Crochet Train Set

I really did not think this was a project I could complete when I saw it in the June 2010 Crochet World. Finishing it and getting it on to my blog has been a great process. I am pleased I will have this to share as a gift.


This is likely the most challenging project I have taken on since I started crocheting. It also has required the most focus and determination to finish. I knew if I let myself get distracted with too many other projects, this project would not get finished. Unlike the small ami projects I am working on for Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving, these were considerably larger and required more space to store the pieces while I worked on them and to hold on to the set until it was completed and I could photograph it. It needed to be completed as a set, photographed, and then stored until it is time to ship it in December.

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

See the Other Train Pictures:

Engine

Box Car

Coal Car

Caboose


Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Crochet Caboose Train

This was the last pattern I attempted from the June 2010 Crochet World Train Patterns for babies.

The Caboose and the Engine were the two most difficult to create without the foam to hold the form. However, I did like the both when they were done. They really are going to be great baby toys. I think they will be a great introduction to trains for the little boy they will be headed to this December.



I again changed the brown to black in this pattern and chose a generic brand of red to create the caboose. I reduced the end windows, even following the gauge they did not fit.

I already have made pattern notes for this project and will likely take another shot at it. It is amazing how much you can learn just going through a pattern about how to do better the next time. Each time through teaches you new things you just did not see the time before. In this case it will be even more important as I took out a main component of the pattern, the foam blocks that not only form the support for the crochet, but around which the patterns were written.


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

See the Other Train Pictures:

Engine

Box Car

Coal Car

Crochet Train Set


Pictures may not be used without written 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.

Crochet Train Engine

As I mentioned a previous blog post, I opened the June 2010 Crochet World when it arrived and was so excited to see patterns for toy trains for babies. After reading the patterns, I put the magazine away with the idea that the patterns were adorable, but not something I was going to put on my list of projects. The patterns required precision cutting of foam. The foam was required not just for the main body of the train, but all the little features as well. I realized I would never have the patience to work through such a project in addition to all the work required to crochet and assemble the trains.

As I worked on more toy projects, I realized a compromise could be made. The trains would not be as form fitting as the trains in the magazine, but they would still be fun first train toys for a young relative I had first thought of when I saw the magazine. The toys could be crocheted, sewn together, and stuffed with traditional stuffing. It required a few minor adjustments, but it was worth it to be able to make the trains.



I started with the engine because I realized that if my plan did not work for the engine, than making the other cars was pointless. I used colors I had and I changed the brown to black intentionally. I did not like the way the brown I had looked with the colors I selected. I also changed the windows on the engine to a brighter color. I wanted something cheerful for a baby toy. As I post the pictures of the other trains, you will be able to see I reverted to black windows when the color combinations looked good. I also reduced the number of windows when it became too crowded.

See the Other Train Pictures:

Box Car

Coal Car

Caboose

Crochet Train Set

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

Pictures may not be used without written permission.

Knit and Crochet Toy Patterns Free

Knit and crochet toys are wonderful gifts for children. Patterns are available for a wide variety of toys. You will find doll and teddy bear resources listed on other pages.

The toy page has outgrown the ability to stay on one page so I am continuing to move items into new categories. I will add the links to new pages so people can find the free patterns they are seeking. Animals that are not from TV or Movies have moved to their own page. The links are below.

Crochet Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animals

Knit Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animals

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Hello Kitty

Crochet and Knit Puppets

Teddy Bear Patterns and Clothes

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food



Crochet:

Crochet Pattern Central

Amigurumi:

Free Amigurumi Patterns See Label List Left Side

Ami

Adding a Gown Tutorial

Ana Paula

Chrisdfriend Selection

Crayon

Daily Crocheter



Toys from Books and Fantasy Worlds:

Castle and Characters from Bizzy Crochet

Droid Robot

Castle and matchingFingerpuppets from Bizzy Crochet and Crochetme

Fantasy Tree with Elves and Animal Pattern Includes Unicorn, Fox and Tree Bag

Frog Prince

Gandlolf

Gnome

Gnome Family

Gnome Home

Golden Snitch

Harry Potter

Hobbits

Mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Max Where the Wild Things Are

Ninja

Ninja 2

Pegasus and Unicorn

Pig from If you Give a Pig a Pancake

Princess and Frog Coats and Clark

Red Riding Hood and Grandma Topsy Turvy Dolls

Snoopy

Snoopy 2

Troll

Trolls

Wizard

Wizard Doorstop

Woodstock



Career:

Nurse



Cars, Vehicles, Planes and Trains:

Airplane

Airplane 2

Airplane Bomber style

BiPlane

Car Play Rug

Cars Scroll Down for Pattern Link

Helicopter

Plane

Roadway Throw

Rocket

Saftey Barrel

Sailboat

Saftey Cones

School Bus

Tank

Tractor

Trailer and Hay

Train Choo Choo Train Pattern uses lots of Plastic Canvas

Sushi Train Could Be Done without Sushi for Simple Train Toy

Train

Train Thomas Look



Cradle Purses

Crochet Pattern Central under Purses

Crotique 4 Styles

Cupcake Cradle

Thrifty Fun

You're a Star

Learning Toys:

Clock Pillow and Rug


Frog Pond Matching Counting Game Colored Frogs and Bag



Movie and TV Characters:

Abby Cadabby Sesame Street

Alf

Anpanman

Chip and Dale

Cookie Monster Scroll Down to Second Picture

Death Star from Star Wars

Eeyore Keychain

Dr. Who Number 9

Dr. Who Number 10

Elmo

Elmo 2

Patrick Starr from Spongebob

Serenity Ship

Spongebob picture and pattern on separate pages

SpongeBob

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michaelangleo

Wicket the Ewok

Yoda

Yoda 2



Video Game/Manga Characters:

Kerochan from Sakura Card Captor

Link from Zelda

Link 2 from Zelda

Mario Mushroom

Pac Man

Pac Man Ghost

Pokemon Bellossom

Pokemon HootHoot

Pokemon Lapras

Pokemon Litwick

Pokemon Meowth

Pokemon Pichu Plush

Pokemon Pikachu

Pokemon Pokeball

Pokemon Raichu

Pokemon Set

Pokemon Squirtle

Pokemon Snorlax

Pokemon Snubbull

Sonic

Super Smash Brothers Meta Knight

Yoshi



Active Toys:

Hobby Horse Lion Brand



Baby Toys:

Baby Grab Ball

Baby Toy

Baby Blocks

Bernat Baby Cakes Rattles

Jingle Rings

Loop Baby Toys

Turtle Rattle

Turtle Rattle 2



Blocks and Balls:

Baseball

Block

Football

Football 2

Hacky Sac



Dress Up:

Crown

Fire Hat

Pirate Hook

Pirate Patch

Tool Belt



Games:

Checkers

Checkers Pattern Crochetnmore

Checkerboard Crochetnmore

Checkerboard

Checkerboard Picnic Blanket

Checkerboard and Checkers Coats and Clark

Fishing Game

Fishing Game 2

Learn Your Colors and Counting Fish Game

Ninja Bowling

Pass the Piggies

Penguin Bowling

Twister



Musical Instruments:

Moroccas



Play Sets:

Barn, Farmer, and Farm Animals

Broom

Coffee Cup

Coffee Cup 2

Duck Pond Play Set

Island Play Set

Kitchen Play Set Stove Top, Sink Top Fits on Plastic Bins

Measuring Spoons

Noah's Ark Tote

Pocket Cottage made from Granny Squares

Pot Holder for Play Kitchen

Safari Playmat with accessories

Tea Set

Tea Set 2

Tea Set with Cookies Red Heart



Knit:

Amigurumi:

Knitting Patterns Central

Knitted Toy Box

Knitting Pattern Central



Book and Fantasy Characters:

Gargoyle

Little Red Riding Hood, Granny, and Wolf

Peter Rabbit

Robot

Roly Poly Clown

Stinky Cheese Man

Traveling Gnome



Movie and TV Characters:

Cookie Monster Peep

Dalek from Dr. Who

Elmo Peep

Minion Despicable Me

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teletubbies

The Thing



Transportation:

Boat

Bus with Kids

Rocket

Rocket Ship with Spaceman

Traffic Cone



Video Game Characters:

Wooper


Doll Purses:

Dollhouse Purse


Baby Toys:

Bottle Rocket Baby Rattle

Cable Sample Baby Blocks

Roly Poly Clown

Wrist Rattle




Blocks and Balls:

Alphabet Ball



Dress Up:

Crown

Dinosaur Hat

Ninja Accessories

Pirate Hat

Education:

Punctuation

Pretend:

Calculator



Loom Knitting:

Animals:

Bumblebee

Cat

Cat 2

Fish

Fish turned into Fishing Game

Penguin

Baby Toys:

Blocks

Games

Bowling Set




Wood Toys:

Dream Dollhouse

Dollhouse

Dollhouse Bookcase


Check out my Amigurumi and Toy Project Blog Entries here...:


Pictures may not be used without written permission.