Douglas

I wrote a pattern! This cephalopod is my own little rebellion against amigurumi patterns that require tons of finishing - especially octopus patterns, which often require you to assemble and sew on the legs individually. There's only one seam on Douglas (to sew on his underbelly); all of the legs are crocheted onto the body. An abundance of legs are a delight to little hands that love to grab, twist, and pull.

Douglas is quite friendly and settles in quite naturally, even when he's far from the sea.

I used a size F hook and random worsted-weight scraps of yarn. Any sturdy, washable yarn would work just fine.

Gauge? Don't sweat it. It's a toy.
Body
Row 1 ch 2, 8 sc in second ch from hook. place marker to indicate beg of round. do not join.
Row 2 *2 sc in next st. Repeat from * around. (16 sts)
Row 3 *1 sc in next st, 2 sc in next st. Repeat from * around. (24 sts)
Row 4 *sc in each of next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st. Repeat from * around. (32 sts)
Row 5 *sc in each of next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st. Repeat from * around. (40 sts)
Row 6 *sc in each of next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st. Repeat from * around. (48 sts)
Row 7 *sc in each of next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st. Repeat from * around. (56 sts)
Rows 8-12 1 sc in each stitch around. (56 sts)
Row 13 sc 10. work a 5 trc cluster (*3 yo, insert hook in stitch, pull up a loop, [yo, pull loop through two sts] 3 times, repeat from * 5 times. Yo and pull through all 5 loops on hook). sc in remaining sts. (56 sts)
Row 14 sc 10. skip next sc. sc in remaining sts. (55 sts)
Rows 15-17 work 1 sc in each st around.
Row 18 (create legs) *ch 20. work 5 hdc in 2nd chain from hook and in each remaining ch. skip 3 sts on body and sc in next 2 sts. repeat from * 11 times.
Row 19 holding legs to the front and working behind them, *work 3 sc in the space left by skipping sts on the previous row. then work a sc around the back of each of the next two sc on the previous row. Repeat from * around. Join with sl st and finish off. (56 sts.)

Belly
Work same as for Body through row 6. Join with a sl st and cut yarn, leaving an 18" tail for seaming.

Finishing
Attach safety eyes (or embroider eyes) as desired. Take a long stitch between the eyes with a loop of yarn and pull as tightly as desired to create a "pinched" look; tie a knot and reinforce with a second stitch for stability.

To make Douglas rattle for small children or babies, put a few dried beans or pennies in a plastic easter egg and tape or glue shut. Wrap in stuffing.

Stuff Douglas firmly. Sew on underbelly with a blunt needle, taking stitches through the front loop of underbelly stitches and the back loop of body stitches. This creates an inconspicuous seam. Pull all loose ends deep into stuffing. Voila! Smile, show him off, and introduce Douglas to his new home.

Experiments

I just got home after a very long absence in Texas and then in North Carolina. It's good to be home. I'm feeling all productive. I broke out the needle and thread yesterday, partly just to see if I remembered how to use them. It's been a long time since I directed my craftiness in a fabric-y direction - well, since the heartbreaking demise of my sewing machine, so I decided to experiment with pincushions I could sew entirely by hand. There's just something charming about pincushions.
Here also are some thread crocheted pincushions. They take a little longer, but I love the feel (and look) of them. And here's the whole, happy bunch. I think they're kind of cute.

I designed a pattern! They would be octopusses (octopi?), but they have eleven legs. I'm going to test the pattern some more and then I'll post it. It will be my first pattern on Ravelry!And... finally... a little progress on Scrunch, my lace ribbon scarf. Please don't mind the terrible picture, taken on a hotel room bed with my dog in the background. It really is going to be beautiful, if I may say so myself. The pattern is lovely.

Just for the sake of documentation, I'll note that I also completed five washcloths during the past week, but I won't bore you with pictures of those.

Where to start...

I love Ravelry. I love the patterns and the forums and the buttons on the bottoms of each post. And the cake. It's a new (to me) discovery that I'm loving just a little bit more every day. As a matter of fact, I enjoy surfing Ravelry almost as much as knitting or crocheting. Or thinking about knitting or crocheting. Or enhancing my stash. As a result, I've been spending an embarassing amount of time on Ravelry.

More time than I spend knitting.

Or crocheting.

Or thinking about knitting or crocheting.

Or enhancing my already unhealthy stash.

So, I say to myself, why not fall into the obsession a little deeper? And broaden my horizons a bit? Spend part of that time sharing my problem, er, art. And hopefully learn (something) in the process. Why not?

Disclaimer:
I know absolutely nothing, repeat, nothing, about blogging. I will value your every comment and suggestion. I NEED your help. The contents of this page may be distinctly uninspiring and boring. Or worse. Just fair warning.