Crochet Donkey

The farm continues to grow. As I mentioned in a previous post I purchased more books from Gourmet Crochet. The donkey comes from Gourmet Crochet's Amigurumi Nativity. With all the projects I have promised for Christmas, I know I do not have time to commit to the Nativity this year. I figured I would practice on the two animals and include them in the farms I am sending out for Christmas this year. That way when I am ready to approach the Nativity, hopefully next year, I will already be comfortable with two of the patterns. I hope to have the first sheep finished in the near future. Then I will still need duplicates to finish the second farm.




The donkey has already been a huge hit. There is something about his face I am told that draws attention. I will say I am tempted to substitute his body for a rocking horse ornament pattern that is not cooperating now. I think he would make an adorable rocking horse. We shall see if the other one finally is tamed.

If you arrived here looking for free toy patterns please see the following pages:

Crochet Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animal Free Patterns

Knit Amigurumi and Stuffed Toys

Crochet and Knit Amigurumi and Other Dolls

Knit and Crochet Toys

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Hello Kitty

Crochet and Knit Puppets

Teddy Bear Patterns and Clothes

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food



Pictures may not be used without permission.

Crochet Coal Car Train

When I saw June 2010 Crochet World this was the train car I most wanted to make. I loved the way they created the coal on the top of the train car and was excited to try the pattern. I substituted stuffing for the foam blocks the pattern wanted cut. I would not want to imagine the joys involved with cutting foam to fit the coal pattern. While the crochet does create a pattern for the coal "bump," stuffing is critical to getting a coal pile on top of the coal car. The foam might have been an advantage if one had the patience to cut it correctly to fit the form.

The color on this car is fairly close to the pattern. I used Red Heart and other scrap yarn for making the train cars. It was all yarn I had on hand. I believe the pattern calls for Vanna's yarn. I did not notice a significant difference in changing yarn varieties. I suspect the Vanna's yarn would be softer, however, because I was not using foam, that could actually have made the situation worse, not better.

If you arrived here seeking free train patterns check out the Free Toy Patterns

See the Other Train Pictures:

Engine

Box Car

Caboose

Crochet Train Set

Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Crochet Box Car Train

The June 2010 Crochet World gave me the chance to create a baby safe train set. I made the engine first. Once that was completed, it gave me the confidence to move on to the other train pieces.

The Box Car was the easiest of the train cars to make. The pattern required creating a rectangle box and adding wheels and the end pieces to complete it. As I mentioned in the previous post about the engine I had to alter the directions to use stuffing instead of foam to fill out the train. The main color is close to the suggested color in the pattern. The secondary color was changed from brown to black.

If you arrived here seeking free train patterns check out the Free Toy Patterns

Based on a suggestion from my husband, when I make this pattern again, I would likely make two wheels and crochet or sew them together to give the wheels more stability. Either the single wheel needs to be sewn directly to the train to keep it from bending or it needs more support. I am not that the foam would make a difference in my choice.

See the Other Train Pictures:

Engine

Coal Car

Caboose

Crochet Train Set

Pictures may not be used without written permission.