Whimsical Stitches Read online

  Copyright © 2018 Lauren Espy

  Published by Blue Star Press

  Paige Tate & Co. is an imprint of Blue Star Press

  PO Box 5622, Bend, OR 97708

  [email protected] | www.paigetate.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Photography and instructions by Lauren Espy

  @amenagerieofstitches

  Etsy® Shop: A Menagerie of Stitches

  ISBN 9781944515638

  Ebook ISBN 9781944515799

  v5.4

  a

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Cover

  Dedication

  Title page

  Copyright

  Welcome

  Materials and Tools

  Stitches and Techniques

  Clean Color Changing Technique

  Closing Up Your Piece

  Adding Eyelashes

  Adding a Mouth

  About the Author

  IN THE GARDEN

  Saguaro Cactus

  Succulent Planter

  Sunflower

  Tulip

  AT THE AQUARIUM

  Jellyfish

  Octopus

  Turtle

  Whale

  DOWN ON THE FARM

  Bunny

  Cow

  Duck

  Eggs

  Pig

  AT THE BAKERY

  Cookies

  Cupcakes

  Macarons

  Mug & Donut

  Pie

  AT THE MARKET

  Bell Pepper

  Berries

  Eggplant

  Onion

  Peach

  Pineapple

  Tomato

  Hello, and welcome! My name is Lauren and I’m so glad you are here!

  My crochet journey began in 2009 when my grandmother bought me a book about amigurumi. I was intrigued that something so cute and small could be made by using yarn and a hook. My grandma, being the wonderful person she was, purchased the book for me and later gifted me a full set of crochet hooks. I spent hours trying to teach myself to crochet, and there were many times when I felt like I would never figure it out. After countless tries and lots of YouTube® videos, something finally clicked. I was hooked!

  When I first started crocheting, I used patterns from books or ones I found online. I knew I eventually wanted to design my own patterns, but I was so nervous to try. The great thing with amigurumi, though, is that once you have mastered a few basic shapes, you can crochet almost anything! I sat and sketched out little kawaii characters, and then I pulled out the yarn and dove in. Since then, I’ve been designing all my own patterns and sharing what I make with the world. Being able to crochet something that was just an idea on paper has to be my favorite part of knowing how to crochet.

  In 2015 I finally opened my Etsy® shop, A Menagerie of Stitches. Many people know me as the girl who crocheted a chemistry set, but I promise I’ve crocheted much more than that! I love adding faces to inanimate objects, and my Instagram™ feed is always filled with smiling food, plants, and animals. The items I crochet are things that I love to keep around the house, and make me smile when I see them.

  So go on and crochet! I hope you enjoy this book and have fun making all sorts of cute things to gift or keep for yourself. Whether you’re a beginner or expert crocheter, I have a feeling you’re going to love these patterns and the items you make.

  Happy crocheting!

  Lauren Espy

  MATERIALS AND TOOLS

  To complete the patterns in this book, here are some of the materials and tools you will need:

  YARN:

  You’ll want to use worsted #4 weight yarn for all the projects in this book. Worsted weight comes in a large variety of colors and brands. Choose your favorite colors, or those recommended for each pattern.

  CROCHET HOOKS:

  Most of the patterns contained in this book use a U.S. size G-4.25mm crochet hook. Be aware that if you change the hook size, your items may come out a different size than what the pattern states.

  SAFETY EYES:

  Safety eyes come in all sorts of sizes and colors. They can range anywhere from 6mm to 40mm. Most of the patterns in this book require size 12mm, 9mm or 6mm. Safety eyes come with a plastic or metal washer that attaches to the back and makes the eye nearly impossible to remove. Make sure you’ve positioned the eyes exactly where you’d like them before attaching the backs. Buttons are a great alternative if you can’t find safety eyes.

  Note: if you plan on giving the items you create to small children, I always recommend replacing the safety eyes with felt or embroidering them on using yarn or thread.

  STUFFING:

  I always use polyester fiberfill to stuff my amigurumis. Make sure to add enough so your item won’t lose shape, but take care not to add too much. Over-stuffing can cause the fabric to stretch and the stuffing to show through the stitches.

  YARN NEEDLE:

  Also called a darning needle, this needle is great because it has a bigger eye which makes threading yarn onto it much easier. This is an ideal needle to use to attach crocheted pieces together.

  EMBROIDERY FLOSS AND NEEDLE:

  You can use embroidery floss to add facial features. Floss comes in all sorts of colors, just like yarn. I always use black for the mouths and eyelashes. Embroidery floss can also be used to add smaller details, such as rosy cheeks.

  FELT:

  Felt is another great material to use for facial features like eyes or rosy cheeks.

  STITCH MARKERS:

  Stitch markers are your best friend when crocheting amigurumi! Amigurumi is crocheted “in the round” so use these to mark the start or end of each round. If you don’t want to purchase markers, items you might have around the house (like safety pins) also work great!

  SCISSORS:

  Have a sharp pair of scissors on hand for trimming yarn or embroidery floss.

  STRAIGHT PINS:

  Straight pins are great to use as positioning aids before you sew the pieces on.

  OTHER MATERIALS YOU MAY NEED

  CARDBOARD: Cardboard can be useful for making the bases of items more sturdy.

  PIPE CLEANERS: Pipe cleaners (also known as chenille stems) are perfect to use as flower stems.

  POLY PELLETS AND SCRAP FABRIC: These items can be used to make a “bean bag” to help items stand up.

  TERRA COTTA POTS: These pots are essential for planting the flowers you stitch!

  WOODEN DOWELS: Dowels can be used for flower stems and support.

  HOT GLUE GUN: Use a hot glue gun to assemble flowers to the pots.

  EGG CARTON OR BERRY BOX: Use a cardboard egg carton or a cute berry box to display your creations!

  ABBREVIATIONS

  Approx - Approximately

  Ch - Chain

  Dc - Double crochet

  Hdc - Half double crochet

  Inv dec - Invisible decrease

  Mr - Magic ring (also known as adjustable ring)

  R - Round

  Row

  Sc - Single crochet

  Sk - Skip

  Sl St - Slip stitch

  St(s) - Stitch(es)

  Tr - Triple crochet

  * - Repeat the directions in between * and * as many times as stated.

  ()
- The number inside will indicate how many stitches you should have at the end of each round.

  RESOURCES

  Yarn, needles, and other supplies can be purchased from a wide variety of retailers. These are some of my go-to sources for materials!

  Caron Yarn

  www.yarnspirations.com/our-brands/caron

  Lion Brand Yarn

  www.lionbrandyarn.com

  Red Heart Yarn

  www.redheart.com

  Safety Eyes

  Local craft stores might carry safety eyes, but if you are having difficulty finding them, try sites like www.etsy.com or www.freshstitches.com for a variety of safety eye options.

  STITCHES AND TECHNIQUES

  GAUGE:

  The measurements provided for each item in this book are approximate. Depending on your tension, yarn, and hook size, your items may turn out a little bigger or smaller.

  YARN OVER:

  To yarn over, simply grab hold of the yarn with your hook. The yarn will be going over your hook and then you can proceed to pull it through the loops or stitch.

  MAGIC RING (also known as an adjustable ring):

  I prefer this method because it makes the piece close up more, and a small hole isn’t left at the top.

  TO MAKE A MAGIC RING:

  (steps pictured on opposite page)

  Make a loop and place the working yarn on top of the loose tail.

  Insert hook into loop, grabbing the working yarn with the hook. Pull through the loop.

  Yarn over and pull hook through loop.

  This is where you will start making single crochets into the magic ring.

  Insert the hook back into the loop; make sure to go underneath both yarn tails.

  Yarn over and pull hook through loop. 2 loops will be on the hook.

  Yarn over and pull through both loops. This completes your first single crochet.

  Repeat as many times as pattern states.

  Grab the loose tail and pull to close the loop.

  Begin crocheting, starting in the first single crochet from step 6.

  SINGLE CROCHET:

  Insert hook into stitch and yarn over. Pull hook through stitch. There will be 2 loops on your hook (photos 1 & 2).

  Yarn over again and pull through both loops. 1 loop will remain on hook (photos 3 & 4).

  HALF DOUBLE CROCHET:

  Yarn over and insert hook into stitch (photo 1).

  Yarn over and pull hook through stitch; 3 loops will remain on hook (photos 2 & 3).

  Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops. 1 loop will remain on hook (photos 4 & 5).

  DOUBLE CROCHET:

  Yarn over once and insert hook into stitch (photo 1).

  Yarn over and pull hook through stitch; 3 loops will remain on hook (photo 2).

  Yarn over and pull through 2 loops. 2 loops will remain on hook (photo 3).

  Yarn over for a final time and pull hook through remaining 2 loops. 1 loop will remain on hook (photos 4 & 5).

  TRIPLE CROCHET:

  Yarn over 2 times so that 3 loops are on hook (photo 1).

  Insert hook into stitch and yarn over (photo 2).

  Pull hook through stitch. There will be 4 loops on your hook.

  Yarn over and pull through 2 loops. 3 loops will remain on hook (photos 3 & 4).

  Yarn over again and pull through another 2 loops. 2 loops will remain on hook (photos 5 & 6).

  Yarn over for a final time and pull through the remaining 2 loops. 1 loop will remain on hook (photo 7).

  FRONT OR BACK LOOPS ONLY:

  Some of the patterns in this book use this technique. In order to figure out which is the front and which is the back, simply hold your work up with the front of your work facing you. You will see a row of V’s. The loops closest to you are the front loops (photo 1) and the farthest ones are the back loops (photo 2).

  INVISIBLE DECREASE:

  Insert the hook into the FRONT loops only of the next 2 stitches. There will be 3 loops on your hook (photo 1).

  Yarn over and pull hook through 2 loops (the 2 front loops). 2 loops will remain on hook (photos 2 & 3).

  Yarn over again and pull through the 2 remaining loops. 1 loop will remain on hook (photo 4).

  SLIP KNOT:

  Make a loop and place the loose tail on top of the working yarn.

  Insert hook into loop and grab the loose tail.

  Pull the loose tail through the loop, but not all the way.

  Pull the tail to tighten the slip knot onto the hook.

  CHAIN:

  After you have made a slip knot, simply take the the working yarn and yarn over.

  Pull hook through the slip knot. This is your first chain stitch. Repeat as many times as the pattern states.

  SLIP STITCH:

  Insert hook into stitch or chain and yarn over.

  Pull hook through stitch or chain. There will be 2 loops on your hook.

  Pull hook through the first loop and 1 loop will remain on hook.

  CLEAN COLOR CHANGING TECHNIQUE

  When working the last stitch of the old color, do the typical single crochet until there are 2 loops left on the hook (photo 1).

  Use the new color to yarn over and pull through those 2 loops (photo 2).

  Sl St into the next stitch with the new color (photos 3 & 4).

  Continue to crochet as normal with the new color (photo 5).

  Trim the tail of the old color. Tie the tails from both colors together to secure the color change.

  CLOSING UP YOUR PIECE

  I like to use the following closing technique because it give the piece a more finished look, and the closure is nearly invisible.

  When you’ve reached the end of the piece, cut the yarn and leave a tail for sewing. Pull yarn tail through the loop on the hook and pull to secure (photo 1).

  Thread the yarn tail onto the needle. Insert the needle into the front loop of the first stitch, working from the center to the outside. Pull needle through. Continue going through the front loops of the remaining stitches (photo 2).

  Once you have reached the end, pull the yarn tail and the hole will close (photo 3).

  Insert the needle into the center of the hole and bring out to the other side (where the magic ring is). Trim the yarn close to the piece and hide the tail inside (photos 4 & 5).

  ADDING EYELASHES

  Thread your sewing needle with a length of embroidery floss.

  Bring the needle from inside the piece to the outside. Make sure your needle is right next to the safety eye (photo 1).

  Insert the needle back into the piece, about ¼ of an inch away from the eye to make the first lash (photos 2 & 3).

  Bring the needle to the outside again, and repeat step 2 for making another lash. Make sure to place the lashes apart from each other (photo 4).

  Once the needle is inside the piece and you have sewn on as many lashes as you’d like, make a knot to secure floss.

  ADDING A MOUTH

  Thread your sewing needle with a length of embroidery floss.

  Bring the needle from inside the piece to the outside, near the safety eye on your left (photo 1).

  Go across to the right side and insert needle into piece. Don’t pull the needle all the way through (photo 2).

  Hold the thread in a smile shape and bring the needle up into the center and down a stitch or two (photo 3).

  Pull thread down to make a “V” shape (photo 4).

  Insert the needle close to the spot where the needle first came out at to create the sm
ile (photo 5).

  Pull thread through and make a knot to secure floss (photo 6).

  SAGUARO CACTUS

  SUCCULENT PLANTER

  SUNFLOWER

  TULIP

  SAGUARO CACTUS

  SAGUARO CACTUS

  FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

  Approx. 7 inches tall by 6.5 inches wide

  MATERIALS

  Worsted weight yarn: green and brown

  Size G/4.25mm crochet hook