.

    Crochet Instructions:

    Make 2. Leave a long tail for sewing on one.

    Ch 11
    R1-3: sc 10, ch1, turn (back leg) (10)
    R4-7: sc 6, ch 1, turn (leave 4) (6)
    R8: sc 6, ch 5, turn (front leg) (10)
    R9-10: sc 10, ch 1, turn (10)
    R11: sc 10, ch 9, turn (18)
    R12: sc in 3rd ch from hook, sc 12, sl st, turn (leave 4) (do not ch 1) (12)
    R13: sc 11, ch1, turn (leave 1/ear) (11)
    R14-17: sc 4, ch1, turn (4)
    R18: sc 4, FO (4)

    Sew together along edge in running stitch, stuffing very lightly as you go. Do not sew ears, sew below them across its bottom (so there will be 2 ears). Sew on buttons or embroider eyes. Hide tails in body.

    Loop technique for mane/tail

    Watch my video tutorial for making the “loose loops” for the mane and tail.

    I made 3 loops in one hole for the forelock.

    I made 2-3 loops in each of the 6 holes down the back of the neck for the mane (make loops one in each hole going down neck, then one in each hole going back up neck). My mane loops are about ¼ – ½ inch long.

    For the tail, I made 4 long loops in the same hole, about 2.5-3” long.

    black dots = single crochet
    black square = slip stitch
    red squares = start row

     

    Knit Pattern Notes

    I made this knitting option for a knitter friend. Although I learned to knit long before I learned to crochet, I was never very good at knitting, and never learned how to read a pattern. So this pattern may be extremely clumsily written! A more experienced knitter may find better ways to both knit the pony and write the pattern.

    The sewing, eyes, mane, and tail techniques are all the same for knit and crochet versions.

    You Will Need

    The same materials listed above, except I used size 10 bamboo knitting needles instead of the crochet hook. I’ve no idea if this is the right size for worsted weight yarn, but those are the only needles I have.

    Knitting Instructions

    Pony Side A:

    CO 10
    R1 (RS): Knit
    R2 (WS): Purl
    Rep Rows 1-2 for Rows 3-4.
    R5: BO4, K5
    R6: Purl
    R7: Knit
    R8: Purl
    R9: CO 4, K10
    R10: Purl
    R11: Knit
    R12: Purl
    R13: BO4, K5
    R14: CO8, BO1 (ear), P12
    R15: B01 (chest), K11
    R16: Purl
    R17: BO7, K4
    R18: Purl
    R19: Knit
    R20: Purl
    R21: BO.

    Pony Side B:

    CO 10
    R1: Purl
    R2: Knot
    Rows 3 and 4: Rep Rows 1 and 2.
    R5: BO4, P5
    R6: Knit
    R7: Purl
    R8: Knit
    R9: CO4, P10
    R10: Knit
    R11: Purl
    R12: Knit
    R13: BO4, P5
    R14: CO8, BO1 (ear), K12
    R15: BO1 (chest), P11
    R16: Knit
    R17: BO6, P4
    R18: Knit
    R19: Purl
    R20: Knit
    R21: BO, leaving a long tail for sewing

    Please feel free to sell the Pocket Pony you’ve made, but please credit Crafty Reason and link back to the pattern here if you do so. Please contact us at craftyreason@gmail.com for permission if you wish to reproduce this pattern. Also, send us a message if you notice anything wrong with the pattern. Happy crocheting and knitting!

    ~Crafty Reba
    Learn more about Crafty Reason at http://craftyreason.com/about-us/

    This pattern is also available on Ravelry. You can purchase a PDF of the pattern there if you would like your own formatted copy.

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