After a long decade away from crafting and blogging, I decided to begin my comeback with the very beginning of Pokemon! I've always loved Bulbasaur, even though I almost always picked Squirtle as my first Pokemon in the games. He's fairly straightforward to make, but the bulb is a bit tricky to assemble. Take your time, and be sure to pin everything in place before you sew so you can adjust positioning as needed.
Materials
-Yarn. Use a worsted weight in a material of your choice. I use acrylic (Caron Simply Soft brand) for my doll patterns due to its firm weave - this provides the doll with some structure when it's meant for display. I'd recommend using a natural material such as cotton or wool if you are planning to give the doll to a child.
For a regular Bulbasaur, you will need (A) ~150 yds (144m) of blue-green, and (B) ~150 yds (144m) of leaf-green
For a shiny Bulbasaur, you will need (A) ~150 yds (144m) of light green, and (B) ~150 yds (144m) leaf-green
-4 mm (size G) crochet hook
-Fiberfill or crafting scraps for stuffing
-Yarn needle
-Pins
-Scraps of yarn for round markers
-Materials for detailing work, such as eyes. I use needle felting for this, but you can also crochet them or cut them out of scraps of fabric or felt. Use whatever method works best for you!
Gauge: Gauge is not important for this work. With the given yarn and hook size, the finished doll will stand about 6.5 inches (10.6 cm) in height; adjust yarn and/or hook size if a bigger or smaller doll is desired. Just make sure your stitches are of a consistent size and tightness.
Notation (US crochet)
ch: chain
st: stitch
sc: single crochet
hdc: half-double crochet
slst: slip stitch
inc: increase stitch (perform 2 sc in the next stitch)
dec: decrease stitch (insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull through the stitch. Insert hook into next stitch, yarn over and pull through first loop. Yarn over again, pull through all 3 loops on hook.)
Pattern
Head (Make 1)
Round 1: With A, 8 sc in starter circle. (8)
Round 2: 2 sc in each st around. (16)
Round 3: *sc in next st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (24)
Round 4: *sc in next 2 st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (32)
Round 5: *sc in next 3 st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (40)
Round 6: *sc in next 4 st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (48)
Rounds 7-13: sc in each stitch around. (48)
Round 14: 23 sc, inc, 24 sc (49)
Round 15: 23 sc, inc, sc, inc, 23 sc (51)
Round 16: 12 sc, inc, inc, 11 sc, inc, 11 sc, inc, inc, 12 sc. (56)
Rounds 17-18: sc around (56)
Round 19: “sc in next 5 st, dec” Repeat from * to * twice. Switch to back loops only, repeat from * to * 3 times. Return to working both loops to repeat from * to * twice. This will create a subtle line in the crochet for Bulbasaur’s mouth (48)
Round 20: *sc in next 4 st, dec* Repeat from * to * around. (40)
Round 21: *sc in next 3 st, dec* Repeat from * to * around. (32)
Round 22: *sc in next 2 st, dec* Repeat from * to * around. (24) Begin stuffing, and continue to do so as you work.
Round 23: *sc in next st, dec* Repeat from * to * around. (16)
Round 24: dec around (8)
Round 25: dec around until closed. Cut off and finish.
Ears (Make 2)
Round 1: With A, 4 sc in starter circle (4)
Round 2: 2 sc in each st around. (8)
Round 3: *sc in next st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (12)
Round 4: *sc in next 2 st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (16)
Rounds 5-7: sc around (16). Sl st after final sc, tie off, and stuff lightly. Leave thread tail for sewing later.
Body (Make 1)
Round 1: With A, 8 sc in starter circle (8)
Round 2: 2 sc in each st around. (16)
Round 3: *sc in next st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (24)
Round 4: *sc in next 2 st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (32)
Round 5: *sc in next 3 st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (40)
Round 6: *sc in next 4 st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (48)
Round 7: *sc in next 5 st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (56)
Round 8-24: sc in each stitch around (56)
Round 25: *sc in next 5 st, dec* Repeat from * to * around. (48)
Round 26: *sc in next 4 st, dec* Repeat from * to * around. (40)
Round 27: *sc in next 3 st, dec* Repeat from * to * around. (32)
Round 28: *sc in next 2 st, dec* Repeat from * to * around. (24) Begin stuffing, and continue to do so as you work.
Round 29: *sc in next st, dec* Repeat from * to * around. (16)
Round 30: dec around (8)
Round 31: dec around until closed. Cut off and finish, weaving in all tails.
Legs (Make 4)
Round 1: With A, 5 sc in starter circle (5)
Round 2: 2 sc in each st around. (10)
Round 3: *sc in next st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (15)
Round 4: *sc in next 2 st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (20)
Rounds 5-10: sc around. ch 1 and turn, and change to working in rows.
Row 1: 10 sc. ch 1, turn.
Row 2: 10 sc, ch 1, turn.
Row 3: 10 sc, ch 1, turn.
Row 4: dec, 6 sc, dec. ch 1, turn.
Row 5: dec, 4 sc, dec. ch 1, turn.
Row 6: dec, 2 sc, dec. ch 1, turn.
Ro 7: dec, dec. Cut off and finish, leaving a tail.
Leaves (Make 6)
Round 1: With B, 6 sc in starter circle (6)
Round 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12)
Round 3: *sc in next st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (18)
Round 4: *sc in next 2 st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (24)
Round 5: *sc in next 3 st, inc.* Repeat from * to * around. (30)
Rounds 6-10: sc around (30)
Round 11: *sc in next 3 st, dec.* Repeat from * to * around. (24)
Rounds 12-13: sc around (24)
Round 14: *sc in next 2 st, dec.* Repeat from * to * around. (18)
Rounds 15-16: sc around (18)
Round 17: *sc in next st, dec.* Repeat from * to * around. (12)
Rounds 21-23: sc around (12)
Round 24: dec around (8)
Round 25: dec around until closed. Cut off and finish, leaving a tail.
Assembly
Part 1: Body Assembly
Step 1: Pin the ears to either side of the head and sew down. Weave in all loose ends.
Step 2: Pin the head to the body. It will look best if you offset it slightly up from the center of the body.
Step 3: Pin and sew the legs into place, then weave in all loose ends.
Part 2: Bulb Assembly
Step 1: Flatten each leaf piece.
Step 2: Pin two leaves together, and tightly whip stitch a seam along one side. Turn and backstitch to reinforce this seam. Leave a small amount (~1/2 inch) at the top of the leaves open.
Step 3: Repeat Step 2 until all six leaves are together in a loop. Leave the small gaps at the bottom and top of the bulb open for now.
Step 4: Turn the bulb inside-out, so the stitched seams are inside. Press out the seams to inflate the bulb. Finish sewing the tops of the leaves together.
Step 5: Flip the bulb over and stuff firmly through the bottom hole until it is filled out. Leave the bottom hole open.
Step 6: Sew the bulb to the back of the body, as pictured. Weave in all loose ends.
NOTE: This method will produce a tightly shut bulb. If you prefer a more layered look, you can assemble the leaves into the bulb using a method similar to the one in my Bellossom pattern. If you go this route, you may need to make a few extra leaf pieces. Feel free to experiment!
Part 3: Detailing
Finish the doll by adding details to the face (eyes) and body (spots, claws) using the method of your choice. I use needle felting to finish my dolls, but you can also cut the details out from fabric and sew them on, if you prefer. I modeled the spots on mine after May's Bulbasaur from the TV series, but you can position yours wherever you'd like. You can also add fangs at the edges of the mouth if you'd like - some Bulbasaur art includes those as well. Play around a bit, and decide what you like best. Happy crafting!
No comments:
Post a Comment