March of the Ankylosaur

 In May of 2021, I tried out a new pattern... a dinosaur I'd never heard of before: the ankylosaur. It was a free pattern I found on Ravelry, Tom Anks the Ankylosaur by Halime (pattern is free on Ravelry and Instagram - handmade_by_halime) 

This post will chronicle the color variations I've used in making these dinosaurs. 

Reese - Orange (Desert Glaze) body, chocolate brown shield with orange bumps

Sandy - Sand body with light brown shield/white bumps

Babe - Baby Green body, chocolate shield with light brown bumps

Brownie the Dark - Medium Brown body, dark brown shield with white bumps

Brownie - Tan body, light brown shield with white bumps

Purple - Medium purple body, dark purple shield with bright blue bumps

Sunny - Yellow body, turquoise shield with pink bumps

Taffy - Pink body, tan shield with rainbow pastel bumps

Sage green body, dark brown shield with white bumps

Sage green body, redwood shield with white bumps

Medium brown body, dark brown shield with medium brown bumps

Forest green body, tan shield with white bumps

Baby Green body, tan shield with white bumps

Sage green body, redwood shield with white bumps

Tan Body, Light Olive Shields

Pinkie - Petal Pink with tan shields

Bumpy - Light Avocado for the body, Bright Blue for the shields

Twinkle Toes - Lavender for the body, tan for the shields, multi-color pastels for the shield bumps

Rosie - mixing pink yarn with white boucle for extra fluffiness, a light teal also mixed with boucle for the shields. 

Bumpy 2 - Bright blue for the shields, tan for the body. 

Sky - blue body, peach shield with blue bumps. 

Grayson Blue 

Body in light sage, shields in bright blue, gray bumps

Custom order... sage body, dark brown shield, white bumps

Mr. Bright! 

Light sage body, sage shields

Front: colors chosen by my granddaughter: dark green, yellow shield with pink bumps. 

Back: Shades of blue

Sea Green body, light brown shields with white bumps

Light brown body, sea green shields with white bumps (and added "spikes" per customer request)

Dark Red body, medium brown shields with light brown bumps

Medium Brown body with dark pink shields April 2026

On to the next challenge!

 Back in May of last year, I started my Blair Farm Stitch Project challenge, to use up a big bag of yarn that I purchased from a garage sale. Last night, I finished up the last of the yarn from that bag, so it's time for a new challenge. 

Since Valentine's Day is tomorrow, I guess I was thinking of love, weddings and the like... so I thought of the "Some old, something new" rhyme. I pulled together a bag of yarn based on that... 

Something old: 

This alpaca blend yarn has been in my basket for quite a while. It's left over from a pocket shawl I made (which is still for sale in my Etsy Shop. I think I'll make an anemone hat from it! 

Something New: 

I picked up this yarn from the clearance rack. I'm not sure what I'll make with it just yet... but this challenge will push me to try something! 

Project #1 used up most of one skein: 

Something borrowed: 

Well, I don't have any "borrowed" yarn, but I do have some that I swapped with a local crafter. I had some self-striping wool that I didn't plan on using, so she gave me some acrylic yarn in exchange. I pulled this skein from what she gave me: 

Something blue:

Looking around my craft room, this bright blue caught my eye:

The problem is, there was another cake of yarn right next to it, saying "Me too!" 

So, here is the collection ready for my challenge! Can I use it up before the end of February? We'll see! You can follow my progress here or on Instagram, where I'll tag finished items with #PenguinPlaceFebruaryChallenge

I'm estimating I'll get about ten projects from this pile... Let the creativity begin! 

These four projects used up the "something new" pink and the "something borrowed" pink

This chameleon used up about half of the camo yarn. A scrappy snake should finish that off... 

Yes, the snake finished it off...

Toby the Baby Dragon finished off the blue.

The anemone hat finished the green.

Braided Headband on 22-pin Addi

I got a 22-pin Addi for Christmas, so I'm playing with new ideas. I took a break from Etsy orders to make up this headband last night, and finished it this morning (I have a rule about not sewing stuff together after 10 PM!)

I used worsted weight yarn from previous projects. I think the white was Big Twist, and the lavender was Red Heart Super Saver. I used less than 1.5 ounces of each. The headband weighs 2.3 ounces. 

Cliff notes version: 92 rows, drop two stitches on each. Braid dropped stitches. Cinch ends. Sew cinched ends together. Put accent piece over where you sewed cinched ends together. 

Since the ends are cinched, I didn't use waste yarn to start and finish... I just cast on and made a tube with 92 rows with each color.

To remove the tubes from the machine, cut your working yarn, leaving a long (18" or so) tail. Thread the yarn through a yarn needle and crank the machine slowly, picking up each stitch as the needle goes down. Pick up the first ten stitches, then skip the next two stitches, then pick up the remaining ten stitches. 

You will pull the yarn in the two stitches you didn't put on the yarn, for your dropped stitches section.

Once you have both tubes done and the stitches dropped, you will use a crochet hook to braid them together, picking up three loops from one side and pulling them through the three loops on your hook. 

There are lots of videos on YouTube showing you how to drop stitches and use the dropped stitches to braid your tubes. I learned how to do this from this video: 

Braided Headband

Once my braid was done, I secured the last set of loops with a stitch marker and cinched the ends of each tube together. Then I put the cinched ends together and sewed them, securing those last loops from the braid in the process. It doesn't have to be a pretty job, sewing them together, because it gets covered up with the center accent. Pull your yarn ends into the headband to hide them. 

I crocheted my center accent piece with an I hook.

Chain 16

Starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, do a half double crochet in each of the remining chains. You should end up with 15 HDC. Chain 1 and turn your work.

For the next row, you're going to work in just one loop, the one closest to you (FLO, meaning Front Loop Only). 

At the end of the row, ch 1 and turn. You should see ridges on the side facing you, while it's smooth on the back. For this last row, you're going to work in BLO (back loop only). You have to tilt your work toward you a bit to see that third loop in the back. 

At the end of this row, finish off, leaving a long tail to sew. You're going to wrap this piece around the seam on your headband and sew the short ends together. When you sew it, make sure that a few of your stitches pick up stitches from the headband, too, so that the seam on this center piece stays in place. 

If you only knit, you could knit the center accent piece too. Using size 8 needles, cast on 6 or 8 stitches and work in K1, P1 ribbing until the piece is long enough to wrap around the center seam. Cast off, leaving a long tail to sew the accent piece around your headband. 

You could even wear it with the cinched part at the back. 

 

CKM (22 pin) Axolotl Scarf

 

Oh, happy days! I got a Sentro Express circular knitting machine for Christmas! My first project was a wool dryer ball... but once I got the hang of things, I went big and made this axolotl scarf. It took a 3.5 oz skein of Vanna's Choice Dusty Rose, and a little bit of black for the embroidered face, and less than an ounce for the gills and tail fins. 

First, I'd suggest you make the legs first. Then you can use the rest of the yarn for the scarf. I made the scarf first, guessing how much I'd need for the legs, and I cut it very close! 

I used an F hook for the legs. 

Legs: make 8

Chain 10. Slip stitch in the 2nd chain from the hook and the next two chains. *Chain 4. Sl st in the 2nd chain from the hook and the next two chains.* Repeat from * to *. You've just made three toes. Slip stitch in the chain at the bottom of the first toe, then sc in the rest of your original chain. Finish off, leaving a tail to sew to the scarf. 

Now you can use the rest of your yarn to make the scarf.  I started and ended with about 5 rows of waste yarn because that's what the YouTube videos said to do. 😄 I did about 240 rows, and my scarf is abour 48" long. 

Finishing: 

With black yarn, embroider eyes about 6" from the edge. Embroider a mouth centered between the eyes, about 3 rows below the eyes. 

Gills: Make 4 with a contrasting color. 

Chain 9. Slip stitch in the 2nd chain from the hook and the next 7 chains.

*Chain 10. Slip stitch in the 2nd chain from the hook and the next 7 chains* (one chain will remain unworked). 

Repeat from * to * . Finish off, leaving a tail to sew to side of scarf. Sew one to each side of the scarf with the center gill even with the eyes. 

Bottom fins.

Gather the bottom of your scarf and secure. Join your contasting yarn to one side about 3 rows up from where the sides straighten out. *Make 3 dc in one stitch. Skip two stitches and slip stitch. * Repeat from * to * three times. 

Sew legs to sides of scarf with top legs 2-3 rows below the gills and the bottom legs 2-3 rows above the bottom fins. 

Repeat the steps for the other end of the scarf,