PJ the Sloth free crochet pattern

PJ the Sleepy Sloth

Using worsted weight yarn and an F (3.75 mm) hook, PJ is about 5.5” long and 4” tall.

Supplies: about half an ounce each of tan and PJ color

Small amount of cream for Face Patch and claws

Small amount of black (sport weight or worsted weight split in half) for embroidery

 

Abbreviations:

Ch: Chain

DC: Double Crochet

Dec: decrease

HDC: Half Double Crochet

Inc: Increase

MR: Magic Ring

SC: Single Crochet

Sl st: slip stitch

Head/Body

Starting at head with tan yarn

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)

Round 2: Inc in each stitch (12)

Round 3: *sc, inc*, repeat around (18)

Round 4: *2 sc, inc*, repeat around (24)

Rounds 5-8: sc around (24)

Round 9: *2 sc, dec*, repeat around (18)

Rounds 10-11: sc around (18)

Change to PJ color

Round 12: 4 sc, *inc, 2 sc* x 3, inc, 4 sc (22)

Round 13: sc around (22)

Round 14: 4 sc, *inc, 3 sc* x 3, inc, 5 sc (26)

Round 15: sc around (26) Stuff head, and stuff body as you go.

Round 16: 4 sc, *inc, 5 sc* x 3, sc 4 (29)

Round 17: 4 sc, *inc, 6 sc* x 3, sc 4 (32)

Rounds 18-22: sc around (32)

Round 23: *6 sc, dec*, repeat  (28)

Round 24: *5 sc, dec*, repeat (24)

Round 25: *2 sc, dec*, repeat (18) (finish stuffing body)

Round 26: *sc, dec*, repeat (12)

Round 27: dec around (6)

Finish off, leaving a tail. Weave tail through the remaining 6 stitches and pull closed. Weave in yarn end.

 

Face patch – in cream

Ch 6

Sc in 2^nd chain from hook, hdc in next chain, slip stitch in next, hdc in next, and work 3 sc in last chain. Turn your work, and make three sc in the other side of the chain, then 2 more sc in the same chain as your first sc. (12)

Round 2: sc, hdc inc, sl st, hdc inc, sc increase in each of next two stitches, sc in next four stitches, 2 sc in the last two stitches of round. Finish off, leaving a long tail to sew to head.

 

Eye patches. Make two in tan.

Chain 3. Slip stitch in 2^nd chain from hook, sc in next. Finish off, leaving a long tail to sew to face patch.

Sew eye patches to face patch. Using sport weight black yarn (or worsted weight yarn split into two strands), embroider small V shapes on the eye patch. Embroider a nose between the eye patches and a mouth underneath.

Sew face patch to head as shown.

Claws: You can make these claws before starting the legs, or just do three long embroidery stitches in cream for the claws.

Make twelve claws so you have them ready to attach to legs:

With sport weight yarn (or worsted weight yarn split in half), chain 3. Slip stitch in 2^nd and 3^rd chains from hook. Finish off, leaving about 3” tail to tie.

Legs: with tan yarn

Round 1: 6 sc in MR

Rounds 2-5: sc around (6)

Simpler version: embroidered claws

After round 3, attach claws to the leg, between round 1 & 2 (or sew the embroidery stitches). Pull both pieces of yarn (your starting tail and finishing tail) through on either side of a stitch. Pull yarn ends to tighten, and tie tightly. Attach 3 claws on each leg.

Change to PJ color

Round 6: inc, 5 sc (7)

Rounds 7-9: sc around (7)

Finish off, leaving short tail to sew to body. Do not stuff.

Sew the legs level with the eyes, with the front legs at rows 13-15 and the back legs at rows 20-22.

 

Bow (as seen on pink sloth)

In MR, ch 3, 2 DC, ch 3, sl st, ch 3, 2 DC, ch 3, sl st

Pull MR tight to finish. Finish off, using long tail to wrap around center (at sl stitches). Sew to head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just "one simple item" on my Saturday to-do list

 I'm trying to prepare for a virtual craft show later in September. Since customers will be referred to my Facebook page, I'm working on making albums of my ready-to-ship items. I figured I'd start at the beginning of my inventory list: afghans and blankets. 

So, I added to my list: picture of blankets

First step: make a list of all the available blankets. I looked at my inventory list... and realized I was missing a line for one of the princess dresses. Okay, I need to update that. 

Next: pull the blankets from the box in the closet where they're stored. It's a big box, so it's on the bottom. I had to move half a dozen other boxes. I moved the blankets out to the couch and opened the curtains wide in preparation for pictures. 

I looked over my list and realized i was missing four blankets. I pulled more boxes from the closet and found three of them. But I also found some shawls that I made, oh, about eight years ago, when I did some craft shows at a senior center. Make shawls, the director said, they'll sell like crazy. No, they didn't. I decided to undo one shawl for the yarn... that took, oh, about two hours! 

Starting the unraveling process

Lots of yarn for new projects

Looking at one of the mermaid tail blankets, I realized that I never really liked the tail on it, so I went on a search for a blue yarn to make a new tail... I will take off the variegated tail, wind up the yarn for use in another project, and make a new tail in blue... then get some pictures and relist that blanket for sale. 

So, I've been working on "take pictures of blankets" for about four hours now, and haven't really taken any pictures of the blankets for the inventory album! And I still haven't found the polka dot dress blanket! Murphy's Law says somebody will buy it from the Etsy listing, and then I'll have to tear two rooms apart looking for it! 

September, here we go...

This month, I'm keeping my goals pretty vague. As the month starts out, I have five open orders, three projects in my project corner (and two stuffed in the craft room closet), three patterns that are just about ready to publish, my yarn stash at the highest it's been in months, my sales inventory at the highest point ever (as a result of more time to make stuff and no craft shows to sell at!). 

So, let's work on all of those: 

1) Keep up with orders (Started the month with five orders, all of them "no hurry") 

    (mid-month update... up to seven orders... I finished one of the original five, but got some new orders. Feeling a bit overwhelmed, but it's good to have orders coming in again!) Here are some of the orders I finished in September: 

Two Halloween Cats

An order of 12 snails

An albino tsuchinoko

2) Finish one WIP - DONE

Yay! I finished the Ocean Friends baby blanket that I've been working on (and stuffing in a basket) since February! 

3) Publish one pattern - Done - published PJ the Sloth! I also submitted a pattern to be published in the October issue of In The Round Amigurumi magazine! 

4) work down yarn stash (no yarn purchases, unless specifically needed for a paid order!) (Oops #1 - Ebay sent me a $25 coupon for being a long-time customer... so I bought a $26 "mixed yarn lot". I only paid $5. It was rather disappointing (half of it was old wool yarn, some so old that it was falling apart. One ball that I wound had a receipt folded up for the center of the ball... the receipt was from a doctor's office...dated 1969!). Oops #2... Caron Cakes is having a contest... make something from Caron Cakes and be in the running to win some yarn. Went to Michaels online and bought some Caron Cakes. Okay, maybe I can behave for the rest of the month! 

These Caron Cakes are HUGE!

5) Sell some stuff! I would like to end the month with my inventory spreadsheet lower than when I started. The problem is, as I work on updating my shop and taking pictures, I'm finding items that were never entered into inventory... I think I've added over $200 worth of missing items to my spreadsheet this month! 

Yeah, #5 is easier said than done. I will be having a labor day sale (0 sales), and participating in an online sale at the end of September (after one week of being live, still 0 sales). Hopefully those two will help to whittle down my collection! I will also be working on creating photo albums on my Facebook Page to show all of what I have available.