Make Way for Ducklings Mrs. Mallard

We come to the last entry in my Make Way for Ducklings project, Mrs. Mallard. There was no actual Mrs. Mallard pattern I adapted the Mallard pattern found in Zoomigurumi 7using RED HEART Super Saver yarn, Latte Stripeand a D hook for the main part of the body. The beak was made from Joann's Big Twist Varsity Yellow. I mention this because I originally made the beak with the same yarn I made the duckling beaks with and it didn't look right when she was sitting next to Mr. Mallard. I had to go back and replace her beak

I am pleased with how the family came out and honestly thrilled that the project is finished as I still have a few more items to finish for the October birthday and Halloween boxes that need to go out.

I am glad to be sending a playset for one of my favorite classic children's stories. I'm hoping it makes the story even more fun for the little ones who will be playing with it as they enjoy the story.

Make Way For Ducklings Pack and Quack

There was a time when I began to doubt if I would in fact ever find an end to the ducklings for my Make Way for Ducklings project. Then the last wing was sewn on Quack and they were done,all eight of them. I nearly had heart failue when two disappeared, but thankfully I found them and they are now stored together so they won't be lost before mailing.

This means I just need to make Mrs. Mallard and the set will be complete. This will be the most challenging part of the set as there is no specific Mrs. Mallard pattern. I'm going to try to use vareigated yarn and adapt Mr. Mallard's pattern to get even close to her colors.

For those of you who are interested in the patterns for the ducklings and the mallard, they come from the book Zoomigurumi 7a series I've come to really enjoy.

I've one more classic fairy tale to crochet and the Farm Busy Box to finish and then I think my October birthday requirements will be done. I will need to finish Halloween and then it is off to the Thanksgiving box.

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 Mr. Mallard

You may have been expecting another duckling if you've been following my progress with my Make Way for Ducklings project. After all there are still four more to make. However, I made a promise to myself that when I reached the half way point of making the ducklings I'd make the father duck who in the story is called Mr. Mallard.

This pattern also comes from Zoomigurumi 7 and in fact is the cover pattern.

I started out using the suggested e hook but the duck was a bit larger than I wanted. I went down to a D hook and was happier with my outcome. The pattern uses worsted weight 4 yarn for this pattern and while I'd considered going down to sport weight yarn the colors made that a bit of a challenge as I didn't have the yarns on hand in sport yarn.

I actually couldn't quite find the warm brown yarn the pattern suggests for the bird's body. I went with the closest I had on hand. I changed the wings by making a complete blue stripe on row 9. I didn't like the partial look so I went with a full blue stripe.

I have some brown variegated yarn I'm going to experiment with using this pattern to create Mother Duck or Mrs. Mallard as she is known in the story. However, in order to get to that I have to finish the last 4 ducklings. I want to be able to mail this package by the end of the month for an October birthday so I do need to keep pushing on because September seems to have crept up so quickly. I really thought I was ahead on these fall deadlines but it appears I will be racing to finish as always.

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.