FREE PATTERN: Rattle mosters

These small monsters are crocheted around a rattle made of a plastic egg from a Kinder Surprise chocolate egg filled with small glass beads. But you can always use fiberfill to stuff the body. Long antennae are perfect for grabbing with small hands.

Size

About 8,5 cm (3 1/3") tall, including the antennae, when crocheted with fingering weight cotton yarn and a 1,75 mm crochet hook.

Tip! You can use the same pattern to make larger or smaller toys by using finer or bulkier yarn. Pick a crochet hook at least a size smaller than suggested on yarn label and crochet tightly enough to achieve a tight gauge that will not allow the stuffing to show through the fabric.

Skills required

Crocheting in spiral
Crocheting in rounds (optional, see below)
Magic ring
Single crochet stitch (double crochet stitch in UK and Australia)
Increasing
Decreasing
Finishing an open piece
Finishing a closed piece
Sewing an open piece to a closed piece

You will need

Yarn. I used Madame Tricote Paris 'Camilla', a fingering weight cotton yarn, 50g =125m (50g =135yd) / 4 ply / 14 wpi / 1: super fine. You will need about 15 g of yarn for each monster.
1,75 - 2,25 mm crochet hook or according to the yarn.
Plastic egg from a Kinder Surprise egg and glass beads, rice etc to make a rattle.
Or polyester fiberfill, wool etc. for stuffing, if you do not plan to make a rattle.
Cotton embroidery floss.
Yarn needle, scissors, stitch marker.

Abbreviations

mr, sc n = magic ring – crochet n single crochet stitches into the adjustable loop.
sc = single crochet stitch (double crochet stitch in UK and Australia).
sc n = crochet n single crochet stitches, one in each stitch.
inc = increase – crochet two single crochet stitches in the same stitch.
dec = decrease – crochet two stitches together using the invisible decrease method.
(sc 4, inc) x n = repeat the pattern between parentheses n times.
[36] = number of stitches in a round after finishing round.

Notes

All stitches are worked into both loops, unless instructed otherwise in the pattern.
Use a stitch marker or a piece of yarn to mark the end or the beginning of a round. Move the marker up after completing each round.

Body

1: mr, sc 6 = [6]
2: inc x 6 = [12]
3: (sc, inc) x 6 = [18]
4: (inc, sc 2) x 6 = [24]
5: (sc 5, inc) x 4 = [28]
6-7: sc in each stitch = [28]

Insert the rattle inside the body and make sure it is a snug fit. You may need to increase or decrease the number of increases on round 5. Make the same number of decreases on round 17.

8-15: sc in each stitch = [28]

Embroider the face.

a) Flower eyes (detached chain stitch aka lazy daisy)

Bring the yarn up between rounds 9 and 10. Go down in the same hole and bring it up where the petal ends. Loop the yarn around the needle, hold it down with your thumb and draw the yarn through.

Make a small stitch over the loop, inserting the needle just outside it and bring it back up at the center of the flower. Make 5-6 petals. Do the same with the second flower. Embroider the mouth with back stitch.

b) Smiling face with fangs

Embroider the eyes, placing the center stitch between rounds 10 and 11. Embroider the fangs on round 14.

Embroider the mouth with back stitch.

c) Spiral and X

Cut two lengths of yarn or embroidery floss and split one. Bring the yarn up between rounds 9 and 10.

Stitch over the yarn with the finer yarn, keeping it in place. Arrange the yarn in a spiral.

Use the thicker yarn to embroider the mouth and the other eye. Use the finer yarn to make a few stitches over the mouth.

Insert the rattle inside the body and make sure it fits perfectly. You may need to add or skip a row single crochet stitches.

16: (sc 5, dec) x 4 = [24]
17: (dec, sc 2) x 6 = [18]
18: (sc, dec) x 6 = [12]
19: dec x 6 = [6]

Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail, and fasten off. Pick up all the remaining stitches and close the opening.

Antennae (make 2)

1: mr, sc 6 = [6]
2: inc x 6 = [12]
3-5: sc in each stitch = [12]
6: (sc, dec) x 4 = [8]

Stuff the tip of the antennae.

7-11: sc in each stitch = [8]

Sl st in next stitch. Cut the yarn, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing, and fasten off. Stuff the antennae firmly.

Sew the antennae to the body. Fasten and hide the yarn tails inside the antennae.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me or leave a comment below, I am always happy to help.

I would love to see how your little monsters turn out, so do post a photo to my Facebook page or tag me in your social media posts, I'm @kristitullus on Instagram and Facebook.

Please do not post this pattern to your website or blog, instead post a link to https://kristitullus.com/blogs/blog/free-pattern-rattle-monsters. You MAY use this pattern as a teaching aid in any free class or e-course, or as part of a free crochet pattern, provided you credit me as the designer (Kristi Tullus, http://kristitullus.com).

Feel free to sell items made with this pattern.

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