Intarsia Pillow

For the front, I used the pattern from here. My colours are slightly different as I was using up bits of spare yarn. I did the back in the main colour (royal blue), using this pattern:

CO 104
Row 1: K2, (P5, K5)10 times, P2
Row 2: K3, (P5, K5) 10 times, P1
Row 3: (P5, K5) 10 times, P4
Row 4: (K5, P5) 10 times, K4
Row 5: P3, (K5, P5) 10 times, K1
Row 6: K1, (P5, K5) 10 times, P3
Row 7: K4, (P5, K5) 10 times
Row 8: P4 (K5, P5) 10 times
Row 9: P1, (K5, P5) 10 times, K3
Row 10: P2, (K5, P5) 10 times, K2

Repeat until back is same size as front. Use kitchener's stitch on three side seams. Insert an 18"x18" pillow form and use kitchener's stitch to close last side. Here are some pics:

Figure 1: Pillow Front

Figure 2: Pillow Back

Modding a Knitted Crab

Recently I found some time to knit the crab from Amigurumi Knits. It actually knit up pretty quick, only taking 2 evenings and part of an afternoon.

Since the recipient was old enough to know that cooked crabs are red (and obviously didn't want to display a cooked crab...) we settled on teal for the body. We also wanted a more realistic shell colour and found a shiny yarn that variegated between ivory and sandy brown. The under colour was a fluffy yarn in a mostly ivory, somewhat sandy, colour to give the appearance of hairy bristles.

The pattern needed some modification as the recipient had no intention of receiving a 6 legged decapod with no body (as suggested in the original pattern). The extra 4 legs were easy: wrap the body colour around appropriately shaped pipe cleaners.

I knit up the body as follows:

In main body colour (called BC1 in the book), cast on 27 in the round. Knit 9 rows in stocking stitch. Unless specified otherwise, knit the following rows in BC1:

row 10: (K7, K2tog) 3x
row 11: K in under body colour (called BC2 in book)
row 12: (K6, K2tog) 3x
row 16: (K5, K2tog) 3x
row 17: K in BC2
row 18: (K4, K2tog) 3x
row 21: K2tog, K4, K2tog, K2tog, K3, K2tog (divide on 2 needles)
row 22: K in BC2
row 24: K2tog, K2, K2tog, K2tog, K3
row 25: KFB 8x
row 28: (KFB, K6, KFB) 2x
row 30: cast off

Use kitchener stitch to stitch up body, stuffing as you go. Sew 3 vertical rows in BC2 to make slits in tail.

Here are some actions shots of the end result.

Figure 1: Crab inside shell

Figure 2: Crab outside shell