Make Way For Ducklings Nack and Ouack

The end is truly near. I can feel it. I'm now making them in pairs. Only two more and the ducklings will be done, with just Mrs. Mallard to complete the set for Make Way for Ducklings and I think I'll make the deadline with room to spare.

The pattern for all the ducks in the set can be found in Zoomigurumi 7I plan to adapt Mr. Mallard's pattern to make Mrs. Mallard.

If you need a duck pattern these do work up remarkably quickly. I know ducks are often popular at Easter. The ducklings are made with sport yarn and a D hook to get them to this size. I tried worsted weight yarn but the first one I made was too too big for a set of 8. I do plan on using him as an Easter decoration.

One thing I do love about this design is other than the beak and the wings it is all one piece so it limits the amount of sewing I have to do later. This is a huge consideration when you are making 8 ducklings and 2 adults.

Make Way for Ducklings Mack

With the completion of Mack we have officially reached the half way point in making ducklings for my Make Way for Ducklings project.

Mack is slightly larger than his siblings and that could have to do with starting with an e hook instead of a D. I had already inserted the eyes and decided not to start over so I finished the duckling with a D hook so he is close in size to his siblings. I'm sure duckling grow at different rates.

I've finally decided on the pattern for The Ugly Duckling which I thought would make a great companion set to this one since I clearly won't need more ducks. I'd been looking at several swan and cygnet patterns but finally settled on the one from Zoomigurumi 6 that I borrowed from the library. That book has a swan and cygnet pattern designed as a set. I'm hoping to finish it before the book needs to go back. While I plan on adding it to my library. I'd rather wait as I've been buying lots of other stuff lately and this could wait if I can finish up with the library copy.

Make Way For Ducklings Lack

I've completed Lack the third of the Make Way for Ducklings leaving me with 5 more to make. In case you didn't remember or haven't yet read the book the names are alphabetical starting with J.

I'm hopeful that in non-Covid times the child getting this present will have the opportunity to visit the Boston Public Gardens, see the Ducklings statue and ride the Swan Boats. It's always fun to see kids who know and love the story visit the site. Perhaps she'll even bring her own duck.

Make Way For Ducklings Kack

I'm continuing to work on the amis for my Make Way for Ducklings birthday present. With Kack and Jack finished it leaves me with just six more ducklings to hatch.

I've promised myself that when I've finished half of the ducklings I will tackle either the mallard which is also found in Zoomigurumi 7 or the mother which I am planning on adapting from the mallard pattern.

I'm thinking of using this pattern for the swan cygnet unless I find a better option for The Ugly Duckling but I still have to decide on a color. More research. I have a couple of swan patterns I'm choosing between so we will have to see what happens as I get closer to making that project happen.

Make Way For Ducklings Jack

If you follow this blog at all you will notice a trend of making toys to go with books as presents for kids. I just find it is a great way to engage kids in retelling stories, making up their own stories, and getting more involved with books and story telling in general.

Make Way for Ducklings has long been a family favorite back to the days of Captain Kangaroo. There is a stature in Boston of the duck family and the story seems to have remained popular with families for a very long time. So it seemed a good choice for my October birthday package. Somehow I'd forgotten there were 8 ducklings. I was thinking 4, maybe 5 but no there are 8.

I found the pattern for the mallard and the ducklings in Zoomigurumi 7 and it is actually the cover pattern for the book. When I saw the cover I realized this was my chance to go forward with my Make Way for Ducklings book and amigurumi set.

Jack is the first Duck listed in the book and this is how I am keeping track of my progress. This is actually my second attempt at the duck however. This duck is made with the Red Heart sport yarn and a C hook. The first was made with worsted weight yarn and a D hook and was much too large when you realize there will be 8 of them not to mention Mom and Dad. I'm keeping the first one as an Easter decoration for my house. Mom is going to be a remake of Dad's pattern. I haven't worked it out yet, but I'll get there.

My hope to get double use out of these ducks is to make a darker one and swan and include The Ugly Duckling as part of the package. Thus making the ducklings more useful in telling stories.