Tuesday, February 25, 2014

"Gertie" puppet

I've been toying with the idea of making some Minion hand puppets. The first puppet I made based on my own hand size, and I goofed with my rounds, so it kept getting bigger and bigger as I approached the top. I decided to try again, with the girl minion from Despicable Me 2. I call her "Gertie." I have no idea what her name is in the movie. I was informed last night by a three-year-old that she's not actually a girl, but a boy minion dressed up like a girl.

I decided to try this on top-down and liked the way it turned out. I had traced the hand of a 9-year-old girl for size.

Gertie Hand Puppet
Size G & H crochet hooks
Worsted weight yarn in yellow, black, white, green, silver/gray and orange.
Small sew-on gemstone (or small black button)

With Size H hook and orange yarn
Round 1: Make magic ring. Chain 1, 8 hdc in ring. Pull ring tight and join.
Round 2: Chain 1, 2 hdc in each stitch around. Join. (16 stitches)
Round 3: Chain 1, **2 hdc in stitch. HDC in next three stitches**. Repeat ** around (20 stitches)
Rounds 4 & 5: Chain 1, work even  in hdc (20)
Change to bright yellow yarn
Rounds 6 & 7: Chain 1, work even in hdc (20 stitches)
Change to black yarn
Round 8: Chain 1, work even in hdc, working in back loops only (20 stitches)
Change to bright yellow yarn
Rounds 9, 10, 11 Chain 1, work even in hdc (20 stitches)
Row 12: Slip stitch in first five stitches. Turn, Chain 1, and HDC in 10 stitches.
Row 13-15: Turn, chain 1, HDC across (10 stitches). End off.
Note: It's easier to sew on the eye and mouth now, while it's still easy to get to the back side of your work.
Back side of puppet:
Attach yellow yarn and HDC across 10 unworked stitches. Work back and forth as you did on the front, for four rows.
Connecting row:
Chain 1, HDC in 10 stitches. Chain 2, HDC in ten stitches of front. Chain 2 and join to back.
Change to bright green yarn. Have white yarn ready to attach a few stitches in.

Skirt Row 1: 
Chain 1, *HDC in 3 stitches,  white cluster*, repeat around, randomly increasing 2-3 stitches in the row. Join.
(White Cluster: Do a HDC but don't pull the yarn through to finish the stitch. Do two more HDC without the final pull-through, and then pull through all the loops on your hook at the same time.)
Skirt Row 2 & 3:
Chain 1, hdc in green, white cluster - *hdc in green until you're centered between the white clusters on the previous row, white cluster*, while randomly increasing 2-3 stitches in the row.
I think the puppet could have used one row of SC around the bottom in green to finish it off...

Eye:
With white yarn and Size G hook, 8 hdc in Magic Ring. Pull tight & join.
Change to silver/gray yarn
Chain 1, 2 hdc in each stitch around. Join. End off, leaving long tail to sew on.
Sew small black gemstone to center of eye before sewing it to puppet.

Mouth:
With size G hook and black yarn, chain 18.
Slip stitch in second slip from hook, sc in next 2 stitches, hdc in next two stitches, dc in next two stitches, treble crochet in next 3 stitches, dc in next two stitches, hdc in next two stitches, sc in next 2 stitches, slip stitch in last stitch. End off, leaving tail to sew on. With white yarn, embroider tooth.

Arms:
With H hook and bright yellow yarn, work 13 hdc around thumbhole. Work in HDC around for four rows, decreasing one stitch at the inner thumb during each round. End off, leaving tail to sew top closed. Repeat on other side.

Braids 
Cut 24 strands of orange yarn approximately 18" long. Loop 12 strands through the 3rd row at the side of the puppet as it lays flat. Braid tightly, knot and trim. Repeat on other side.


Friday, February 21, 2014

M-I-N-I-O-N M-O-U-S-E

 Earlier this week, I got a Facebook message from a friend, asking if I had a Mickey Mouse hat in my craft show inventory. I told her I didn't, but I had a pattern. Sarah of RepeatCrafterMe has a great pattern for Mickey and Minnie Mouse Hats on her blog. She has loads of patterns for adorable hats on her blog, and she gives directions for sizes from infant to adult. She also has other craft projects and crockpot recipes. Stop by her blog... you'll be there for a while!

Anyway, after I finished up the adorable little hat above for a little girl in the Chicago area (her grandparents are going out next week for her birthday and predict she will love the hat so much she'll sleep in it), I decided I would see what it would look like if a Minion wore Mickey ears!

I started out with Sarah's basic pattern for the Mickey Mouse Hat, made a few changes (such as the FPHC "ribbing" on the last few rows), and added Minion embellishments. I made mine a 1-year-old size, but you could make any size basic hat and add a Minion face. For larger hats with more rows, just divide your extra rows evenly between the sections (black, yellow and blue).

Materials:
Worsted weight yarn in black, bright yellow, denim blue, white and silver/gray
(For the silver rim on the Minion goggles, I use two strands of a sport weight metallic silver yarn - I think it's Vanna's Choice)
Size G & H crochet hook
Yarn Needle
Two small sew-on gemstones

Stitches:
HDC - Half Double Crochet
FPHDC - Front Post Half Double Crochet
SC: Single Crochet
SS - Slip stitch

With black yarn and size H hook, make a magic ring. Chain 1
Round 1:10 HDC in magic ring, join to first HDC, ch 1

Round 2: 2 HDC in each around (20 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 3: 2 HDC, HDC in next, repeat around (30 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 4: 2 HDC, HDC in next 2, repeat around (40 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 5: 2 HDC, HDC in next 3, repeat around (50 HDC), change to bright yellow, join, chain 1.
Round 6-12:  HDC in each around (50 HDC), chain 1. (Change to Denim Blue at the end of round 12)
Rounds 13-15: HDC, FPHDC, repeat around. Chain 1.
Fasten off, weave in ends.


Goggle Band - Attach black yarn in second row of yellow from the top. Draw up a loop from the next hdc over and make ss. Repeat around.

Eyes Make two (unless you want a one-eyed minion):
With white and size H hook, make a magic ring. Chain 1.
10 HDC in ring. Change to gray/silver yarn. Join, Ch 1
2 HDC in each stitch. Join. End off, leaving long tail to sew on. Sew a small sew-on gemstone to the center of each eye.

Mouth: With black and size H hook, chain 12. End off, leaving long tail to sew on. (Note: there are some other Minion Mouths described in my Minion Scarf post. If this was a bigger hat, with more room for a mouth, I think I would have gone with the half-moon mouth.)

GRU Logo: 

With G hook and black yarn, chain 5.
SC in 2nd stitch from hook and each stitch across (4 sc). Ch 1, turn
Rows 2-4: SC in each stitch across, ch 1, turn.
Leave a long tail for sewing on.


With blue yarn, embroider the Gru G on the square. Turn the square sideways so it makes a diamond. Using the diagram above, stitch the following:
1-2
3-2
3-4
5-4
6-5
Tie blue yarn off on wrong side.
Ears (Make 2)
With black and size H hook, make magic ring. Chain 1
Round 1: 10 HDC in ring. Join, chain 1.
Round 2: 2 HDC in each stitch. Join. End off, leaving long tail to sew on.


Materials:
- Medium worsted weight yarn in black, red and pink
- Size H (5.0) Crochet Hook
- Tapestry Needle
- Two 1" white buttons for Mickey hat, 1/2" or 1/4" white buttons for Minnie hat and bow.
Hat Pattern:
Note: Always begin your round in same stitch as your joining chain
Magic Ring, chain 1
10 HDC in magic ring, join to first HDC, ch 1
Round 2: 2 HDC in each around (20 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 3: 2 HDC, HDC in next, repeat around (30 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 4: 2 HDC, HDC in next 2, repeat around (40 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 5-9: HDC in each around (40 HDC)
Round 9-13: HDC in each around with red yarn for Mickey or pink for Minnie (40 HDC), fasten off, weave in ends.
- See more at: http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2012/06/mickey-and-minnie-mouse-crochet-hat.html#sthash.pHHDnBHo.dpuf
Materials:
- Medium worsted weight yarn in black, red and pink
- Size H (5.0) Crochet Hook
- Tapestry Needle
- Two 1" white buttons for Mickey hat, 1/2" or 1/4" white buttons for Minnie hat and bow.
Hat Pattern:
Note: Always begin your round in same stitch as your joining chain
Magic Ring, chain 1
10 HDC in magic ring, join to first HDC, ch 1
Round 2: 2 HDC in each around (20 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 3: 2 HDC, HDC in next, repeat around (30 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 4: 2 HDC, HDC in next 2, repeat around (40 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 5-9: HDC in each around (40 HDC)
Round 9-13: HDC in each around with red yarn for Mickey or pink for Minnie (40 HDC), fasten off, weave in ends.
- See more at: http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2012/06/mickey-and-minnie-mouse-crochet-hat.html#sthash.pHHDnBHo.dpuf
Materials:
- Medium worsted weight yarn in black, red and pink
- Size H (5.0) Crochet Hook
- Tapestry Needle
- Two 1" white buttons for Mickey hat, 1/2" or 1/4" white buttons for Minnie hat and bow.
Hat Pattern:
Note: Always begin your round in same stitch as your joining chain
Magic Ring, chain 1
10 HDC in magic ring, join to first HDC, ch 1
Round 2: 2 HDC in each around (20 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 3: 2 HDC, HDC in next, repeat around (30 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 4: 2 HDC, HDC in next 2, repeat around (40 HDC), join, chain 1
Round 5-9: HDC in each around (40 HDC)
Round 9-13: HDC in each around with red yarn for Mickey or pink for Minnie (40 HDC), fasten off, weave in ends.
- See more at: http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2012/06/mickey-and-minnie-mouse-crochet-hat.html#sthash.pHHDnBHo.dpuf

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Minion Scarves



I got some special orders for Minion scarves. I did a Google image search and got the basic idea – start with blue for the overalls, add a little bib on the front, do some yellow for the face, a black stripe for the goggles, and then a whole bunch of yellow, and repeat the stripes in reverse on the other side.  I’ve been making Minion hats, cup cozies, and mittens for a while, so I’ve got my way of doing the eyes and hair. Piece of cake.

Here’s how they turned out. 
I started out by crocheting the body of the scarves. I started with the Carl/Dave scarf and decided it was a bit too wide. Then I did the Alan/Ben scarf. I was running out of that shade of blue yarn, so I switched to a different shade of blue for Ernie/Fred.








This will be a very "loosey-goosey" pattern... I'll give you the basics and you can adapt it to your needs... adult scarf, kid's scarf, short scarf, long scarf.


I think I measured and counted for the Alan/Ben scarf, so these instructions are for that one, a narrower, longer scarf.

Crochet hooks: Sizes G & J
Bright Yellow yarn (about 4 ounces) (I used Red Heart Super Saver Bright Yellow)
Blue yarn - something close to the color of blue jeans (about 1 ounce)
Small amounts of silver or gray, black, white and brown yarn
Sew-on gemstones or small black buttons
Yarn needle

Scarf Body

With Size J hook and blue yarn, chain 20. DC in third stitch from hook and each stitch across (17 dc).
Each row - Either chain 3 to start row or do a standing DC - dc in each stitch across.


Color Pattern:
7 rows blue
7 rows yellow
2 rows black
74 rows yellow (try the scarf on and see if your last row of yellow is at the same level as the first row of yellow after the black stripe on the other side of the scarf. Add rows if needed to get to the right length)
2 rows black
7 rows yellow
7 rows blue

Once you've got the body of the scarf done, you'll need to make eyes, mouth, Gru logo, and hair.

Eyes:
(I put 3 on each scarf - one on one side, two on the other. You could get away with only one eye on each side, or two on each side. Like I said, you can adapt this scarf to your preferences.
Eye is a circle with brown in the center, then white, and silver or gray around the outside. Then a small button or sew-on gemstone is sewn in the center.
I pick up these at Joann's when I have a 50% off coupon.
 With size G hook and brown yarn, make a magic ring.
Chain 2, 8 hdc in ring. Pull tight. Slip stitch to join.
With white, 2 hdc in each stitch (16 stitches)
With gray or silver (I used a double strand of a metallic silver Vanna's Choice yarn), chain 2, **work 2 hdc in first stitch, hdc in each of next two stitches,** repeat ** around. End off, leaving a long tail to sew onto scarf.

Eyelid (seen on all the one-eyed Minions)
With Size G hook and yellow yarn, make a magic ring.
Chain 3, 8 DC in ring. Pull tight, but do not join. Leave a long tail to sew on.
The one-eyed Minion has a droopy eyelid. After I made the eye, I sewed the eyelid over the top half of the eye. I tried two ways... sewing it on after the gray/silver round, and sewing it on before the gray/silver, so I could crochet over both layers (white & yellow) when I did the final round. I think I liked the latter best, although it was difficult to keep track of my increases while doing so.




 Gru Logo
With G hook and black yarn, chain 5.
SC in 2nd stitch from hook and each stitch across (4 sc). Ch 1, turn
Rows 2-4: SC in each stitch across, ch 1, turn.
Leave a long tail for sewing on. (Note: save your scraps of black yarn after you sew this piece on... they can be used for hair later!)


With blue yarn, embroider the Gru G on the square. Turn the square sideways so it makes a diamond. Using the diagram above, stitch the following:
1-2
3-2
3-4
5-4
6-5
Tie blue yarn off on wrong side.

Mouth:
Skinny mouth  (on Ernie and Alan)
With black yarn and size G hook, chain 15. Leave a long tail to sew on.

Thicker mouth (on Fred and Dave):
With a double strand of black yarn and size J hook, chain 12. Leave a long tail to sew on.

Half-Moon smile (on Ben):
With size G hook and black yarn, chain 18.
Slip stitch in second slip from hook, sc in next 2 stitches, hdc in next two stitches, dc in next two stitches, treble crochet in next 3 stitches, dc in next two stitches, hdc in next two stitches, sc in next 2 stitches, slip stitch in last stitch. End off, leaving tail to sew on. With white yarn, embroider tooth.

(Note: save your scraps of black yarn after you sew this piece on... they can be used for hair later!)

Ernie & Fred

Carl & Dave

Alan & Ben
Bib:
With blue yarn and size J hook, attach yarn 5 stitches from the right on the right side of your scarf, in the place where you changed from blue to yellow. Chain 3 and work a DC in each of the next 7 spaces. You should have 8 DC centered on your scarf. Turn
Either Chain 3 or do a standing double crochet, and do a dc in each of the remaining stitches (8 dc). Make a chain long enough to reach to the edge about 3 rows up. End off, leaving about 24" of yarn. Use yarn end to sew chain to scarf, then sew the top of the bib to the scarf.

When you do the last stitch to sew the bib to the scarf, capture a loop on the crochet hook. Make another chain that reaches to the edge of the scarf at the same height as the other chain. Use remaining yarn to sew that side to the scarf.

Hair:
Using 3-4" sections of black yarn, tie above the eyes in whatever pattern you desire... one big clump, several small clumps, a bunch of single hairs.

February 23 update... a new scarf: 
Gertie & Henry!

 
In Despicable Me 2, there were two girl minions: One in a polka-dot green dress who went to the mall with Gru, and one acting as his secretary in the scene where he was mustering up the courage to call Lucy for a date. I decided to try my hand at recreating one of them in a scarf. Here’s Gertie!

Gertie skirt:
Pattern is based on 18 stitches across. Start with green yarn and size J hook. Chain 20. DC in third stitch from hook and each chain (18 stitches)
Row 2, 4, 6: Standing Double Crochet  to start, DC in 2 stitches, **white cluster in next stitch,  dc in next three stitches with green**, repeat across, ending with 2 green
Rows 3, 5, 7: Work 4 dc in green, **white cluster in next stitch, dc in next three stitches with green**, repeat across, ending with 5 green
Row sequence for Gertie:
Skirt – 7 rows
Face – 7 rows yellow
Goggle strap – 2 rows black
Forehead – 2 rows yellow
Hair – 2 rows orange
For braids, cut 24 stands of yarn about 15” long. (I wind yarn around a small notebook to get multiple strands of the same size in a hurry.) Thread 6 strands through each of the end DC in each row of hair. Braid tightly and knot at the end. Unravel yarn after knot to give a poofier look.

Gertie Eye:
With brown and size G hook
Round 1: Magic ring. Chain 1, 8 hdc in ring. Pull tight, join.
Round 2: With white,  chain 1, 2 hdc in each stitch around. Join.
Round 3: Chain 1, *2 hdc in first stitch, hdc in next stitch,*  repeat around. Join.
Round 4: With Silver or gray, Chain 1, *2 hdc in first stitch, hdc in next 3 stitches*, repeat around. Join. End off, leaving a long tail to sew on.
Sew a large sew-on gemstone in center of eye.

Henry’s eyes (make 2):
With white and size G hook:
Round 1: Magic ring. Chain 1, 8 hdc in ring. Pull tight, join.
Round 2: Chain 1, 2 hdc in each stitch around. Join.
Round 3: With Silver or gray, Chain 1, *2 hdc in first stitch, hdc in next 2 stitches*, repeat around. Join. End off, leaving a long tail to sew on.
Sew a large sew-on gemstone at left edge of eye.

March 18 update: 
Phil (French Maid) version of scarf
For this one, the body of the scarf was the same until the last 7 rows of DC, which I did in black (for Phil's Skirt). Then I added a row of white, where I did (SC, chain 3) in each stitch for the ruffle at the bottom.

Bow:
With white, chain 10. Make hdc in 2nd chain from hook and each chain across (9 hdc)
Row 2: chain 2, hdc in each stitch. End off and tuck in yarn ends.
Tightly wind yarn around the center of the bow about 10 times. Tie off at the back and sew at the center of the black “skirt”. 
Apron:
With white, chain 24.
HDC in 2nd chain from hook and in next 12 stitches.
Rows 1-4: Turn, chain 2, work a decrease over the next two stitches. HDC to within 2 stitches of the end, work a decrease.
Slip stitch back up to beginning chain. Work  *SC, chain 3* in each stitch around the apron. Chain 12 for other apron string. Sew apron to front of skirt.

Top frill:
With white, make a chain long enough to reach across scarf with a slight arc. I think my chain was about 30 stitches, but I lost count and just worked by measuring it against the scarf.  Make a DC in the third chain from the hook, then a treble crochet and another double crochet in the same stitch. Continue down the chain, making DC/TR/DC in each chain. Leave a long tail for sewing on.

Latest update... 4/3/14... Purple Minions
I made a purple minion scarf using elements of the scarves above.



Done with the first "face"

All done... late at night, so lighting wasn't all that good for the picture.

Instead of starting with blue, I started with black. The basic scarf was the same: 7 rows black, 7 rows purple, 2 rows black, purple until it's long enough, 2 rows black, 7 rows purple, 7 rows black.

For the teeth, I started with a chain 3. Slip stitch in 2nd chain and third chain from hook. That makes a small tooth. Chain 4, slip stitch in 2nd stitch from hook and next 2 stitches. That makes a large tooth.

Decide how many teeth, whether large or small, you want, and just keep repeating the pattern. If you want the teeth spaced out a bit more, you can do one extra chain and leave that extra chain unworked when you make a tooth.

 For the hair, I cut lengths of yarn about 6" long. For the one-eyed Minion, I tied it in a clump centered above the eye. For the two-eyed minion, I did more of a center part.  I put 4 pieces of yarn (doubled to 8 strands when tied) on each of 4 DCs, the two center double crochets of two rows.