Pokémon Egg

Here is what I did to make my egg.  

Notes:

-          This pattern is worked completely in the round; do not join after any round. 

-          Round 6-9, and 12 you don’t need to be super precise, just increase twice on each of those rounds.  Try to stagger them a bit though. 

-          The spots are pretty customizable.  I’ve included a few ideas, but there are many more options. 

Materials:

-          Red Heart Super Saver in two colors, sample in Aran and Guava

-          Size F crochet hook

-          Tapestry needle

-          Polyfill or other stuffing

Directions:

Round 1:  ch2, 6 sc in second ch from hook do not join (6)

Round 2:  [sc, sc, 2sc] x2 (8)

Round 3:  [sc, 2sc] x4 (12)

Round 4:  [sc, sc, 2sc] x4 (16)

Round 5:  [sc, sc, sc, 2sc] x4 (20)

Round 6:  sc next 5, 2sc, sc next 9, 2sc, sc next 4 (22)

Round 7:  sc next 2, 2sc, sc next 10, 2sc, sc next 8 (24)

Round 8:  2sc, sc next 11, 2sc, sc next 11 (26)

Round 9:  sc next 6, 2sc, sc next 12, 2sc, sc next 6 (28)

Round 10:  sc around (28)

Round 11:  sc around (28)

Round 12:  sc next 3, 2sc, sc next 13, 2sc, sc next 10 (30)

Round 13:  sc around (30)

Round 14:  sc around (30)

Round 15:  [sc, sc, sc, sc2tog] x6 (24)

Round 16:  [sc, sc, sc2tog] x6 (18)

Make sure to stuff your egg now if you haven’t yet

Round 17:  [sc, sc2tog] x6 (12)

Round 18:  sc2tog around (6)

Cut yarn leaving a good sized tail to sew the hole closed. 

Spot #1  (small, round)

Round 1:  ch 2, 6sc in 2^nd ch from hook (6)

Cut yarn and bind off

Spot #2 (bigger, round)

Round 1:  ch 2, 6sc in 2^nd ch from hook (6)

Round 2:  2sc around (12)

Cut yarn and bind off

Spot #3 (bigger, oval)

Round 1:  ch 2, 6sc in 2^nd ch from hook (6)

Round 2: 2sc, [sc, hdc] in next st, 2hdc, [hdc, sc] in next st, 2sc, 2sc (12)

Cut yarn and bind off

Spot #4 (small, oval)

Round 1:  ch 2, [sc, hdc, dc, dc, hdc, sc] in 2^nd ch from hook (6)

Cut yarn and bind off

Spot #5 (bigger, irregular)

Round 1:  ch 2, 6sc in 2^nd ch from hook (6)

Round 2:  2sc, 2hdc, 2sc, [hdc, dc] in next st, [dc, hdc] in next st, 2sc

Spinning and Dyeing

I've had a lot of fun lately with my newest fiber arts.  I have two drop spindles and I really like spinning.  It is quite relaxing and I am really looking forward to getting a wheel.  I'm trying to decide if I should go through the hassle of getting my Dad to make me one, or just go ahead and buy one.  If I do end up buying one, it will most likely be an Ashford Kiwi, but I really like the look of another wheel called a ladybug.  

So I have made two 100 gram skeins of yarn using my drop spindles so far.  The first was a 100% wool and the yarn I got was probably comparable to a chunky yarn on average.  I made a two ply by making a ball with both ends held together.  When I was finished spinning, I found a cowl pattern and decided to dye my 

                                                      yarn a purple color.  It has bits of 

                                                      red and blue too though.  

My second skein was from 80/20 merino/nylon.  It is also a two ply using the same method and is somewhere around the dk/worsted category.  I haven't done anything with this one yet, although I think it would make a good hat when I find the right pattern.  

Halfway through this spinning project, I finally got a hook put on the end of the spindle and boy did that speed things up.  By the end, I was getting  a lot more confident and decided I wanted to do more spinning.  

Then I ordered a fiber sampler from essential fiber and it has been interesting so far.  I love looking at all the colors and petting them.  I started with the red sample as you do, and went from there.  I have only finished three as I don't want to binge and then be sad when its all gone.  Also, I'm a bit nervous about the more slippery samples that are towards the end of the rainbow.  

The past week I have decided to spin some fiber that I dyed a while back.  It is mostly still bare with patches of royal blue to sky blue.  It looks kinda funny as singles, because there is still a lot of white, but I hope it will kinda even out when I ply it.  i can't decide if I want to chain ply it, or if I would rather have a thinner yarn, so a two ply.  

As far as dying goes, I have tried several different techniques and have been pretty successful except for this bit of roving that seems to be infected by bad luck.  I dyed it a while back and the colors kinda broke and blended and I got a lot of white spots, so I tried acid dyes for the first time today and overdyed the entire bunch with emerald green.  It looks like I didn't put enough vinegar in, so a lot of the blue color washed out when I rinsed it.  After rinsing for a while I decided to cook it in the microwave again with some more vinegar hoping to set the dye better.  Its still quite hot now, but hopefully it will help.  

 

Recent Projects

Its been a while since I have had any new patterns to share, so I though I would share some of my recent projects that I did use patterns for.

Here is an afghan I worked on for about a year.  I joined the 2016 BAMCAL last February and that led me to the goodness that is ravelry.  I love being able to share my projects, ask questions and even help others occasionally.  I'm excited to start the next one, and I'm thinking I will make it with solid colored blocks randomly placed.

Testing patterns for other people has also been fun.  That led me to the Rav group HPKCHC.  It is a really fun way to motivate yourself to finish projects and also a great place to talk to others.

In Nov/Dec, I got hit by the hexipox.  I saw the Beekeepers quilt and had to have one.  The little puffs are also great as turn-ins for HPKCHC.  I've made 12 so far with hundreds to go, but Its not a priority for me, just a quick bit of knitting that I can take along to places.

The House Cup has also motivated me to finish some larger projects.  I have made 6 pairs of socks now, a Hitchhiker shawl and I'm working on another shawl with a lot more lace than I have attempted before.  

These two pair are probably my favorites that I have made.  The blue/grey stripey ones are Time Traveler socks, and the Grey are Blackrose socks.  There are pictures of the other ones on my projects page on Rav.  The best part is that all the patterns I used were free except for the FLK heel.
I did recently make a new thing though.  My mom wanted a towel topper, so I did a bit of research on how they are started, and then I figured out the rest myself.  I wrote down my process, so I might try and type it up sometime.  If there is any interest, I would be happy to put it here for free.  To see a picture, click the link.