Creator Challenge: Part 1 of 6

Dear fellow crocheters,

Welcome to Sweet Softies' third annual Creator Challenge, featuring Piper the Pixie!  She's the perfect amigurumi doll to make during this uniquely crazy, shelter-in-place time because she will surely bring some magic and smiles to your home!  If you haven't already, check out the INTRO PAGE for rules and important information about this Creator Challenge.

You can PIN this pattern for later~

You can also save it and/or add your project on Ravelry!

 

PART 1

Materials Preparation
Color & Design Planning

For this first part, please read through the basic information regarding this pattern.  Then, we'll be gathering materials!

~~~ BASIC INFORMATION ~~~

INTRO: Piper the Pixie is an adorable, little faerie that is quick and easy to crochet.  This sweet fae wears a sweet pointy bonnet hat, a cute dress with frills, and has a set of pretty wings.  She makes a lovely gift for little girls or children who adore mythical, fantasy, and fairytale creatures with a touch of magic!  Adults with a penchant for folklore will also love this whimsical design.

FINISHED MEASUREMENT: Height: 6 inches (15 centimeters)

LEVEL: ★★☆☆☆  Easy / Familiar Beginner
Requires familiarity with stitches used (below), attaching plastic safety eyes, changing yarn colors, and sewing parts together.

STITCHES/TERMS USED (U.S. Terminology):

• FO: fasten off 
• MR: magic ring 
• Ch: chain 
• Sl st: slip stitch 
• Sc: single crochet 
• Hdc: half dc 
• Dc: double crochet 
• Inc: increase 
• Dec: decrease 
• BLO: back loops only

MATERIALS:

• Medium weight 4 yarn in your selected colors. (I used Caron Simply Soft Yarn in the colors peach, mint, turquoise, yellow, and white. For more details, scroll down to see my completed Planning Sheet.)
  Note: Use the same brand of yarn in different color variations for a consistent look; avoid mixing and matching different yarn brands for this one project. 
• 2.75 mm crochet hook or size suitable for the yarn you using. (Make sure your hook is small enough so that gaps cannot be seen between your stitches.)
• Pair of 7mm plastic safety eyes
• Fiberfill stuffing
• Yarn needle 
• Scissors 
• Optional: blush powder and a q-tip for adding blush to your doll (see my 'Adding Blush' tutorial)

~~~ COLOR & DESIGN PLANNING SHEET ~~~

If you're like me and you have a hard time visualizing how your pixie will look in the end with your favorite color combination, you can download the Planning Sheet below.  I find it to be a helpful tool!

Blank Planning Sheet (free PDF file)

All you need to do is color in your pixie with your preferred colors, find the corresponding yarn color/brand, and (optional!) glue or tape down small snippets of the yarn sample.  If you'd like to add embellishments to your mermaid, such as a pretty hairpiece or accessory, you can also draw it in!

Here's an example that I did digitally, since I don't have access to a working printer. It's my completed sheet for Piper.

And as you can see, Crocheted-Piper shares some resemblance with Paper-Piper!

Well, what do you say?  Let's get coloring!  Soon enough, you'll have your own little pixie in your hand!

Don't forget to share your photos in the Sweet Softies FB Group!

PDF Pattern Available!

Want to get the full set of instructions right away? Want a printable, ad-free, and easy-to-read PDF file with photo references? Want to also get two bonus hair tutorials for making a "hair down" and "hair in a bun" variation for your pixie? If so, you can download the PDF from my shop or Ravelry for a small fee. Thank you for supporting Sweet Softies!

Printable PDF file with photo references & bonus hair tutorials!

Join the Community!
Participants are encouraged to share Part 1 photos in the Sweet Softies FB Group.  Below are some of the Planning Sheets and/or yarn selections that were shared!

You can also save this pattern or add your project on Ravelry!

 

Timeline & Links for Piper's Pattern
Note: Links will be made available once the post date arrives (12:00am PST).
Piper's pattern will be FREE on my blog, but an ad-free printable PDF pattern with photo references is also available for purchase. (Thank you for supporting Sweet Softies!)

• Part 1: Materials preparation, design and color planning
  Post Date: 4/18/2020
   
• Part 2: Head, body, and dress
  Post Date: 4/25/2020
   
• Part 3: Arms and legs
  Post Date: 5/2/2020
   
• Part 4: Dress collar and wings
  Post Date: 5/9/2020
   
• Part 5: Hat
  Post Date: 5/16/2020
   
• Part 6: Hair and finishing touches
  Post Date: 5/23/2020
   
• When you're done, please share your finished Pixie with me! Review the "How to Submit Entries" post for directions. The deadline to enter the Creator Challenge is 5/30/2020.

Want your friends to join in on this fun Creator Challenge too?  The more, the merrier!  Share this post and spread the joy of crocheting!

Happy crafting!