Thursday, November 14, 2013

Little Gray Cat - Free Amigurumi Crochet Pattern


This is my very first time sharing one of my crochet patterns so I am very excited. I have made this cute little cat several times and he is a favorite among my kids. They had me make several in different colors. Since this is my first time writing a pattern to share, I would like to ask for your feedback. If you make one of these cute cats, I would love to see how it turns out. Additionally, please let me know what you liked about the pattern or what I can modify to make the pattern easier to follow. Some specific questions are written out at the end of this pattern. Please leave feedback in the comments. Thank you and ENJOY!
 
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Little Gray Cat
Amigurumi Crochet Pattern

by Rachel Ingram
 

Materials:
¨ Worsted weight yarn* in gray and white
¨ Size E/4 hook (3.5 mm)*
¨ 12mm plastic eyes with safety backings
(if safety eyes are unavailable, beads can be used or eyes can be embroidered with thread)
¨ Black embroidery floss and embroidery needle
¨ Tapestry or yarn needle
¨ Fiberfill or stuffing of your choice
 
Finished size: Approximately 4 ½” tall
*Gauge is not critical. You can use whatever size yarn and hook you like. Just make sure to make your stitches as tight as possible to ensure stuffing does not poke out of the holes. The size of your yarn and hook will determine your finished size.
 

Crochet Stitch Abbreviations
R(#)
Round or Row number
ch
Chain
st
Stitch / stitches
SC
Single crochet (UK double crochet)
sl st
Slip stitch
INC
Increase (work 2 SC in same st)
DEC
Decrease (single crochet next 2 stitches together)
[# st]
Resulting number of stitches from row
( ) # times
Work pattern in parenthesis the indicated number of times
 
Muzzle
Using white yarn,
R1: Ch 2, 5 SC in second ch from hook.
R2: SC 2 in each sc around. [10 st]
R3: SC 10.
Sl st 1 and fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing. Embroider nose, mouth, whiskers. Set aside.
 
Head
Using gray yarn,
R1: Ch 2, 5 SC in second ch from hook.
R2: SC 2 in each sc around. [10 st]
R3: (SC 1, INC) 5 times. [15 st]
R4: (SC 2, INC) 5 times. [20 st]
R5: (SC 3, INC) 5 times. [25 st]
R6-10: SC 25. Place a marker or safety pin on row 8. This is where you will place the eyes later.
R11: (SC 3, DEC 1) 5 times. [20 st]
R12: (SC 2, DEC 1) 5 times. [15 st]
Sew muzzle in place. Start stitching bottom of muzzle in lowest row of head (R12) and stitch around. Position and attach eyes. I placed mine in row 8, 2 stitches from edge of muzzle.
R13: (SC 1, DEC 1) 5 times. [10 st] Stuff firmly.
R14: DEC 5 times. [5 st]
Sl st 1 and fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing.
 
Ears (make 2)
Using gray yarn,
R1: Ch 2, 5 SC in second ch from hook.
R2: SC 5. [5 st]
R3: INC 5 times. [10 st]
R4: SC 10.
Sl st 1 and fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing. Sew open end together to make flat and sew ears to head.
 
Body
Using gray yarn,
R1: Ch 2, 5 SC in second ch from hook.
R2: INC 5 times. [10 st]
R3: (SC 1, INC) 5 times. [15 st]
R4: (SC 2, INC) 5 times. [20 st]
R5-12: SC 20.
R 13: (SC 2, DEC) 5 times. [15 st]
R14: SC 15. Stuff firmly.
R15: (SC 1, DEC) 5 times. [10 st]
R16: DEC 5 times. Sl st 1 and fasten off. Sew shut, weave tail into body. Sew head to body.
 
Front legs (make 2)
Using gray yarn,
R1: Ch 2, SC 7 in second ch from hook.
R2-9: SC 7. [7 st]
Sl st 1 and fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing. Stuff firmly and sew to body. You may need to use a stick or the flat end of a pencil in order to assist in pushing in the stuffing.
 
Back legs (make 2)
Using gray yarn,
R1: Ch 2, SC 6 in second ch from hook
R2: (SC 2, INC) 2 times. [8 st]
R3-6: Sc 8.
R7: (SC 1, INC) 4 times. [12 st]
R8: (SC 4, DEC 1) 2 times. [10 st]
Stuff firmly.
R9: (SC 3, DEC 1) 2 times. [8 st]
Sl st 1 and fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing. Sew open end together so that the end is flat, then sew leg to body.
 
Tail
Using white yarn,
R1: Ch 2, SC 5 in second ch from hook.
R2-3: SC 5. [5 st]
Change to gray yarn,
R4-11: SC 5. [5 st]. Sl st 1 and fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing. Sew to body.
This pattern is copyright by Rachel Ingram and is being shared free of charge. You may not sell this pattern. If you would like to share it with others, please link to my website. Feel free to Pin on Pinterest or other social sharing sites.
You may sell the items you make from this pattern on a small scale such as craft shows, yard sales, church fairs, etc. but if you plan to mass produce and sell items made from this pattern you must contact me for further selling rights. (c) http://littlelambgallery.blogspot.com/
 
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Ok, So there it is. I hope you enjoy making this quick and easy project.
 
Now, could you please provide me feedback on what you think about my pattern?
 
Specifically, I would like to know:
1.Were there were any parts of the pattern that were confusing to follow?
2. Can you think of any pictures or illustrations you would like to see for a specific step in the pattern? Which step?
3. What is your favorite thing about this pattern?
4. Any other feedback you would like to share.
 
If I get enough responses, I will gladly make another pattern to share with you all. What kind of animal would you like to have a FREE pattern for?

 
Thanks in advance for sharing your feedback! Feel free to share this on Pinterest and other social sharing sites, as long as you provide a link back to my page. :)

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Magic rainbow

My husband projected a rainbow onto the kid's bedroom ceiling by placing an old audio CD on the window sill while the sun was shining on it. Such a simple trick transformed the nursery into a magical place. My daughter is amazed and still cannot figure out how daddy brought a rainbow inside.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Veggietales Pirates Birthday

We threw a Veggietales Pirates theme party for my daughter's 2nd birthday, inspired by the Veggietales movie "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." We did not do a lot of decorating because I ran short on time. I still managed to make a cute and simple Veggietales balloon banner by drawing faces on balloons and then tying the balloons onto ribbon. It was quick and easy and a big hit with the kiddos.
veggietales balloon banner
Veggietales balloon banner. Quick and easy party idea!
I also made a Veggietales pirate cake complete with Pirate Larry, an island and a treasure chest. I made the pirate and treasure chest out of edible gum paste, but you could easily buy veggietale figurines and just put them on top. I made the island "sand" out of brown and white sugar mixed together and what island beach would be complete without beach umbrellas? I used the cheap toothpick drink umbrellas that I picked up at the Dollar Tree.
Veggietales pirate cake
Veggietales Pirate cake complete with treasure chest

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Ugly door transformation


When we first moved into our house, we had the ugliest, dingy brown front door. We could not afford to put on a new door, but I really wanted to spruce up the look. With just a little bit of wood molding bought at my local home improvement store, I was able to transform it to something beautiful.

First I sanded the old door. I filled in the peep hole with fix-all then sanded that down to make it smooth and level with the rest of the door. Once the door was completely sanded smooth and the sanding dust was wiped off, I nailed my wood molding to the door with small wood tacking nails. There were some cracks between the door and the molding so I filled those in with caulk. Next, I primed the entire door then painted in a bright beautiful red. My family thought we bought a new door when they saw it!

Close up of painted molding

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Lunafest - October 13, 2011


It's about that time of year again. I am participating in Lunafest once again and am making jewelry to donate to the charity auction. Go to http://www.fitmomsrock.com/lunafest-2011.html for more details and to buy your tickets to this fabulous event.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Raising money for a great cause

Little Lamb Gallery had two jewelry items up for sale in the silent auction at Lunafest (http://www.lunafest.org/) last night. I was amazed at the high price that the items sold for and all money raised during the event went to The Breast Cancer Fund and Alternatives to Domestic Violence charities. It was an amazing night and I cannot wait to do it again next year!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Almost edible apple buttons


My handpainted apple buttons are finished! Aren't they just so delicious you could almost take a bite out of them? In fact, one of the designs does have a "bite" taken out of it. There are three sizes available and are just waiting for someone to hand knit a beautiful sweater and add these buttons to create the ultimate personal touch.

Check them out for sale in my etsy shop:
Small apple buttons, medium apple buttons, large apple button