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Designing an amigurumi: Little Cow bookmark

With the Tutorial Designing an Amigurumi: Little Cow Bookmark you will learn about triangular shapes, 3D and flat pieces and thick edges.

We are at the end of August. September is coming soon and back to school. There are many of you who asked me for a new bookmark since you really liked the one with the monkey. I had to start designing it now or it wouldn’t arrive on time, but what to do this time? I needed new ideas. Another elongated bookmark like the little monkey? It would be more of the same and my intention was to try something new.

The first thing I had to do was choose the shape of the bookmark and searching through the different models, I really liked the corner bookmarks, especially for the versatility they offer in order to adapt them to create different figures.

I wanted something simple, with simple shapes, worked with basic stitches and taking advantage of the fact that the main piece would be triangular, I could focus on that shape to design most of the rest of the elements of what I intended to be another little animal.

One of my favorites whose shape would be perfect and that I could easily design according to my conditions is the cow. Decided! The new pattern would be a little Cow Bookmark:

Designing an amigurumi: Little Cow bookmark

The design would have to consist of:

A triangular, hollow main piece, of the right size to insert the page of a book into it, rigid enough at the edges so that it maintains its shape as it does not have fiberfill stuff.

This piece must also have the peculiarity that one of the sides is longer than the other.

Start designing the pattern:

Main Piece

To give the piece a triangular shape, I will work the first rounds with increase sequences based on 3, that is, I will use sequences of stitches in which I will make 3 increases on each round.

The beginning of the piece, on the other hand, I want it to be more pointed and therefore after the magic ring, instead of making an increasing round, what I do is a fixed round, that is, a round without modifying the total number of points but that lengthens the piece.

It is time to alternate increasing rounds with fixed rounds to shape the piece. If I only use increasing rounds, the piece would become too wide very quickly, so fixed rounds must also be used, to, in addition to increasing the width, lengthen the piece.

Once the pointed shape has started, I need the piece to be wider, so I have to expand the increase sequences and go from making the rounds based on the 3 to making them on the 6. That way I will make 6 increases in each round, which will change the shape of the piece, expanding the triangle.

Designing an amigurumi: Little Cow bookmark

Divide the piece

Measuring the length and width I need, after round 23 with 60 stitches in total, I have to change the way I continue crocheting. I need one of the sides of the piece to be longer, so the easiest thing to do is to divide the piece into 2 equal parts and continue crocheting only on one of them.

Designing an amigurumi: Little Cow bookmark

Once the division is done I have to start working in rows instead of doing it in the round, as many rows as the length I want this side to be. However, I am not interested in having the side be straight since then I would lose the shape that I want to give to my cow’s head. To give a more rounded shape I am going to reduce the length of each row by losing a sc at each end, turning without ch 1 and making a final decrease.

Once I added the length I want, I could finish the piece, but it doesn’t look clean. When crocheting straight, the edges have been irregular and when doing it only on one side, the shape is not unified.

Designing an amigurumi: Little Cow bookmark

How to improve the appearance of the piece?

Working around all of it. By crocheting bordering the rows, I smooth out the uneven edges. By continuing on the short side, I unify the two parts of the piece.

Just need to give some firmness to the edges. Let’s not forget that this is a woven piece, but it must be placed on a sheet. It is necessary that the edges do not bend so easily. Crochet a last round reinforcing the stitches and forming a thicker edge working in the post of each st. In this way the main piece of the bookmark is finished. Now we have to do the details to turn this piece into a cute little cow.

Details

Continuing with the idea of using triangular shaped pieces, I can make them flat (spots) or three-dimensional (horns). Some pieces are even made up of both elements, such as the ears. Its base is three-dimensional to which a flat triangular piece is added.

Designing an amigurumi: Little Cow bookmark

As for the most important part of the face, the snout, I needed a flat, oval piece of considerable length. The simplest thing would be to reach the required length through chains and on them achieve the oval shape. That is why, instead of crocheting in rows, you have to do it on both sides of the chains. By this way you can crochet rounds and give the piece a rounded shape. As the length was established with the beginning chains, what we have to look is the width of the piece. As we already know, to achieve this, I use the increasing rounds that I alternate with fixed rounds. The piece will maintain its flat shape.

A balance is necessary in the use of both types of rounds. The fixed rounds alone would arch the shape too soon. The increasing ones would do the same with respect to the width.

Highlight the edges

The shape of the pieces is important, but we must not forget that the details are what make the difference. I wanted my little cow to have a more striking appearance. I decided to highlight the edges of several elements in black as if they were outlined with a marker.

To achieve a flat edge I had to use the lowest stitches, such as slip stitches. To make it look regular, I had to work over the back loop of the stitches. In order to avoid excessive curvature of the piece I had to increase.

Finally, the eyes had to follow the same line as the rest of the pieces. They have to be simple, flat and with the appearance of being drawn.

The chains along with the slip stitches would allow me to shape two lines. I would sew them curved over the face to give the cow a smiling appearance. The combination of black and white colors highlights them and gives them vibrancy.

All you need to do is assemble all the pieces and the cow bookmark is finished!

>>>Vaquita Marcapáginas patrón amigurumi (Español)<<<

Little Cow Bookmark Amigurumi Pattern

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Designing an amigurumi: Rose

The month of June begins and my garden is filled with my favorite roses, pale pink in color and an unmistakable aroma that takes me back to childhood. It would be fun to crochet one, but how?

Designing an amigurumi: Rose

Once I am sure about what I want to design, I need to have a visual model, drawing, photo or even the object itself. In this case, a rose.

It must be clear that our model must be just that, a reference to follow, but not something fixed that limits us. In my opinion, if amigurumis have something, it is that we can give wings to our imagination and capture our own tastes in them, without distorting the object they reflect.

If I’m strict, this time it’s not an amigurumi itself, I’ll explain why: I wanted to do it in a different way, without fiber fill but with volume, using the basic crochet stitches, without changing color and except for a small part, crochet in rows.

But let’s start at the beginning:

Materials:

  • Very light pink and olive green yarns.
  • 2 mm crochet hook.
  • Yarn needle.
  • Scissors.
  • Paper and pen.

Start with the main part, the body of the rose with the petals.

I want to work straight, in rows, but to give shape and volume to my rose I need the fabric to be crocheted to roll around itself.

I really admire the work of other colleagues, but one cannot limit oneself to seeing other amigurumi crocheters. There are true artisan artists whose techniques are worthy of admiration and, why not, extrapolated to our field.

I remember seeing some molds for making fondant roses to decorate cakes in a well-known online store. With them an elongated piece was formed with waves on the sides that had to be folded and wrap. It was different from what I had seen in crochet and it was worth trying.

I start the pattern:

PALE PINK ROSE AMIGURUMI PATTERN

PETALS

With very light Pink yarn

The first row will determine the width of the flower, while the total number of rows will determine its height. A 60 sc piece, in addition to having the size I need, makes things easier when dividing the petals, as there are both 30 and 60 even numbers and divisible by 3.

1. Ch 31 and work 30 sc in the chains.

2. I Continue working in the beginning chains, but in the other side another 30 sc to have a 60 sc piece in all (60).

I already have the piece, but it needs to be wider.

3. I Place the round marker to work 1 sc in each st (60).

4. 1 sc in each st (60).

5. It’s time to start crocheting the petals:

The shape of the rose determines the size of the petals. When having to roll it, they have to go from smaller to larger size, since their position will be from the inside to the outside. To separate the petals from each other I use the slip stitch and to gain height and size of the petals I work several stitches into one and use more stitches from the piece to crochet each petal.

1) 1 double crochet, 1 slip stitch in the next stitch.

2) 2 double crochet in the next stitch, 1 slip stitch in the next.

3) 3 double crochet in the next stitch, 1 slip stitch in the next.

So far I have occupied 6 sc of the 30 that form half of the piece.

4) 1 double crochet in the next stitch, 2 double crochet in the next stitch, 1 double crochet in the next stitch, 1 slip stitch in the next stitch.

5) 2 double crochet in the next one, 3 double crochet in the next stitch, 2 double crochet in the next one, 1 slip stitch in the next stitch.

6) 3 double crochet in the next one, 3 double crochet in the next stitch, 3 double crochet in the next one, 1 slip stitch in the next stitch.

With these three petals I have occupied 12 more sc, so I have crocheted 18 sc in all. I have 12 sc left to crochet over.

The simplest thing is to make 2 final petals of the same size, each occupying 6 sc.

7) 1 double crochet in the next stitch, 2 double crochet in the next stitch, 3 double crochet in the next stitch, 3 double crochet in the next stitch, 2 double crochet in the next stitch, 1 slip stitch in the next stitch.

8) 1 double crochet in the next stitch, 2 double crochet in the next stitch, 3 double crochet in the next stitch, 3 double crochet in the next stitch, 2 double crochet in the next stitch, 1 slip stitch in the next stitch.

I have already crocheted over the 30 sc that form half of the piece.

Now I have to work over the other half following the same pattern, but in reverse, that is, when I have to roll the piece, I must start with this last petal up to the first.

Designing an amigurumi (Part I)

Once the 8 petals are completed, I fasten off leaving a long thread to be able to sew the rose when giving it shape.

For that, I fold the piece in half and roll it.

Once it’s the shape I like, I pin it in place. I sew along the back, holding the loops carefully so they don’t separate, but leaving the petals loose.

Once the flower is finished, it is time to complete it with some leaves.

I want to cover the back of the rose, but since I don’t use fiberfill, a flat circular piece is best. Around it I will crochet the leaves. Again I am going to use even numbers divisible by 3. In this case starting with a 6 sc magic ring.

LEAVES

With olive green yarn

1. I Work 6 sc in magic ring.

2. Inc in every st (12).

3. “1 sc, inc”, repeat (18).

These 18 sc are enough to cover the back.

It is time to start crocheting the leaves. The idea is to do it in rows in one time. For this, I’ll use a combination of chains and sc around the main 18 sc piece. The number of chains will determine the length of the leaves and the stitches that occupy in the piece their total number. Each one will occupy 1 sc, so this time it will be the separation stitches between them that will determine the number of leaves. Being 18 sc the total stitches to crochet the leaves, the easiest thing is to make 6 leaves occupying 3 sc each, that is, 1 sc for the leaf and 2 sc separating them.

4. 1 sc, ch 7, 6 sc in the chains, 1 slip stitch over the origin point of the chains. “3 sc on the base piece, ch 7, 6 sc in the chains, 1 slip stitch over the origin point of the chains” 5 times, 2 sc.

I have already part of the 6 leaves.

The leaves need to be shaped by incorporating some detail such as irregular edges. For this I am going to continue working around the piece, bordering the leaves adding something as simple as some chains.

5. 1 sc, I work in the side of the chains: “1 slip st + ch 2 + 1 slip st, 1 slip st in the next chain” 3 times. I Continue crocheting in the other side of the leaf following the same pattern. 3 sc on the base piece to work on the next leaf following the same pattern. I Repeat until completing the 6 leaves and the round.

I fasten off leaving a long thread of wool to sew the piece on the back of the rose. Place the magic ring outside.

And the Rose is finished! Do you like it?

But this is the first version of the pattern and there are things to review and even modify. For example, adding height to the final petals, a touch of color to the initial ones. Maybe I should place the leaves in a way that is not so symmetrical, or modifying their size. Designing a pattern means giving it many turns, correcting, rectifying, even after finishing it.

I hope you like both the pattern and the tutorial Designing an amigurumi: Rose and find it useful.

See you in the next one!