Cuttlefish Pattern

So, sad story time.  You might remember how I used to make little cuttlefish plushies for some of my online crafting escapades.  (It's also great for stash-busting, which means using up little bits of leftover yarn.)

This beauty is made from yarn I dyed with 

Easter Egg dye and food coloring.

The pattern was written by a great, generous crafter over at a website called Wyld Scallyns.  Unfortunately, that site is no longer working, and I Love My Cuttlefish.

Using my faulty memory, a Spanish bunny pattern, and a lot of luck, I have tried my best to reproduce the original look of Mr. Wyckoff's crocheted cuttlefish.

Please note:  This pattern is not meant to be exact.  I hope that my imitation is seen as the sincerest form of thanks and flattery to Mr. Wyckoff and his designing talent.

Cuttlefish

Supplies

• 50 yards worsted weight yarn (approximately) in desired color
• G-hook (4.0mm)
• Fiberfill/polyfill
• 10mm safety eyes
• Yarn needle
• Bobbing along on the bottom of the beautiful briny sea (optional)

Instructions

This pattern is amigurumi style (meaning continuous rounds, not joined rounds) and worked in two parts: the body and the head.

Stitches and terms used:

Inc = increase

Dec = decrease (sc2tog)  I recommend the invisible decrease from Planet June.

Bauble = 2dctog in one stitch

F (Feeler) = Sl st in FLO of base stitch, ch 11, turn and sl st 4, sc 3, hdc 3 back.

T (Tentacle) = Sl st in FLO of base stitch, ch 11, turn and sl st 10 back.

2inc = one increase in each of the next two stitches (for a total of 4 stitches)

Body

Start with either a magic circle of 4  OR  ch 2, sc 4 in first ch.

Round 1:  Inc x 4 (8)

Round 2:  (Sc 2, 2inc) x 2  (12)

Round 3:  Sc around  (12)

Round 4:  (Sc 4, 2inc) x 2  (16)

Rounds 5-6:  Sc around  (16)

Round 7:  (Sc 6, 2inc) x 2  (20)

Rounds 8-10:  Sc around  (20)

Round 11:  Sc 9, 2inc, Sc 8, 2inc  (24)   Adjusting stitch shift.

Rounds 12-14:  Sc around  (24)

Round 15:  (Sc 10, dec) x 2  (22)

Round 16:  Sc around (22)

Round 17:  Sc 10, dec, Sc 9, dec  (20)  Adjusting stitch shift.

Round 18:  Dec x 5  (10)

Slip stitch to next, but do not cut your yarn.

Tada!  The basic body shape has now become clear!  Now, it may or may not be obvious, but when you were increasing along the way, they were bunched on either side, to help make a flattened shape.  
You should have finished with your hook on one side of the flattened body.

Edge Ruffle:

Turn the flattened body and slip stitch down the sides of the body, as if outlining it.

Tip:  Keep your stitches loose, as you'll be cramming 3 stitches into them on the next row.

When you get to the tail, you can ch 1 to help you get over the starting round/magic ring.

Continue slip stitching up the opposite side of the flattened body until you reach the other 'shoulder'.

Ch 1 and turn.

(Dc 3 in first st, sc in next) and repeat until you've gone all the way around.

Tip:  If desired, Dc 5 in same stitch at tip of tail for a 'fan' look.

Sl st to finish off and cut yarn.  You will use the tail from the head to sew the pieces together, so secure this end as desired (I usually stuff it inside the body).


Head

Start with either a magic circle of 5  OR  ch 2, Sc 5 in first ch.

Round 1:  Inc x 5  (10)

Round 2:  (Sc, inc) x 5  (15)

Round 3:  Sc 4, F, (T x 6), F, Sc 3  (15, 7 sc, 2 feelers, 6 tentacles)

Tip:  Use a stitch marker with the first stitch of this row, to ensure accuracy.

Round 4:  Sc around, using the 8 free back loops behind the tentacles.  (15)

Tip:  Count after this row; for some reason I always end up adding a stitch somewhere behind the tentacles.

Round 5:  Sc 5, (bauble x 2), Sc 3, (bauble x 2), Sc 3  (15, 11 sc, 4 bauble)

Round 6:  (Sc, dec) x 5  (10)

Sl st and cut yarn leaving a long enough tail to sew pieces together.

Place safety eyes as desired.  I like mine on the outside of both bauble stitches, but some like them between the bauble stitches.

Stuff both head and body as desired, then sew together.

You're done!  Congratulations!

The original pattern by Steven Wyckoff on Wyld Scallyns was free, as is this pattern.  Please do not try to sell this pattern as your own, as it does a disservice to the original creator.  Thank you!

HPKCHC End of Winter 2016 Term - Throwback

Hey happy crafters!

I promised to sum up the end of the Winter 2016 festivities over at the Hogwarts Knitting and Crochet Cup, and my goal was to Craft All The Things — that is, something for each and every prompt.

My previous posts covered all my classes (and when I remembered, Detention!).

Now to the heavy hitters, like my multi-month projects...

OWL Exam - Astronomy (Option 3) - Pattern Writing  (200 points)

I designed and wrote patterns for two bags, one of which has already been published here as the Reversible Minecraft Monster Bag.

And now, for the first time ever, I am pleased to present a Through the Keyhole Exclusive Pattern:

A Customizeable Minecraft Bag!

>>> LINK TO PATTERN <<<

This pattern is fanart, please use it as such and don't violate the Mojang and Microsoft guidelines.

And my shiny new Astronomy OWL badge:

Order of the Phoenix Mission/BROOM  (100 points)

I proposed to vanish at least 1,000 yards of yarn in the making of foot-warmers (and at least one pair had to be socks!).  I made 4 pairs of various things:

 

 

The ruffled booties are for sale in my Etsy store as of this post!

This marks my third term of successful Double Advanced Studies!

Taking into account my Quidditch total from the last post, I earned 134 points for all rounds.

Headmistress' Challenge - 2 parts

First: Make Her a Drink

Second: Help Shovel the Walk

A fine morning to you, Headmistress!

As you can see, I have crafted this excellent Muggle hat for shoveling the walk today. The Muggles call it a ‘sun hat’ which I thought was ever so clever—you see, if you bring a lawn chair and a fishing pole and something called a ‘cooler’ with you, you can simply sit down anywhere with this hat on and the sun will just come out!

I think this is brilliant, Headmistress. The benefit of melting the snow while you sit and fiddle with this fishing pole contraption? Priceless!

Although…I do wonder what Muggles do with these poles. Likewise the cooler…I was supposed to fill it with ice, I think. And some strange kind of ‘beer’ but all we had was butter beer and of course the beverage prompt was last month so I thought I could do without that bit…

But the sun-summoning hat! Yes, I think it will work quite nicely, don’t you?

…what do you mean ‘keep the sun out of my eyes’? Sun hats are supposed to summon the sun so it will melt the snow and I won’t have to shovel at all.

No?

Well, nargles. Guess I better fetch a shovel.

Total points achieved = 32 points.

And then of course there were the classes. January = 164 points, February = 178 points, and March = 183 points. Total: 525 points.

Grand Total: 991 points to Hufflepuff!

So, I didn't make it to 1,000 points as I did in my past two terms...but I DID Do All The Things.

Ravenclaw again took the House Cup, but...

We took back the Quidditch Cup!

All in all, a fabulous term!

Now I am at the end of the middle month of my fourth term (Spring 2016) and I can't wait to share all the new projects and patterns and things I've discovered along the way!

Stay tuned, and craft on!

Minecraft Monster Bag Pattern

This pattern is the first half of my HPKCHC Astronomy OWL!  Enjoi!

Reversible Minecraft Monster Bag

© 2016 Katie Bobbitt/Velvet Key Creations

Level: Intermediate American Crochet Terms

Materials:

• 300 yards green worsted weight yarn, approx.
• 400 yards black worsted weight yarn, approx.
• 10 yards light purple worsted weight yarn
• 5 yards dark purple worsted weight yarn
• G-hook (4.0mm)
• Stitch markers (or bobby pins or earrings you don’t like too well)
• Yarn needle
• Scissors
• 1 yard fabric for lining, plus sewing method of choice
• 2 strips plastic canvas, cut to fit your bag (at the end!)
• 2 large black buttons (1 or 1.5”)

Special Instructions:

Changing Colors (CC)

When CC is noted, do not finish the final yo of the previous stitch.  Take new color and yo, pull through to complete stitch.  Make sure that your yarn tails are on the wrong side of the work consistently, and when cutting colors, leave a 1-1.5” tail in order to tie the colors off so that they won’t  unravel later.

  



  

Directions:

Part One

Begin by making the creeper’s face.

Starting with green yarn, ch 49.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook.  Sc in each st across. Ch 1 and turn. (48 sc)

Row 2-7: Sc in each st across, ch 1 and turn. (48)

Note: When changing colors in Row 8, pull yarn tails to the front of your piece, for this will the wrong side (WS) of your work from here on out.

Row 8-14: Sc  in first 12 stitches, CC to black and sc in next 6 stitches.

CC to green and sc in next 12 stitches.

CC to black and sc in next 6 stitches.

CC to green and sc in next 12 stitches.  (48 sc)

Rows 15-28: Sc in first 12 st, CC to black and sc in next 24 st,

CC to green and sc in next 12 st.  (48 sc)

Rows 29-35: Sc in first 18 st, CC to black and sc in next 12 st,

CC to green and sc in next 18 st.  (48 sc)

Rows 36-49: Sc in first 6 st, CC to black and sc in next 12 st,

CC to green and sc in next 12 st.

CC to black and sc in next 12 st.

CC to green and sc in next 6 st.  (48 sc)

Rows 50-57: Sc in each st across. (48)

Note:  Your creeper panel should now be square.  We will add additional rows now to form the mouth of the bag (the portion that will be folded over a piece of plastic canvas and sewn inside to keep the mouth of the bag stiff).  

You may wish to place stitch markers at each end of Row 57 so you know where the top of the square is.

Rows 58-63: Sc in each st across. (48)

Cut yarn, leaving a 24” tail to sew the mouth of the bag.

Tie off all loose ends on the back of the creeper’s face.  Set aside for now.

Part Two

Time for the enderman’s face!

With black yarn, ch 49.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook.  Sc in each st to end. Ch 1 and turn.  (48)

Rows 2-28: Sc in each st to end. Ch 1 and turn. (48)

Rows 29-35: CC to light purple and sc in first 6 st.

CC to dark purple and sc in next 6 st.

CC to light purple and sc in next 6 st.

CC to black and sc in next 12 st.

CC to light purple and sc in next 6 st.

CC to dark purple and sc in next 6 st.

CC to light purple and sc in last 6 st. 

CC to black before ch 1 and turn.  (48)

Rows 36-57: With black, sc in each st to end. Ch 1 and turn. (48)

Note:  Your enderman panel is now square!  Time to add the extra rows for the stiff lip of the bag.  You may wish to place stitch markers at each end of Row 57 before continuing.

Rows 58-63: Sc in each st to end.  Ch 1 and turn. (48)

Tie off all loose ends on the back of the enderman’s face.

Part Three

We’ll put the plastic canvas strips into the squares and sew them up!

First, measure the width of your creeper and enderman squares.  They should be about equal; you will cut the strips to the same length so take the shorter of the two as your ideal measurement.

For my enderman, the width was 13.75”.

My creeper was 14.25”, so my ideal measurement will be 13.75”.

Second, fold the top of your panel down on the wrong side, so that your stitch markers on either side of the square are now on top.  Measure the height of this little flap (the last 6 rows of your panel).

For my enderman, the height was 1.75”.  The creeper was 1.5”.

So, I cut my two plastic strips to be 13.75” by 1.5”.

Sew the top flaps down with the long tails you left at the ends of each panel.  For the creeper panel, make sure your flap does not overlap the eyes, or your stitches will show.  Weave in ends.

Slide the plastic strips into the panels.

You will want a little bit of the panels to cover each end, because we are now going to seam the bag together from the outside!   

Put your two panels together, back-to back so that the faces look out.  Take black yarn and attach at the top corner, through both panels.  

Sc around the side, bottom, and other side of the bag.  For the corners, I chained 1 before turning and sc’ing in the same stitch.  Weave in all outer ends.

Part Four

Strap #1 - Fixed length strap

Note: You may want to premeasure a strap you are already using, or take a fabric tape measure and guesstimate how long you want your strap to be.  Then add 3-4 inches to your measurement, for where the strap will be sew inside the bag securely.    My strap is about 60 inches long; I am tall and intend to wear the bag diagonally.

Leave a 12” tail, ch 211.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across.  Ch 1 and turn. (210)

Rows 2-6:  Sc in each st across.  Ch 1 and turn. (210)  Cut yarn, leaving a 12” tail and knot off.  

Note: If you alter the pattern to make the strap thicker, I recommend ending with your working yarn at the opposite end from where you started, so you’ll have yarn to sew with already on both ends of the strap.

Sew strap securely to interior of bag (it will be in the seam between the two panels).

Skip down to Part 5 for lining the bag.

Strap #2 - Adjustable length strap

Note: Additional materials required: D-ring and 1 of the black buttons.

D-Ring Strap

With black yarn, leave a 6” tail and chain 21.

Rows 1:  Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in every st across. Ch 1 and turn. (20)

Rows 2-4:  Sc in each st across. Ch 1 and turn. (20)

Row 5:  Sl st in each st across. Knot off and cut yarn, leaving a 12” tail for sewing.

Note: My D-ring was 1” wide; if you have a larger one you might want to add a few rows of sc.

Thread this strip through the D-ring, fold it to itself with an overlap of 1.5”, and sew down with the 6” tail.  Weave in ends.

I did two rows of stitches for a secure hold, since D-rings can sometimes rotate with time.

The remaining length of this strip should be enough to anchor inside your bag, where the plastic canvas strip is.  I put mine on the enderman side, since it’s black yarn.

Long Strap

With black, chain 201.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in every st across. Ch 1 and turn. (200)

Row 2: Sc in each st across. Ch 1 and turn. (200)

Row 3: Sc in first 8 st, ch 1 and turn.  

Repeat twice more so that you have a place to sew your button to.  

Continue along Row 3 with tr until you are 10 sc from the end.  

Turn your work and sl st down the length of the last tr you made. (2)

Sc in next ten st (to the end of the strap). Ch 1 and turn.

Repeat twice more; this will be the portion you sew inside the bag.

Rows 4-5: Sc in each st across. Ch 1 and turn. (200)

Fasten off and weave in ends, since you will be using the creeper’s green to sew this inside the bag.

Note: You can attach the strap to the other side of the enderman face, instead, but I wanted to try and maintain a balanced design.

Your button should be able to pass between the triple crochet stitches (mine are 1.25”).  Sew button to the end of the strap with the 8 sc stitches.

Note: If your button will NOT fit through your D-ring, then pass the end of your strap through the D-ring before sewing it down.

Sew the other end of the strap inside the bag on the creeper side.   Adjust strap to the length desired and pass button through the triple crocheted stitches where desired.

 

Part Five

Time to put in the lining! Measure your bag vertically and horizontally, so you know your dimensions.

 

I figured that I’d create less work for myself if I folded the fabric to make a pocket and only had to seam up the sides.

I cut my fabric to have ½” seams on either side, as well as 2” of extra fabric at the top.

14” wide + ½” + ½” = 15” fabric wide.

14” tall + 2” = 16” fabric tall.

Once you’ve cut your fabric, seam up the sides (I’m not a sewer, nor do I possess a sewing machine, so I did mine by hand).

Fold the top part of your bag down to expose the inside.  (I did 2.5”, but you’ll be the best judge of how much room you have.)

Sew the lining into the bag; I did mine between crochet rows which turned out nice, since it pulled the fabric into the furrows.  My thread also didn’t show on the outside, so I sewed the entire lining with black thread.

Knot off ends and weave in.

Button Toggle (Optional)

To close my bag, I opted to sew the second black button to the top middle of the enderman panel.  I then chained 9 stitches (make sure to check, if you have a larger button than I did) and attached the loop to the inside of the creeper panel.

And...DONE!  Way to go, you!

These are not approved or endorsed Mojang/Microsoft designs or materials!

Per Mojang and Microsoft, please do not sell anything you make, as this is fanart.

Craft on!