As promised, I've returned with the full details on the BB-8 I created for May the 4th (see original post here). I was very hesitant to create BB-8 as I thought it would take me forever (or never) to figure out a pattern to make BB-8. Luckily, I found a pattern by the creator of the "Ideal Sphere" patterns (which I love!). I thought it was too good to be true when I saw she had posted a BB-8 she had made on her blog AND that she had a pattern available to purchase. I immediately purchased a pdf copy of the pattern from her Etsy shop: MsPremiseConclusion. Since I have been using her patterns for spheres, I found the language used in the pattern very easy to follow. The pattern is very thorough and includes a list of what yarn you will need, final size of BB-8, and hook size. She has also included extra information regarding right side vs. wrong side and switching colours. Within the pattern, each part of BB-8 is broken down into pieces which you are instructed to make and sew together at the end; all steps have at least one colour picture for reference. Her pattern is AMAZING! She has even included unique patterns for each 'circle' that is on BB-8's body. She is obviously very into Star Wars and has put extreme care and attention to ensure BB-8 looks as accurate as possible - something I cannot express enough how much I appreciate! I probably should have tried harder to find an orange yarn in a medium weight. Since I ended up purchasing something that was bulky, I actually used a 3.0mm hook whenever I was using the orange yarn. Otherwise, if I had used a 3.5mm hook for the orange yarn, the size (especially for the circles) would have been off. I honestly cannot think of what I would do differently regarding the pattern itself. My BB-8 looks quite similar to hers which is just proof that her pattern works! I highly recommend this pattern and believe the cost to purchase the pattern was fair and SO worth it! BB-8 Materials:
- Loops & Threads, Ringspun yarn in Off White (medium weight [4], 145m/100g); I used one complete ball plus a little bit from a second ball. - Lion Brand, Lion's Pride Woolspun yarn in Pumpkin (bulky weight [5], 116m/100g); a bulky weight ended being chosen because I gave more priority on finding the the right 'orange'. I used about half of one ball. - Red Heart, with wool in Jet (worsted weight [4], 131m/100g); I used very little of this yarn, probably less than 2 m. If you already have a spare ball in black, do not purchase a new one. - Red Heart, Soft in Light Grey Heather (worsted weight [4], 194m/113g); I only used about a quarter of a ball.
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Normally I wouldn't post such a brief post, but I HAD to share this picture of the BB-8 I made because it's May the 4th! I made it just in time, but unfortunately not enough time to provide the complete details. Long story short, I followed a pattern (which I purchased from Etsy - it made making BB-8 a dream come true!
I promise to add further details on which pattern, a quick review of it, and all the materials I used to create this BB-8. Check back soon! Continuing on my quest to find "one day" projects, I decided to try this little whale found on Pinterest. There is a free pattern available online from "Pops de Milk" (popsdemilk.com/cutest-little-sperm-whale/). Before reading the free pattern online, I actually attempted to make one just by looking at the picture. Unfortunately I wasn't very satisfied with the body I made and wasn't sure how to make the tail, so I decided to take a look at the pattern. The pattern is clear and easy to follow: there is a list of materials needed, a stitch guide, and notes on what size hooks should be used. The pattern begins with the body which is worked in the round. After finishing rounds 1 to 14, my work looked more like a square rather than a circle. The increases in each round were "on top" of each other which made the front of my whale not as clean as I would have liked (please refer to picture below). When making spheres, I have been following this amazing set of patterns:(mspremiseconclusion.wordpress.com/2010/03/14/the-ideal-crochet-sphere/). The writer has gone above and beyond creating patterns for different sized spheres; she has even done the math! Every sphere I've made following her patterns have been pretty close to perfect looking spheres (or "ideal" in the writer's case). If I were to make this whale again, I would modify it using one of the "ideal" sphere patterns. Other than the look of the front of the whale, I was very happy with the overall shape of the body. I should mention, I did not use the exact same size hooks the pattern called for (I don't own a 3.75mm or 3.00mm); for the body I actually used a 3.50mm hook and 2.75mm for the fins and flukes. Next came the flukes for the whale's tail. As mentioned above, I used a 2.75mm hook instead of a 3.00mm hook. Once I finished the flukes, I thought they looked a bit too big and not proportional to the size of the body. I considered re-making the flukes and altering the pattern to make them smaller, but I felt that was going to take too much work and time. I definitely did not want to re-make the whale's body bigger either so I kept my flukes as is. The pattern calls for 6 rounds to create the fins; however, I felt they were too long and reduced mine to only 4 rounds. I also added some "spray" from the imaginary blow-hole, which actually means my whale is no longer a sperm whale. Since I made the blow-hole on top, my whale is now a blue whale. The blow-hole on a sperm whale is actually located on the left side of a sperm whale's head! Other than the look of the front of the head, I was generally happy with this pattern. Things to keep in mind: - Don't forget to count your stitches and use stitch markers. - Be consistent with your stitch tension. - If you don't have safety eyes (like me) you can add some eyes using some embroidery skills. Blue Whale Materials:
- 3.50mm hook for body - 3.00mm hook for flukes and fins - Lion Brand Yarn, "Vanna's Choice" in Aqua (body, fins and flukes) - Bernat Cotton yarn in Off White (blow-hole spray) - black embroidery thread (eyes) - fiber fill stuffing |
Melissa LuangsiripanyaHi there! I'm a self-taught casual crocheter. Here you will find more details on how I made my projects as well as stories of hardship, frustrations and success! Archives
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