Crochet Puppy Ornament/toy, Quirky, Unique Handmade Amigurumi

I love searching out new and unique projects to work on!  I found one similar to this on Pinterest and searched in vain for a pattern.  Not finding one, I did the next best thing.  I developed my own.  It's not exactly like the one on Pinterest , but close enough to satisfy me.

I have made this puppy in a larger size, but wondered if I could downsize the pattern to make it more the size for a Christmas ornament.  While it turned out larger than I really wanted, I think it will work just fine.  

Below is the pattern for the puppy.  It is a little involved with the construction of it, but if you follow along closely, you should be able to make it.

For a downloadable pattern with photos plus the pattern for the cat, visit my Etsy shop.

The pattern in my Etsy shop also includes instructions to make the cat in this pic.  I thought they looked like best friends!

Puppy Pattern

This finished puppy is approximately 6 inches long from head to tail.  The size can be increased or decreased by changing the weight of the yarn and the hook size.  A heavier yarn (ex. worsted weight) and a larger hook will give you a larger puppy.  A thinner yarn and a smaller hook will give you a smaller puppy.

Materials:

DK or Sport weight Yarn  (I used Cleo Cotton)

2.75mm or C hook

Safety eyes

Polyfil stuffing

Yarn needle

8 buttons with large holes

12.5mm wooden or plastic beads  (12 of them)  Optional.

Crochet Terms:

CH- chain

ST-  stitch

MC-  magic circle

SC-  single crochet

INC-  increase (2 stitches in one stitch of previous round)

DEC- decrease  (one stitch made over 2 stitches of previous round)

F/O-  fasten off

Repeat instructions between asterisks ** to end of round.

Tips:

Worked in rounds.  I used a running stitch marker to keep track of rounds.  The easiest way to make this puppy is to complete all individual components and then assemble.  My method of attaching the legs requires securing them to the inside of the body before stuffing and closing it, but you could just stitch the leg balls together and then sew them to the body if you like.   If you use my method, be mindful of where you position the legs, as they cannot easily be moved after the body is stuffed and closed. The safety eyes are placed before the head is stuffed and closed.  If you prefer, you can embroider or use felt for the eyes.  Embroider on a mouth and eyebrows if you like.

Head:

 In a mc make 6 sc.

Inc. in each st. (12)

3.  *Sc 1, inc*  (18)

4.  *Sc 2, inc*  (24)

5-17.  Sc in each st.  (24)  Make color change at about round 8.  Place safety eyes at about round 12.

18.  *Sc 2, dec*  (18)

19.  *Sc 1, dec* (12)

20.  Dec x’s 6  (6)

21.  Dec till closed.  F/O

Neck:

 Mc with 6 sc.

Inc. in each st.   (12)

3.  *Sc 1, inc*  (18)

4-6  Sc in each st.  F/O

Stuff neck and stitch open end to bottom of head.

Ears:  Make 2

 Mc with 5 sc.

Inc in each stitch.  (10)

*Sc 1, inc*  (15)

*Sc 2, inc*  (20)

5-7  Sc in each stitch  (20)

8.  *Sc in 8, dec*  (18)

9.  *Sc in 7, dec*  (16)

10.  *Sc in 6, dec*  (14)

11.  *Sc in 5, dec*  (12)

12-14.  Sc in each stitch.

15.  Dec x’s 6.  F/O.

Stitch ears to head in desired position.

Nose:

 Mc with 6 sc.

Inc  in each stitch  (12) Stuff llightly

Dec  till closed.

Stitch to end of snout.

Body:

 Mc with 6 sc.

Inc in each stitch  (12)

*Sc 1, inc*  (18)

*Sc 2, inc* (24)

*Sc 3, inc*  (30)

6-25.  Sc in each stitch.

26.  *Sc 3, dec*  (24)  Attach legs at this point before stuffing.  (See assembly instructions)

27.  *Sc 2, dec* (18)  Stuff body.

28.  *Sc1, dec*  (12)

29.  Dec x’s 6  (6)

30.  Dec till closed.  F/O

Feet top:  Make 4

 Mc with 6 sc

Inc in each stitch  (12)

*Sc 1, inc*  (18)

*Sc 2, inc*  (24)

5-8.  Sc in each stitch.  F/O

Feet bottom:  Make 4

 Mc with 6 sc

Inc in each stitch  (12)

*Sc1, inc*  (18)

*Sc 2, inc*  (24)  F/O

Balls for legs, tail and head bows.  Make 19

 Mc with 6 sc

Inc. in each stitch  (12) 

3-4  Sc in each stitch  (12)

Place a bead inside your work at this point. (Or you may choose to simply stuff the balls rather than use beads.)

5.  Dec x’s 6  (6)

6.  Dec till closed.  F/O

Tail:  Make 3

1.  Chain 15 or however long you want your tail to be.  

2.  Attach a ball to the end of each chain.

3.  Tie the ends of the chains together and attach to the backside of the puppy.

Head bow:  (optional)

 Make 2 chains about 40 stitches long.

Attach a ball to each end of each chain.

Tie into a bow and attach to head.

To assemble and attach legs and feet,  thread your yarn needle with some strong cord.  Thread through one of the holes on a button leaving a length of about 3 or 4 inches for tying off.  Thread through a foot top from the inside with the button resting against the inside top of the foot.  Next thread through 3 balls with the cord going through the center hole of the beads.  Thread through the body at your preferred position for the leg and through the hole of a second button inside the body.  Now, thread through the second hole of the button going back through the body and through each ball, down throuh the top of the foot and through the second hole of the button inside the foot.  You should now have 2 cord ends.  Pull the cord tight and tie into a tight knot to secure the leg to the body.    Repeat with remaing legs.  Now you can stuff the body and close it up.  Also stuff the feet and sc the bottoms on to the feet with all yarn and cord ends tucked inside.

Attach head and neck to front of body.   Add the tail and the bow.  Your puppy is completed. 

Week 6, Cute Little Monsters Christmas Ornament Crochet-a-long

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 What better way to decorate a Whimsy Tree than with cute little monsters with silly grins and crazy hair. 

In case you missed the beginning of this Crochet-a-long, check out this post for more info.
https://renysplace.blogspot.com/2018/06/christmas-crochet-long-new-ornament.html

This was my very first crochet pattern design and it was so well received that I have decided to offer it again to my readers!

    I absolutely adore bright colors and funny expressions. At our house we call it the 'cuteness factor'.  It is what I strive to achieve in all my varmint creations.  At times this means making several tries before it meets the requirements.  But the satisfaction of finally getting it right is so worth it!

   These little monsters are about 3 inches tall and are just the right size for little hands to carry around.  And I wish I could describe to you the delight we see in every child who has received one of these.  Big smiles, audible giggles as they toss them up in the air or hug them close to their little chests.    The wonder is that such a simple little monster could elicit all that.

    So I invite you to  enjoy this free crochet pattern.  I suggest you make several for adorable Christmas gifts.  And keep some extra's around for little visitors.  I try to do this and it is such a great help to parents when their child has something special to play with during the visit.  And then I send it home with them!

    All you need to make this free crochet pattern are some bits of leftover yarn, stuffing and some felt for the eyes.  Be sure to stitch eyes, arms and legs securely if you plan to give one of these to a baby.

   Once you have completed one, it's hard not to make more.  And the more you make, the more delighted your littles will be!

                                 Giggle Monster Pattern

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn

G crochet hook

fiberfill for stuffing

felt for eyes (or may use safety eyes if you like)

needle and thread to sew on eyes

yarn needle for weaving in ends

   This pattern is worked in rounds and I used a running stitch marker to keep track.  An understanding of basic stitches and general crochet terms is helpful.

    If you are not familiar with how to make a magic ring, this is a great tutorial to explain it.

  http://www.instructables.com/id/Crochet-Magic-Ring-Adjustable-Ring/

Rnd 1:  In a magic ring make 6 sc.

       2:  Make 2 sc in each st.  (12 sc)

       3: *Sc in next st., 2sc in next st.* Repeat to end of rnd.  (18 sc)

       4:*Sc in next 2 sts., 2 sc in next st.*  Repeat to end of rnd. (24 sc)

       5 *Sc in next 3 sts., 2 sc in next st.* Repeat to end of rnd.  (30 sc)

       6:*Sc in next 4 sts. 2 sc in next st.* Repeat to end of rnd.  (36 sc)

      Rounds 7 through 11, Sc in each stitch around.

Rnd 12: *Sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog*  Repeat to end of rnd.  (30 sc)

       13 and 14  Sc in each stitch around..

       15: *Sc in next 3 sts.,  sc2tog*   Repeat to end of rnd.  (24 sc)

       16 and 17  Sc in each stitch around.

       18: *Sc in next 2 sts., sc2tog*  Repeat to end of rnd. (18 sc)

        19: Sc in each stitch around.

        20: *Sc in next stitch, sc2tog*  Repeat to end of rnd. (12 sc)

        Stuff your ‘Giggle’ and then sc2tog around until opening is closed. 

        Fasten off and  weave in the yarn end.

   To make the arms and legs visit this website for a great pictorial tutorial. 

 http://www.fiberfluxblog.com/2012/07/how-to-crochet-curlicue_31.html

   Attach your finished curlicues to the sides and bottoms of your ‘Giggle’ for arms and legs.

   Now, let your creative juices flow as you envision and create unique facial expressions.  I used felt shapes for the eyes and stitched them securely onto the ‘Giggle’.  If you decide to use safety eyes, attach them before you stuff and finish off your ‘Giggle’.  I used yarn to embroider on the mouth.  You can make the face as simple or as detailed as you like.

   For the hair I attached strands of yarn as if attaching fringe.  This tutorial does a great job of showing how to do this.

http://rescuedpawdesigns.com/2014/07/10/how-to-add-fringe-to-crochet-projects/#_a5y_p=4486753                            

     So there you  have it!  Happy little monsters that are sure to make you smile!

Blessings!

Reny

Happy Crafty New Year.....

     It has been a great holiday season!  Lots of time with family and friends, good food and a general feeling of joy and peace!

      But it's a new year with new ideas and creativity.   I wish I could find more time to work on my crochet projects!  Yes, I am retired from my job, but I have so many things I would like to make!  My Pinterest boards are full of potential projects!  Where to begin?  

     My latest original YarnVarmint creation is pretty cute.

This pair of mischievous raccoons took a while to  design.  I ended up changing several of the features and still think I like the eyes on the left one better than the right.  But overall, they turned out pretty good.  They are both made using the same pattern with just a few minor variations.    

     I like that they are not overly big, but just a good size for little hands to hang on to.  Of course they could be smaller just by using a smaller size crochet hook.  This pair were crocheted with a #4 or G hook.  In a sitting position they are about 8 inches tall.

     If you would like to check out my original patterns, visit my Etsy store at: 
           https://www.etsy.com/shop/YarnVarmintsPlus

     Also, check out my Facebook page at:
        https://www.facebook.com/Renycrochets/

     Right now I am working on a couple of projects, one that has been in progress for several months, a kimono for my grand-daughter. It is crocheted in Cleo cotton yarn and has a gorgeous diamond pattern worked into the fabric.  It will be one of the finest garments I have made yet.  The cleo yarn has such a beautiful drape and sheen to it!  I will try to post a pic when it is finished.

 The other is this cute stuffed Pikachu for another grand-daughter. He was a bit of a challenge, even though the pattern is easy to follow.  I have made a couple more of them since this one, and they do get easier and better with each one.  I must say, though, that the tail is quite unique.  It has an armature of plastic canvas to help it keep it's shape.

 Since I have 9 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren you can understand why those Pinterest pins will have to wait.  

     All in all, I don't see myself running out of projects any time soon.  But that's OK with me.  I love blessing these kids!  It's my function!

     So I hope your new year will be filled with fun projects and lots of love.  Have a Happy, Crafty New Year!

Yes... I'm Still Here!

I haven't posted for a while, but I have been very busy with yarn and hook!  Here are some of the projects I've completed since my last post.

 Pet the cat is always a popular gift!  Paired with one of Pete's story books, he is an instant hit!  I have made several of these for gifts and for my Etsy Shop.

 This adorable Teddy Bear came about from an impulse buy of a cake of Bernat Blanket yarn.   My great-grandson loves balls, and I had hoped to make a 'pull-apart bear' constructed entirely of balls.  The idea was to sew velcro to each ball so it would stick to the main body of the bear, giving him a sort Mr. Potato Head type of toy and still lots of balls to play with.  Sadly, this type of yarn does not stick to velcro, so that didn't work.  But this bear turned out pretty good.   I may still try the pull-apart toy later just to see if I can make it work with a different type of yarn.

 These little sheep ornaments were an instant hit with many people!  They are easy to make and the pattern can be found here.     https://www.etsy.com/listing/556584534/crochet-sheep-pattern-ornament-toy  I sold out of these at my local craft shows!

 This awesome horse was made for my grand-daughter, the horse lover.  I did not design this pattern, but it is awesome in it's detail and the precise shaping of the horse.  I'm thinking of making a white horse in the future just because I think it would be a beautiful piece.  I found this pattern on Etsy.   https://www.etsy.com/listing/229445811/crochet-horse-crochet-animal-amigurumi

These are my latest project.  I was asked to make a sheep for a nursery.  I made one in regular yarn and the other in fuzzy yarn just to see the difference.  I like them both, but the fuzzy one is a bit more cuddly.  This pattern can be found in my Etsy shop here.  https://www.etsy.com/listing/578585967/silly-sheep-crochet-pattern-lambs



At this point I'm just winding down a bit for the holidays and thinking on what I would like to do in 2018.   So, if you don't hear from me until next year, I want to wish you all a

Merry Christmas

and a very

Happy New Year!!!