Amigurumi Little Monkeys in Hats

These little monkeys are made from two patterns.

Little Big Foot Monkey by Sharon Ojala at Amigurumi to Go and the little hats by Jennifer Wang.

I loved making these, both patterns have very clear instructions and are easy to follow.

Each pattern is set out with detailed step by step instructions and Jennifer explains how to alter the Little Big Foot Monkey pattern slightly so that the hats fit better.

Both patterns can be found on Ravelry and are FREE - how kind are these people? It inspires me to always offer my patterns for free too. :) Let's all share!

Little Big Foot Monkey by Sharon Ojala: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/little-bigfoot-monkey-2014

Little Hats by Jennifer Wang: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/amigurumi-monkey-hats

I made mine using Drops Safran yarn which is a 4ply cotton in brown and white for the monkey and pink and yellow for the hats. The monkey comes out at around 5" tall when sitting.

I made two hats, the sun hat and the newsboy hat. There is also a cowboy hat and a Fedora to make.

I'm going to be making more monkeys in hats so will add photos as they are made.

Happy crocheting!

Find me on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PookieDoodleCrafts
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Pookie_Doodle
Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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Pet Bed Cat or Dog bed crochet tutorial

This is a crochet pattern for a pet bed. It is worked in the round in a continuous spiral and the edge is stuffed to give a soft, cosy bed.

I was inspired to make this pattern after getting a new cat and finding all the beds very expensive. I had lots of odd balls of yarn around so used them up to make it.

The pattern is free to use, however please do read the terms of use at the bottom of the pattern before you begin. If you have any problems or questions please do get in touch, I’ve found it hard to explain it all in writing so please do watch the video as it will really help explain what I mean: Video tutorial available here: https://youtu.be/dL4QAasj7lE or search www.youtube.com for Pookie Doodle Crafts

Instructions: .. to add to your Ravelry Projects, click here:

Yarn: Great for using any leftover oddments of yarns - aran and chunky work best but it might work with double knit too.
I used around 250-300g of aran and chunky.
Stuffing: Any suitable stuffing such as toy stuffing, old cushion stuffing, cut up t.shirts work too.

Method:

Hook: 5.5 mm - larger hook will give a larger size, likewise a smaller hook will give a smaller size.

All terms used are UK crochet terms.
Ch - Chain
dc - Double Crochet (single crochet if you are in the US)
St - Stitch
Inc  - work 2 double crochet stitches into one stitch below
FO - Fasten Off


To begin make a magic ring and work 6 dc into it ... if you prefer to work in chain rings, make 6 chains and join with a slip stitch then work 6 dc into it. (6 sts)

Place a marker in the first stitch so you know when you come back around to where you started. You will be working in continuous rounds, not joining the round.

1st round: 2 dc in each stitch (12sts)

2nd round: *1 dc in next stitch. inc in next stitch** - repeat from * to ** all the way around. (18sts)

3rd round: *1 dc in next 2 sts. inc in next stitch** - repeat from * to ** all the way around.
4th round: *1 dc in next 3 sts. inc in next stitch** - repeat from * to ** all the way around.
5th round: *1 dc in next 4 sts. inc in next stitch** - repeat from * to ** all the way around.

Continue is this way doing one more stitch between the increases until you have 25 stitches between the increases.

For a larger bed continue as above until you have the base the size you need.

Next round: Turn your work over and going back the other way work ONLY in the front loops (this round only) doing 1 dc  in each stitch.

When you come back around to the marker do not join the round but continue working on in a spiral, doing 1 dc into each stitch, now working through both loops.

Continue on, round and round in a spiral until the side wall is twice the height you want the finished bed.

Now fasten off and then sew the top edge to the back loops that were left when you worked into the front loops. These will be located inside the bed near the fold.

Alternatively you can crochet them together as I do in the video.

As you sew or crochet them together stop from time to time and begin stuffing the side wall - if you sew it all first then you might have difficulty getting the stuffing all the way around.

It is worth watching the video as I am able to give far more detailed explanation on what I mean, than I can express in writing: https://youtu.be/dL4QAasj7lE

Enjoy!
Terms of use:
The pattern is free to use for personal use only. You may not copy, reproduce, sell, distribute physically or digitally or put the pattern on your own blog/website - instead please provide a link back to my blog or Ravelry download.
Please do not claim the pattern as your own.
Please credit Pookie Doodle Crafts www.pookiedoodlecrafts.co.uk as the designer and provide a link where possible.

The items you make: You may do what you like with the items you make from the pattern but please give me credit for the design where possible. I would also love to see photos of your finished items, please share them here on my blog www.pookiedoodlecrafts.co.uk  or my Facebook page www.facebook.com/pookiedoodlecrafts or Ravelry www.ravelry.com/pookiedoodle
If you sell them and make a reasonable profit please consider making a little donation to a charity from it - I would really appreciate that and thank you in advance :) 


Happy crocheting!

Find me on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PookieDoodleCrafts
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Pookie_Doodle
Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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Minion double ended glove scarf

I made this scarf for my grandson, he loves Bob the Minion.

I used the basics from this pattern which is available free via Ravelry and written by Patricia King: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/minion-scarf-2

However I did make some alterations as I wanted to add pockets on the end which he could use as gloves so I added extra rows in blue and yellow and worked in the round until the pockets were the size I wanted then continued with the pattern to make the faces, then I worked in trebles all the way up to the back neck where I stopped.

I then made the other side the same way but with the one eye Minion and once it was finished I joined the two pieces at the back neck.

It came out really nice and he is thrilled with it.

Thank you Patricia for the pattern.

Happy crocheting!

Find me on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PookieDoodleCrafts
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Pookie_Doodle
Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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Jumpers for Cats - Crochet

No I've not turned into a crazy cat lady dressing up cats! These jumpers are for poorly kitties.

A local cat rescue sometimes has to shave cats because they arrived with their fur too matted and in poor condition to be able to groom it out, so once the cat is shaved they feel the cold and the little jumpers help keep them warm while the fur grows back.

I used Velvet Kerfuffle's pattern on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mock-turtleneck-sweater-for-cats as the basic pattern but did add a curved edge at the end just to give a little more coverage when the kitty is curled up. I did this by stopping one stitch short at the end of each row as I turned until it was down to about 10 stitches.

The turtle neck might not be ideal for a small kitten so I'm going to make some without the roll neck and see how they look.

They are made with a large hole for the front legs, this is better than have two small individual leg holes as it is less restrictive. The cats back legs and tail then stick out the back. The mock crochet ribbing around the neck is not tight but flexible enough to hold it in place.

I didn't have a toy cat to try it on but here is what it looks like on the toy rabbit I made last year! :)

The pattern is really easy to follow and I made this in a few hours one afternoon, it is all worked in UK double crochet. I used Cygnet Chunky yarn and a 5.5 mm hook, it took just under 100g. For a smaller cat or kitten double knit would probably do with a 4.00mm hook.


Happy crocheting!

Find me on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PookieDoodleCrafts
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Pookie_Doodle
Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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Tunisian Crochet Shawl

I first dabbled in Tunisian crochet way back in the early 1970s and had never revisited it until recently when I came across a pattern and I fancied having another go.

The pattern looked beautiful and it was also free, something which I like! 

It is this pattern which can be found on Ravelry http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/schmetterwurm by Christina Adorjan

I've called it my warm berry scarf as I used Drops Fabel in Berry Dreams and Grey in two shades, light and dark. 

I used 1x50g ball in each colour and also had to buy the Tunisian Crochet hook as the one I had was the wrong size, the whole lot cost around £11 (Nov 2016) so not a bad price for a nice new scarf and a hook to use in the future. Drops Fabel is a very soft and warm yarn and clings around your neck without being scratchy.

It took a bit of reading and a few rows of trial and error to fully understand the pattern but we need to remember that I was the equivalent of a complete novice and going into an intermediate pattern, so it should be expected that I might not fully understand. 

I think I made some mistakes, especially in the  short rows but to be honest I don't think anyone would notice. In row nine I misunderstood where there were a few dots ..... and thought it meant to move on to the next part of that row, what it meant was to continue as before until the required number of stitches were done THEN continue to the next part.

Once I had understood it all it was very easy to work the rows, you do need to concentrate though on the short rows especially and also if you are new to Tunisian Crochet. It grew very quickly and was made within a week.

It did need blocking to get the correct shape and stop it curling up, I pinned it out damp on my foam pads let it dry for a while and then removed the pins and rolled it up in a towel where I left it over night, it is keeping it's shape really well.

There are instructions within the pattern for some of the basic stitches of Tunisian Crochet.


Well worth having a go if you fancy trying Tunisian Crochet. 

Would I make this pattern again? Yes - definitely.

Happy crocheting!

Find me on:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PookieDoodleCrafts
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Pookie_Doodle
Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/people/pookiedoodle

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