When you think of pigs, what comes to mind?
I think of Charlotte the spider writing "Some Pig" in the corner of Wilbur's pen in Charlotte's Web, and the song the townsfolk sing in the animated movie about him being, "Zuckerman's famous pig." I also think of Templeton the rat eating himself into a food coma at the fairgrounds...
While I may not have the beautiful silk Charlotte uses to make Wilbur into a town sensation, I do have a large crochet hook and super-bulky yarn at my disposal to make a little girl's wish for a huggable (and crochetable!) pig come true...
My boyfriend's sister-in-law messaged me one afternoon with the request from her niece for that very thing: a Big, Crochet Pig. I'd made her daughter a huge crochet bunny for her first birthday (see a photo of it below), and she said her niece saw the giant softie and loved it, wanting one for herself of a different species.
I had to say yes, because a giant pig?! Who wouldn't want to see that made?
My mind started whirring as I dug out the pattern and wrote down what I'd need to make an oversized pig even Wilbur would be proud of.
The Pattern
"Blossom the Bunny" by Premier Yarns
I was introduced to this pattern a couple years ago on the Jo-Ann Fabrics website.
The giant bunny looked too cute to not make for someone, so I shared the pattern to my Facebook to see if I had any takers.
My boyfriend's mom was the first to ask for one. I made the bright yellow bunny (pictured above, right) for her granddaughter's first birthday. The light pink bunny was made for my best friend's sister, but her daughter ended up loving it and took it for herself instead. I was planning to make one for her anyway (another new species, by the way), but I'll have to ask her mom whether she wants the bunny back first before busting out that yarn.
Yarns Used:
- Bernat Baby Blanket in "Coral," held doubled.
- Bernat Blanket in "Pale Gray," held doubled.
- (for snout detail) Vanna's Choice in "Charcoal," held doubled.
I ordered my eyes off of Amazon from here. (not affiliated)
The Process
Big Pig was worked on at the same time as the Canada Gosling (haven't seen that project yet? check it out here!) Whenever I needed a break, I switched projects to keep my wrists from hurting. It gave my brain a chance to decompress and widen its view again, too, because I have a tendency to hyper-focus and stress on one thing to the point of burn-out (hence my WIP pile being so large x.x).
With my sanity still intact, I took up the loveseat across from my boyfriend, my bag of notions and crate of yarn spilling onto the floor as I worked near him. Our cats showed little interest in my yarn, as they had summer bugs to hunt and back porches to nap on to fill their time. I'd sometimes follow them to the porch, but I mostly remained in the living room, perched on the couch, surrounded by a slow-growing stash of plushy pink pig parts...
Since I was making a completely new species from a bunny pattern, I had to deviate slightly from the original instructions to create the proper piggy features. I followed the head and body as instructed, then used the stitch count and final row amount for the legs to make my own, going through the back loops only on the last row of the gray to create the "hooves". I improvised the snout and ears, adjusting the sizes and shapes until they fit in with the rest of the pig's figure.
Despite the need for modification, it didn't take long for me to start seeing the fruits of my labor. That's the advantage of working on such a large scale...did I mention the finished toy size is listed as 22" tall, and it uses a 25mm (size US U) hook? No? Oh... heh... it works up quickly at this size, y'all!
What's Left?
Eyes, Tail, Stuffing & Assembly!
Of all things, I forgot to crochet the pig tail! I was so engrossed in getting the snout and ears properly proportioned that I forgot to make one of the most important pig features. I only realized this when I was assembling the pieces to take the photograph you see above. D'oh! I still have time, though, so it's on my list now! Do NOT forget the tail!
The eyes are going to be a pain to get in. I hope not, but I had to stand on the other two bunnies to snap those behemoths into place, so I'm expecting that it can only be the same with this project. They're only resting on the piggy face above, so wish me luck when the fastening part comes!
Eye-attaching and pig tails aside, have news: my first project is DONE! *gasp*
It'll be revealed on Friday, so check back here, or on my Facebook and Instagram @eleventhmonthdesign for the post link :D
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