Magic Ring – PipsRainbow

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Everywhere you go…. 🎶 Awww, just the best time of year isn’t it. Time to be together. Time for fun, love and happiness. I just love it!! I think that’s why the last couple of months before Christmas I run around in some kind of crazy christmassy madness trying to get things done and make it all perfect!! I don’t think I’m the only one!! But I am trying to be more organised this year, well trying!!

So here’s my little Christmas Pattern for this year! It’s rather a special one to me, as you will see. I really hope you like it. I’ve designed my little man so that it can be made as a little toy or you can also loop a little bit of ribbon and hang it on your tree. Or even make him a pop him in a little lucky persons stocking. Couldn’t resist making a little scarf for him too! Hee hee.

So. Let’s talk Moomins…

Now, some of you may remember watching or reading Moomins as a child. I definitely did. I loved the adventures that they used to go on!! So exciting! It would transport you into another world. A world of excitement and exploration. A world where Mamamoomin would look after everyone and cook for them all. How she would open her arms and heart to all who stepped over the door step into their little tower of homey heaveness! Or maybe it was little Moomintroll himself and his little sidekick Sniff!! So when I spotted these little creatures peeping out at me from the Oxfam window in our high street, I just had to pop in and buy one of their magical books for my daughter. And of course in true PipsRainbow style, I couldn’t wait to design a little crocheted Moomin!! Well, it just had to be done didn’t it!!

Ok, so here we go…

Supplies –
So for this pattern your will need 1 ball of white 50g double knit yarn, just a small bit of light black yarn and a small bit of black thread for the eyes as well. Then you need a spot of red double knit yarn for the scarf. You will also need some scissors, toy stuffing, blunt ended tapestry needle and a 3mm crochet hook.

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.

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.)

Spike Stitch – So to work your first spike stitch, you are going to work 1dc in the row below. So insert your hook through the dc stitch in the row below, yarn over your hook and then pull back through. (It will be easier if you work this loop up loosely) Now finish your stitch by yarn over your hook and pull through both loops. And that’s your first spike stitch.

Back Loop Double Crochet (bldc) – It just means you only work your double crochet in the back loop only, not through both loops like a normal double crochet.

Head –

1 – Make a magic ring, chain 1, then dc6 into the ring. Then pull the tail tight to create the first round. (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 – 1dc in each stitch. (24)

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

7 – 8 (2 rounds) 1dc in each stitch. (18)

9 – *1dc, then 2dctog.* Work ** 6 times. (12)

10 – 12 (3 rounds) 1dc in each stitch. (12)

This is a good time to stuff your head.

13 – *1dc, then 2dctog.* Work ** 4 times. (8)

14 – *2dctog* Repeat ** 4 times. (4)

Now fasten off and sew up the head, leaving a tail for you to sew the head onto the body.

Ears – Make 2

1 – Make a magic ring, ch1, then 4dc into the ring. Then pull the tail tight to create the magic ring. (4)

2 – *2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 4 times. (8)

3 – *2dc, then 2dctog.* Work ** 2 times. (6)

4 – *2dctog.* Repeat ** 3 times and fasten off, leaving a tail to sew your ears onto your head. (3)

Body –

1 – Make a magic ring, chain 1, then dc6 into the ring. Then pull the tail tight to create the first round. (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 – *4dc, then 2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 6 times. (36)

7 – 1dc in each stitch. (36)

8 – *4dc, then 2dctog* Work ** 6 times. (30)

9 – 1dc in each stitch. (30)

10 – *2dctog.* Work ** 6 times. Then 18dc stitches. (24)

11 – 13 (3 rounds) 1dc in each stitch. (24)

14 – *2dc, then 2dctog.* Work ** 6 times. (18)

15 – 1dc in each stitch. (18)

16 – *1dc, then 2dctog.* Work ** 6 times. (12)

17 – 1dc in each stitch. (12)

Now it’s time to stuff your body with toy stuffing.

18 – *2dctog* Repeat ** 6 times. (6)

Now sew up and fasten off your body using a blunt ended tapestry needle.

Legs – Make 2

1 – Make a magic ring, ch1, then 4dc into the ring. Then pull the tail tight to create the magic ring. (4)

2 – *2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 4 times. (8)

3 – Work 1bldc in each stitch. A bldc is a back loop double crochet. It just means you only work your double crochets in the back loop only, not through both loops like a normal double crochet. (8)

4 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (8)

5 – *2dc, then 2dctog.* Work ** 2 times. (6)

6 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (6)

Then fasten off and leave a tail so you can sew the legs onto the body.

Arms – Make 2

1 – Make a magic ring, ch1, then 4dc into the ring. Then pull the tail tight to create the magic ring. (4)

2 – *2dc into each stitch.* Work ** 4 times. (8)

3 – Work 1dc in each stitch. (8)

4 – *2dc, then 2dctog.* Work ** 2 times. (6)

5 – 8 (4 rounds) Work 1dc in each stitch. (6)

Then fasten off and leave a tail so you can sew the arms onto the body.

And there you have it. All your body parts. Now it’s time to sew all your body parts together. I tend to sew on the arms to the body and then the legs. Followed by the head and then the ears.

Follow this by using your black yarn to sew on two little eyes and then the eyebrows. Then use the black thread to sew a little circle around the black eyes that you have already made. I used a back stitch to do this as it creates a solid circle. These eyes are quite distinctive for a Moomin.

Now all you need to do is make the scarf.

Scarf –

1 – Start with your white yarn and make a foundation chain of 31. Now work 1dc into the second chain from the hook and then 1dc in each stitch in the foundation chain. Now fasten off your white yarn. (30)

2 – Now attach your red yarn in the first chain on the other side of the foundation chain. Now work 1spike stitch in the first dc stitch. Then work 1spike stitch in each stitch in the row. At the end of the row, turn your scarf and work 1dc in the first dc stitch. Then work 1dc in each stitch. Now fasten off and sew in your ends. The mix of dc stitches, chain stitches and spike stitches, gives you a great little stripy texture.

And there you have it. I couldn’t resist getting this magical book for my little lady for Christmas! Can’t wait to read it to her!!

Now don’t forget, if you would like to make this little Moomintroll into a Christmas decoration, then just loop a little ribbon in the top of the body to hang him on your Christmas tree. He’s definitely the perfect size to snuggle up on your tree, waiting for someone to find him.

I hope you have enjoyed this Christmas pattern. I remember having great fun designing him. I wonder if you could make the whole family of them. Now that would be good…

Don’t forget to share any little creations! Can’t wait to see them!!!

Happy Hooking!!

🌈Xx

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

Here is a simple tutorial on how to crochet into a Magic Ring.

So the first thing you are going to do is chain 1. This will give you the height for double crocheting (dc.) If you were doing half trebles (htr) then you would chain 2 and trebles (tr), you would chain 3. It all depends on what stitch you are working into the ring, as to how many chains you work.

So start by inserting your hook through the magic ring.

Yarn over hook and pull it through.

Then yarn over hook again and pull it through the loop on the hook to make the chain stitch. This is your first chain 1.

Now you are ready to do the amount of double crochet stitches required. So again in most normal crocheting in the round patterns, this will be 6dc.

Ok so *hook through the magic ring, yarn over hook.

Then pull back through.

Yarn over your hook again and then pull through the 2 loops on the hook.* This will create your first dc stitch in the magic ring.

See where the v is, that is your first dc stitch.

Now repeat ** this until you have 6dc into your magic ring.

(You may have a pattern that requires more into the magic ring or different stitches, but this is how many of the amigurumi patterns work.) Now pull the tail tight (the short piece of yarn) to create a ring of stitches.

And here is round 1.

Now slip stitch into the first stitch you made to close up the ring. To do this insert your hook into the first stitch.

Then yarn over your hook and pull through.

Then pull your hook through the loop on the hook. This creates a slip stitch. The way to remember what a slip stitch is, is that it doesn’t have any height. So here is your magic ring with 6 double crochets inside to make your first round.

And there we have crocheting into a Magic Ring. Here we have crocheted 6dc stitches into our magic ring, so usually the next round you would work 2dc stitches into each stitch. This would give you an increase to 12dc stitches. But it all depends on your pattern and what it asks you to do.

Also, here is a link to a video tutorial on how to crochet into a Magic Ring.

If you want to find out what to do next with your 6dc stitches, then just pop over to my Lesson 2 for Beginners – Crocheting in the Round. It’s includes how to increase your dc stitches in your rounds, how to use a stitch marker and also how to decrease.

Hope you have found this useful.

Happy hooking!!

🌈Xx