Tiny Bulbasaur (Free Crochet Pattern)

I have just set up an Etsy shop for crochet/cross-stitch/art prints/pyrography/3D-printing (I have far too many ideas...) and to celebrate, here is a free crochet pattern of my favourite Pokémon, Bulbasaur!

If you'd like to support me or get the whole set, this pattern and the other Kanto starters can be found on my new Etsy:
Tiny Bulbasaur
Tiny Charmander
Tiny Squirtle
or save money and get the whole set!

As always, if you have any questions about the pattern or notice any problems with it please contact me through the comments section. I love to see pictures of the things people make with my patterns so if you make a Tiny Bulbasaur and post it online, send me a link.

Level: Beginner, but can be fiddly to sew together

Ingredients:
Small amounts of Bulbasaur-coloured wool (I used DK weight)
Crochet hook (I used 3.5mm)
Fiber fill or stuffing of your choice
Two safety eyes (I used 10mm)
Tapestry needle
Scissors

Abbreviations:
Sc - single crochet
Inc - increase (2 single crochet stitches in one stitch)
Dec - decrease (I recommend the invisible decrease method)
Sl st - slip stitch
Ch - chain, followed by a number indicating the number of chains to make

Pattern use:
You can do anything you like with the finished product, but please do not sell this pattern or redistribute it without credit. Please use your own photos to sell your products.

Bulbasaur is part of the Pokémon franchise and does not belong to me in any way; it belongs to Nintendo.

The pattern!

Head:
Using turquoise wool
Round 1) 8 sc in a magic ring (8)
Round 2) inc in each stitch around (16)
Round 3) *sc, inc*, repeat around (24)
Round 4-8) sc in each stitch around (24)
Attach the safety eyes between round 5 and 6, four stitches apart.
Round 9) *2sc, dec*, repeat around (18)
Round 10) *sc, dec*, repeat around (12)
Sl st to finish, leave a long tail and stuff the head


Body:
Using turquoise wool
Round 1) 6sc in a magic ring (6)
Round 2) inc in each stitch around (12)
Round 3) *sc, inc*, repeat around (18)
Round 4-6) sc in each stitch around (18)
Round 7) *5sc, inc*, repeat around (21)
Round 8-10) sc in each stitch around (21)
Round 11) dec in each stitch around to close, stuffing the body as you go
Finish stuffing, sl st to finish, and sew the body closed

Sew the head onto the body, using pictures as a placement guide. Get Bulbasaur's eyes as forward facing as you can so he's looking straight ahead.


Legs (make 4):
Using turquoise wool
Round 1) 10sc in a magic ring (10)
Round 2-5) sc in each stitch around (10)
Sl st to finish, leave a long tail

Stuff legs lightly and sew onto the body, using pictures as placement guide.


Ears (make 2):
Using turquoise wool
Round 1) 6sc in a magic ring (6)
Round 2) *sc, inc*, repeat around (9)
Round 3) *2sc, inc*, repeat around (12)
Sl st to finish, leave a long tail

Squish the ears flat and sew the ears onto the head, using pictures as placement guide.


Bulb:
Using green wool
(leave a long tail at the start for sewing)
Round 1) Ch 12, join to first ch with a sl st (12)
Round 2) inc in each stitch around (24)
Round 3-4) sc in each stitch around (24)
Round 5) *2sc, dec*, repeat around (18)
Round 6) *sc, dec*, repeat around (12)
Round 7) dec in each stitch around (6)
Round 8) sc in each stitch around (6)
Sl st to finish, weave in the tail. (You can sew the neck of the bulb tighter to give it more shape.)

Stuff bulb from the bottom and sew onto Bulbasaur's back.


You're almost there! Take some darker blue wool and embroider small triangles/squares on Bulbasaur's forehead, sides, and legs. You could also glue on small pieces of felt. This is the part that really brings it all together. Now hide the ends of your thread and enjoy your #001 brave boy Pokémon!

This crochet pattern is © Kate Tuck, 2020. This pattern may not be sold, re-written, or re-posted without the author's permission.

Teeny Tiny Trilobites (Free Cross Stitch Pattern)

Hello all and welcome back! This is a project that, to my shame, I started three years ago and then promptly forgot in a corner of my sewing box... but what's a better lockdown activity than finishing old craft projects?

Presenting my teeny trilobites! These critters were once so prevalent that they're now excellent marker fossils for dating the surrounding rocks. (As much as I like how this turned out, I'm not sure I ever want to stitch on 28-count fabric again.)

These trilobite patterns were generously posted by Adventures in Stitching, so I decided to stick them together and add the genus names underneath for a little natural history style sampler:

Purple: 1100 stitches

Brown: 504 stitches

Total size: 95 x 55 stitches

Since I never actually buy proper DMC or Anchor colours, the colours I used were 'lavender' and 'dark brown', which I think look great in contrast to the off-white linen.

I hope you enjoyed this little make and it will inspire you to maybe try something a bit out of your crafty comfort zone.

Limpet x

 

Card Suits Cross Stitch Free Pattern

I had someone ask me for the pattern of the card suits I used in my Alice cross stitch which I'm happy to share. Like this person, I couldn't find any satisfactory patterns online, so I made them up.

Here they are:

I'd have no idea how to translate clubs or spades into corner squares...

Each card suit measures 9x9 stitches which makes them nice and easy to place in borders. The smaller squares in the rounded parts of the hearts, clubs, and spades show where to put your half cross stitches. I think they give a nice shape without having to make the design too big, as you can hopefully see below.

My first cross stitch... ah, the memories...

So there we are, card suits. Please use them as you wish!

Limpet x

GIR, Reporting for Duty!

GIR: Oh. I left that at home.
Zim: You left what at home?
GIR: The guidey chippy thingy.

Zim: You! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!?

GIR: To make room for the cupcake!

GIR is a robot alien in a dog suit from 'Invader Zim,' a show that was unfortunately cancelled due to a lack of any educational value. He's not stupid, he's advaaaaanced. 

This pattern is wonderful and Gir looks just like his cartoon counterpart. Since he stores his cupcake in his head I also added that, because why not. The head is reinforced with card so he's still structurally sound without his cupcake inside, and the ears are kept up with some bent paperclips.

I have to say I'm beyond happy with how this turned out. Who couldn't love those boggley eyes?

Just going to skip over the fact that it's July and this is only my second post of the year!

Limpet x

D&D Dice Bags

D&D, or Dungeons and Dragons, is a game that I got into completely by accident. A little group of the Physicists have been playing it for a while, and I went along with a friend because she liked a boy there and didn't want to go on her own. It took a little getting used to, but I loved it.

My first campaign is finished now, and I had an awful lot of fun with Nini the goliath barbarian. Imagine a huge ginger woman who thinks she's only ten because she only has ten fingers to count on. Nini believed she was raised by rabbits, but it turned out they were just small fur-cloaked people that raised her after her barbarian village was ransacked. It was a lot of fun sending her on a voyage of self-discovery from which she learned very little. (Good at swinging a great-axe though!)

Campaign number two is going to start soon, where I will be playing as Ib Layzafeyse, a goblin who calls herself a laser monk. To be honest I just wanted to be able to use the kung fu/tai chi motto -"You're f*cking with my chi."

Instead of borrowing dice from the DM (dungeon master), I decided to buy my own. And all dice need a dice bag!

Dragon egg dice bags! As always it's a free pattern on Ravelry. The one on the right I made first, and it's so big I can fit my fist in it. I did 3 rows of 8 crocodile scales following the pattern, two rows of 7, two rows of 6, then one row of 5. I did a row of hdc at the top. 

Let me tell you how to reduce by one scale neatly:

The usual v-stitch pattern is this: 

*(dc, ch 1, dc) in next st, skip 2 st*

To reduce a row by one scale: 

*(dc, ch 1, dc) in next st, skip 2 st, (dc, ch 1, dc) in next st, skip 3 st*

To reduce a row by two scales:

*(dc, ch 1, dc) in next st, skip 3 st*

Then just sl st to the first v-stitch as before and carry on with the scales like usual.

The first one I made I'm calling my prototype. I next made a smaller one which I much prefer (otherwise I'll be tempted to buy enough dice to fill it!) by discounting step 4 in the bottom. At the end of this one I did *dc, dc, skip 1 st* around the top and then threaded my string through the skipped spaces, which makes it look a bit more eggy when it's closed.

I hope my little modifications are clear enough. The big scaly bag I'm going to give to 'girl who fancied boy' to foster a new character alliance, although Miss Layzafeyse does not play well with others.

I'm excited for my dice to arrive! Expect more photos when they do! (They're so prettyyyyy.)

Limpet x

Prettifying Storage Drawers

It's probably been almost a year since I actually completed this DIY, since it was back in March that I did my coat hooks. I came across the photos in my "miscellaneous crafting" folder and the sooner I get the writing down the better.

So here we have: a handy little set of pretty wooden storage drawers.

rarrrrr!

The original was something I got for my birthday. I was after one of those colourful plastic ones for all sorts of bits and bobs, but I thought this shouldn't be too hard to spruce up.

1. First paint about the outer edges of each box and down the sides too if you're a perfectionist. I just used acrylic since it won't be getting much wear and tear.

2. Next unscrew the tiny handles on the front and set them aside.

3. Glue some nice paper on the front of each box, making sure each square is the same size. I used origami paper, but anything will do. Use a screw to poke through the paper where the original holes were before the glue dries.

4. When it's dry, screw the little handles back on.

Et voila! One prettified storage box!

What do I keep in mine?

• Dinosaurs (occasionally)
• Hair bands
• Hair clips/bobby pins
• Buttons
• Those bits of ribbon that I guess are for hanging clothes but you always cut them off anyway
• Sequins that fell off a top
• Used stamps
• Paper clips
• Washi tape

So there we have it! I think I've run out of things to cover in paper now but I'll see what I can do.

Limpet x

Free Geometric Skull Cross Stitch Pattern

As a lil' sorry for it being a while since posting last, and because I've been meaning to do it for a while, I wanted to share my skull cross stitch with you along with a free pattern.

So this was the teaser I posted just before the new year, along with a filter-less photo of what it actually looked like. I decided a geometric rainbow border would contrast with the realism of the skull nicely, and designed it so it fits snugly inside a 6 inch frame.

I also think he'd look great with a wreath around him and a Christmas hat, but maybe that's just me! I kind of want to do one for each season of the year.

The pattern:

The pattern shown is 83 x 83 stitches, meaning that on 14 count aida it's almost exactly 6 x 6 inches. Of course you can adjust the border as you see fit, and I'm more than happy to assist if you'd like it in a different size and want some help.

In a black 8 inch frame with a black 6 inch border, under Alice on the living room wall. The angle is pretending to be artistic but really just avoiding the light reflection on the glass.

As someone who struggles to finish projects, I'm glad it's finally out and on display. I've actually been working on this for quite a while, but I lost my darker shade of grey and was forced to tidy the house to find it again!

Limpet x

Moon Phases Bookmark

Just a short and sweet craftspiration for you today. This is perfect for when you want to spend a few minutes crafting something you can actually use, or slip a little something into a letter for a friend. (Did I tell you I have pen-friends again? It makes me very happy.)

Some very simple watercolour bookmarks!

Watercolours lend themselves perfectly to moon-like things, so here's how to do it in 5 easy steps.

1. Draw 5 circles of the same size in a line on watercolour paper, with a compass if you have one, or just draw around something.
2. With water, paint the moon phases using your circles as a guide.
3. While the paper is still wet, dab a few splodges of your chosen colour into the shapes, being careful not to use too much paint.
4. Add more colour as required and then leave the paint to dry. You can use a dry tissue to dab off paint while it's still wet if needed.
5. Draw on any details with a pen if you like. I couldn't decide if I liked it more with or without the pen, but it definitely looks neater.

So there it is. Make just one for yourself or loads at once to give to everyone you know!

Limpet x

Luna the Crochet Dragon

Just wanted to share my latest project with you. I got commissioned for the first time! My best friend Tanya from secondary school asked me to make her a purple dragon. I sent her some photos of crochet dragons and she chose this one:

Luna the dragon in her new home.

I took a long-awaited trip to London to visit her and we had a really fun weekend. It was filled with calisthenics, old chick-flicks, food, and a Captain Morgan's themed night out where we got loads of freebies. Tanya was the envy of her whole student flat and Luna got lots of love and cuddles; she's practically a house pet.

Confession time: I thought it'd be really easy to put Luna together on the train up there but it ended up being quite an involved operation with lots of sewing. So after 4 hours of bumpy public transport her tail wasn't finished and she had no eyes! Tanya didn't mind me finishing her off though and was fascinated by the whole process. I'm really proud of Luna and a little sad to give her away.

The pattern can be found here on Ravelry. It's in Spanish but is easy to follow with Google translate. For more dragon-ness I added some small wings from the crochet cthulhu pattern here where they have a nice photo tutorial.

This is the second time I've finished my crochet at the last minute, but I'll try not to make a habit of it. Also, just look at Luna's eyes, she's so cute!

Limpet x

Crochet Cuttlefish

And now for something lighter! I tried out the free pattern I posted last month to make a crochet cuttlefish, and then made him a friend using a different pattern just to spice things up a bit. I chose these father fetching purple colours which don't have a name or a brand really they're just cheap from The Range. My frugal nature just winces at spending more than about £2.50 on a ball of wool, and the supermarket is good enough quality for me.

Two different patterns of crochet cuttlefish.

The dark purple cuttlefish I made using the pattern already posted on this blog here. It ended up a lot bigger than I was expecting, and the head and body don't really need to be done separately. I do like the almond body shape and the eye bulges though.

The light purple cuttlefish is also a free pattern here; he's a bit smaller and rounder. I slip stitched around the head and body join just to make it a bit clearer, and also added two tentacles. (Cuttlefish have six arms and two longer tentacles for grabbing food.)

What I've realised from making these cuties is that I think I could make my own patterns. I've got a good grasp of shapes now and tentacles especially are really fun to make. My next project is a dragon for a friend who'll be in the same purples. If anyone has any ideas or patterns you want to see me try just let me know.

Crochet is fun!

Limpet x

Free Cuttlefish Crochet Pattern

This is not my pattern. It was written by Steven Wyckoff of www.wyldscallyns.com, and I found it here on Ravelry. Unfortunately the pattern no longer exists anywhere on the internet, so I am posting it here as found originally. It's just too cute to be taunting so many people on the internet with no pattern.

Take it away, Steven!

Goal 63: Bind a Book

In a rather fetching yellow and with added origami paper for extra oriental effect: my first bound book! 

This will contain nature sketches and such.

Baby Octopus Crochet

On Sunday I went to the christening of my boyfriend's cousin's baby (1st cousin once removed?) and it was the first christening I've ever been to. I didn't even have one myself and my boyfriend had a naming ceremony instead because his parents are hippies. It was the first time I'd met this branch of the family and I can now proudly say I've met every single one of them. Boyfriend family challenge = complete!

Anyway, I wanted to make a good first impression so I thought I'd make a baby toy with my new-fangled crochet skills. I started it on Thursday and finished on Saturday morning as we were driving up in the car (I had to buy some black wool from ASDA on the way for the eyes.) Here he is, sitting on my knee in the car:

Bad-Mannered Bookmarks

Everyone has those days, or those people, that just ruin your mood.

You may be familiar with Julie Jackson's subversive cross stitch, one of the first to lead cross-stitch astray by making it rude and snarky. It's an amazing form of art therapy and so I decided to make a bookmark of my own.

I sealed the edges with fire!

Stitching words takes so much longer than it takes to say them that in my mind, it transformed the venom into something more jovial. Now it's just a cheeky bookmark and a reminder that often it doesn't really matter if someone's trying to mess up your day, as long as you care enough about yourself to dismiss them.

Bad manners and bookmarks,
L

Fiona's Needle Book

Introducing: the very first gift that I made with my sewing machine!

My friend Fiona lent me her sewing kit ages ago so I could use her embroidery threads for some cross stitching. As a thank you I made her this needle book, as she didn't have anything to organise hers.

Cardmaking Take Two

Friends and gentlefolk, welcome to the second edition of card making!

First of all we have a card to go with my "Your Father Smelt Of Elderberries" cross stitch from last week. It features the first half of the Monty Python quote in my favourite stampey stamps, a little pen hamster, and some elderberry foliage from my nature stash.

Next, an RSVP card. A good friend of mine decided she wanted an afternoon tea party for her birthday and sent out handmade invitations in the post. It was so lovely to get snail mail, so responding by email or facebook seemed too impersonal. I whipped up this little card with an open-able envelope and some shiny washi tape and popped it in the post right back to her.

This next one is a shameless rip-off of something I saw on Pinterest. Please don't judge me too much. The lava is made from some bubbly orange paper and the rest is just pen and coloured pencil.

I'm going to have to provide some back story now, so here goes. I started playing DnD recently, and my character is a massive ginger goliath with the mind of a child who thinks she's only 10 because she has ten fingers. Her name's Nini. Nini believes she was raised by rabbits, but they were actually just small Inuits wearing a lot of fur (but don't tell her that.) This card is for one of my favourite people; he runs the DnD group and is regularly vexed by Nini's antics as she tries to domesticate every animal we come across.

Making your cards is so easy and fun, that even I can do it. Until the next time I make cards good enough to show off,

L

Your Father Smelt of Elderberries

It's been a while since I've done a new cross stitch, and I had this frame that needed filling. It's too large for a photograph, and I'd had my eye on this monty python cross stitch pattern because I love the font. I didn't have as much room as the pattern so I split the text up into three lines instead of two and added some different berries that filled up the empty space better. 

"Your mother was a hamster!"

Cthulhu Crochet

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

This is the first time I've ever tried crochet, and this is what I made!

An adorable little Cthulhu!

Prettifying Coat Hooks

New house= lots of space for home improvement!

Coat hooks are something you don't need to spend much money on. Get the cheapest ones you can find and decorate them with wrapping paper instead! Or varnish them or paint them. If they're going outside you'll need weather-proof varnish but these are on the back of the bedroom door so PVA glue will do.

What you will need:

Butterfly Box

First, I want to apologise for this Sunday post not being a Friday post. I tried my best but I was away from home and had bought the wrong camera cable with me. I don't know where this other cable came from, but it was one of those awful ones that are only for one thing and yet you have dozens of them. All the pictures were right there waiting but I couldn't get to them!

In absence of the photos for what I wanted to write about, and in keeping with it being Mother's Day recently, here's the birthday present that I gave my mum last year. It's a 15cm wooden cube with a photo on each face, except I did a little cross stitch for the lid.