Little Paddy & Ivey Turtle

Well hello my lovely ones. How are we all? I hope you have all had super weekends!! Much preferring the weather now than last week. Goodness it was wet! We seemed to have been drenched when we were out most days. It did mean we could nip into our favourite bakery for a cuppa. Bore Street Bakery pit stop with my two!! Can’t beat it!!

So as promised, here is the pattern for my two little Turtles.

Paddy and Ivy are very close little siblings!! They are usually found playing in the waves and rock pools. Ivy loves the deep waves. She dives under them and pops up squirting her little brother with water!! Little pickle!!! Paddy on the other hand, likes the shallow waters. He is quite content at the minute, following his Daddy around and asking him all sorts of questions about what he is doing.

Paddy and Ivy are quite small in size, as you can see. But they do love to snuggle up in any little ones pocket and have fun on days out with them.

Really hope you enjoy making them. They would be a great friend to any little one that is close to your heart.

Level – Easy

Supplies –

Right then, supplies. As this is a Using Up Year pattern, I have used lots of odds and ends to make my little turtles. Each little turtle uses a total of 35g of double knit yarn, so that will give you a rough idea of how much you will need.

You will also need a 3mm crochet hook, some scissors, toy stuffing, a piece of different coloured yarn for a stitch marker and a blunt ended tapestry needle to sew all your ends in. And don’t forget a pair of safety eyes, if you want to use them and some black yarn for the eyebrows and mouth.

Stitches –

Magic Ring (mr) – For a magic ring, make a loop with the yarn, leaving a tail. (Make sure the tail is under the working yarn.) Now insert your hook into the loop, from the front to the back. Wrap the working yarn around your hook and pull the yarn through and pull tight to create a ring.

If you are unsure, here’s a little video on how to make a Magic Ring.

Slip stitch (ss) – This is where there is no height to the stitch. It’s usually used to join rounds. So insert the hook into the front of the stitch you are joining to. This is usually the first stitch you made in that round/row. So yarn over hook and pull through that first stitch then also through the loop on your hook.

Double Crochet (dc) – Insert the hook through the stitch, front to back, then yarn over hook and pull back through stitch. You will have two loops on your hook. Then yarn over your hook and pull through both loops.

Double Crochet Decrease (2dctog) – This is where you crochet two stitches together to decrease the amount of stitches in the round. So insert the hook through the front of the first stitch only (the front V) and then insert again through the front of the second stitch (the front V). Now yarn over your hook and pull it back through both stitches, so you will then have 2 loops on your hook. Yarn over your hook again and pull through both loops. And there is your 2dctog. (Basically 2 double crochet stitches crocheted together.)

If you need a quick recap on how to do these stitches and a few other snippets of Amigurumi techniques, then follow the link below. Happy watching.

Ok so here we go…

Body

1 – Using your 3mm hook, make a magic ring, chain 1 and then work 6dc stitches into the ring. (6)

2 – 3 (2 rounds) Work 1dc in each stitch. (6)

4 – *2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (12)

5 – *1dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (18)

6 – *2dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (24)

7 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (24)

8 – Work 2dc in the first stitch, then work 1dc in the next 11 stitches. Now work 2dc in next stitch, followed by 11dc stitches. (26)

9 – Work 2dc in first stitch, then work 1dc in the next 12 stitches. Now work 2dc in next stitch, followed by 12dc stitches. (28)

10 – Work 2dc in first stitch, then work 1dc in the next 13 stitches. Now work 2dc in next stitch, followed by 13dc stitches. (30)

11 – 12 (2 rounds) Work 1dc in each stitch. (30)

13 – Work 2dctog, then work 1dc in the next 13 stitches. Followed by 2dctog stitch and then 13dc stitches. (28)

14 – Work 2dctog, then work 1dc in the next 12 stitches. Followed by 2dctog and then 12dc stitches. (26)

15 – Work 2dctog, then work 1dc in the next 11 stitches. Followed by 2dctog and then 11dc stitches. (24)

16 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (24)

17 – Now work *2dc, then 2dctog.* Repeat this ** 6 times. (18)

18 – Work *1dc, then 2dctog* Repeat this ** 6 times. (12)

19 – Work *2dctog* Repeat this ** 6 times. (6)

Now it’s time to fasten off, stuff your turtle’s body and then sew it up with your yarn tail.

Head

1 – Make a magic ring, chain 1 and then work 6 dc stitches into the ring. (6)

2 – *2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (12)

3 – *1dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (18)

4 – *2dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (24)

5 – *3dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (30)

6 – 9 (4 rounds) Work 1dc in each stitch. (30)

10 – Now work *3dc, then 2dctog.* Repeat this ** 6 times. (24)

11 – Now work *2dc, then 2dctog.* Repeat this ** 6 times. (18)

12 – Now work *1dc, then 2dctog.* Repeat this ** 6 times. (12)

13 – 15 (3 rounds) Work 1dc in each stitch. (12)

Finish your head, by slip stitching into the next stitch and fasten off. Now stuff your head with your toy stuffing so that it will be ready to then sew on to your turtle’s body.

At this stage, you could attach your safety eyes. With the eyes, you need to make sure you have them in the correct place, because once you have pushed the back on. It is very hard to get them off. So keep looking and checking that you are happy. Remember the dome on the back of the safety eye faces out. This is how it stays secure on your turtle’s head.

Shell

With the shell, I have used 5 different colours, but you can use however many colours you would like. I alternated 2 rounds of colour with 1 round of white yarn.

1 – Make a magic ring, chain 1 and then work 6 dc stitches into the ring. (6)

2 – Work *2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (12)

3 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (12)

4 – Work *1dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (18)

5 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (18)

6 – *2dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (24)

7 – *3dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (30)

8 – *4dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (36)

9 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (36)

10 – *5dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (42)

11 – *1dc in the first stitch. Then 1dc in next. Miss a stitch then 4tr stitches in the next stitch. Then miss 2 stitches. *Repeat this ** 7 times. (42) After the last 4tr stitch, slip stitch into the first dc stitch to complete the round.

12 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (42)

Front Flipper x 2

1 – Start by working 12 chain stitches, then slip stitch into the first chain to make a ring.

2 – Now work 1dc in each chain (12)

3 – 4 (2 rounds) Work 1dc in each stitch. (12)

5 – Work 2dc in the next 6 stitches. Follow this by working 1dc in the next 6 stitches. (18)

6 – Work 2dc in the next 6 stitches. Follow this by working 1dc in the next 12 stitches. (24)

7 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (24)

8 – Work 12dc stitches. Then work *2dctog.* Repeat this ** 6 times. (18)

9 – Work 6dc stitches. Then work *2dctog.* Repeat this ** 6 times. (12)

10 – Work *2dctog.* Repeat this ** 6 times. (6)

Now slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off. Leave the tail quite long, so you can use the tail to sew the flippers onto the body.

Back Flipper x 2 –

1 – Start by working 8 chain stitches then slip stitch into the first chain to make a ring.

2 – Work 1dc in each chain. (8)

3 – Now work 1dc in each stitch. (8)

4 – *Work 1dc then 2dc in the next stitch.* Repeat this ** 4 times. (12)

5 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (12)

6 – Work 2dc in the next 6 stitches. Follow this by working 1dc in the next 6 stitches. (18)

7 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (18)

8 – Now work *1dc, then 2dctog.* Repeat this ** 6 times. (12)

9 – 10 (2 rounds) Work 1dc in each stitch. (12)

11 – Work *2dctog.* Repeat this 6 times. (6)

And there we have it. Your 7 little turtle parts. Now it’s time to sew it altogether.

It’s best to start with the head, then the front flippers and then the back flippers. And finally the shell. Just remember to keep checking the alignment of each body part. Once you have sewed them all on, it’s time to use your black thread and needle to sew on your little eyebrows and mouth.

And there you have your little turtle. My daughter and son took their little turtles out and about on Sunday! Think they both had different ideas on how to keep them tucked up next to them all day!!

My son had a more novel way of keeping his little turtle safe.

I really hope you have enjoyed this pattern. Can’t wait to see all your little turtle creations. Don’t forget to share them and link me in.

If you like these little guys, then their parents free pattern will be following shortly!!! Couldn’t resist making the whole family!!

Happy hooking chaps!!!

🌈Xx

(Free pattern designed and brought to you by PipsRainbow. Thank you for not copying or recreating it. ☺️Xx)

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Welcome to the ‘Using Up Year’

Well hello 2019!!! This new year seems to be here and is ready to rock and roll. It’s seems to be flying by!! Nearly the end of January already!!! I wonder what this year will bring? Ours seems to have gotten off to a good start. Back to school for my little lady, bless her. Think she was rather nervous to be going back, but she was fine once she got back into it. Her little brother has definitely missed her though. When she’s home from school, they definitely have a frantic hour of bonkersness zooming around the house!!

It’s hard going back to all the school/work/house stuff, after the Christmas holidays. It’s such an unusual holiday period isn’t it. Many of the days are filled with seeing friends and family, or franctic rushing around like a lunatic getting jobs done, in the build up before. But now it is back to normalness and the usual world of school runs and activities for us and work. The nights seem to come that bit quicker at the minute and it definitely feels darker and gloomier. I do enjoy those few moments in the evening, when everyone is quiet and you can just snuggle under your blanket and crochet. I think when u have little ones, you definitely appreciate those quiet evenings all the more!!

We’ve had a few fab weekends so far, consisting of bike rides, friends, baking, swimming, parties, family dinners and a bit of a telling off from a National Trust man! Whoops!! I don’t know how, but we managed to bike past the front of Shugborough Hall!! Ekk!! I think we we’re supposed to go around the side, but I followed my husband, who assured me it was the right way. We cycled through the estate and managed to get to the back gate! Whoops!! Better not do that again! Felt very naughty!! First telling off of 2019!! I wonder if there will be anymore?!

How are all your new projects coming along? My to do list seems to be getting big again and not quite sure how it’s happened. I seem to be frantically trying to finish bits off again for some reason. Heyho. Can’t beat a little bit of pressure to keep you on your toes!!! Think my new mug is definitely going to help me!!

So I am guessing you are wondering why this year for me is called the Using Up Year. Well, it’s pretty simple really, apparantly I have too much wool! It’s official, it’s pretty much in every nook and cranny in the house! I mean literally, you know you have a problem when you find a little bit of wool stuffed in a bookcase on the landing! I wonder how long it’s been there!! Very odd! Maybe I am crocheting in my sleep – I mean how did it get there?

So yeah, it’s Use Up Year. Hoping to bring you lots of different ways to use all your bits up and start next year a fresh!! Haha, you know it’ll be worth it, as think of how much fun it will be to replace it all!!! Yippeeeee!!!! So watch this space folks!

So onto the projects and the first few of the year…

My first main job of the year was to finish my husband’s hat!! He was after a beanie hat, with stripes around the bottom. So after a little bit of pattern tweaking and some trial and error, I managed to achieve the look he was after. So chuffed with that one. Will be publishing the new version of the hat soon. It’s ever such an easy alteration, so hope you like it.

I managed to whip up a pair of slipper socks for my dear friend. Bless her, she told me the other day she loved them so much, she even wore them to bed!! Haha – she’s now in the slipper sock family!! Once you wear them, you won’t turn back!! If you are fancying a new challenge this year, then give them a go. They are ever so easy. I always use the West Yorkshire Spinner wool, which is fab to use and the full range is pretty extensive. My slipper sock pattern uses the Aran weight wool, but I will be publishing a double knit and 4 ply pattern one day.

I’ve been rather unsuccessful with my Rainbow cabbage patch blanket so far. I haven’t had the chance to have a go with it yet, but hoping once I get a little time, I can share it with you. Think it’s going to be a lovely way to use up all those odds and ends. Using Up Year here I come!! (Still amazed that I seem to have an array of rainbow colours to hand.)

On the designing front, I have been making some delicate wings for Uni the Unicorn. This will turn her into an Alicorn (A winged unicorn.) I made this little one for my daughter as a bit of a prototype. This one I have attached the wings on, but I’ve also been given the idea from one of my daughter’s besties to make the wings detachable! So Uni could dress up in them! What a fab idea! My daughter then decided that they needed a tutu as well. So my to do list is definitely getting bigger.

Other projects have been a Unicorn for one of my daughter’s bestie’s birthday. So that one’s all ready and awaiting delivery.

Love how you can play with different colour ways with the mane and tail. Look at these two unicorns!

Can’t wait to get designing the little tutu! Could be fun!!

This week has been a little on the busy side, but I did have a little moment to whip up a little snugglepod for friend’s daughter’s Fingerling. Hope she will like it. Love how they come with little babies now, so cute!!

I have also managed to sneak a little crocheting in for me finally. Realised that my neck was just getting that little bit too cold and I have been wanting to make an infinity scarf for ages, but kept putting it off. So decided to just go for it the other day and make a chunky one. As it’s the year of using up, I decided to do the Grannie Trick and crochet 4 balls of wool together – 2 double knits and 2 lace weights. Love putting colours together, it’s one of the reasons why I think I’d love to get into handdyeing. Think my daughter would love it too! Well in true PipsRainbow fashion I managed to whip this one up.

Lastly, my little man’s had to have a snode for his little chin and what better yarn to use, but my Õilsyarn Club yarn from this month’s subscription. It was a mix of Alpaca and wool and works up a treat. It’s 5ply weight, so I used a 4mm hook to give it that freedom and drape that a snode needs. Will definitely share the pattern with you all when I have a minute. He looked rather chuffed with it on the school run the other morning.

If anyone is wanting to join the wonderful Õilyarns Club by the incredible Abby Parkes at Luxury Yarns, then follow the link below to her website. Best club ever – you won’t regret it!

https://luxuryyarns.co.uk/

Each month there is some incredible handdyed yarn, little bottles of essential oils and a little something extra too. Abby also includes a knitted pattern too. I’m hoping to create crochet patterns for all the little yarny parcels that I get from her!!! Looking forward to all my little parcels landing on my door step this year!!! Yarny parcels are just the best, aren’t they!!

So on that wonderful note of yarny loveliness, I wish you an incredible 2019 and look forward to bringing you some rainbowy, yarny Patterns. Goodbye from this little fella!

Using Up Year…

Can’t wait…

Happy hooking everyone!!

🌈Xx

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