Totoro TP Cover, Pattern

This pattern is provided for personal use only.

This pattern has not been test knit. I hope to see more Totoros out there! Please leave me a comment if you make one.

Happy Thanksgiving! (My favorite American holiday:) Time to remember all I have to be thankful for and eat a lot of good food!

It requires basic crochet as well as knitting techniques such as intarsia, knitting in the round on double points, duplicate stitch, kitchener stitch and felting and needlefelting. These instructions use Beaverslide which felts up nicely and has a slight mohair halo. (and the natural heather was on sale!)







Supplies
Size 11 DPs, set of 5
Beaverslide Fisherman's weight wool, one ball natural gray, one ball Jersey cream
Worsted weight acrylic yarn (cream or gray)
Size 6 crochet hook

Crochet Base and Liner
Base: (make 2)
Worsted weight acrylic
Size 5 (F) crochet hook American size
1. Chain 6 and join to make a circle
2. Chain 3. 11 dc into circle. Join in top of chain 3 with slipstitch. (12 dc. Chain 3 counts as first dc)
3. Chain 3. DC in joining. 2 dc in each dc around. Join. (24 dc)
4. Chain 3. *2 dc in next dc, dc in next dc. Repeat from * around. Join. (36 dc)
5. Chain 3. DC in joining. * dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc. Repeat from * around. Join. (48 dc)
6. Continue in this manner, increasing 12 stitches/round, staggering the increases, until the round is slightly larger then the top of your toilet tissue roll. (Six double crochet rows worked for me and ended up with 72 stitches)
7. Chain 3, and dc in each dc, eliminating the increases until the liner fits the height of the TP roll.
8. Finish off.
9. Make a second round for the base*, but stop after the 6th dc crochet row (72 stitches) and finish off. (it should fit the top of the tp roll)

Body

Using acrylic yarn, pick up one stitch in every other dc around the base*. (36 stitches) Divide stitches so there are 9 on each DP. (A contrasting acrylic helps when it's time to remove the base after felting)
Row 1: Join Beaverslide. Increase one stitch in each stitch around by knitting front and back.
Follow Chart, knitting in the round until you get to the tummy chart, then knit back and fourth until the tummy is complete. Join a second ball of body color or use the other end of your ball. When the tummy is complete resume knitting in the round.

(click the picture for a larger view)


The black stitches on the chart are decreases. Work the ones closer to the back toward the back and the ones in the front toward the front. To point a stitch to the right, k2tog. To point a stitch to the left , ssk. Sorry I don't know how to make a chart that shows this.

The top of the chart (ears), the row with the orange stitches is a knit row. After completing this row, knit 3 more stitches. Place those 3 stitches, the previous 10 stitches (for the right ear) and six stitches for the front of his head on a holder.

Knit the remaining 10 stitches in the round to complete the ear. When there are 3 stitches left, work slip one, knit 2tog, PSSO. Finish off.

Put the remaining stitches back on the needles with orange stitches ready to graft. Cut a long piece of yarn (enough to graft and enough to finish the left ear ??4ft). Thread darning needle and graft the front and back until there are 10 stitches remaining for the ear. Start grafting with Totoro looking at you, by going into backstitch as if to knit. Pull up the yarn leaving a 3-inch tail. Then go in to front stitch as if to purl, then back stitch as if to purl and pull off stitch. Continue to Kitchener until there is 10 stitches remain.

Complete second ear like the first.

Use yarn tails to close up holes around the ears. On the inside, snug up the joins and tie off.

Use duplicate stitch to add chest markings.

Tail
Cast on 20 stitches. Knit in the round for 16 rows.
K2tog around. (10 stitches)
K2tog around (5 stitches)
Thread tail through last 5 stitches pull up and thread tail to the inside.

Arms
Cast on 18 stitches. Join to knit in the round. Mark beginning.
Knit 10 rows.
Row 11 and 13: K2tog. Knit to last two stitches, ssk.
Row 12 and 14: knit
Bind off row. Knit 4 stitches for one arm and 3 for the second. Rearrange stitches to there are seven on each of two needles. 3 needle bind off and fasten off. Thread tail to inside, anchor and clip.

Felting
Using acrylic yarn whip stitch the opening in the back of the body.

Place the pieces in a cotton pillowcase and tie closed. In my machine on violent setting it takes 20 minutes, but check every 10 minutes to judge the progress. Beaverslide is a nice sturdy yarn after felting, so you can spin dry it briefly. Dry the pieces, shaping them while they are still damp. Cut the base off and remove the back stitching. If you are careful you can reuse the disc again.

Place the crocheted TP top inside the Totoro and using Beaverslide crochet them together along the bottom with a single crochet. . Additional rows can be added if Totoro is too short and decreases can be used to tight up the bottom.



Stuff his ears and tail, and the top of his head through opening on the back. Sew opening shut. Sew on tail and arms. Add eyes and other features. I needle felted is facial features on.

Cover the the tp roll with a plastic bag while shaping.