Free Amigurumi Crochet Snail Pattern

It's spring again here in Australia, and for me that means spending a whole lot more time in the garden. My other passion, apart from crochet, is Permaculture. It's something I still have a lot to learn about but the concepts and philosophies resonate with me. I guess there is something similar with crochet, in that I like to make handmade things that will last. I don't like the idea of cheaply, made, manufactured goods that are so poor quality they hardly last a week! I think it's such a waste of our natural resources. That is why I like crochet. I can make toys and clothes that are timeless, that will be passed on from one generation to the next. So yeah, I do think Permaculture definitely has a link to the handmade world.

But anyway, back to gardening. Getting back in the garden again means my son is now back into collecting garden critters. He has a fascination with all those things that creep and crawl, worms, beetles, cicadas, ladybugs and of course, snails. My son adores snails. The only problem with snails, is they don't make the best pets. Apart from the obvious, i.e. the slimy, ick factor, there have also been a few occasions when his pet snails have gone missing. I am always amazed how far these little critters can travel when no one is watching. We have also had other unfortunate incidents where the snails have succumbed to the stamping of little feet. There may also have been an occasion (i've tried to block this one out) where little brother placed one in his mouth before spitting out in disgust. Snail and toddler are both fine. Me on the other hand! So after all these little incidentsI felt inspired to make an Amigurumi snail. We call him "swirly no.2" in memory of Swirly no.1. This Amigurumi Snail makes a wonderful pet. He is nice and soft. Not slimy or sticky, and best of all, he is unbreakable!

I am now offering this pattern for free, so I hope you enjoy!

This Amigurumi Snail is a fast project that is fun to make. Experiment with colours and use self-striping yarns for the shell to get different and surprising effects! The shell and slug parts are worked separately and the antennae are worked as you go, so no tiny, fiddly bits to work with.

Gauge – Gauge is not important for this pattern. You can adjust hook and yarn size as desired, but keep in mind the size of finished object will vary. With DK/8ply yarn and 4mm hook my finished product measures 7.5cm from bottom to top of snail shell.

Copyright - Yes, you can sell items created from this pattern but please acknowledge Roaming Pixies as designer. Mass production is not permitted. Please do not reproduce or distribute any part of this pattern without permission.

Written in US terminology

Finishing – To close up final hole weave thread through each outer loop of the last 6 sc, inserting your needle top to bottom through the stitch. Pull yarn to close up hole and insert the thread back through the middle of hole, inside head of toy. Exit needle about 2 inches away on the back of head. Pull gently and trim.

Special Stitches

Magic Circle – This is the preferred method as it closes up the hole nicely. If you don’t know how to work the Magic Circle, you can use this alternative method:  Ch 4, join last ch to 1^st ch with ss, Now work the number of sc (or dc) as stated in Rnd 1 into the ch ring, join the last sc (dc) to 1st sc  (dc)with ss.

 Swirly the Snail  - Amigurumi Pattern

Work the shell halves in a continuous spiral i.e do not join the rounds

Shell 1^st Half

Rnd 1  Using MC - work 6 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc in Magic Circle (10 sts)

Rnd 2   Work all stitches from this round onwards in BLO

              2sc in next 6sts, 2hdc in next 2 sts, 2dc in last 2 sts (20)

Rnd 3   (sc, 2sc in next st) around (30)

Rnd 4   sc in next 22 sts, hdc in next 4 sts, dc in next 4 sts (30)

Rnd 5   (sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in next st) around (40)

Rnd 6   sc in next 32 sts, hdc in next 4 sts, dc in next 4 sts (40)

Shell 2^nd Half

Rnd 1  Using MC – work 2 dc, 2 hdc, 8 sc in Magic Circle (10 sts)

Rnd 2   Work all stitches from this round onwards in BLO

              2dc in first 2 sts 2hdc in next 2 sts, 2sc in last 6sts, (20)

Rnd 3   (sc, 2sc in next st) around (30)

Rnd 4   dc in next 4 sts, hdc in next 4 sts, sc in next 22 sts (30)

Rnd 5   (sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in next st) around (40)

Rnd 6   dc in next 4 sts, hdc in next 4 sts, sc in next 32 sts (40)

Fasten Off leaving a 12 inch length of thread for seaming two halves together.

Face up the two halves wrong side facing. Ensure the shapes are evenly matched i.e. the little curve of the snail shell will be lined up together. Now seam the two halves together using your length of yarn. For a neat seam work your stitch through the last round of stitches, through the back loop of first half (the half facing you) and front loop of second half i.e. the two inner loops that are parallel. Stuff firmly before you seam the snail shell closed.

Snail Slug

Works in a continuous round i.e. do not join rounds. Stuff as you go. You don’t want to stuff the body too firmly as you won’t be able to bend it around to fit the shell so keep the stuffing nice and light in the bottom half. 

Rnd 1   Using MC – Work 6 sc in Magic Circle

Rnd 2   2sc in each stitch around (12)

Rnd 3   sc in 1^st st, 2sc in next, sc in next st (place marker), ch5, sc in 3^rd stitch from chain and in next two chain (first antennae), 2sc in next st, sc in next st (pm), ch5 sc in 3^rd stitch from chain and in next two chain (second antennae), *2sc in next st, sc in next st* till end (18 sts with two antennae)

Rnd 4 sc in each sc around – after you work into the marked stitch you will need to work the next stitch around the antennae, push the antennae towards you ensuring it remains on the right side of work (18)

Rnd 5   sc in 2sts, 2sc in next st around (24)

Rnd 6-7   sc in each st around [2 rounds] (24)

Rnd 8   sc in 2sts, dc2tog (18)

Rnd 9 (sc in 7sts, dc2tog) twice (16)

Rnd 10  sc in each st around (16)

Rnd 11  (sc in 6sts, dc2tog) twice (14)

Rnd 12 -18 sc in each st around (14)

Stuff firmly and from now on keep the stuffing very light.

Rnd 19 sc in 5sts, dc2tog twice (12)

Rnd 20-32   sc in each st around [13 rounds] (12)  

Rnd 33   (sc in next st, dc2tog) around (8)

Rnd 34-35   sc around

Rnd 36 (sc in 2sts, dc2tog) twice (6)

Rnd 37-39 sc around [3 rounds] (6)

Do your final stuffing before closing up hole. Keep adequate length of yarn for seaming the slug to the shell (about 12 inches). I attached my shells in two different ways (as pictured) to create slightly different looks. It’s up to you whether you want to sew your snail with a high neck and less protrusion of the tail or give your snail more tail length with a low head rise.

To finish antennae steam iron to flatten and add starch to stiffen. Sew eyes or felt eyes as desired.

You have finished your snail! Have fun with your new pet : )

30 Free Crochet Patterns To Make An Amazing Halloween Costume

With Halloween just around the corner I am sure many DIY fanatics are busy creating outfits for their little ones or themselves. Here is a list of 30 crochet patterns you can make for a Halloween. From the Halloween classics to the sweet and cheerful, to outright creepy, there is a great selection here to create an amazing crochet Halloween costume. The best bit is that all these patterns are free. So grab your yarn and hook, and get crocheting for Halloween! 

Please note - you will need to click on the image to be re-directed to pattern. Some sites may require registration (for free) to access the pattern. 

Halloween Classics

Ye old' witch. You can't go wrong. I do like how Corina has made hers hot pink and the little kink at the top. It just adds that pizzazz to an old time classic. 

Wicked Wizard Witches Hat - Free Crochet Pattern by Corina from Stitch11

The Mummy. Sure you could always wrap yourself up in toilet paper, but this is guaranteed to last a whole lot longer.

Mummy Beanie - Free Crochet Pattern by BobWilson123

And matching mummy gloves to capture all those yummy goodies.

Tricks and Treats Mummy Gloves - Free Crochet Pattern by Twinkie Chan at A Beautiful Mess blog.

It's just not Halloween without a pumpkin head.

Jack-o-Lantern hat - Free Crochet Pattern by Jessie Rayot at Red Heart Website

The big (so misunderstood) meanie in green

Frankenstein Stein Hat - Free Crochet Pattern by Heidi Yates at Red Heart website

Biters, creepers, lurkers, lamebrains, rotters, skin eaters, the dreaded walking dead. Call them what you will, you know what I'm talking about.

Zombie Character Beanie Hat - Free Crochet Pattern by CrafterChick

Keeping my eye on you Zombie Beanie - Free Crochet Pattern by Jezebear Designs

Monsters. Monsters. Monsters. There are so many monster designs out there that I could dedicate a whole post just to monsters. But after sifting through a lot of designs I think this one is really cool and would work great as a Halloween costume. 

Eaten Alive - Free Crochet Pattern by Barbara Palmer

And now you have your monster hoodie, you just need some chunky, funky monster feet.

Monster Feet - Free Crochet Pattern by Barbara Palmer

Fighters and Warriors

Girls or boys, another all time favourite. The Pirate. Arrrrrr!

Child's Pirate Costume - Free Crochet Pattern by Kim Guzman at Red Heart

Viking...Dwarf...who cares? With a beard this bushy this costume is sure to make you stand out of the crowd.

The Viking/Dwarf Hat - Free Crochet pattern by Melissa Campbell

And if that beard is not dramatic enough for you, then you can always take it a few notches 

up with the Epic Viking Beard - Free Crochet Pattern by Cat P

For those with the fighting spirit

Knights Helmet - Free Crochet Pattern by Em Harrington

Star Wars

You may need to use the force to see with this one, as it will cover your eyes, but still, it looks awesome.

Yoda - Free Crochet Pattern by MamaEdgar

Don't have hair long enough to style like the Star Wars Princess? No problem. This is a great solution. 

Princess Leia Beanie - Free Crochet Pattern by Olivia from Hopeful Honey

Creepy

If scare factor is your thing, then this might be the one for you. The hand in the sock kind of creeps me out, it's a nice finishing touch.

Ood - Free Crochet Pattern by Lilana Wofsey Dohnert

Why limit yourself to purple and green. You can do this in any colour. This pattern actually reminds me of those yarn dreads that are all the rage, so get this one right and you could wear it again to a summer music fest.

Purple & Green Monster Wig - Free Crochet Pattern by Lion Brand

Ouch!

Knife Headband - Free Crochet Pattern by Sol Maldonado

Imagine running into this in a dark alley way at night...yikes!

Alien mask - Free Crochet Pattern by Lara Sue from Cirsium Crochet

Sweet Stuff 

Always a favourite...what girl (little or old) doesn't want to be a fairy?!

Enchanted Ivy Wings - Free Crochet Pattern by Lisa Jelle from Cre8tion

Here's another beautiful design for fairy wings.

Tattered Fairy Wings - Free Crochet Pattern by Esther from Craftown

And now you have your wings sorted. You can make this tutu to match.

Olivia's Tutu - Free Crochet Pattern by Corina from Stitch11

Top it off with a crown to make a fairy princess, queen, or perhaps a king.

Princess Crown - Another free pattern from Corina at Stitch11

This ladybug suit is just so cute. With the currently popular kids show, Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom. this costume would work perfectly for a little ladybug Gaston.

Ladybug in Training - Free Crochet Pattern by Drops Design

Heroes

The one and only...Batman. Da na na na na na! Batman!! Great one for the boys.

Batmask - Free Crochet Pattern by Heidi Yates from Snappy Tots

Bat Cape - Free Crochet Pattern by Laura Michels (Crazy Crochet Lady)

But step aside Batman as here comes the one with the sticky fingers...Spiderman!

The finished design is by Melissa Blossom. Melissa has made a fantastic modification to the free crochet pattern Spiderman Beanie by Melody Adams.

Or perhaps Captain America is your superhero of choice

Captain America! - Free crochet pattern by Corina from Stitch11 

And gloves too please! 

Captain America Gloves - Free Crochet Pattern by Tia Davis from Craftown

But don't forget...girls are heroes too! This work and picture is just exquisite! 

Merida Wig Costume - Free Crochet Pattern by Funky Polkadot Giraffe 

Free Crochet Pattern - Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom - The Magic Wand

My son has a slight obsession with the kids show, Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom. I have to admit, I like it too. It is one of those rare tv shows that has the ability to humour both young and old. Kudos to the makers!

For my son's recent birthday party, we had a Ben and Holly birthday party theme. I decided to make my sons a crochet Amigurumi toy of Holly's Magic Wands. It took a bit of tweaking but I am really happy with how the pattern turned out and would like to share this pattern for free. This Amigurumi crochet pattern is easy and quick to make and is a perfect gift for any small (or big) Ben and Holly Little Kingdom fans out there

I hope you enjoy.

The Little Kingdom - Holly's Magic Wand Amigurumi Pattern

Materials

Yarn in 3 colours – Main Colour (centre face) and in 2 contrast colours - I used approximately 25 gr of DK/8ply in total equivalent to approximately 50m/54 yards

Small amount of felt in three colours

Small amount of thread and needle
Jingle Bell - small enough to fit inside your wand

Darning needle

Crochet Hook

Gauge

Gauge is not important for this pattern. You can adjust hook and yarn size as desired, but keep in mind the size of finished object will vary. Working with the DK/8ply yarn and 4mm hook my finished toy measures approximately 4 inches (10 cm) across the diameter (one tip of star to other tip of star). 

Pattern is written in Us terminology.

The Star – Make 2

Work in continous rounds. 

Rnd 1   6sc in Magic Circle

Rnd 2   2sc in each st around (12)

Rnd 3   *sc in next st,  2sc in next st* repeat around (18)

Rnd 4   *sc in next 2 sts, 2sc in next st* repeat around (24)

Rnd 5   *sc in next 3 sts, 2sc in next st* repeat around (30)

Rnd 6   *sc in next 4 sts, 2sc in next st* repeat around (36)

Rnd 7   sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, *sc in next 5 sts, 2sc in next st* repeat 5 times, sc in last 3 sts (42) - Change to Contrast Colour 1

Rnd 8   sc in next st, 2sc in next, *sc in next 6 sts, 2 sc in next st* repeat 5 times, sc in last 5 sts (48) - Change to Contrast Colour 2

Now you will work in Rows – turn at the end of each row – ch1 at beginning of round does not count as first st.

Row 1   sc in next 8 sts (8)

Row 2   ch1, turn, sc in first st, sc2tog 3 times, sc in last st (5)

Row 3   ch1, turn, sc2tog, sc in next st, sc2tog (3)

Row 4   ch1, turn, sc3tog (1)

Row 5   ch1, sc in st  (1)

Do not turn.  Slip stitch down the side of your rows just worked, include a slip stitch into the same st that the last sc was worked at the end of Row 1. Then slip stitch into the next sc that hasn’t been worked into from round 8.

Repeat Row 1-4    5 times

Fasten Off. Leaving a long tail on one of your stars for seaming.

The Face Details

I find it best to do the eye details before you seam your pieces together. For the eyes I used a small amount of felt in three colours – pink, white and black. I cut the bottom layer of pink felt slightly bigger than the white, so that it creates an outline once you glue the white felt on top. Then finally the black pupils are glued on top. The hot glue gun came in handy but craft glue will do the job too. 

* NOTE - Before putting eyes in place be aware of where you will have your wand stick so that your eyes are centered evenly. I forgot this with my first piece so the face is slightly wonky.

With the eyes in place, I then did the stitching of the eyelashes and the mouth. As you can see, the reverse side of my piece looks a bit of a mess with all the stitches, but once the piece is seamed you won’t see this bit. As long as the front looks like who cares what it looks like on the reverse, right?! As they say, just make it work!

Now, for the completion.

For the final steps I will send you over to The Tangled Happy Blog. 

She has a fantastic tutorial on how to finish a magic wand and it was her piece that inspired me to make a Little Kingdom Wand. Don't forget to stuff in your jingle bell with your stuffing. To get an extra nice tinkle, I added two. 

So that is it. Now your wand is complete, it’s time for the magic spells to begin....

“Jelly, Jelly lot’s of Jelly!!!”

Amigurumi Crochet Beach Animals

I posted recently about my new Amigurumi beach animal collection. The first in my beach animal collection was beach turtle. The next character is Beach Bear.

"Beach bear, beach bear there on the sand...From July to the end of September ...da da da di" lol  I can't help myself. I do like that song.

So here he is, Amigurumi Beach Bear, all dressed up in his striped bathers and yellow floaties.

CROCHET PATTERN  

And the next in the series is another animal who always loves to splash in water. A cute and cuddly blue bubble toe Elephant. 

CROCHET PATTERN 

So here they are. The three beach buddies ready of some fun in the sun. 

You can purchase these patterns by clicking on the links above or visiting my Etsy store Roaming Pixies . If you do make this pattern I'd love to see your work.

Beach Turtle Amigurumi Crochet Pattern

While the days are getting shorter, darker and chillier, here in Melbourne, I can't help but day dream of the summer season long past. I have always been a bit of a summer lover. And what is not more iconic of summer than a delightful day at the beach, when the water is warm, and the breeze is calm.  Ahhhhh, I miss summer! So in celebration of summer I have created some Amigurumi toys - all dressed up in their bathers, floaties, and swimming caps, ready for a great fun day at the beach.

The first in this series is the turtle. Beach turtle. 

CROCHET TURTLE AMIGURUMI PATTERN 

Amigurumi Beach Turtle is worked bottom up with legs and arms joined as you go. The only sewing is to attach the turtle back. Floaties and bathing cap are removable. You can find the crochet pattern for the turtle at my Roaming Pixies Etsy Shop or click on the BUY NOW link to be redirected to Ravelry. 

You can request a custom order for this finished toy at my Etsy shop also too.

Thanks for looking and visit soon to see the rest of the beach clan. 

Spider Amigurmi - Crochet Pattern

I 

My three year old and I often wonder what happens to all his missing socks. Does the washing machine absorb them? Do they disintegrate on the clothes line? Where do they go?Then one day we knew! We discovered Mr Sneaky Spider, hiding behind the couch, all decked out in his sneakers and socks....Naughty Mr Sneaky.

Now that we knew what happened to all those missing socks we were ready to tell Mr Sneaky Spider what we thought of his silly, naughty, sneaky sock-stealing shenanigins. But then we looked into those eight beady eyes and we knew he begged forgiveness.

We realised then, that he really is rather friendly, Mr Sneaky.  My son finds him rather the most cuddly, hug-able spidery friend you could wish for. 

Crochet Pattern Notes

Mr Sneaky is worked bottom up. He is entirely seamless so no sewing is involved. The eight legs are worked into your work as you go. He is also a fantastic scrap buster as you can use left over bits of yarn to create his socks and shoes. Mr Sneaky Spider pattern is available to buy from Roaming Pixies Etsy shop or you can click the BUY NOW button above to buy the crochet pattern from my Ravelry Store.

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