Posts
I’ve
searched high and low for a giraffe pattern that was free that I liked, I either had issues with how the ears looked or how the spots looked or it didn't have a suitable hair tuft....Some
were cute but the patterns got a little wonky for me…Call me Goldihooks.... Plus I find I’m getting
really bored reading patterns, I enjoy the challenge of coming up with my
own. I’ve really only been using
patterns from people that really have something crazy special.
I guess we all go through different stages of our little ‘hobby.’ I’m not sure if this even qualifies as a hobby anymore. It’s more like an obsession… it’s my drug. Seriously. I HAVE TO HAVE A HOOK IN MY HAND or I’m only thinking about WHEN I can get that hook in my hand…When I’m done crocheting something there is a huge high….and then the downward spiral until I get my next fix. Ya…the deep end…I’m off it.
Feel free to do what you want with the hats you make using this pattern-sell, donate, give away. I do ask, that if you do use it, maybe let me know how I am doing on making patterns? With no input from anyone I will either continue stinking at patterns or think they stink and just quit before I confuse the world. Obviously, this is my pattern and I ask that you don't copy it and pretend it is your own because that's pretty tacky. ;) But feel free to provide a link.
Gauge: Honestly, I've never paid attention to gauge. I crochet how I crochet and will modify a pattern to make my gauge work. BUT, although I'm an old dog I don't mind learning new tricks, so I will have to look up how to figure all that stuff out...For now I will tell you that for 11 dc going across that equals 4" and for 8.5 rows of dc it equals 4". I can also tell you that my finishing hat, that has 53 dc is 21" in circumference.
Materials:
worsted-I used red heart super saver: bright yellow, medium brown
I guess we all go through different stages of our little ‘hobby.’ I’m not sure if this even qualifies as a hobby anymore. It’s more like an obsession… it’s my drug. Seriously. I HAVE TO HAVE A HOOK IN MY HAND or I’m only thinking about WHEN I can get that hook in my hand…When I’m done crocheting something there is a huge high….and then the downward spiral until I get my next fix. Ya…the deep end…I’m off it.
Feel free to do what you want with the hats you make using this pattern-sell, donate, give away. I do ask, that if you do use it, maybe let me know how I am doing on making patterns? With no input from anyone I will either continue stinking at patterns or think they stink and just quit before I confuse the world. Obviously, this is my pattern and I ask that you don't copy it and pretend it is your own because that's pretty tacky. ;) But feel free to provide a link.
Gauge: Honestly, I've never paid attention to gauge. I crochet how I crochet and will modify a pattern to make my gauge work. BUT, although I'm an old dog I don't mind learning new tricks, so I will have to look up how to figure all that stuff out...For now I will tell you that for 11 dc going across that equals 4" and for 8.5 rows of dc it equals 4". I can also tell you that my finishing hat, that has 53 dc is 21" in circumference.
Materials:
worsted-I used red heart super saver: bright yellow, medium brown
Fiberfill
Tapestry needle
H hook
Adult (just the adult hat is here, but the hat isn't the important part, it is the embellishments. You can use whatever beanie hat base you like)
With yellow
1.
Magic
ring, 12 dc in ring; join
2.
Ch 2 (counts as dc), dc in same dc, *2dc in each
dc around; join
3.
Ch 2, 2 dc in next dc,*dc in next dc, 2 dc in
next dc; repeat from * around, join
4.
Ch 2, dc in next dc, *2dc in next dc, dc in next
2 dc; repeat from * around; join
5.
Ch 2, dc in next 7dc, *2dc in next dc, dc in
next 8 dc; repeat from * around (just dc in the remaining stitches-there is an
odd number on this row); join (53 dc= 21.2”)
6.
Ch 2, dc in each dc around; join
7.
Repeat round 6 until the hat is 8-9”
Do not finish off, move on to ear
flaps
Ear flaps
1.
Ch 1, sc in same dc, sc in next 11 sc
2.
Ch 1, turn, sc in each sc (12 sc)
3.
Turn, skip sc, sc in remaining sc (11 sc)
4.
Repeat round 3 ( 10 sc)
5.
Repeat round 3 ( 9 sc)
6.
Repeat round 3 ( 8 sc)
7.
Repeat round 3 ( 7 sc)
8.
Repeat round 3 (6 sc)
9.
Repeat round 3 ( 5 sc)
10.
Repeat round 3 (4 sc)
11.
Repeat round 3 (3 sc), finish off
Second ear
flap. Fold hat in half so that only 3
stitches of first ear flap are on the front.
Join yarn in 3rd stich from the center of the other
side. Repeat rows 1-11 of ear flap.
Finish off by attaching brown into any sc in hat. Ch 1, sc around edge of hat; join. finish off.
Ties: using long strands of yarn of desired length, attach to ear flaps and then braid. :)
Horns (make
two…or three if you are making a mutant giraffe)
1.
Using brown, magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring;
join (tie off your magic ring now)
2.
Ch 1, 2 sc in each sc; join (12 sc)
3.
Ch 1, sc in each sc; join (12 sc)
4.
Ch 1, dec around (6 sc) finish off brown-stuff
the brown part lightly now, it will be easier than doing it later.
5.
With yellow, ch 1, sc in each sc (6 sc) (do not
join, we are using stitch markers, or you can just count I didn’t find stitch
markers necessary-no need to get OCD on this)
6.
Ch 1, sc in each sc (6 sc)
7.
Ch 1, sc in each sc (6 sc)
8.
Ch 1, sc in each sc (6 sc)
9.
Ch 1, sc in each sc (6 sc) for joining in this
round, skip next sc and sl st in next sc; finish off, leaving a tail for
sewing. Lightly stuff your horn and sew
onto top of hat using photo for placement
Ears (make
two-or sixteen depending on your giraffe’s mutantness)
with yellow
with yellow
1.
Magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring (6sc) tie off
your ring here)
2.
Ch 1, sc in 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 3
sc; join (7 sc)
3.
Ch 1, sc in 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in 3 sc;
join (8 sc)
4.
Ch 1, sc in 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 2
sc, 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 2 sc; join (10 sc)
5.
Ch 1, *sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc; repeat
from * around and join (15 sc)
6.
Ch 1, sc in each sc around (15 sc)
7.
Repeat round 5
8.
Repeat round 6
9.
Repeat round 5
10.
Repeat round 6
11.
Dec around, skip last sc; join (14 dec)
12.
Ch 1, sc in each sc; join (14 sc)
13.
Repeat round 12
14.
Re Repeat round 12
15.
peat round 12
16.
Repeat round 12
17.
Repeat round 12; finish off leaving a tail for
sewing. To attach, fold the bottom of
the ear just a little bit to give it a 3-d effect) use photo for placement
Hair
tuft: I made a loose (not as many
strands as a normal one) pom pom and attached it. After attaching I ratted out the yarn so it
was more fluffy.
Spots (make
any combination of sizes you want that suits your giraffe needs-keep in mind,
that things in nature work best if in odd numbers, sizes and combinations)
1.
magic ring, ch 1, 6 sc in ring; join finish off
magic ring here (end here for small spot)
2.
ch 1, 2 sc in each sc (12 sc) end here for
medium spot
3.
ch 1, *sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc; repeat
from * around; join, (18 sc) end here for large spot
You can
fiddle around with different starting amounts of sc in your magic ring-Don’t
make more than 10 though because it gets warpy if you do.
Baby Hat Embellishments:
Note: For that hat base I used that basic beanie hat pattern but only increased to 36 stitches (this will fit 3-6 months) and then made the hat 5" high. For the ear flaps I only did 7 sc instead of 11.
Ears (Make two-these are worked in continuous rounds and we are not joining at the end of every round. Also, think of the numbers as STEPS and not actual rounds.
With yellow:
1. 6 sc in magic ring
2. (sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc) 3 times
3. sc in next 18 sc
4. (sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc) 8 times
5. (sc, dec) 3 times
6. sc in next 18 sc, skip next sc, and join with sl st to next sc. Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing and attach to head.
Nubbies (make two)
1. with brown, 4 sc in magic ring, join with sl st to first sc
2. ch 1, 2 sc in each sc around, join with sl st to first sc
3. ch 1, sc in each sc, join with sl st to first sc
4. ch 1, dec around, join with sl st to first dec finish off brown
5. with yellow, join with sl st to any sc. Ch 1, sc in each sc around (we are not joining after this round, rather we are just going to continue to crochet around until your nubbie is at desired height-but not too high so it falls over when you put it on. I suggest 2.5-3 inches)
Finish off yellow and leave a long tail for sewing. Lightly stuff and attach to head.
Ears (Make two-these are worked in continuous rounds and we are not joining at the end of every round. Also, think of the numbers as STEPS and not actual rounds.
With yellow:
1. 6 sc in magic ring
2. (sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc) 3 times
3. sc in next 18 sc
4. (sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc) 8 times
5. (sc, dec) 3 times
6. sc in next 18 sc, skip next sc, and join with sl st to next sc. Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing and attach to head.
Nubbies (make two)
1. with brown, 4 sc in magic ring, join with sl st to first sc
2. ch 1, 2 sc in each sc around, join with sl st to first sc
3. ch 1, sc in each sc, join with sl st to first sc
4. ch 1, dec around, join with sl st to first dec finish off brown
5. with yellow, join with sl st to any sc. Ch 1, sc in each sc around (we are not joining after this round, rather we are just going to continue to crochet around until your nubbie is at desired height-but not too high so it falls over when you put it on. I suggest 2.5-3 inches)
Finish off yellow and leave a long tail for sewing. Lightly stuff and attach to head.
Just reading through the pattern quickly, it looks good! You might consider giving a gauge, just for consistency for people who might be trying out your patterns. I've never tried an ear flap quite like that before (skipping over stitches instead of decreasing (single crocheting together)). I'm curious how it works up!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog via pinterest, and while I haven't tried any of your patterns yet, I really appreciate your creativity and enthusiasm. :) Will definitely be following!
For some reason it won't let me comment with my wordpress account! jaceystitches.wordpress.com
Thank you for the advice! :) I've not had good luck figuring out gauge, I have my own hat patterns written up for sizes that will work based on how I crochet... but I will certainly look into it tomorrow, and see if I can't post something informative about my gauge.
DeleteThe earflaps done that way will only look good if you sc around the edge of the hat (which is a step I forgot to include and I am going up to correct that now)
.
Thank you for the pattern, keep up the great work there are people out here that love your creativity! :)
ReplyDeleteHow do you sew on the horns and not make them look like floppy?
ReplyDeleteAlso, any tips for sewing on the ears? I'm terrible at sewing crochet items!
The trick for the horns is to make sure they are at the top of the hat-so they stand up when the hat is on (your head filling the hat helps keep them standing at attention). The horns I fill a little more full than I normal fill stuffed crochet stuff so that they are more stiff. For the ears, I sewed them on so that they are up and down with a very slight angle toward the back as they go down. What I usually do with all my crocheted embellishments is I only tack them in place at first, with little stitches so I can move them around if needed-sometimes it takes two or three tries to get something in perfect place. Never sew them permanently until you know they are placed right (which you must try the hat on to be sure of this) You can have the cutest little embellishments but if the placement is off you will come out with a creepy looking thing. Hope that helps a little. It took me a while to get the hang of ears (and that goes from puppies, giraffes, bears, kitties to you name it).
DeleteMy ears came out much smaller than pictured. I actually redid them, adding at least another ten rows to get them to the size in your picture. Looking at the project pictures in Ravelry, it looks like smaller ears were the frequent result. Otherwise it turned out great.
ReplyDeleteI have a pretty loose gauge-which is probably the reason for that. Glad you were able to get them to look right! :)
ReplyDeletethose ears are the BEST! super cute. I make hats for charity and I was told they like the cute hats best - this is it. Thank you so much for sharing
ReplyDeleteHi Dragonbird,
ReplyDeleteYou saved the day and quite possibly me from losing my Grama creds. My Grandbabes birthday is coming up and she is next in line for one of my crochet works of art haha. I asked her what her favorite animal is and when she said Giraffe I gulped. Didn't have a clue how I was gona pull this one off. I can't wait to try your wonderful pattern soon as I finish my grandsons dinosaur hat and the baby's booties. I'm with you on this being an addiction but considering what I'm capable of when left to my own ideas well that's just never a good idea. Thanks again you're an absolute doll! P.S. what's a guage? JK i know dont pay attention to em either