August Monster of the Month

 

August Monster

By Elaine Okupski of Penguin Place Crafts

Uses 1.4 oz worsted weight yarn in your main body color, with less than a yard of red needed for embroidering the mouth, and a few yards of white for the antenna.

Size F hook (3.75 mm)

I used 12 mm safety eyes. I think he would look cute with even bigger eyes. He measures about 6.5” tall (including antenna) when made with worsted weight yarn.

I made my legs first, so I could crochet them in as I went. I like putting the arms on at an angle, so I sewed them on. If you wanted your arms to stick out to the side, you could make them before the body and crochet them in, too.

 

Leg (make 2)

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)

Round 2-4: sc (6)

Round 5: dc 3, sc 3 (this helps to make the transition from foot to leg) (6)

Round 6-8: dc (6)

Round 9 is a short row to even out the row: hdc, sc, sl st. FO. Do not stuff legs. If you are crocheting them into the body, you stuff your yarn tail into the leg. If you prefer to sew the legs on, leave a long tail.

 

Head:

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6)

Round 2: inc x 6 (12)

Round 3: *sc, inc* x 6 (18)

Round 4: *sc 2, inc* x 6 (24)

Round 5: *sc 3, inc* x 6 (30)

Round 6: *sc 4, inc* x 6 (36)

Round 7: *sc 5, inc* x 6 (42)

Rounds 8-13: sc (42)

Round 14: sc 19, (2dc bobble), (4 dc bobble), (2 dc bobble) (nose finished), sc 20 (42)

Eyes go between rows 11-12, centered over the nose. There are about 6 stitches between.

Rounds 15-16: sc (42)

Round 17: *sc 5, dec* x 6 (36) We’re decreasing for the neck. Stuff head, and stuff body as you go.

Round 18: *sc 4, dec* x 6 (30)

Embroider a smile below the nose.

Round 19: *sc 3, dec* x 6 (24)

Round 20: *sc 2, inc* x 8 (32)

Round 21: *sc 3, inc* x 8 (40)

Round 22: *sc 4, inc* x 8 (48)

Rounds 23-29: sc (48) If  you are crocheting your arms in, you can do so around rounds 23-25.

At this point, make sure your starting point is at the center back, so your tail is centered. You can fold your monster in half using the nose as the center front, and move your stitch marker if needed.

Make tail – ch 20, starting with 2^nd chain from hook, sc inc, sc inc, hdc 7, dc 9, sl st to last stitch of round 29.

Secure  the legs with stitch markers to be crocheted on in Row 30. I put my blue monster’s legs under the eyes, about 8 stitches apart, but further apart with the brown monster. Placement is up to you! After all, it’s your monster! Continue on as usual with the rest of round 30. When I got to the stitch where a leg was placed, I removed the stitch markers and crocheted through both the leg and the body. Make sure the foot faces forward!

Round 30: *sc 4, dec* x 8 (40)

Round 31: *sc 3, dec* x 8 (32)

Round 32: *sc 2, dec* x 8 (24)

Round 33: *sc, dec* x 8 (16)

Round 34: dec x 8 (8) FO, leaving tail to close up round 34.

Arms: make 2 or 4, depending on how much yarn you have, and how crazy you want your monster to be.

Round 1: 8 sc in MR (8)

Rounds 2-7: sc (8)

FO, leaving a tail if you are sewing the arms on, or weave in the tail if you are crocheting the arms on. Arms are not stuffed.

Sew arms to body over rounds 23-25, angled toward the belly.

 

Antenna: make 2 with white yarn

Ch 6

Round 1: Starting in 2^nd ch from hook, sc 4, 3 sc in last chain, sc 4 on back of chain. (11) Ch 3 and turn

Round 2: Sl st in first stitch. *ch 3, sl st in next stitch* x 10. (11 loops). FO, leaving tail to sew to head. Sew on sides of head over rows 6-7.

 

Thank you to Strawberry Bonnie for testing my monster! She used 14 mm eyes and I think they make her monster look adorable!