Thursday, October 27, 2011

Crocheted & felted Witch's Cauldron


Just in time for Halloween! Make one as a table decoration and fill it with all sorts of gruesome goodies, or put a long handle on it and take it with you as a candy basket when you go Trick or Treating :) It measures 20cm across and 25cm from top to bottom before felting, and 17 and 22cm respectively after felting.

This basket is crocheted rather loosely and then felted. If you don't want to felt it you should adjust the hook size to get a firmer fabric. This will make a smaller basket, so you will probably need to use thicker yarn if you want a bigger, non-felted cauldron.

You will need:
* 6mm crochet hook
* Bulky pure wool yarn in black (make sure it's not Superwash - that won't felt!)
* Needle for sewing
* Small amount of polyester stuffing

Please note: 
The cauldron, the lid and the lid handle are all made in joined rounds. Always substitute the first stitch of a round with 'chain 2' (this counts as the first stitch), and always close the round with a sl st in the first stitch. The legs and pot handles are made in continous rounds, so use a stitch marker to keep track :)

Special stitches:
There are two unsusual stitches in this pattern: The bobble stitch, and something I call triple increase, which is nothing more fancy than three sts in the same space :) 
Make the bobble as follows:
*yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through two loops on hook; repeat from * five more times, until you have a total of 7 loops on the hook. Yarn over and pull through all loops at once.  (The bobble will want to pop to the back of your work, and for this pattern that's the whole point :) In other patterns you have to poke the bobble to the front of the work with your crochet hook or something.) Continue crocheting like normal.

The Cauldron:
Make ring, chain 2, 
7 hdc in ring, pull ring closed, sl st in top of chain 2 to join - 8 sts
Inc in each stitch around - 16 sts
*1 hdc, inc* eight times - 24 sts
*2 hdc, inc* eight times - 32 sts
*3 hdc, inc* eight times - 40 sts
*4 hdc, inc* eight times - 48 sts
*5 hdc, inc* eight times - 56 sts
*6 hdc, inc* eight times - 64 sts
Hdc around
*7 hdc, inc* eight times - 72 sts
Hdc around
*8 hdc, inc* eight times - 80 sts
Hdc around for 10 rounds
*8 hdc, dec* eight times - 72 sts
Hdc around
*7 hdc, dec* eight times - 64 sts
*7 hdc, bobble* eight times - 64 sts
*7 hdc, inc* eight times - 72 sts
*8 hdc, tr inc* eight times - 88 sts
Break yarn and weave in end...

Legs:
6 sc in ring
Inc around - 12 sts
*1 sc, inc* six times - 18 sts
Sc around 4 rounds
*1 sc, dec* six times - 12 sts
Sl st in next, break yarn, leave end for sewing...

Make three legs, stuff them lightly and sew them to the bottom of the cauldron, approx. 7 rounds from the center.

Handles:
6 sc in ring
Inc around - 12 sts
Sc around
Dec around - 6 sts
Sc around for 20 rounds
Inc around - 12 sts
Sc around
Dec around - 6 sts
Break yarn, weave end through the front loops of the 6 last sts, pull tight to close the hole...

Make two handles and use yarns end to sew the handles on each side of the pot, approx. 3 rounds from the top.


The lid:

Make ring, chain 2, 
7 hdc in ring, pull ring closed, sl st in top of chain 2 to join - 8 sts
Inc in each stitch around - 16 sts
*1 hdc, inc* eight times - 24 sts
*2 hdc, inc* eight times - 32 sts
*3 hdc, inc* eight times - 40 sts
*4 hdc, inc* eight times - 48 sts
*5 hdc, inc* eight times - 56 sts
*6 hdc, inc* eight times - 64 sts
*7 hdc, inc* eight times - 72 sts
Hdc around
Break yarn, weave in ends and set aside...

Make another part like the first, but do not break the yarn when finished. Place the first piece behind the last and crochet them together with a round of single crochet, stitching through both layers.

Handle:
Make ring, chain 2, 
9 hdc in ring, pull ring closed, sl st in top of chain 2 to join - 10 sts
Inc in each stitch around - 20 sts
*1 hdc, inc* eight times - 30 sts
Break yarn, leave end for sewing... 

Place the circle with the right side down on the middle of the lid and use the yarn end to stitch across the middle of the circle, stitching all the way through the lid.

Then, fold the handle up along the stitched line and sew the edges together to make a half-circle. Weave in the ends, and you're done! :)


Felting:

Put the parts in the washing machine on a normal or quick cycle at 40-60 degrees C. If possible, use a setting with less water as this increases the felting. Put a pair of jeans or towels of matching colors in to help with agitation. You can also skip the spinning cycle at the end if possible, because this can cause creases in the felted fabric that will be hard to fix later. And remember it's better to use lower temperature and felt several times than to over-felt it the first time :)


I felted the cauldron once, and then I stretched and pulled it into the shape I wanted before leaving it to dry properly.When it's dry, it will keep its shape nicely. Enjoy your cauldron and have a happy Halloween! :D

Monday, October 24, 2011

Changes

Don't know if you even noticed, but I made a few changes to the layout and theme of this blog tonight to make it tidier and easier to read. Think I've succeeded :) What do you think? I also added a couple of widgets to the sidebar with links to my Etsy and Ravelry shop, in case anyone should be interested in any of the amigurumi patterns I have for sale. 

Most of the patterns from this blog can be found on Ravelry, so you can upload your photos there, or you can post them on my Facebook page. I'd love to see the things that you people make from my patterns! Just a suggestion :)

Oh, and by the way, I have a new free Halloween pattern coming up in a day or two, so stay tuned! :)

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Nesting love birds

Here's a cute, quick and easy Valentine's Day pattern for you, hope you like it :)


What you need:
3.75mm & 4mm crochet hooks
Bulky weight yarn in red, pink and brown
Scraps of orange felt
Two pairs of eyes (8-10mm)
Stuffing

The birds:
With red yarn & 3.75mm hook,
6 sc in ring
6 inc - 12 sts
*1 sc, inc* six times - 18 sts
*2 sc, inc* six times - 24 sts
Sc around 8 rounds
If you're using safety eyes, attach them now. Insert them between rounds 6 and 7, counting up from the edge
*3 sc, inc* six times - 30 sts
Sc around 4 rounds
*3 sc, dec* six times - 24 sts
*2 sc, dec* six times - 18 sts
*1 sc, dec* six times - 12 sts
Stuff the bird
*1 sc, dec* four times - 8 sts
Break yarn, weave end through the front loops of the remaining sts and pull tight to close the hole. Weave in end. 

Make the pink bird like the red. If you want it shorter, like mine, just drop one straight round in the head and one in the body. 


Beaks:
Cut small triangles of felt and glue them to the birds' faces.

Nest:
With brown yarn and 4mm hook,
make ring, chain 3, 11 dc in ring, sl st in top of chain to join - 12 sts
Chain 3, dc in same space as joining, dc inc in each st around, sl st in chain to join - 24 sts
Chain 3, dc inc in next, *dc, dc inc* eleven times - sl st to join - 36 sts
Chain 3, dc in next, dc inc, *2 dc, dc inc* eleven times - 48 sts
Chain 3, *front post dc, back post dc* around, front post dc in last st, sl st in chain to join
Chain 3, dc around
Chain 3, *back post dc, front post dc* around, back post dc in last st, sl st in chain to join
Chain 1, sc around, sl st in chain to join
Break yarn, weave in ends

Place the love birds together in the nest, and they're done :)

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