Saturday 25 May 2019

Pokemon Amie: Grookey

And, finally, the last of the trio! Making patterns for the Galar starters has made me fall even more in love of them. I feel like Grookey was the one I overlooked easiest, but after spending some time making his features for myself, I've gained a new appreciation for him! What looked like a really simple design at first actually has quite a lot of cute details and lots of colours.

My Grookey ends up being the shortest of the trio at 5.5". Crocheting him is actually pretty easy as it's all basic techniques, but there's A LOT of sewing involved because so many cute little parts attach onto a single body.

The pattern here is free, but if you'd rather have a printable version or if you'd like to throw a little support my way, I have a printable PDF available on Ravelry for the tiny sum of a single toonie!

Here's some quick guff on the ways you can use my pattern:

  • do not redistribute the pattern - just link to this page
  • your results are free for personal use - but I ask that you don't sell your finished product. just hand them out as gifts, ok? your friends will love you for it

With that out of the way, on to the pattern!

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Materials

  • Size E (3.5mm) Crochet Hook
  • Worsted Weight Yarn
    • I used Red Heart Super Saver in:
      • Light Sage
      • Carrot
      • Cornmeal
      • Coffee
      • Black
      • Soft White
  • Yarn Needle
  • Stuffing

Abbreviations

  • ch – chain
  • sc – single crochet
  • hdc - half double crochet
  • dc - double crochet
  • inc – two single crochet in same stitch
  • dec – invisible decrease
  • ss – slip stitch
  • cc – colour change
  • blo – back loop only

Techniques

I have a useful guide on all the different techniques I use when I make amigurumi. Obviously, you should stick with whatever techniques you are comfortable with when making amigurumi, but I still recommend checking it out if you wanna get a result as close to mine as possible!

This pattern will ask you to work invisible decreases while working in BLO. To do this, work the invisible decrease the same as your would regularly, but use the back loop instead of the front loop.

Top Leaf

Using green (Red Heart Super Saver Light Sage).

Ch 9. sc in first. hdc. dc 2. ss. dc 2. hdc. sc. Like so:

Now, turn so that you can work along the other side of the chain.

ss in first. sc. hdc. dc. 3 dc in next. dc. hdc. sc. ss.

Fasten off and hide the tail.

Head

Continuing from the leaf, and still working in green.

Find the middle dc of the dc 3 cluster on the leaf. With the front facing you, attach your yarn such that you’ll be working in the same direction as the stitches are going. Like this:

Rnd 1: 2 sc in this stitch. Turn, then 2 sc in the blo of the same stitch. (TINY SEAM: ss to first sc, sc ONLY when starting next round). (4 sc)

Rnd 2: inc around. (8 sc)
Rnd 3: (sc, inc) around. (12 sc)
Rnd 4: (sc, inc) around. (18 sc)
Rnd 5: (sc 2, inc) around. (24 sc)
Rnd 6: (sc 3, inc) around. (30 sc)
Rnd 7: sc around. (30 sc)
Rnd 8: (sc 4, inc) around. (36 sc)
Rnd 9-11 (x3): sc around. (36 sc)
Rnd 12: (sc 4, dec) around. (30 sc)
Rnd 13: (sc 3, dec) around. (24 sc)
Rnd 14: (sc 2, dec) around. (18 sc)
Rnd 15: BLO: (sc, dec) around (12 sc).

Stuff the head. Make sure you get a lot of stuffing into the top part to keep the head in a nice teardrop shape and to support the leaf on top.

I ended up with a knot in my yarn. luckily, it is in a place that will get covered by the face details later!

Body

Continuing from head.

Rnd 1: sc around. (12 sc)
Rnd 2: (sc, inc) around. (18 sc)
Rnd 3-4 (x2): sc around. (18 sc)
Rnd 5: (sc 2, inc) around. (24 sc)
Rnd 6-9 (x4): sc around. (24 sc)
Rnd 10: (sc 2, dec) around. (18 sc)
Rnd 11: BLO, (sc, dec) around. (12 sc)

Stuff the body.

Rnd 12: dec around. (6 sc)

Fasten off and weaving finish.

Ears

Make 2. In brown (Red Heart Super Saver Coffee).

Rnd 1: sc 6 in magic circle.
Rnd 2: sc 3, inc 3. (9 sc)
Rnd 3: sc 3, inc, sc, inc 2, sc, inc. (13 sc)
Rnd 4: sc 3, inc, (sc 2, inc) to end. (17 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing. We’ll stuff while sewing onto the head.

Front Legs

Making the feet can get a bit finicky, so take it slowly.

Make 2. Starting in orange (Red Heart Super Saver Carrot).

While working in a magic circle:

LEFT FOOT: sc, ch 2, ss to sc, ch 2, ss to sc. (1 sc in magic circle). sc, ch 2, ss to sc, ch 2, ss to sc. (2 sc in magic circle). sc, ch2, ss to sc. (3 sc in magic circle). 3 sc in magic circle. ss to first stitch (or as close to it as possible) (6 sc)

RIGHT FOOT: sc, ch2, ss to sc. (1 sc in magic circle). sc, ch 2, ss to sc, ch 2, ss to sc. (2 sc in magic circle). sc, ch 2, ss to sc, ch 2, ss to sc. (3 sc in magic circle). 3 sc in magic circle. ss to first stitch (or as close to it as possible) (6 sc)

Now, for both legs, we’ll be working along the “back” of the feet. It will be like you’re still working in the same circular direction.

Work 1 sc each in the back of the mega-scs. The ch 2 parts that will stick out will form the “fingers” of Grookey’s front legs. Work 1 sc each in the closest loop of the 3 normal sc. Then ss to the first. We’ve formed the round that we’ll be working with for the rest of the leg! (6 sc)

Rnd 2-3 (x2): sc around. (6 sc) After the second round, cc to green using round beginning colour change.
Rnd 4-7 (x4): sc around. (6 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing. Stuff the leg, leaving the top unstuffed for easier sewing later. Stuff firmly because these legs will help keep Grookey upright.

Tail

In brown (Red Heart Super Saver Coffee).

Rnd 1: sc 6 in magic circle. (6 sc)
Rnd 2-10 (x9): sc around.(6 sc)

Stuff as you work. Curl the tail and stuff as firmly as possible. This will help give the tail a curled shape even without any sort of wiring.

Back Legs

Make 2. In green.

Rnd 1: sc 6 in magic circle. (6 sc)
Rnd 2: inc around. (12 sc)
Rnd 3: (sc, inc) around. (18 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing. We will stuff as it is attached to body.

Now, in orange. Make 2.

Rnd 1: in magic ring: (sc, ch 2, ss to sc) 3 times. 3 sc. ss to first stitch (or as close to it as possible) (6 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a tail to sew the feet on later.

Eyes

Make 2. Starting in black (Red Heart Super Saver Black).

Rnd 1: ch 2. in 2nd ch from hook, sc. cc to white. sc in same space. cc to black. sc in same space. cc to white (drop black). 3 sc in same space. On the ss to first, cc to yellow (Red Heart Super Saver Cornmeal). (6 sc)
Rnd 2: inc around. (12 sc)

For the first eye, fasten off with a very long tail (it will be used to sew around BOTH eyes). For the second eye, leaving a short tail that will be hidden when sewed.

To attach the two eyes together:

In the stitch closest to where black meets white, attach yarn. ss to the same stitch on the other eye, working front through back. In the join from the ss, dc. Fasten off with a small tail to be hidden later.

Nose

In orange.

Rnd 1: sc 6 in magic ring. (6 sc)
Rnd 2: inc around. (12 sc)
Rnd 3: sc around. (12 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing. We will stuff later.

Stick

In brown.

Row 1: ch 7. sc in 2nd from hook. sc to end. (6 sc)
Row 2: ch 1, turn. sc in first and to end. (6 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a tail to seam and to sew on. Roll and seam to form a stick shape. Weave the tail until it comes out of the 3rd stitch. We will sew from the point later.

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Sewing on the Body

We’ll be sewing the tail, back legs, and front legs onto the body now.

First, mark the approximate center stitch of the body. We’ll be working relative to this stitch for placements. Use one of the stitches in the BLO row as the reference point. The front legs start at the stitch on either side of the middle, 3 rows down from the BLO row of the head. The front legs will be 3 stitches wide.
Mark the two stitches across the middle stitch for the tail placement. Two stitches away from either side is one side of the back leg, encompassing 3 stitches. That leaves the front of the back leg to start 3-4 stitches from the middle.

Let’s start with the round green part of the back legs.

Sew the back leg on in a circle, using the 3 stitches marked in the BLO as the bottom. The top of the back leg should be in the same row as where we’ll sew on the front legs. Before closing up, add some stuffing to the bottom of the leg, leaving little to none in the top to give a nice haunch shape. Like so.

We’ll attach the back feet in a square comprising of 4 stitches towards the back of the haunch. Basically, use the 2 back stitches of the BLO, and 2 more beside them (left or right depending on which side you’re working on). Sew along the top of the foot, like what was done when creating the leg on the front feet. Use two of the plain sc and along two of the sc ch 2 cluster.

Sew on the tail where it was marked, moving up two rows from the BLO and 2 across for a total of 6 stitches.

Sew on the front legs where marked.To add some extra stability to Grookey, you can fasten the legs to the body by tying a knot between a center stitch down the leg (I use the green row right above the orange) and the corresponding row on the body. Depending on how the back legs and tail were sewed on, Grookey can probably stand by himself. I recommend finishing all the sewing first before deciding whether to do this or not.

Sewing on the Face

Start by getting the placements for the ears and the face mask down.

The middle stitch of the top 3 sc of the ear (the stitch after where you fastened off) should line up the leaf on top of the head, 4-5 rows down from that point. The side of the ear extends 2 more stitches from this point – the one sc in the same row, then another stitch down and out. Basically, you’ll sew the ears on in a circular fashion EXCEPT for the 3 sc at the top, which should be flat. Before you’ve closed up the ear, stuff. Start with a small amount in the point to give it a nice shape, then fill the rest up, making sure to get to every corner that’s already sewed.

The edges of the face mask start where the edge of the ears are sewed on. The top of the mask will be sewed on two rows higher than the flat edge of the ear. The point of the dc in the middle should line up with the highest edge of the mask on either side of it. Make sure to sew the point down firmly in place, or else it will lean to one side. Don’t worry too much about getting the bottom mid-point of the mask right. We’ll be sewing the nose over it.

Attach the nose as shown:

The peak stitch (where you fastened off) will be sewn into the bottom of the ss between the eyes. One stitch diagonally on either side will go into the face mask, then another diagonal down into the head itself, wedged very close with the mask. Sew 2 more stitches down from this point, then 3 stitches along the bottom.

Before completing the sewing, stuff the nose. Use a lot of stuffing to make the nose nice and plump.

Finally, sew on the stick to the two stitches at the back of the leaf (the inc done to start off the head).

Embroidery

Now for the final detail: embroidering on the mouth and nostrils.

The start of the mouth on either side is roughly at the middle of the nose, one stitch away from the sewn edge. Try to make sure the mouth ends will line up.

The next point is one stitch to the left/right and one stitch down, forming a slight diagonal. The main mouth will be a line between these two points.

The nostrils will be placed based on your judgment.

And...you’re done!!!

I hope you enjoyed making your little Grookey buddy! You can check out more of my free patterns here! If you're looking specifically for Pokemon patterns, I've got a tag for that too! If you wanna complete the Galar starter trio, I've got a pattern for Scorbunny and for Sobble as well!

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