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*You can purchase the ad-free Ebook with all 12 patterns on Etsy or Ravelry
Today is Day 4 of the Little Nativity Mini Amigurumi Crochet Along. So far we have Mary, Joseph, and a little donkey, and today we will add a Little Shepherd.
The Little Shepherd is made very similar to Joseph, but without the beard and instead of a robe he has a little wrap over his shoulder.
When choosing colors for the shepherd I went with all neutrals- browns, tans, and creams. When I think of what a shepherd would be wearing for some reason I always imagine leathers and furs, or animal fibers of some kind so I think of those more natural, earthy colors. Obviously you could use any colors you want for your little shepherd. I made the body in a darker brown color and used that same brown for the rope around his head cover. Then I used a cream for the shoulder wrap, and a beige color for the head cover and the belt around the waist. Since the skin is also tan, so kind of in that same color family, it felt a little tricky to find a few options that were different enough than the color I chose for the skin that they would stand out, but I think the cream, beige, and brown worked.
We are a third of the way done with Mary, Joseph, a Donkey, and a Shepherd. What do you think tomorrow will bring?
*You can purchase the ad-free Ebook with all 12 patterns on Etsy or Ravelry
How to Crochet a Little Shepherd
Finished Size about 4" tall
You will need:
- Worsted weight yarn in 4-6 colors- skin tone, and 3-5 colors for clothing (Sample made with Loops & Threads Impeccable in Almond, Loops & Threads Soft Classic in Dark Taupe, and Mushroom, and Red Heart Super Saver in Aran)
- G crochet hook (4/4.25 mm)
- 2- 6mm safety eyes
- embroidery floss and needle (black or pink for mouth)
- stuffing
- yarn needle
- stitch markers
- scissors
- optional: if you want to add weighted bases to you figures you will need some scrap fabric and Poly-Pellets
Instructions:
Most of the pieces are made beginning with a magic ring. The only exceptions are the rope for the head covering and waist, which are just a chain, and the shoulder wrap, which is worked back and forth in rows.
*If you want to add weighted bases to the bottom of your figures you can cut out a circle of fabric about 3" in diameter, work a running stitch all the way around the outside edge, cinch it to make a little bowl shape, add a little bit of poly-pellets to the circle, then cinch closed. The base of the figure is only about 1.5" in diameter so it needs to be kept pretty small. If using a weighted base place it in the bottom of the figure when the pattern says to begin stuffing, the continue with stuffing. This does help keep your figures upright easier but is an optional step. Below is a video that shows the process, just keep in mind that this one would need to be a lot smaller than the one in the video.
Video Tutorial: How to Make a Weighted Base
Body/Head
Make 1 starting with clothing color/brown, changing to skin tone/tan where directed, beginning with magic ring
Round 1: in mr, ch 1, 6 sc (6 sc)
Round 2: 2 sc in each st (12 sc)
Round 3: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next st] repeat around (18 sc)
Round 4: 1 sc in blo of each st (18 sc)
Rounds 5-9: 1 sc in each st (18 sc)
Begin stuffing and continue stuffing as you work
Round 10: [sc2tog, sc in next 4 sts] repeat around (15 sc)
Round 11: [sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts] repeat around (12 sc)
Round 12: [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts] repeat around (9 sc)
Change to sink tone/tan yarn
Round 13: 2 sc in each st (18 sc)
Round 14: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 2 sts] repeat around (24 sc)
Rounds 15-18: 1 sc in each st (24 sc)
Round 19: [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts] repeat around (18 sc)
Insert safety eyes between rounds 16 and 17 about 3 stitches apart
Stich a small smile below the eyes
Round 20: [sc2tog, sc in next st] repeat around (12 sc)
Round 21: sc2tog around (6 sc)
Finish off, weave in ends
Arms
Make 2 starting with skin tone/tan yarn and changing to clothing color/brown where directed, beginning with a magic ring
Round 1: in mr, ch 1, 6 sc (6 sc)
change to clothing color/brown yarn
Rounds 2-5: 1 sc in each st (6 sc)
Finish off and cut yarn leaving a long tail for sewing
Sew the two arms to the sides of the body.
Shoulder Wrap
Make 1 with wrap color/cream yarn, beginning with a chain and working back and forth in rows
Beginning chain counts as a double crochet
Chain 7
Row 1: 1 sc in second ch from hook, 1 sc in each stitch to the end (6 sc)
Row 2: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in each st (6 sc)
Row 3: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in each st (6 sc)
Row 4: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in first 4 sts, sc2tog (5 sc)
Row 5: ch 1, turn, sc2tog, 1 sc in next 3 sts (4 sc)
Row 6: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in first 2 sts, sc2tog (3 sc)
Row 7: ch 1, turn, sc2tog, 1 sc in next st (2 sc)
Rows 8-10: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in each st (2 sc)
Row 11: ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next (3 sc)
Row 12: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in first 2 sts, 2 sc in last st (4 sc)
Row 13: ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 3 sts (5 sc)
Row 14: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in first 4 sts, 2 sc in last st (6 sc)
Rows 15-17: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in each st (6 sc)
Finish off and cut yarn, leaving long tail for sewing
Place the wrap over one shoulder with the curved side toward the neck and stitch in place (I tacked it in a few spots just to keep it where I wanted it but didn't sew it completely down so it still can kind of flap around).
Head Cover
Make 1 with head cover color/beige yarn, beginning with a magic ring, then working back and forth in rows
Round 1: in mr, ch 1, 6 sc (6 sc)
Round 2: 2 sc in each st (12 sc)
Round 3: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next st] repeat around (18 sc)
Round 4: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 2 sts] repeat around (24 sc)
Rounds 5-7: 1 sc in each st (24 sc)
at this point you will start working back and forth in rows rather than rounds
Row 8: 1 sc in next 16 sts (16 sc)
Rows 9-13: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in each st (16 sc)
Finish off and cut yarn leaving a long tail for sewing
Place the head covering on top of the head and stitch in place to secure it to the head
Ropes
Make 2 with rope colors/brown and beige yarn
I used 2 colors I was already using in the clothes to make the 2 ropes, one for around the waist and one for around the head cover. You can do the same, or use 2 completely different colors. They are only a short chain so you need a very small amount of yarn and I didn't want to get out another color for that.
For head cover
ch 25, or the number needed to wrap around the head
Wrap the rope around the head covering and tie the ends together, then make a couple of stitches around to tack in place. Weave in ends.
For waist
ch 20, or the number needed to wrap around the waist over the shoulder wrap
Wrap the rope around the waist going over the should wrap and tie the ends together, then make a couple of stitches around to tack in place. Weave in ends.
Every shepherd needs a sheep.
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