Little monsters

This year's leavers gifts for my yr 11 class are going to be the hardest to make, as I'm losing my gorgeous form as well, so I've made them lickle cute monsters, as they are my horrible monsters.

The pattern is ridiculously easy, no sew apart from the very end for the keyring and extremely forgiving of errors if you use fluffy yarn.

Plus depending on the yarn and how it fluffs they have personality! This blue one looks super mad, but the red one is curious!

Use any yarn and a hook slightly smaller than recommended to avoid gaps 

(As an example use a 3mm hook for DK, 4-4.5mm for thick fluffy yarn)

Start with a magic circle and sc 6 into it

2sc in each SC around (catch the end of the yarn under the stitches to avoid sewing in)

4dc bobble in next, sc 2, 4dc bobble, then start SC round and round until you have it then height you want (I normally go round 3 or 4 times for a round ball of a monster)

Add safety eyes now, just above the feet, or leave it to embroider then on later (recommended for toddlers and under)

Sc2tog 6 times. Fasten off and leave a long tail

Stuff loosely

Thread a keyring onto the tail, weave in and out of the 6 stitches, pull tight and sew it shut catching the keyring in.

Fasten off.

Done! 

Plush yarn makes smooth monsters, DK yarn makes tiny smooth ones, but my favourite are the fluffy yarn, they're so cute, like jumping spiders!

The finished TARDIgan!

Finally finished, with 3 days to go to comic con! 

Full pattern will follow, but there is a brief pattern on my previous post (TARDIgan part 2) for a single panel.

It was made from 4 full length panels, 2 on the back joined, 2 open on the front, and then 2 slightly wider half length panels for the sleeves.

Extra parts included the yoke and shoulders, and 2 plain blue side panelsnto make it fit me.

The collar was then the police box sign, done in 2hdc per pixel colour work!

The patch is an actual St John's ambulance patch, and the writing is a fabric iron on transfer!

Was a great success at con, I have signatures already on one of the inner pockets from people who have worked on Dr Who shows including my fave, John Leeson, the original voice of K9

John Leeson!

The TARDIgan PT 2, a vague pattern!

After A LOT of trial and error (or swearing and frogging) along with measuring of my TARDIS models and some heavy mathsing I came up with an insane, long panel that the whole cardigan is based around.

For a basic panel follow the instructions below, I will add in notes about how to integrate pockets and the white panel later but this on its own is one door of the TARDIS or half a side.

I made 2 like this for the back

Us terms, all stitches are HDC

With Blue chain 45

1- HDC in second chain and across ( should now be 44 HDC for each row until the end)

2 - HDC blue across

3 - repeat row 2

Start of windows

4 - HDC 6 blue, change to black, HDC 32 black, change to blue for last 6 HDC (use a separate ball for this to save carrying long lengths) 

5 - HDC 6 blue, (2 black, 8 white) x 3, 2 black, 6 blue

6 to 16 - repeat row 5

17 HDC 6 blue, 32 black, 6 blue (as row 4)

18- 29 repeat row 5

30 - repeat row 4

31 - 33 HDC blue across

34 repeat row 4

35 HDC 6 blue, 2 black, 28 blue, 2 black, 6 blue

36 - 59 repeat row 35

60 - repeat row 4

61-63 HDC blue across

Now repeat rows 34-63 two more times to get 4 panels

Finish with 2 rows of black and 2 rows of blue and fasten off

Congratulations! You have made one TARDIS panel!

The making of the TARDIgan part 1

The TARDIS. Dr Who's vehicle of choice and one of my favourite things to craft. Over the years I have made many TARDIS's, I've met it a few times (living in South Wales does have its benefits!)

I have embroidered it

Knit a bag

Made it out of clay

Paper

And even, when I broke my ankle, asked for my cast to be in TARDIS blue so I could draw this on the back

Basically I'm a big fan!

I've even made the 4th doctor's scarf

I have never made a crochet tardis though, as I knew that I didn't have the time, skill or ability to make what I wanted, a full length TARDIS cardigan, or TARDIgan if you will.

This year, my youngest decided she wanted to go to comic con, originally we were going to one that would have K9 and a Dr who section (since changed for a bigger one with more stuff to see!).but anyway, I decided this was the time for the TARDIgan, and so the plan began. I drew some stuff, I measured my TARDIS model (of course I have a model) and then tried to wing it. It did not go well

I made it this far before I realised it wasnt wide enough, and would only be hip length, hardly the drama I wanted. So I frogged and replanned.....

Part 2 to follow!