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Happy Frankenstein Day!
That’s right, I said “Frankenstein Day”. Today is the birthday of Mary Shelley, the author of the well-known novel, Frankenstein.
Even if you’ve never read the novel, you still know about Frankenstein in some form or another. My favorite is Mel Brooks’ adaptation, Young Frankenstein (if you haven’t seen it and enjoy parodies, I definitely recommend it!).
But what about introducing the idea to younger ones and keeping from scaring their pants off? Sure, the Hotel Transylvania movies have done a pretty good job of it, but what about something more tangible? And something that gets them thinking about the next most important kid holiday, Halloween?
How about a little stuffy just for them?
Meet Lil’ Frank!
He’s just a little guy looking for someone to show him some love. He was also fun to make and worked up relatively quickly for the amount of parts he’s in (poor Frank! It’s a good thing he’s used to being in parts!)
My boys had no idea what I was making while I was working on him; I guess the green skin threw them. But they loved him as soon as I handed him to them. Lil’ Frank is now getting the love he craved so badly!
Who in your life could use a little pick me up from a cute green cuddle monster?
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Lil Frank Crochet Pattern
Skill Level
Easy
Yarn and Hook Size
47.5 yards A) Mainstays Basic Yarn in Green 397 y/363 m per 7 oz/198 g skein, 100% acrylic, medium (4) Note: I could not find this yarn on Wal Mart’s website, but Red Heart Super Saver in Tea Leaf looks like it would be a good substitute.
14.5 yards B) I Love This Yarn in Black (355 y/324.6 m per 7 oz/198.5 g skein); 100% acrylic, worsted weight (4) yarn
54.5 yards C) I Love This Yarn in Brown (355 y/324.6 m per 7 oz/198.5 g skein); 100% acrylic, worsted weight (4) yarn
40.5 yards D) I Love This Yarn in White (355 y/324.6 m per 7 oz/198.5 g skein); 100% acrylic, worsted weight (4) yarn
1 yards E) DMC Embroidery Floss in Black (8.7 y/8 m); 100% cotton Note: If you would prefer to shop this from Yarnspirations, I would recommend this embroidery floss
2.0 mm crochet hook for optional eyes
Notions
Tapestry needle Scissors Stitch marker Fiber fill (for stuffing)- Eye solution of choice: safety eyes, embroidered eyes or crocheted eyes
Measurements and Gauge
8 stitches and 8 rows in 2 inches. The head has a separate gauge of 7 stitches and 9 rows in 2 inches. Finished dimensions are 12.5 inches tall and 7.5 inches wide.
Abbreviations
Ch chain stitch | Rd round |
Dec decrease | Sc single crochet |
Inc increase | Sl st slip stitch |
MR Magic Ring | St(s) stitch(es) |
Rep repeat |
[] denote a group of stitches that repeats as many times as directed
Instructions
Head
Tip: Always use a stitch marker to mark the first stitch of each round
Using color A:
Rd 1: Create MR, ch 1, sc 6 (6)
Rd 2: [inc], rep [] five more times (12)
Rd 3: [sc, inc], rep [] five more times (18)
Rd 4: sc 18 (18)
Rd 5: sc 18 (18)
Rd 6: [sc 2, inc], rep [] five more times (24)
Rd 7: sc 24 (24)
Rd 8: [sc 3, inc], change to color B rep [] two times, change to color A, rep [] three more times (30)
Rd 9: sc 5, change to color B and sc 10, change to color A and sc 15 (30)
Rds 10 and 11: sc 4, change to color B and sc 12, change to color A and sc 14 (30)
Rds 12 and 13: sc 3, change to color B and sc 14, change to color A and sc 13 (30)
Rd 14: sc 2, change to color B and sc 16, change to color A and sc 12 (30)
Rd 15: sc 1, change to color B and sc 18, change to color A and sc 11 (30)
Rd 16: change to color B and sc 20, change to color A and sc 10 (30) Break off color A
Rds 17 and 18: using B, sc 30 (30)
Rd 19: [sc 3, dec], rep [] five more times (24) Begin stuffing with fiber fill. Be sure not to overstuff or the top of the head will not be flat.
Rd 20: [sc 2, dec], rep [] five more times (18)
Rd 21: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12)
Rd 22: [dec], rep [] five more times (6)
Fasten off, leaving a 6 inch tail. Using your tapestry needle, weave it through the front loop of each stitch and pull tight. Weave in end.
Body
Using color C
Rd 1: Create MR, ch 1, sc 6 (6)
Rd 2: [inc], rep [] five more times (12)
Rd 3: [sc, inc], rep [] five more times (18)
Rd 4: [sc 2, inc], rep [] five more times (24)
Rd 5: [sc 3, inc], rep [] five more times (30)
Rd 6: [sc 4, inc], rep [] five more times (36)
Rd 7: [sc 5, inc], rep [] five more times (42)
Rd 8: [sc 6, inc], rep [] five more times (48)
Rd 9: [sc 7, inc], rep [] five more times (54)
Rd 10: [sc 8, inc], rep [] five more times (60)
Rds 11-16: sc 60 (60)
Break off color C and switch to color D
Rds 17-20: sc 60 (60)
Rd 21: [sc 8, dec], rep [] five more times (54)
Rd 22: [sc 7, dec], rep [] five more times (48)
Rd 23: [sc 6, dec], rep [] five more times (42)
Rd 24: [sc 5, dec], rep [] five more times (36)
Rds 25 and 26: sc 36 (36)
Rd 27: [sc 4, dec], rep [] five more times (30)
Rd 28: [sc 3, dec], rep [] five more times (24)
Rds 29 and 30: sc 24 (24) Stuff with fiber fill, adding more as needed.
Rd 31: [sc 2, dec], rep [] five more times (18)
Rd 32: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12)
Fasten off and leave a 12” tail to sew head on.
Arms
(Make 2)
Using color A
Rd 1: Create MR, ch 1, sc 6 (6)
Rd 2: [inc], rep [] five more times (12)
Rd 3: [sc, inc], rep [] five more times (18)
Rds 4-6: sc 18 (18)
Rd 7: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12)
Break off color A and continue on with color D
Rds 8-12: sc 12 (12)
Fasten off, leaving an 8-10 inch tail to sew onto body and stuff with fiber fill.
Legs
(Make 2)
Using color A
Rd 1: Create MR, ch 1, sc 6 (6)
Rd 2: [inc], rep [] five more times (12)
Rd 3: [sc, inc], rep [] five more times (18)
Rds 4-10: sc 18 (18)
Rd 11: [sc 1 A, sc 1 C], rep [] eight more times (18) Break off A
Rd 12: Using C, [sc 2, inc], rep [] five more times (24)
Rds 13-24: sc 24 (24)
Fasten off, leaving a 12 inch tail to sew onto body and stuff with fiber fill.
Optional Eyes
Make 2- If this is for a small child, this eye choice is better than a safety eye
Using E
Rd 1: Create MR, ch1, sc 6, sl st to first sc (6)
Leave a 4-6 inch tail to sew onto face
Assembly
To begin with, sew the head to the body using the tail you left from making the body. I began in row 3 of the head.
Next, sew the end of each arm together, then sew them to the body. I sewed them to the 6th row down from the head.
Next, I sewed the legs to the body, keeping care to be sure the middle point stayed in the middle
Lastly, I sewed the eyes onto the face, 6 rows down of green and 3 stitches apart.