Not Sponge Bob Square Pants Crochet Hat

It was a bit like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, but I tried.

Sponge Bob round pants hat.

Not Sponge Bob Square Pants Hat



To fit 2 to 4 yr old approx


AU 8 ply yarn (US Light worsted/DK) Less than 50 gm of main color (yellow)


Small amounts of contrasting colours


White, brown, blue, black and red


4.00 mm hook (US G)


US st abbreviation used


Stitches used hdc = yarn over hook, insert hook into st, pull yarn through st, (3 loops on hook) pull yarn through all 3 loops on hook. (htrb AU, UK)


Sc


Hdc foundation row , see video tutorial


Color changing , see video tutorial

Magic circle, see video tutorial

Medium tension used, I am neither a loose or tight crocheter.


Hat begins at crown


Begin.


Beginning ch 1 of every rnd is not counted as a st.


Working with yellow yarn:


Chain up 4, sl st to first ch to form a circle.


Row 1: ch 1, work 12 hdc into ring, sl st to join in the 1st hdc (you will do this on every round)


Row 2: ch 1, work 2 hdc into each hdc around sl st to join (24 hdc)


Row 3: ch 1, *work 1 hdc into the next 2 hdc, work 2 hdc into the next* repeat from *to* sl st to join (32 hdc)


Row 4: ch 1, *work 1 hdc into the next 3 hdc, work 2 hdc into the next* repeat from *to* sl st to join (40 hdc)


Row 5: ch 1, *work 1 hdc into the next 4 hdc, work 2 hdc into the next* repeat from *to* sl st to join (48 hdc)


Row 6: ch 1, *work 1 hdc into the next 5 hdc, work 2 hdc into the next* repeat from *to* sl st to join (56 hdc)


End Increases


Row 7: ch 1, work 1 hdc in each st around sl st to join (56 hdc)


Rows: 8 to 16: repeat row 7, in yellow


Rows: 17 and 18, repeat row 7 in white


Rows: 19 and 20 repeat row 7 in brown


Belt row (can be worked in brown and belt affect can be sewn on later)


Row: 21 *work 4 st’s in brown then 4 st’s in black* repeat from *to* to end


Row: 22 and 23 repeat row 7 in brown, finish off and sew in all ends

Making the features:


Eye’s made with 3 different sized circles: 
Using white: make 2


Make a magic circle and chain 1 (see tutorial for magic circle)


Row 1: work 6 sc into ring, sl st to first sc to join, ch 1 and tighten up magic circle (but not too tight do that when you have finished the circle)


Row 2: work 2 sc in each sc around, sl st to first sc to join, ch 1 (12 sc)


Row 3: *work 1 sc in next sc, work 2 sc in next sc* repeat from *to* to end, sl st to first sc to join, ch 1 (18 sc)


Row 4: *work 1 sc in next 2 sc, work 2 sc in next sc* repeat from *to* to end, sl st to first sc to join, do not ch 1 (24 sc), fin off leaving a long tail for sewing eye’s onto hat


Using blue: make 2


Make a magic circle and chain 1 (see tutorial for magic circle)


Row 1: work 6 sc into ring, sl st to first sc to join, ch 1 and tighten up magic circle (but not too tight do that when you have finished the eye)


Row 2: work 2 sc in each sc around, sl st to first sc to join, do not ch 1 (12 sc) fin off leaving a long tail for sewing eye’s onto hat


Using black: make 2


Make a magic circle and chain 1 (see tutorial for magic circle)


Row 1: work 6 sc into ring, sl st to first sc to join, fin off leaving a long tail for sewing eye’s onto hat and tighten up magic circle


Making teeth use white: make 2


Work a 2 hdc foundation row, finish off leaving long tail for sewing


Making tie using red: make 1


Work a 3 hdc foundaton row, ch 3 work 3 sc in 2nd ch from hook, finish off leaving long tail for sewing


Making nose using yellow: make 1


Start and end with a long tail, work an 8 hdc foundation row fin off, fold nose in half sew one side up finish off, then sew the other side leaving a small opening that will lay flat when sewing onto hat (this will make the nose stand out ward instead of flat)


Putting the eyes together:

Firstly sew in loose ends of all pieces except for the long tail for sewing together and onto hat


Sew blue circle onto white circle in a central position

Sew black circle onto the blue circle in a central position

Sew eyes onto hat making sure they touch one another


Sew nose into the space between the eyes

Hand stitch mouth onto hat coming down from an eye and straight across to the same position on the other eye and go upward to the opposite position you began with (see pictures)

Attach teeth to under mouth, using the nose for a guide, place teeth either side of the nose, so that the nose is centred to the teeth


Place tie below and in between teeth (if you need to sew on belt, do the belt before the tie)

Sew 3 eye lashes above each eye

Sit back and admire your handy work.

You can use this pattern for all purposes, but please do not sell this pattern.

Below are the video tutorials you may need.

This video shows the hdc foundation row.


This video shows how to change colors on the same row (for the belt)


This video shows you how to do the hdc st


This video shows you how to do a magic circle


A big thank you to all of the video tutorial makers.

Crochet Pants

It's just amazing how many crochet pants are out on the internet, I've found just a few to share with you.

If you want to make these, then go here.

These are not crochet but a crochet print, just fabulous!

I would wear them any day.

Rug Hooking

I just wanted to share this video with you. I have watched many rug hooking video tutorials and this one is great, covers just about every thing.

Just a quick addition to this post.
I've been working on my own rug.
I began with the rug hooking method and was concerned the medium may fall out, so I locked it in with the locker hooking method, it may be a bit of over kill, but there is so much work in one of these, I did not want it to fall apart. Here is my mat, I was making it for a toilet mat, but it maybe too good for that.

It is sort of a Picaso design with a bit of my humor in it.

I've been using all types of medium to create it.
From shirts to sheets to yarn.

Small Flower Loom

I watched a tutorial using a small flower loom, the same flower loom that I found in my mystery bag from the second hand shop. It gave me an idea to make grand daughter Bella (5 yrs) a bag for her DS game boy. 
Below is the finished bag, it is the same on both sides.

I made a lining and put a zipper in for security.

As you can see, the game boy fits perfectly in the little bag, along side of the bag is the flower loom that I used.

Below is a tutorial, which eventually gets to the flower making. There were more tutorials, but I found this one the best of them.

What I learned From Recycling Sweaters

My initial research paid off. I knew what to look for, what could be taken apart.
But what I was not prepared for was a thin sweater (too much work), I was also unaware of how long to soak the recycled yarn. After more research, I learned it is best to leave the yarn soaking over night. This will help to get rid of the wrinkles (not totally so far), clean the yarn and leave it smelling like new.

I unraveled the sweater with the help of my yarn winder.

Then I wound the yarn into large skeins by wrapping it around 2 chairs and used about 6 ties to secure it.

I then let the yarn soak over night in a eucalyptus wool wash.

The batch in here are yarn balls I bought second hand and they were smelly so I washed them too.

This is my first lot of  unraveled and soaked yarn, that is now drying in the shower.

You can put something heavy on the bottoms of the skeins to assist with the wrinkles coming out even more.

This is another sweater to unravel.

 After the yarn had dried, I was looking forward to winding it into balls to use with my yarn winder, not that simple. I had placed the skein on the floor and begun to wind the yarn, but it all ended up into a mess!

Put your thinking cap on Cat! There must be a right way to do this, even with out a swift. So I went back to the chairs where I had made the skeins, placed the skeins back over the chairs and began to wind the balls of yarn that way. Yippee, no tangles, but I will still have to go back to the yarn winder and use that if I want nicely wound balls of yarn.

I have now gone just that one step further and attached the yarn winder to the chair to save time.

Some may say why bother with all that trouble?
For me, I found it relaxing (apart from winding the yarn around the chairs). 
The washing means you are almost there.
The money saved is more than worth the effort.
And finally, I finally have the same ply and color to make larger projects, this is very exciting for me.
Some very useful links.

How to Unravel a Sweater to Recycle Yarn 

Reclaiming yarn from a thrift store sweater

I tried some more weaving

In my last post I had made a tiny weaved pouch. I used the same method to make a bag for myself. I used quite thick yarn and tried some different weaving techniques too. I have been watching quite a few youtube video tutorials to learn more about the weaving. I really like the texture the weaving gives you.

A Little Bit of This and That

This week I have been unwell with a nasty cough, and chest infection. Hubby caught it last week and the grand kids the week before. So it's traveling around the whole family.
I've been taking it easy and doing lots of internet surfing. When I come across something different that I fancy, I give it a bit of a go.


First I found this scrap buster youtube tutorial. I liked the stair pattern it created. At the beginning and the end of this pattern you do use scraps, but in the gut's of the pattern, it takes up more than just scraps.

I used a bag full of blue and white baby yarn that I had sitting in the corner of my cupboard just waiting to be put to use and made this small baby blanket.

Another youtube tutorial was on crochenit. I was given some double ended crochet hooks some time back and I thought it was about time to try them out. So here I am making up another bathroom mat with this method.

And yet another youtube tutorial on weaving a small case, see's me beginning one of my own. I've been wanting to try a small weaving project for weeks.

After seeing my doctor on Tuesday, I took the opportunity to check out a couple of second hand shops. I picked up a couple of sweaters that are suitable for recycling (it will be my very first time to unravel a sweater), a bag of brown yarn and a bag of mystery items.

The mystery bag was priced at $2, but what caught my eye was the little orange loom. I have not opened it up as yet, I'm saving it for an incentive for myself. Because I've been feeling so poorly with this cold, I have not over done it with the house work. So I made a deal with myself, I can open the mystery bag when I have achieved a certain amount of house work, sick or not. Well it has worked and my incentive is awaiting it's  opening.

Contents revealed.
The loom is a flower maker, there are several balls of cotton, twine and yarn, lots of elastic, shoe laces, frames, ribbon, some sort of shuttle that you would wrap cotton onto (the red plastic item in the frame on the left), bias binding, doily, zip and some press studs.
not bad for $2.

Last but not least, I made a heart illusion square, just to see how they are made.

Pattern here. 
I hope you have enjoyed my little bit of this and that. 

Knooking? Cross Between Knit and Crochet

Have you knooked as yet? I made a swatch using a regular crochet hook and some cord. It was just like knitting but using a crochet hook instead.

Here are some links to knooking and thanks to IwannacraftToo from HGTV for bringing this to my attention.

Introduction to Knooking

Blog Post for Knooking

 

Crochet A graph In The Round

Crocheting a graph in the round most certainly can be achieved with the correct graph.

Because the stitches are off set when working in the round, a flat graph will not line up, making your picture slanted or even distorted.

I tried to make the flat graph work in the round, I ripped it so many times, but I was getting no where with it. I decreased and increased to make it work some what. 

But the end result was not quite up to standard, I did write down the instructions as I was making it up, but changing colors, decreasing and increasing in a simple construction of a hat was quickly becoming a difficult to use pattern. 
I prefer the KISS method. But I was not to be beat, I began to crochet a hat, using the hdc ear flap method, 
BUT, I did not join my rounds, 

,

 I've never tried this method before and it was working up really well, I got to where I estimated the graph would suit best and I began the flat graph pattern. 

 Although I was not joining rounds and going back and forth, the hat shape was still forming.
The flat graph fitted perfectly and I got the result I had wanted.

 BUT, using this method of not joining the rounds did increase the hat size. I am currently working on a smaller stitch to obtain the hat size I want.
The free pattern will be available once I have achieved this.
I must point out that the graph is not mine, so my pattern will be more or less a stitch count from the graph it's self.
It did take me 5 nights if ripping and writing to achieve the end result.