BOWSER SWEATER FOR A TURTLE
Crochet your turtle a Bowser Sweater and he'll be the toughest pet on the block!
This costume is made by crocheting 7 hexagons, 7 cones, and 7 I-cords and sewing them all together to create a spiked shell like the famous King Koopa’s.
Fits a Box Turtle (approximately 5 1/2″ long x 4 3/4″ wide x 2 1/2″ tall)
Here's the backstory: My friend requested I crochet a sweater for her tortoise, Myrtle, so he would be easy to spot when she lets him loose to play outside the school where she teaches. “I think bright yet manly colors would be best,” she said, because after all, Myrtle is male. Bowser, the villian from the Super Mario Bros. video game, is the manliest turtle I know, so it seemed that a sweater inspired by him would be perfect.
Step 1
Materials:
Size C-2 (2.75 mm) crochet hook Size 2 (2.75 mm) double-pointed knitting needle Tapestry needle Bright green worsted weight yarn: Deborah Norville Everyday Soft Worsted in Electric Green White worsted weight yarn: Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in White Golden brown worsted weight yarn: Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in Honey Polyester Fiberfill Sewing needle or sewing machine White thread 3/4″ elastic
Step 2
Make 7 Hexagons
Hexagons measure 2 1/2″ in diameter.
Using bright green yarn, ch 4, join with slst to 1st ch to form a ring.
Round 1: Ch 4 (counts as first dc plus ch 1), *dc into center of ring, ch 1. Repeat from * 10 more times, join with slst to the 3rd ch in 4-ch. (12 dc and 12 ch sp)
Round 2: Ch 3, sk next ch-sp, *(2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc, ch 1), sk next ch-sp. Repeat from * 4 more times. (2 dc, ch 2, dc) in next ch-sp, join with slst to top of 3-ch. FO and work in ends.
If you need help crocheting a hexagon, visit the original post on my website for a slideshow of how it is done: http://squirrelpicnic.com/2013/05/09/make-it-challenge-5-crochet-bowser-sweater-for-a-turtle/
Step 3
Make 7 Spikes
Using white yarn, ch 2
Round 1: 4 sc in 2nd ch from hook
Round 2: sc in each st around
Round 3: 2 sc in each st around (8)
Rounds 4-5: sc in each st around
Round 6: *sc in next st, 2 sc in next st, repeat from * 3 more times (12)
Round 7: sc in each st around, slst in next st and FO
Lightly stuff each spike with a bit of Polyester Stuffing and sew one spike onto the center of each hexagon.
Step 4
Make 7 I-Cord Circles
Using honey yarn, 2.75 mm crochet hook, and a dpn, crochet 7 I-cords approximately 4″ long.
If this technique is new to you, I recommend this tutorial by Tanya Beckett: http://youtu.be/KCl8vJpKaPg
With tapestry needle, sew together the ends of each I-cord to create a circle.
Place one circle over each spike and sew to the hexagon. FO and work in ends.
Step 5
Sew Shell Together
Lay out your turtle shell pieces and sew them together with one hexagon in the center. Also sew eight of the outer edges together as indicated in the diagram. This will make it three-dimensional.
Step 6
Crochet to Fill the Gaps at the Front and Back of the Shell
Hold the shell so that the open side is facing away from you. Starting at a front or back corner to the right of the gap, pull up a loop and ch 1. To fill the gap: Sc, hdc, 2 dc, htr, 2 tr, dtr, 2 tr, htr, 2 dc, hdc, sc. See diagram.
Sc in each st around until you get to the corner at the right of the gap on the other side, and repeat the pattern above to fill the gap. Sc in each st around until you get back to where you started. Join with slst.
Step 7
Once you sew up the sides and fill in the gaps at the front and back, it should look like this…
Step 8
Add a White Border
Switch to white yarn and dc in each st around.
Step 9
Make an Elastic Band to Hold the Sweater on the Turtle
Cut an 8″ piece of 3/4″-wide elastic. Pin it to the inside bottom edge at the center of the shell, leaving at least 1/2″ allowance. Sew across elastic to attach it to the white border. Fold the elastic over 1/4″ and sew across again.
Step 10
Hold the shell with the open side facing away from you. With green yarn, pull up a loop in the st just to the right of the elastic. Ch 1 and sc in same st. 3 sc to the other side of the elastic.
Step 11
Ch 6, wrapping this ch around the back of elastic. Sc in 1st st. Continue sc in rounds until you have crocheted a band around the elastic that is 5 1/2″ long. FO, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Step 12
As you did on the other side, find the center of the shell, and with green yarn tail from band, sew band to white edge of shell. Tug slightly on the elastic and sew the elastic to the white edge. Fold down the elastic 1/4″ and sew across again. Trim away excess elastic.
