Turtlekeeper Designs

Dabbling in the world of Locksport

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 22:42:57 +0000

Recently, as I have arrived on the other side of 50, I have seen more and more targeted social media posts talking about how to support the aging process. One of these suggestions has been to learn a new skill. After poking around a little, I decided to try my hand at lock picking. For the uninitiated, there is a belief that lock picking is only performed by criminals and locksmiths. This is not true! Just a quick Youtube search will yield thousands upon thousands of videos made by hobbyists regarding the sport. Also, it is always mentioned and emphasized that this is for fun and the top three rules are: know the laws in your area regarding the subject, never pick a lock that is not yours and never ask for help picking a lock that is in use.

I found my way to the Lockpicking subreddit where there are over 250,000 members. They are an extremely friendly and helpful community. There is even an organised belt system that allows you to apply for ranks as you progress in the hobby.

Why do so many people enjoy this hobby? Well, it is puzzle solving. And even better, a tactile puzzle which appeals to someone as myself who has spent years working with my hands. It is easy to get started: a set of picks and some locks cost most likely under $30. People also report the deep concentration required as a form of stress relief.

As I write this post, I have progressed from white to yellow and from yellow to orange belt. There is a rather big jump in skill to go onto a green belt so this is where I have been working for awhile now.

I've been having fun building skill and learning about the intricacies of actual picking, as well as hunting down tools and equipment in my favourite colour scheme:

In this now very morphed blog, I will be posting once in awhile when I make new discoveries that I think may help other new lock pickers. Thanks for the visit!

Easy Surgical Scrub Cap Sewing Pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 21:50:00 +0000

This cap is super easy and quick to make and takes minimal fabric. I have lots of photos and suggestions included in this pattern. I hope you like it! Please feel free to send along any questions.

Use either a quarter yard (9"x 42") or a fat quarter (18"x 21")

Materials:

Minimum 9" x 42" OR a fat quarter (18"x 21") cotton fabric (WASHED & IRONED)
51" of double fold bias tape (if you don't have double fold, you can fold and iron single fold bias)
fabric scissors or rotary cutter
pins
sewing machine
thread
iron
(optional) serger

Method:

Print these 2 pattern pages: Make sure you check the measurements to see if your printer is coming up with the correct sizing. The lines that run to the tops of the pages should actually do that when you print them out.

Click for TOP pattern

Click for SIDE pattern

Fold your TOP PATTERN along the "FOLD PAPER" line and cut out. Open it up.

Cut out your SIDE PATTERN.

Lay pattern pieces on your fabric with the "Fabric is folded along this edge" along the folded edge. The first picture below is laid out for 9" of fabric. The second picture is how it would be laid out for a Fat Quarter. Make sure the grain of the fabric is along the fold of the TOP PATTERN and that the folded edge of the SIDE PATTERN lines up with a horizontal fold.

Cut out the folded SIDE piece first and then open your fabric to cut out your single TOP (OPTION: leave double layered if you plan to make 2 caps!) I found it helpful to leave everything and move myself around to the opposite end of my work to make it easier to cut. By the way, I love my rotary cutter!

Either mark and pin the centre of your TOP (where the pattern was folded) or iron to make a crease to help you see the centre. Either way, mark the centre of your side piece along the curvy edge. This should be where the crease is from your fabric being folded.

Start pinning here with WRONG sides facing. Match the centre of the TOP and the centre of the SIDE. Pin all the way along the curvy side of your SIDE together with the TOP doing the best you can to align the edges perfectly.

Trim off any of the uneven edges so corners line up along the BACK edge of the cap.

Before:

After:

Sew carefully using a 1/4" seam along the U shape where your pins are leaving the back part open. Make sure you keep the edges lined up with the fabric nice and taut to help with that. Remove the pins before your needle goes over them!

If you have a serger, you can serge along the raw edges or you can use a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine to help keep the scraggly ends tucked away.

Use your iron to press the hem towards the SIDE. I used a tailor's pressing ham to help with this. Or you can use a big rolled up pair of cotton socks.

Measure along the back to double check how much bias tape you will need. My entire back length (side + top + side) was 8.5".

A trick with bias tape. It always seems to come with one edge that is a little skinnier. Sew with this side facing up as often as possible. It will minimize the error of accidentally "falling off" your bias tape on the bottom side that you cannot see.

Cut off this amount of bias tape and sew it to finish off the back edge. Trim both ends so they line up with the fabric perfectly.

The remainder of your bias tape will be the ties and the binding that finishes off the rest of the cap. Find the centre of your bias tape and match it to the top centre of your cap. Depending on how much bias tape you have left, mark on your bias tape where the cap ends and the ties start. For me, this was at 10".

At the beginning of this end, tuck in the bias tape a little and start sewing with the open edge facing LEFT.

When you are within 1.5 inches of your marking, pick up your cap and insert it at the mark. Hang onto it with your fingers!

Keep sewing along your tie. When you come to the back and the bias tape you sewed earlier, make sure the first bias tape from the back is tucked nicely into the join you are making and keep sewing. Keep going a little at a time along the sides of the U all the way around.

You will run into the other end of your back edge bias. Sew this up nice and tucked in and then sew the rest of the tie remembering to tuck in the little bit at the end like you did the first time. That's it!

Days of the Week Templates

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 06:33:00 +0000

My daughter recently asked for magnets for her magnet board. We put one up for her to organize her school assignments now that there is so much going on in Grade 6. She wanted the days of the week. I really love those Bottle Cap Magnets and they looked like a great craft idea for her to work on.

I made little rainbow templates for her. When I get my magnets in the mail, I will post a little tutorial on how we made them. For now, here are the two sets of templates! Enjoy!

You can right click and hit Save Image or click on the image and then save it!

The Northern Collective September 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Sun, 06 Sep 2015 23:04:00 +0000

The Northern Collective

9pm Eastern Tuesday September 8

Brilliant crafts by Canadian crafters

Turtlekeeper Designs is contributing two blankets:

One

A doll sized blanket in a wool/nylon blend:

Link: Honeycomb Doll Blanket on Hyenacart

~US$33

Two

A medium sized blanket in a washable 100% wool:

Link: Rainbow Blanket on Hyenacart

priced by 24h auction

Hope you can drop by and have a look.

My Grout Obsession

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 03:15:00 +0000

My kitchen floor was driving me nuts. Seriously.

The grout was a nice light beige colour when we built this kitchen 9 years ago. We had painstakingly sealed it and cleaned it but somehow over the 9 years, it ended up dingy, dirty and just gross:

Ew. Don't look too closely.

Believe me, I became obsessed and tried absolutely everything. I googled "grout cleaning" and did everything people suggested: scrubbed it, used vinegar and baking soda, used Oxiclean, used vinegar and ammonia, used hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, used various cleaners claiming to be able to dissolve dirt on grout, grout pens, grout "erasers", you name it, I used it.

Except grout colorant.

The product I purchased was from Home Depot. It is called Polyblend Grout Renew. This is what it says on its website:

"Polyblend 8 fl. oz. Grout Renew is a water-based, acrylic, urethane stain and sealer for renewing or changing the colour of cement grout joints. It seals against stains while it colours. Contains patented technology to inhibit mold and mildew."

Another similar product appears to be Grout Refresh by Mapei.

This is the AFTER picture:

And here is the before and after side by side. I can't get over it. My floor is gorgeous again. I am in love with this product.

It was cheap. My kitchen is about 200 sq ft and I used about a half of the little bottle which cost about $14. But it was time consuming. The whole kitchen probably took me about 7 hours to do. I picked the sweatiest heat wave ever to do it in and somehow, I was driven to complete this project. I love the results and am kicking myself for not ~~listening to my husband~~ doing it earlier.

Because it is acrylic based, it does not have much of an odor at all and is quite safe to use around kids and pets.

My armamentarium:

I steam cleaned my floor and then used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
on it. It was mostly for my porcelain tiles as the grout was hopeless anyways. The product calls for an acid cleaner to be used first on the grout but me, I had no patience.

The plastic bristled brushes are from Testors. They are the pointy type. I bought a 20 pack which included flat brushes that I didn't need but were cheaper this way. The toothpicks are also the pointy type. And I used lots of Kleenex. I tried toilet paper but it was too soft and ripped easily in the process.

One thing I have not pictured on there is the Foam Mat that I used to sit, kneel, crouch on while I worked on the tile floor. It saved my knees and elbows.

After I cleaned my floor (or you can obviously use this on any tiled surface),

1. I dispensed a small amount of product into a shallow dish.

2. Using paint brush, I painted small sections and cleaned up the excess with a toothpick

(after the first day, I used gloves so that I didn't have to scrub paint off my hands)

and Kleenex. Do not wait to clean the excess as it will dry on the tile. I have made a video to show this step in more detail. It is linked below:

3. Then I moved onto the next section. Because I did not finish the whole floor on the first day, I labeled the tiles I painted with little bits of blue tape to alert my family not to step on the lines.

The product states that it takes 24 hours to dry but in the warm temperature I was using it at, it was closer to 2 hours.

That's it!! Super simple!

Rescued by The Kitchen Scale...

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Tue, 21 Apr 2015 16:10:00 +0000

Last night, I was panicking. Like full on, sweaty palms, heart palpitations type panic. I had an incredibly small ball of yarn in my hand and a few more rounds yet to go in my Blackberry Cardigan (which by the way I started four months ago!).

Here is a pic of it a few rounds before last night...when I wasn't worried yet and was happily snapping pictures:

I had two more rounds to go before binding off. Two rounds wouldn't have been such a big deal if it were not for the fact that each round had 472 stitches! I did not relish the idea of having to undo any rounds if indeed I did run out. So...3 rounds remained.

How do you know if you have enough yarn left??

You grab your handy-dandy digital kitchen scale!!

The one pictured at the top is the one I have. I love it. It can show you measurements in grams, ounces, pounds and kilograms. It is the EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale. ~~The most important thing is that~~ It comes in five different colours. No one in the house is allowed to use it. I'm serious. But I digress...

So I weighed the ball of yarn that I had left: 27g.

I knit half a round and weighed the ball again: 24g. So, half a round took about 3g. Thus, one round would take approximately 6g.

I finished off my round to check this number: 21g. Good. I was on the right track. This meant that to do another round and the bind off would require about 12g of yarn. I was comfortable with the extra 9 g leeway. I breathed a big sigh of relief and knitted.

So in the end, I was left with 10g of yarn. Phew!

~ ~ ~

Even though I call this my kitchen scale, it never lives in the kitchen. It lives with the rest of my crafting supplies. Helping you make an estimate to see if you have enough yarn left is one fantastic thing it can do. Another is this:

Do I have enough yarn for another one of these?

Say you have a leftover ball from a skein of yarn you knitted a hat from. You wonder if you have enough now to knit a second one. You weigh your hat. It is 90g. You weigh your ball. It is 110g. Yes! You will have enough to knit your second hat. Or a more unfortunate case. You knit one sock and am not sure if you have enough yarn for the second sock. Weigh the first one to see how much you will actually need.

How much yarn is in this leftover ball?

Do you ever have those leftover balls of yarn that you don't know what to do with? You aren't sure if you have enough yarn to knit a particular project? Your pattern is asking for 150m of yarn.......

If you were super organized and kept the ball band (hint: tuck them into your skeins or keep a file of them with a small piece of yarn attached), you would have information on how to calculate the amount remaining.

The ball band should mention a length: in this example, it is 389m.

The ball band should mention a weight: in this example, it is 197g.

This means that the meterage per gram is 389/197 or ~1.97m/g

So now weigh your ball. Say it weighs 56g. Just multiply that by your number above:

56g * 1.97m/g = 110.5m. If your pattern asks for anything less than this, you should be good!

Or another way to calculate this...Remember your algebra?

In words: Multiply the original length by the weight of your ball. Then divide this number by the original weight. Make sure you write it all down on a piece of paper where if someone finds it, they will be impressed. Trust me. My husband just looked over and asked me why I was solving equations.

But either which way, you find out how much yarn you have in your ball. If you don't have the numbers/ball band, you may be able to head over to Ravelry and dig out the information if you know what brand/type of yarn you have.

Did you notice they changed yardages on me for this yarn??

Splitting up skeins evenly

Say you need to knit from both ends of a ball but it is getting super tangly. Split up the skein into two balls instead! Or if your pattern requires you to just need to split up a skein evenly ... you can use your kitchen scale! You would start off by weighing your skein. Then wind a ball using a ball winder or by hand until you get to a ball that is exactly half of your original skein. That's it!

Saving a trip to the Post Office

This is what our scale is used for the most. Weighing the little goodies that I send out to all of you!

Last but not least...

You could use it to weigh food but that would just be way too boring!

Have fun with your kitchen scale :)

The Northern Collective April Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 04:41:00 +0000

With the travelling from Spring Break and our home renovations, I have barely had enough time for crafting! So this month for the Northern Collective upload, I am offering some custom spots. Dolly boots and outfits!

You can choose any design or colour you would like as well as the sizing.

For the Tomboyknits skirtall or overall (below), it will come in a 15" size. If you prefer smaller, that is fine too!

Alongside my items, my fellow crafters at The Northern Collective have created an amazing group of items. Drop by and have a look!

Here is the link: THE NORTHERN COLLECTIVE

Bunny Hat

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 16:24:00 +0000

Make a sweet little bunny hat for your doll! The size of this pattern works out for dolls with heads between 11 and 13 inches circumference but you can change it very easily with different yarn and hooks. It only has to be a little bigger and then you can find a baby to wear it ;)

What do I need to have?

1 ball/skein of a worsted weight yarn and a little bit for the pink
crochet hook size H
tapestry needle to sew in ends

What do I need to know?

Magic Circle = a technique for beginning a crochet project that is done in the round. Here is a TUTORIAL
Sc = single crochet
Hdc = half double crochet
Dc = double crochet

INC = 2 sc in one stitch

St(s) = stitch(es)

Slst = slip stitch

Ch = chain

Nx = next

HAT:

R1 Magic circle with 6sc into the magic circle.
R2 INC around (12)
R3 INC around (18)
R4 INC around (24)
R5 INC around (30)
R6 INC around (36)
R7 INC around (42) Check to see if the width is good for your intended model/wearer.

Then sc around for 8 rounds or to desired hat length. On the final round, sc into back loops and finish off at the end of the round.

EARS:

Back of the ear:

R1 Using white ch 16
R2 sc in 2nd ch, sc 2, hdc 2, dc 10, slst to first ch, ch1

R3 sc across initial ch sts, 3sc in last ch
R4 sc 15 across the sc/hdc/dc from R2, slst to nx st and finish off. Sew in ends.

Front of the ear:

R1 Using pink ch 16
R2 sc in 2nd ch, sc 2, hdc 2, dc 10
finish off

R3 Join white to first pink ch stitch with a sl st and sc in same st. Sc across pink to last ch. 3sc in last ch.

R4 sc across sts on the other side back to the start of the white, turn work 90 degrees and sc four times into the side of the last dc, join with sl st to first white st, ch 1. Do NOT finish off yet.

Sew in white tail and both pink tails

Put white piece and pink/white piece together wrong sides facing.
Finding the approximate matching stitch on the white piece, crochet thru the back loops of both pieces all the way around, joining the 2.

When you reach the start of the round, join to the first st with a sl st and finish off.

Leave a tail to sew on to the hat with the base of the ears squeezed together.

That's it!

The Northern Collective March Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 01:14:00 +0000

Items from Turtlekeeper Designs

It is time again for another The Northern Collective upload. For those of you that have just recently joined us, here is what TNC is:

The Northern Collective started in November of 2013 as a small group of Canadian artists who met on Facebook thru the waldorf doll world. We have many talents among our group including jewelry makers, painters, felting artists, knitters, and of course, dollmakers. Every first Tuesday of the month, we bring together all our crafts and offer them to you on Hyenacart at 9pm EST. Some items are super popular and sought after and sell out in seconds! Here is the link:

The Northern Collective on Hyenacart

If you head over in the next day or two, you will see items popping up as we make them available to preview.

For more detailed information and to keep up with all the events for The Northern Collective, come visit our Facebook page:

The Northern Collective on Facebook

Hope you can stop by for a visit on Tuesday! Stay tuned for more to come!

A selection of items from The Northern Collective group

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 19:07:00 +0000

http://www.villagetaways.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Chinese-new-Year-of-the-Goat-in-2015.jpg

A quick note to wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous Lunar New Year from the Turtlekeepers family to yours!

The PIG: Chinese Zodiac Animals #12

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 22:33:00 +0000

The Pig is my favourite zodiac :) I'm a pig and some of the zodiac write ups are so creepy true that I have to quote this one page directly for you:

Kind, caring, and good natured describe those born during the Chinese Zodiac’s Year of the Pig. Those of this sign are pleasant to be around and enjoy socializing, hosting parties, and learning new things. Pigs are typically easy going to a surprising extent. They take it upon themselves to serve up self-punishment when they make mistakes, and they are highly aware of the comfort level of those around them. Pigs are intelligent, but in a specific way. They are very curious and don’t like to be left out of conversations due to a lack of understanding of the topic at hand. Pigs will investigate all of the topics they don’t know about in order to get at least a general understanding of that topic. Once this is achieved, though, Pigs tend to stop digging into one topic, preferring to know a little about many subjects rather than know much about a single subject.

Those born during the Year of the Pig believe that everyone is essentially good at heart and that those who exhibit bad behaviors are just confused souls acting out in negative ways. Since Pigs admire their own awareness of peaceful understanding and compassion, they can also be manipulated easily. They are indeed naive and could avoid heartache and material losses by trusting others less, but this would destroy a great deal of what makes them so wonderful for others. Pigs inherently understand this and choose to maintain a childlike fascination with the possibilities of the world, even if it leaves them vulnerable.

[from http://www.primalastrology.com/pig.html]

Please visit the main pattern page first for more tips and important information. With worsted yarn and size A hook, the dog will be approximately 7 inches in circumference.

You will need:

light pink and dark pink yarn in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes
crochet hook (size A recommended but any hook up to size G will work)

tapestry needle

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st
# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

Begin Here:

R1 With light pink yarn, magic circle with 6 stitches into the loop.

R2 INC around. (12)
R3 (1, INC) around (18)
R4 1, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2 (23)

R5 INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4 (28)

R6 3, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 3 (32)

R7 5, INC, 9, INC, 9, INC, 6 (35)

R8 3, INC, 10, INC, 11, INC, 8 (38)

R9 12, INC, 25 (39)
R10 INC, 38 (40)

R11 sc around (INSERT EYES NOW BETWEEN R6-7, nine sts apart)
R12 38, DEC (39)
R13 25, DEC, 12 (38)
R14 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3 (35)
R15 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32)
R16 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3 (28) (FILL WITH STUFFING)

R17 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23)

R18 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 1 (18)
R19 (DEC, 1) repeat around (12)
R20 (DEC, 1) repeat around. Fasten off. Weave loose end through each stitch in the opening. Fill completely with stuffing. Pull tightly to close. Sew in your end.

Nose (use dark pink):

R1 Magic Circle with 6 stitches in the loop (6)

R2 INC around (12)

R3 Sc in the backloops around. Bind off. Leave tail for sewing. Sew onto your first few rounds of the head/body.

Ears (make 2 in dark pink):

R1 Magic Circle with 4 sts in the loop

R2 (1, INC) around (6)

R3 (2, INC) around (8)

R4 (3, INC) around (10)

R5 (4, INC) around (12). Bind off leaving a tail to sew on the top of the head. Squish flat. Sew shut. Make another one and attach to the head.

Tail (light pink):

Chain 10 leaving a tail at the beginning. INC in every ch back across your tail. Finish off leaving a 6” tail. Tie this tail and the beginning tail to the piggy’s bum (where you finished off your sphere) and sew in the ends.

Well there you have it! All 12 Chinese zodiac animals! Just in time for you to display for Chinese New Year coming up on the 19th. Wishing you all the best in the Year of the Goat 2015. Kung Hei Fat Choi! Look forward to more patterns to come!

The DOG: Chinese Zodiac Animals #11

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Sat, 14 Feb 2015 20:07:00 +0000

Happy Valentine's Day!

Those born under the zodiac sign of Dog are respectful, helpful and sincere. You can count on a Dog- they will never let you down. They are good at keeping secrets! Dogs tend to be humanitarians; they care more about people than money, power or success. Unfortunately, they tend to get stressed out easily and are often anxious, restless, and worried.

Please visit the main pattern page first for more tips and important information. With worsted yarn and size A hook, the dog will be approximately 7 inches in circumference.

You will need:

light brown and dark brown yarn in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes
optional: a large safety eye to use as a nose or you can purchase a safety nose
crochet hook (size A recommended but any hook up to size G will work)

tapestry needle

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st

# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

Begin here:

R1 With medium brown, magic circle with 6 stitches into the loop.

R2 INC around. (12)
R3 (1, INC) around (18)
R4 1, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2 (23)

R5 INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4 (28)

R6 3, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 3 (32)

R7 5, INC, 9, INC, 9, INC, 6 (35)

R8 3, INC, 10, INC, 11, INC, 8 (38)

R9 12, INC, 25 (39)
R10 INC, 38 (40)

R11 sc around (INSERT EYES NOW BETWEEN R6/7, nine sts apart)
R12 38, DEC (39)
R13 25, DEC, 12 (38)
R14 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3 (35)
R15 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32)
R16 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3 (28) (FILL WITH STUFFING)

R17 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23)

Muzzle (same brown as head):

R1 Magic Circle with 6 sts in the loop.

R2 (2, 3 sc in next sc) twice around (10).

R3 (2, 3INC) twice around (16).

R4 sc around (16).

R5  3, 4INC, 4, 4INC, sc in last st (24).

R6 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 4, DEC, 4, DEC, sc (20). Bind off leaving tail to sew on.

I have used a 16mm eye for a nose. You can also use a Safety Nose. Insert your nose (or embroider it on with black yarn using a satin stitch which is just rows of parallel stitches tight together). Pin the muzzle onto the head. Sew the muzzle on almost completely, stuffing thru the last part and finish sewing.

Ears (make 2 using dark brown yarn):

R1 Magic Circle with 6 sts into the loop.

R2 (2, INC) twice around (8).

R3 (1, INC) 4 times around (12).

R4 (2, INC) 4 times around (16).

R5-7 sc around (16).

R8 (6, DEC) twice around (14).

R9 (5, DEC) twice around (12).

R10-13 sc around. Finish off and leave tail for attaching. Make a second one. In the example, the dog’s ears are attached between Rounds 10-14.

Are you all still crocheting? I'd love to see your creations! Post them on Instagram with hashtag #turtlekeeperdesigns or drop by my Facebook page and post your pics! As always, if you have any questions, you can email, IG me, FB me etc. and I will always answer you!

You Melt My Heart, Valentine ;)

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 05:38:00 +0000

Remember these? The kids wanted to do the Valentine's Crayon Hearts again but this year we had way too much going on. Maybe some of you can squeeze some of these in before Friday? They are really amazing as Valentine's gifts for the class.

They are super easy and super fun and the kids love to help out! We have used dollar store crayons here so the box of 48 only cost $1. Go make some hearts and show me the pictures!

Here is the link to the tutorial again..... Valentine's Crayon Hearts. Have fun!

The ROOSTER: Chinese Zodiac Animals #10

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 22:13:00 +0000

Roosters are known to be arrogant and self-assured- hence the term "cocky". As much as they are boastful, they also tend to be quite honest people. Besides being social, roosters are very confident and charming.

This is another one of my favourites from this series. I loved making up all the little parts of the rooster...especially his feet! Please visit the main pattern page first for more tips and important information. With worsted yarn and size A hook, the rooster will be approximately 7 inches in circumference.

You will need:

white, yellow and red yarn in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes
crochet hook (size A recommended but any hook up to size G will work)

tapestry needle

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st

# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

Begin here:

R1 With white yarn, magic circle with 6 stitches into the loop.

R2 INC around. (12)
R3 (1, INC) around (18)
R4 1, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2 (23)

R5 INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4 (28)

R6 3, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 3 (32)

R7 5, INC, 9, INC, 9, INC, 6 (35)

R8 3, INC, 10, INC, 11, INC, 8 (38)

R9 12, INC, 25 (39)
R10 INC, 38 (40)

R11 sc around (INSERT EYES BETWEEN R7/8, eleven sts apart)
R12 38, DEC (39)
R13 25, DEC, 12 (38)
R14 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3 (35)
R15 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32)
R16 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3 (28) (FILL WITH STUFFING)

R17 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23)

Beak (make one in yellow):

R1 Magic Circle with 4 sts in the loop.

R2 (1, INC) twice around (6)

R3 (2, INC) twice around (8)

R4 (3, INC) twice around (10).

R5 sc around.

R6 (4, INC) twice around (12).

R7 sc around. Bind off leaving a tail to sew on the centre of the sphere. You can put some stuffing in there :)

Wattle (make one in red):

ch 6, slst in 3^rd chain, ch 2, slst in nx st, ch 2, sl st in nx st, sc, ch1, turn and sc back across. Finish off leaving a tail for attaching under the beak.

Comb (make one in red):

use a F or G hook, ch 9, sl st in 3^rd chain, ch 3, sl st in nx st, ch3, sl st in nx st, ch3, sl st in nx st, sc, ch1, turn and sc back across. Finish off leaving a tail for attaching to the top of the head.

Feet (make 2 in yellow):

ch 7 with yellow yarn. Starting in 2^nd chain from hook, sl st in next 3 ch. (ch 4, starting in 2^nd ch from hook, sl st in nx 3 ch) 2 times, then continue to sl st along original chain back to start. Make 2.

Sew on your wattle, comb and both feet.

Nine more days until the new year! The Dog and Pig are still yet to come! I can't wait to see some of your creations. Feel free to post on Facebook or IG (#turtlekeeperdesigns). If you have any questions for me, please don't hesitate to comment or post on any of my usual haunts :)

The MONKEY: Chinese Zodiac Animals #9

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Sat, 07 Feb 2015 19:11:00 +0000

Ah. The monkey. My firstborn. My challenge :)

Monkeys are curious, mischievous and clever. They love to play. They are often in need of challenges though and get bored quickly. They love to show off their problem solving skills and other accomplishments. They are intelligent and possess a certain wit and charm that others are drawn to. However, these monkeys care more about being happy than what others think about them. They crave attention and are willing to be a little obnoxious to gain it.

Wow, sometimes these zodiac predictions are super creepy because they are bang on. My daughter. To a tee.

~~~

For this pattern, you can choose whether to do the monkey's face all in brown (beginner, no colour changing), or to do a white face as in the pictures (more advanced, colour changing). Either way is cute! Please visit the main pattern page first for more tips and important information. With worsted yarn and size A hook, the monkey will be approximately 7 inches in circumference.

You will need:

white and brown yarn (and a little bit of pink) in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes
crochet hook (size A recommended but any hook up to size G will work)

tapestry needle

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st

# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

Begin here:

Start with brown yarn if you are doing the all brown face.

Start with white yarn if you are doing the white face.

R1 Magic circle with 6 stitches into the loop.

R2 INC around. (12)
R3 (1, INC) around (18)
R4 1, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2 (23)

R5 INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4 (28)

Skip to R6 below if you are doing the brown face.

~~~

Continue here if you are doing the white face.

When I say CHANGE on the next stitch, this means: insert hook, draw up a loop so there are 2 loops on your hook, yarn over WITH NEW COLOUR and pull the new colour through. This equals one stitch.

*R6 sc 3 (changing to BR on 1^st st), INC, sc 5, CHANGE to WHITE on nx st (allow plenty of slack in the yarn you are carrying across the work), INC, sc 6, INC, sc 4, CHANGE to BR on nx st, sc, INC, 3 sc (32)

*R7 sc 5, INC, sc 5, CHANGE TO WHITE on nx st, sc 3, INC, sc 1, CHANGE TO BR on nx st, sc 1, CHANGE TO WH on nx st, sc 4, INC, CH to BR on nx st, sc 6 (35)

*R8 sc 3, INC, sc 9, CH to WH on nx st, INC, sc 3, CH to BR on nx st, sc 3, CH to WH on nx st, sc 3, INC, CH to BR on nx st, sc 7 (38) Go to R9 below.

~~~

Brown face only.

R6 3, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 3 (32)

R7 5, INC, 9, INC, 9, INC, 6 (35)

R8 3, INC, 10, INC, 11, INC, 8 (38)

~~~

Both white and brown faces, continue here until the end.

R9 12, INC, 25 (39)

R10 INC, 38 (40) place eyes between rounds 5 and 6.

R11 sc around

R12 38, DEC (39)
R13 25, DEC, 12 (38)
R14 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3 (35)
R15 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32)
R16 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3 (28) (FILL WITH STUFFING)

R17 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23)

Ears (make 4 pieces with med brown yarn):

R1 Magic circle with 6 sts into the loop.

R2 INC around (12)

R3 (1, INC) six times around (18).

R4 (2, INC) six times around (24). Finish off. Make a second one this time leaving a tail about 14” long. Put both pieces against each other with the wrong sides facing in. Whipstitch the front and backs together. You should still have a tail remaining to sew onto the head. Repeat so you have two ears. Place on the head where you would like and sew the ears on.

Embroider mouth in pink between R3/4. To do this, poke pink yarn back and forth inside the head a few times to secure yarn. Then come out at one corner of the mouth and back in thru the other corner. Then come out in the centre of the mouth at the lowest point where you want your smile, catch the yarn of the mouth and go right back into the head at the same point but a few plies of yarn over to hold the stitch. Weave in the end. You can add eyebrows if you wish!!

How's it going? Keeping up? I'd love to see your creations! Post them on Instagram with hashtag #turtlekeeperdesigns or drop by my Facebook page and post your pics! As always, if you have any questions (especially since this monkey can be a little confusing), you can email, IG me, FB me etc. and I will always answer you!

The GOAT: Chinese Zodiac Animals #8

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 04:57:00 +0000

This year we are going to be celebrating the Year of the Sheep (Goat) on February 19! Although Chinese New Year happens on that date, for the Chinese people, New Year's is actually a long celebration. Beginning on New Year's Eve, we celebrate with 15 days of various rituals and traditions.

Before the New Year, families will do a big "Spring Cleaning" type tidy to sweep out the bad luck and have a clean home ready to welcome in good luck. The New Year's Eve dinner is a big event where certain foods are cooked and eaten to symbolize a variety of things (eg. fish and dumplings mean prosperity).

On New Year's Day, we visit our elders- the grandparents or great grandparents, the oldest ones in the families. On the next day (Day 2), the daughters traditionally will go to visit their own families (in ancient times, the married daughters did not have much opportunities to see their own families). The third day is a day when having visitors or visiting is bad luck so everyone stays home.

And so on it goes with different activities on different days until the 15th day. In current times, most holidays end after three days and people go back to work. Here is link briefly describing some of the traditions from Day 8 - 15.

The goat is known to be calm, dependable and good-mannered. They like things to be tidy and organized and don't function well when their workspace is messy. The sheep like to plan ideas out in their heads before sharing their often very thoughtful ideas with others. They tend to be introverts.

Our sheep/goat pattern uses the pointy head (just like the Rat!). Please visit the main pattern page first for more tips and important information. With worsted yarn and size A hook, the goat will be approximately 7 inches in circumference.

You will need:

cream and brown yarn in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes
crochet hook (size A recommended but any hook up to size G will work)

tapestry needle

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st

# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

hdc = half double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, pull up a stitch, yarn over and pull thru all stitches on hook)

dc = double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, pull up a stitch, yarn over, pull thru two stitches on hook, yarn over, pull thru remaining stitches)

Begin here:

Pointy Head (using cream):

R1 Magic circle with 6 sts in the loop (6)

R2 (sc, INC) 3 times (9)

R3 (2, INC) 3 times (12)

R4 (2, INC) 4 times (16)

R5 (3, INC ) 4 times (20)

R6 (4, INC) 4 times (24)

R7 sc around

R8 (5, INC) 4 times (28)

R9 (6, INC) 4 times (32)

R10 (7, INC) 4 times (36)

R11 (8, INC) 4 times (40)

R12 sc around.

Before continuing, find where you want the face to be and squish nose area flat. Whip stitch vertically until you have a dense nose (brown yarn) (pic below).

R13 sc around (Insert eyes after this round. For the example, I have placed the eyes between rounds 9 and 10, nine stitches apart.)

R14 38, DEC (39)

R15 25, DEC, 12 (38)

R16 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3 (35)

R17 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32)

R18 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3 (28) (FILL WITH STUFFING)

R19 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23)

R20 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 1 (18)

R21 (DEC, 1) repeat around (12)

R22 (DEC, 1) repeat around. Fasten off. Weave loose end through each stitch in the opening. Fill completely with stuffing. Pull tightly to close. Sew in your end.

Ears (make 2):

R1 Magic circle with 6 sts into the loop.

R2 INC around (12)

R3 (1, INC) around (18). Finish off leaving tail. Fold in half with the wrong sides facing in and attach to the head.

Horns:

These can be a little tricky to do. Fortunately, they are quick enough that if you have to do them again (to make them even more perfect!!), it won’t be too much effort.

R1 Magic circle with 3 sts into the loop.

R2 2, INC (4).

R3 3, INC (5).

R4 1 hdc in next st, 2 dc in next st, 2dc in next st, 1 hdc in next st, 1 sc (7).

R5 1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in next 2 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in next st. 1 sc (9) Bind off. Leave tail for sewing, attach to head.

Whiskers:

Wrap brown yarn around your fingers 8 times. Cut at one end so you have 8 “whiskers”. Attach in “latch hook” style to the chin. Trim whiskers.

That's it! Just a few more animals to complete the dozen. Next up is the Monkey!

PS. As always, please let me know if there are any issues with the pattern and I will fix it up! If you ever need any help or want to make a comment about anything, please contact me thru this blog, Facebook, IG, Etsy.....etc!

The HORSE: Chinese Zodiac Animals #7

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Mon, 02 Feb 2015 00:11:00 +0000

Those born in the Year of the Horse are said to be strong willed and naturally outgoing. They are energetic people that are funny, witty and creative. But they also tend to be restless and have a hard time relaxing. They seek independence and freedom.

Our tousled-haired steed has been crocheted from a rust coloured yarn with embellishments done in dark brown with a tiny bit of black (for the nostrils). He is the other zodiac animal in our pattern set that has an elongated head (the other one is the Dragon). Please visit the main pattern page first for more tips and important information.

You will need:

rust coloured yarn, dark brown yarn, and a tiny bit of black yarn all in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes
crochet hook (size A recommended but any hook up to size G will work)

tapestry needle
*optional = long doll needle, stuffing fork (see the Information Page for more info on this) & a latch hook

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st
# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

slst = slip stitch

Begin here:

R1 With rust coloured yarn, magic circle with 6 stitches into the loop.

R2 INC around. (12)
R3 (1, INC) around (18)
R4 1, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2 (23)

R5 INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4 (28)

R6 3, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 3 (32)

R7 5, INC, 9, INC, 9, INC, 6 (35)

R8 3, INC, 10, INC, 11, INC, 8 (38)

R9 12, INC, 25 (39)
R10 INC, 38 (40)

R11 sc around

R12 sc around

R13 sc around

R14 sc around
R15 38, DEC (39)
R16 25, DEC, 12 (38)
R17 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3. Insert eyes between R14/15. (35)
R18 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32)
R19 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3. Fill with stuffing. (28)

R20 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23)

R21 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 1 (18)
R22 (DEC, 1) repeat around (12)
R23 (DEC, 1) repeat around. Fasten off. Weave loose end through each stitch in the opening. Fill completely with stuffing. Pull tightly to close. Sew in your end.

Embroider little 'x' nostrils with black yarn.

Ears (make two in rust brown):

R1 Magic circle with 4 stitches into the loop (4) 

R2 (1, INC) 2 times (6)

R3 (2, INC) 2 times (8)

R4 (3, INC) 2 times (10)

R5 (4, INC) 2 times (12)

R6 Sc in each st around (12)

Flatten opening closed and sc in 6 sts through both thicknesses to close. Fold slightly in half and attach 2 rounds behind the eyes.

Mane:

Use dk brown and wrap around 3 fingers 30 times. Cut one side so you have 30 pieces of yarn about 4-5” long. Use a latch hook type process to attach the mane in a column centred on the head starting slightly behind the eyes all the way down his "back". I did 2 columns next to each other for more thickness.

That's it for the horse! Hope you are enjoying the series. As always, if you have any comments or concerns, feel free to write me a comment or contact me on Facebook, Etsy, etc. NEXT UP: THE GOAT! Special because it is the Year of the Goat on February 19 :)

The Northern Collective - February

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 17:52:00 +0000

It is time once again for me to participate in the Northern Collective upload. Did I explain what this is? If I did, here it is again :)

The Northern Collective on Hyenacart

If you head over in the next day or two, you will see items popping up as we make them available to preview.

For more detailed information and to keep up with all the events for The Northern Collective, come visit our Facebook page:

The Northern Collective on Facebook

Hope you can stop by for a visit on Tuesday! Stay tuned for more to come!

The SNAKE: Chinese Zodiac Animals #6

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 15:00:00 +0000

The Snake, in the Eastern zodiac, is charming, soft-spoken and mysterious. They make their decisions quickly and firmly; they are thinkers. Apparently though, they tend to tell lies and are a little bit lazy.

Our little snake is made in two parts: the head will be completed first as a sphere and then the tail is made from the tip up and attached to the head.

You will need:

light green yarn, dark green yarn, and a tiny bit of pink yarn all in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes
crochet hook (size A recommended but any hook up to size G will work)

tapestry needle
*optional = long doll needle, stuffing fork (see the Information Page for more info on this)

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st

# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

slst = slip stitch

Begin here:

Head first:

R1 With light green yarn, magic circle with 6 stitches into the loop.

R2 INC around. (12)
R3 (1, INC) around (18)
R4 1, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2 (23)

R5 INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4 (28)

R6 3, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 3 (32)

R7 5, INC, 9, INC, 9, INC, 6 (35)

R8 3, INC, 10, INC, 11, INC, 8 (38)

R9 12, INC, 25 (39)
R10 INC, 38 (40)

R11 sc around (insert eyes between R6/7 six sts apart)
R12 38, DEC (39)
R13 25, DEC, 12 (38)
R14 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3 (35)
R15 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32)
R16 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3 (28) (FILL WITH STUFFING)

R17 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23)

Body/Tail:

R1 starting at the tip of the tail, Magic Circle with 4 stitches into the loop using light green
R2 INC, 3 (5)

R3 INC, 4 (6)

R4 (2, INC) two times (8)

R5 (3, INC) two times (10)

R6-8 sc around (10)

Now, stuffing lightly as you go, single crochet 8 rounds dk green, 8 rounds lt green, 8 rounds dk green, 8 rounds lt green, then:

R41 (1, INC) 5 times around (15)

R42 sc around

R43 (2, INC) 5 times around (20)

R44 sc around

R45 (3, INC) 5 times around (30)

R46 sc around. Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Sew onto head of snake between round 16/17 and stuff last part tightly before closing up.

Tongue: Make one in pink:

Chain 8, turn, sl st in 2^nd chain from hook, 2 more slst, ch 4, turn and sl st in 2^nd ch from hook, 2 more slst and continue sl st back to where your tail is at the beginning (5 sl st).

Attach the tongue to the centre of your sphere and you're done!

We are now half way thru! How is everyone doing? Please feel free to post on my Facebook, or tag me with #turtlekeeperdesigns on Instagram! I'd LOVE to see your work! If you ever need any help, advice, clarification or explanation, please feel free to contact me on Facebook, IG, Ravelry, Etsy, or comment below :)

The DRAGON: Chinese Zodiac Animals #5

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 21:06:00 +0000

Our sweet dragon is my favourite of all the designs in the 12 zodiac animals. He has all sorts of different interesting little parts. Little wingy ears, horns and pudgy orange spikes.

A baby born as a Dragon in the Chinese zodiac is highly desirable. They are born leaders: powerful and confident, always in search of success. They can be quite perfectionistic and snobby though, often with a quick temper. I don't know any dragons personally but I'm sure we can point them out quite easily by their apparent personalities!

This is going to be one of our amigurumi zodiac set with an elongated head :) The other one will be the horse. Please have a quick peek at the Information Page for this Zodiac series before you begin!

You will need:

green yarn, white yarn, orange yarn in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes
crochet hook (size A recommended but any hook up to size G will work)

tapestry needle
*optional = long doll needle, stuffing fork (see the Information Page for more info on this)

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st
# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

slst = slip stitch
hdc = half double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, pull up a stitch, yarn over and pull thru all stitches on hook)

dc = double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, pull up a stitch, yarn over, pull thru two stitches on hook, yarn over, pull thru remaining stitches)

Begin here:

R1 With green yarn magic circle with 6 stitches into the loop.

R2 INC around. (12)
R3 (1, INC) around (18)
R4 1, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2 (23)

R5 INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4 (28)

R6 3, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 3 (32)

R7 5, INC, 9, INC, 9, INC, 6 (35)

R8 3, INC, 10, INC, 11, INC, 8 (38)

R9 12, INC, 25 (39)
R10 INC, 38 (40)

R11 sc around

R12 sc around

R13 sc around

R14 sc around
R15 38, DEC (39)
R16 25, DEC, 12 (38)

R17 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3 (35) (insert eyes between R11/12, ten sts apart)
R18 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32)
R19 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3 (28) (FILL WITH STUFFING)

R20 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23)

Spikes (make 3 in orange):

R1 Magic circle with 4 stitches in the loop (4)

R2 (1, INC) twice around (6)

R3 (2, INC) twice around (8)

R4 (3, INC) twice around (10)

R5 (4, INC) twice around (12). Finish off leaving tail for sewing. Make 2 more!

Squish each spike flat and sew bottom edge shut. Using the same tail, sew each spike onto the head starting between the eyes.

Horns (make 2 in white):

R1 Magic circle with 4 stitches (4)

R2 INC, 3 (5)

R3-4 sc around (5). In the example, the horns are attached in line with the eyes between rounds 17/18.

Ears (make 2 in green):

R1 chain 6 and turn.

R2 Sc in 2^nd chain and across (5)

R3 Ch 1, INC, 3, INC (7)

R4 Ch 1, INC, 5, INC (9)

R5 Ch1, sc, (hdc, dc, hdc) in nx sc, slst, slst, (hdc, dc, hdc) in nx sc, slst, slst, (hdc, dc, hdc) in nx sc, sc. Finish off and leave a tail for sewing. In the example, the ears are attached between rounds 17/18 below the level of the horns.

Embroider little nostrils in the shape of an “x” with white yarn.

That's it! I hope you enjoyed putting this little guy together! Stay tuned for the Snake coming up next!

If you ever need any help, advice, clarification or explanation, please feel free to ~~stalk~~ find me on Facebook, Instagram or comment below!

The BUNNY (RABBIT): Chinese Zodiac Animals #4

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 00:05:00 +0000

The person who is a rabbit is gentle, sensitive and compassionate. They dislike arguments and will do anything to avoid a fight (my Bunny niece who is three years old runs away when my kids start fighting). They may also tend to be a little anxious and indecisive. They are, however, known for their appreciation of beauty and fashion. Many are artists.

You will need:

white yarn and pink yarn in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes
crochet hook (size A recommended but any hook up to size G will work)

tapestry needle
*optional = long doll needle, stuffing fork (see the Information Page for more info on this)

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st
# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

Begin here:

R1 Using white yarn, make a magic circle with 6 stitches into the loop.

R2 INC around. (12)
R3 (1, INC) around (18)
R4 1, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2 (23)

R5 INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4 (28)

R6 3, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 3 (32)

R7 5, INC, 9, INC, 9, INC, 6 (35)

R8 3, INC, 10, INC, 11, INC, 8 (38)

R9 12, INC, 25 (39)
R10 INC, 38 (40)

R11 sc around
R13 25, DEC, 12 (38)
R14 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3 (35) (insert eyes between R6/7, 9 sts apart)
R15 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32)
R16 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3 (28) (stuff leaving room at the top)
R17 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23)

Ears (make 2 in white):

R1 5 sc in Magic Circle (5)

R2 5INC around (10)

R3 (1, INC) 5 times around (15)

R4-8 sc around (15)

R9 (3, DEC) 3 times around (12)

R10-11 sc around (12)

R12 (2, DEC) 3 times around (9)

R13-15 sc around (9) Flatten and attach to the head. In my example, the ears are attached between rounds 14/15.

Tail:

R1 With white yarn, 6 sc in magic circle

R2 INC around (12)

R3 sc around

R4 sc around

R5 DEC around (6)

R6 Cut the end and weave thru remaining stitches. Pull tight. You can stuff the tail if you would like. Sew onto the head/body.

Embroidering the nose and mouth:

This method is exactly the same as what was described for the TIGER. Embroider the nose and mouth after you finish the body/head. Thread about 18 inches of pink yarn on your needle.

1. Go in from the bottom of the bunny and make a triangle going back and forth with the pink yarn for the nose starting at the wide edge. Keep your stitches close together so you see minimal orange showing through.

2. Come out with your needle at the base of the triangle and go back in where you want the centre of the mouth to be (we will call this point X). You will end up with the small vertical line below her nose. (Did you know this is called the "philtrum"???)

3. Come back out at one corner of the mouth. Enter back in at "X".

4. Come back out at the other corner of the mouth. Enter back in at "X".

5. Now have a look at the 2 sides of the mouth. To make sure the little smile/curve stays put, come out midway between the corner of the mouth and "X". Catch the horizontal yarn and go back in at the same place.

6. Do this for the other side of the mouth.

You may have to do this a few times until you have something that you like. When you are happy, go back out to where you started at the bottom of the bunny, tie a knot and push the knot into the bunny's head/body.

I hope you're enjoying this crochet-a-long. We have the super-cute dragon coming up next which I really loved designing. He is my elder daughter's favourite of the 12.

How's everything going with the crocheting? If you ever need any help, advice, clarification or explanation, please feel free to ~~stalk~~ find me on Facebook, Instagram or comment below!

The TIGER: Chinese Zodiac Animals #3

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 23:32:00 +0000

I love our little tiger pattern. What a sweet guy he turned out to be! I don't think I have any tigers in my life but they are known to be brave, competitive and a bit unpredictable. Tigers are born leaders and apparently, they are quite irresistible!

This little guy is made with a round head. Please visit the main pattern page first for more tips and important information. With worsted yarn and size A hook, the tiger will be approximately 8 inches in circumference.

You will need:

orange yarn, black yarn in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes (8 or 9mm for this size)
crochet hook (I love using the size A to get a tight fabric but any hook up to size G will work. You will just get a much bigger animal!)

tapestry needle

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st

# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

Begin Here:

We will use orange yarn to start. Please note: as written in the pattern below, after the 8th round, change to black and crochet half a round with black before changing back to orange. Crochet 2 orange rounds. On the next round, insert some black segments. Then crochet 2 orange rounds. You can be creative and make it up as you go along! Just remember to leave slack when you drop the yarn and pick it up again to change colours. To keep it even simpler, just cut the old colour leaving a small tail to tie old and new yarns together to hold them. No one will know since all the ends will be inside your amigurumi!

R1 With orange, magic circle with 6 stitches into the loop.

R2 INC around. (12)

R3 (1, INC) around (18)

R4 1, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2 (23)

R5 INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4 (28)

R6 3, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 3 (32)

R7 5, INC, 9, INC, 9, INC, 6 (35)

R8 3, INC, 10, INC, 11, INC, 8 (38)

Change to black after this round to do part of R9. I have chosen the portion where his forehead is. Remember to change back to orange mid round.

R9 12, INC, 25 (39)

R10 INC, 38 (40) Orange round.

R11 sc around in orange (INSERT EYES BETWEEN R6/7, nine sts apart)

R12 38, DEC (39) Use some black on this round.

R13 25, DEC, 12 (38) Orange round.

R14 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3 (35) Orange round.

R15 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32) Use some black on this round.

R16 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3 (28) Orange round.

(Tie any knots you have from changing colours. Fill with stuffing almost to the top.)

R17 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23) Orange round.

R18 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 1 (18) Use some black on this round. Tie off all knots before moving on.

R19 (DEC, 1) repeat around (12) Orange.

R20 (DEC, 1) repeat around. Fasten off. Weave loose end through each stitch in the opening. Fill completely with stuffing. Pull tightly to close. Sew in your ends.

Embroidering the nose and mouth:

Embroider the nose and mouth after you finish the body/head. Thread about 18 inches of black yarn on your needle.

1. Go in from the bottom of the tiger and make a triangle going back and forth with the black yarn for the nose starting at the wide edge. Keep your stitches close together so you see minimal orange showing through. Our tiger had 6 stitches.

2. Come out with your needle at the base of the triangle and go back in where you want the centre of the mouth to be (we will call this point X). You will end up with the small vertical line below his nose. (Did you know this is called the "philtrum"???)

3. Come back out at one corner of the mouth. Enter back in at "X".

4. Come back out at the other corner of the mouth. Enter back in at "X".

5. Now have a look at the 2 sides of the mouth. To make sure the little smile/curve stays put, come out midway between the corner of the mouth and "X". Catch the horizontal yarn and go back in at the same place.

6. Do this for the other side of the mouth.

You may have to do this a few times until you have something that you like. When you are happy, go back out to where you started at the bottom of the tiger, tie a knot and push the knot into the tiger's head/body.

Ears (make 2 in orange):

R1 Magic Circle with 4 sts in the loop.

R2 (1, INC) twice around (6)

R3 (2, INC) twice around (8)

R4 (3, INC) twice around (10).

R5 (4, INC) twice around (12).

R6 (5, INC) twice around (14). Bind off leaving a tail to sew to top of head. Flatten and sew the opening shut. Sew on. Repeat for the other ear.

Yay! The Tiger is complete! Stay tuned for the next animal....the BUNNY!

PS. As always, please let me know if there are any issues with the pattern and I will fix it up!

The OX: Chinese Zodiac Animals Pattern #2

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 00:24:00 +0000

The OX is our second pattern! Our first one, the RAT can be found HERE. Those born as an Ox can be quite stubborn and even have somewhat of a temper. However, they are hardworking, good with their hands, quiet and patient. They have a great memory. My little sister is an ox and yes, that is definitely her to a tee!

This little guy is made with a round head and two colours of yarn. Please visit the main pattern page first for more tips and important information. With worsted yarn and size A hook, the ox will be approximately 7 inches in circumference.

You will need:

brown yarn, cream/beige yarn in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes
crochet hook (I love using the size A to get a tight fabric but any hook up to size G will work. You will just get a much bigger animal!)

tapestry needle

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st

# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

hdc = half double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, pull up a stitch, yarn over and pull thru all stitches on hook)

dc = double crochet (yarn over, insert hook, pull up a stitch, yarn over, pull thru two stitches on hook, yarn over, pull thru remaining stitches)

Begin here:

Work in continuous rounds. Don't join rounds for this section.

R1 With brown yarn, do a magic circle (if you need help with this, please check the intro blog post!) with 6 stitches into the loop.

R2 INC around. (12)

R3 (1, INC) around (18)

R4 1, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2, INC, 3, INC, 2 (23)

R5 INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4, INC, 3, INC, 4 (28)

R6 3, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 6, INC, 3 (32)

R7 5, INC, 9, INC, 9, INC, 6 (35)

R8 3, INC, 10, INC, 11, INC, 8 (38)

R9 12, INC, 25 (39)

R10 INC, 38 (40)

R11 sc around inserting eyes between R6/7 six sts apart

R12 38, DEC (39)

R13 25, DEC, 12 (38)

R14 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3 (35)

R15 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32)

R16 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3 (fill with stuffing leaving some room at the top) (28)

R17 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23)

R18 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 1 (18)

R19 (DEC, 1) repeat around (12)

R20 (DEC, 1) repeat around. Fasten off. Weave loose end through each stitch in the opening. Fill completely with stuffing. Pull tightly to close. Sew in your ends.

Muzzle (using cream coloured yarn):

You will be joining the rounds for the muzzle.

Ch 5. 3sc in 2^nd ch from hook, sc2 across the chain, 5 sc in the last chain.

Turn work and work back across with sc2 and INC in the last chain. Sl st to first sc. (14)

Ch 1, INC in same stitch as hook, INC in nx st, sc 4, INC in nx st, 3 sc in nx st, INC in nx st, sc4, INC in last stitch. Join to first sc. (22)

Ch1, sc in back loops around. Join with a sl st.

Ch 1, sc around. Join with a sl st. Finish off. Leave tail for sewing. Notice how your work has two little holes that look like nostrils? Place some scrap brown yarn inside the muzzle so the “nostrils” are dark (see picture below). Place some stuffing inside to the hold the yarn and then place onto the head centred between the eyes and over initial rounds of the head. Stitch into place using a whipstitch and right before closing off, stuff completely. Finish off.

Ears (make 2 with brown yarn):

R1 Magic circle with 6 sts into the loop.

R2 INC around (12)

R3 (1, INC) around (18). Finish off leaving tail. Fold in half with the wrong sides facing in and attach to the head (round 13 in the example).

Horns (make 2 with cream yarn):

R1 Magic circle with 3 sts into the loop.

R2 2, INC (4).

R3 3, INC (5).

R4 1 hdc in next st, 2 dc in next st, 2dc in next st, 1 hdc in next st, 1 sc (7).

R5 1 dc in next st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in next 2 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in next st. 1 sc (9)

R6 1 dc in next 2 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in next 2 st, 2 dc in next st, 1 dc in next 2 st. 1 sc

(11). Bind off. Leave tail for sewing, stuff and attach to head. I let the horns curl towards each other. They were attached between rounds 12-14 in the example.

Yay! You have finished your Ox! Stay tuned for the next animal....the TIGER!

PS. As always, please let me know if there are any issues with the pattern and I will fix it up!

The RAT : Chinese Zodiac Animals Patterns #1

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 10:48:00 +0000

For our first pattern, we have our little Rat! Those born as Rats are thought to be quite charming, perfectionistic, intelligent and energetic. They are good problem solvers and quite observant. My younger daughter is a rat and she certainly seems to be all of these!

This little guy is made with a pointy head and three colours of yarn. Please visit the main pattern page first for more tips and important information.

You will need:

grey yarn, pink yarn and white yarn in worsted weight
stuffing (polyfill or wool)
safety eyes
crochet hook (size A recommended but any hook up to size G will work)

tapestry needle

Key:

Ch = chain

INC = 2 sc into one stitch

#INC = do # increases in a row

DEC = invisible decrease turns the next 2 sts into one st

# or sc# = separate sc stitches (no increasing or decreasing)

Begin here:

Pointy Head (using grey):

R1 Magic circle with 6 sts in the loop (6)

R2 (sc, INC) 3 times (9)

R3 (2, INC) 3 times (12)

R4 (2, INC) 4 times (16)

R5 (3, INC ) 4 times (20)

R6 (4, INC) 4 times (24)

R7 sc around

R8 (5, INC) 4 times (28)

R9 (6, INC) 4 times (32)

R10 (7, INC) 4 times (36)

R11 (8, INC) 4 times (40)

R12 sc around

R13 sc around (Insert eyes after this round. For the example, I have placed the eyes between rounds 9 and 10, nine stitches apart. Put them in and then have a good look before you commit to those backings!!)

R14 38, DEC (39)

R15 25, DEC, 12 (38)

R16 8, DEC, 11, DEC, 10, DEC, 3 (35)

R17 6, DEC, 9, DEC, 9, DEC, 5 (32)

R18 3, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 6, DEC, 3 (28) (YOU MAY pause here and do the ears first and/or nose and mouth or finish off the head completely. The instructions are at the end of this pattern. The choice is yours. In my pictures, I have elected to do the ears before finishing the head. Fill with stuffing leaving some room at the top.)

R19 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC, 3, DEC, 4, DEC (23)

R20 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 3, DEC, 2, DEC, 1 (18)

R21 (DEC, 1) repeat around (12)

R22 (DEC, 1) repeat around. Fasten off. Weave loose end through each stitch in the opening. Fill completely with stuffing. Pull tightly to close. Sew in your ends.

Ears (grey): make 2

R1 Magic circle with 6 sts in the loop (6)

R2 INC around (12)

R3 (1, INC) 6 times (18)

R4 (2, INC) 6 times (24)

R5 (3, INC) 6 times (30)

Fold up the bottom row:

and then fold in half and secure the bottom 3 stitches or so leaving a tail for attaching.

Attach to the head in line with the eyes. Do the same with the other ear. Go back and finish the head if you jumped ahead to do the ears.

Nose and mouth:

This may be done before the head is finished or afterwards. Using pink yarn, sew vertical lines close together at the tip of the pointy head. Then sew one strand going left and one going right. Go back into the head and tie off your yarn or stitch back and forth in the stuffing to secure yarn end.

Whiskers:

Using 4 strands of white yarn and a “latch hook” technique, attach the whiskers two to a side as in the photo.

Yay! You have finished your Rat! Stay tuned for the next animal....the OX!

PS. As always, please let me know if there are any issues with the pattern and I will fix it up!

Chinese Zodiac Amigurumi Basics!

noreply@blogger.com (Turtlekeeper Designs) — Sun, 11 Jan 2015 20:27:00 +0000

Are you guys ready for some crocheting??

Great! First of all, this will be the main page for all 12 patterns so I don't have to keep repeating myself on each of them. If something is really important though, I will definitely restate it in that particular pattern. If I have a brainwave, I will also make changes to this page to accommodate any new intelligent thoughts. So check back!!

What you will need:

In these photos/patterns, I have used a worsted weight yarn throughout. You will require a main colour of yarn and usually a few yards of supplementary colours. The main body of the animal should require under 50 yards of yarn but this will depend on what size of crochet hook you select and how tightly you work. Some of the patterns will require more (eg. snake).

Crochet hook size A (you can use any size, try it out and see what you like to use- I use a size A with worsted weight yarn to get a very tight fabric so stuffing does not show but you can choose any size up to G if you don't have a small one handy or if you don't like using small ones. Keep in mind as the size of the hook goes up, so does the size of your animal!)
8 or 9 mm Black Safety Eyes (example)
Polyfil stuffing (example) or Wool stuffing
Tapestry needle (for sewing in ends and adding details)
Optional: long doll needle (example)
Optional: stuffing tool (example)

The Methods:

For those of you that are new to crocheting, I would highly recommend watching some YouTube videos to familiarize yourself with the basic techniques. I will try to put in little tips along the way too!

Invisible Decrease

I use this technique a lot for making amigurumi (small stuffed toys). It makes a big difference! The regular decrease often leaves a bump or a hole in your work while this invisible decrease is almost undetectable! Here is a link to a nice tutorial.

Magic Circle/Crochet in the Round

I have used the Magic Circle technique throughout these patterns for all instances where we begin crocheting in the round. I have a short little tutorial on Ravelry that can help those that have not mastered it yet! Here is the link. Also for crocheting in the round, do not join the rounds unless specifically asked for. Just keep going around in spirals.

Ideal Sphere

The amazing ideal sphere pattern (20 row) that I have adapted in this pattern is not my work. I discovered it here and it is genius. All but one animal (ox) in the photos has been done in this style of sphere as it is a lovely rounded shape and does not have the hexagonal outlines you would see with the common basic sphere. It isn’t more difficult but it does take more concentration to work thru each round as they do not repeat as in a basic sphere. I will have to apologize to those who are used to the mindless rounds of a typical amigurumi pattern. You will love this perfectly round sphere!!

Amigurumi tips

When you embroider facial details in amigurumi, you may do so after you have finished off the stuffed item. To lock in your yarn, you may find it easier to use a doll needle (example) and go in and out of the body three times. This locks in the yarn!

When you are placing eyes, you may wish to put some stuffing in temporarily to "puff" out the face in order to get a sense of where the eyes would look their best (the cutest!!). Just take the stuffing back out and continue.

If you have a stuffing tool (example) then you can essentially almost closeup your critter and use the tool to stuff in the last bit of stuffing. That way you don't fight the stuffing while you are crocheting but you get a nice fully stuffed animal.

Help!!!

If you ever need any help, please feel free to hunt me down via FB, Ravelry or through the blog. I am usually pretty easy to get a hold of (except when I remember to sleep), and I would love to help!!

So without further ado.........see the next blog post for our first pattern :)