Showing posts with label Fone Bone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fone Bone. Show all posts

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Fone Bone - Now with Accessories and Backpack Tutorial!

I've made another Fone Bone following the pattern I created a while back. This one's for the boyfriend's mom. She works in an elementary school library and wanted Fone to help encourage the kids to read Jeff Smith's wonderful books.

I've always thought that my little Fone needed his backpack. I know that some of the other people who've taken advantage of the free pattern have taken the time to give him one. So I crocheted up backpacks for the new Fone Bone as well as my original one. We also decided to break out the sculpy and add a few accessories. Now, we're no Geek Central Station, but I think these are pretty good for beginners. The experience also made me a little bit more in awe of Geek Central Station, since I discovered I definitely don't have the patience for painting tiny sculpy items.

Nevertheless, I present our tiny backpack, along with Fone's trusty copy of Moby Dick and a Harvestar medallion. (The medallion and Harvestar crest appear throughout the series, but are most prominent at the climax of Book 6: Old Man's Cave). We actually made two sets of everything, but I'm only showing off pictures of one. The boyfriend, who is both wise and witty, gets credit for making the accessories. I'm most impressed that the books actually look like they have individual pages if you look at them up close.


Backpack Tutorial

This one's pretty simple to crochet. Depending on the thickness of the yarn you've used to make Fone Bone you may want to make the initial chain a couple stitches larger or smaller to create the right sized backpack (and adjust other stitch counts proportionally).

Materials
worsted weight yarn
size F (3.75 mm) crochet hook
1 small button
1 small dome or snap

Chain 8
Rnd 1: Sc in second chain from hook and in next 6 chain spaces, 3 sc in the last chain space. Do Not Turn. Work into other side of chain. Sc in bottom of each chain across, placing two 2 sc in last space. Slip stitch into first stitch to join.
Rnd 2: ch 1, sc crochet around (approx. 16 stitches around).
Rep. Rnd 2 for 8 rows, or until piece measures about 2 1/2 inches.
Rnd 3: chain 24 (or create chain long enough to wrap around Fone Bone's body as the backpack strap is wrapped in photos. Give yourself about half an inch of extra room). Once chain is long enough, sk first 2 chains, then hdc into each chain space all the way back to the base of the backpack.
Rnd 4: sc in first 9 stitches of backpack. Turn.
Rnd5: Ch 1, sc in each st across backpack. Turn (9 stitches)
rep Rnd 5 for approx 7 rows.
Rnd 6: Ch1, sc in first 4 stitches, ch 1, skip next stitch, sc in next four stitches. Turn.
Rnd 7: Ch 1, sc in 9 stitches across. Finish off.

Sew the button in place to close backpack. Sew one piece of the dome/snap to the end of the strap. Place other piece of dome/snap in lower corner on back of backpack, opposite from the side the strap is attached to. (Use pictures as a guide.)

Enjoy! And look under My Free Patterns in the column on the left for more Boneville related patterns.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Look! More Cousins!

A special thank you to everyone who keeps returning to check out Cthulhu Crochet and Cousins. I'm sorry that the updates aren't as frequent as they used to be. School is, in a word, busy! I'd like to have more time for the blog and for crocheting in general, but it just isn't possible right now.

Even though I'm not updating the site as often as I used to, it's still nice to see new people discovering it. I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you that has taken the time to post a comment or share a link to something you've made using the patterns I've created. Here are a couple that have popped up in my inbox over the last month.

First up, akyla sent me a note to show me this adorable Tiny Cthulhu she made. I like his eyes, and there's something about his tentacles...somehow they just look a bit more sinister than the ones on my cthulhu and I think that's a good thing!



Next up, Crafty-Shanna certainly earns her nickname with this Fone Bone that she stitched up. She used my pattern for the head and then improvised for the rest of the body and I think she did a terrific job. I'd considered putting proper hands on my Bone creatures, but wasn't sure exactly how to shape the fingers. Shanna's look great. I'm also in awe of the feet which look much smoother than the ones I created. I think my own Fone Bone is a little jealous because I keep promising him that someday I'll stitch him a little backpack and I still haven't gotten around to it. Check out further pictures on Shanna's Journal and you can see that Fone even has his beloved copy of Moby Dick.




Want the Pattern?

My pattern for the Tiny Cthulhu as well as the patterns for the three Bone Cousins are available through the links in my left sidebar, under the topic My Free Patterns.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

The Boneville Family Portrait!

Just finished crocheting a few hours ago and wanted to show off the whole Bone crew happily sitting down together for a family photo. For those not in the know, these are the main characters from Jeff Smith's wonderful Bone comic. From left to right we have Bartleby the Baby Rat Creature, his best pal Smiley, Fone Bone, and Phoney Bone.

Getting these four guys done was a project that I started back in March. Although I didn't really know it was a project when I made up the pattern and crocheted Fone Bone. Then it was so easy to do Phoney because his body was so similar to Fone, plus Phoney's always been my favourite. Then I had to do Bartleby because he's the cutest. I didn't really plan on making Smiley, but it just seemed odd to have the baby rat creature without him. I'd never been much of a Smiley fan. For the most part I found him irritating. Then while rereading Ghost Circles in the new colourized Scholastic edition I came across this panel on page 55:

Something about this made me rethink Smiley's character a bit and consider him from a different perspective. Maybe he's a lot more intelligent than I'd given him credit for previously, Plus the way he befriends and cares for a baby rat creature, despite the villagers' hatred for the rats, is pretty admirable.

So, at last I've put together a Smiley Bone and now my collection is complete...okay, maybe not complete. I'm thinking of making one of the bees since I still have a full bag of red stones to make the eyes with, and maybe someday the pair of quiche-loving adult rat creatures. The boyfriend is thinking of making a clay version of Ted the bug and maybe someday Fone will need a Thorn to moon over...

In another post I'll be putting up the full pattern for Smiley. I reworked the nose piece from what I'd done for the previous cousins to make it a little longer and narrower. Smiley's head is actually narrower than the other two and he's about an inch taller than them. I know in the picture he looks about the same height as Phoney, but I did make him bigger. His torso is longer and his legs and arms are double the length of his cousins'.

I spent some time debating the colours for Smiley's clothes since they seem to change a bit throughout the Scholastic books. Sometimes the vest is black with brown trim, other times it's completely brown. The bowler hat disappears after the first two or three graphic novels, as does the cigar. Do they make a reappearance in the final issue? I don't have a copy and it's been years since I've read it. I decided to keep the bowler hat, but lose the cigar, mostly because I figured it would be hard to position on his mouth. If I ever make another Smiley I'll invest in some small magnets then I can put one inside his mouth and one in the end of the cigar so it can be removeable.

Want the Pattern?

All my Boneville related patterns are free and you can find them in the left sidebar under "My Free Patterns." Expect the Smiley pattern to go up sometime this week. And now I leave you with one final picture:


Bartleby and Smiley about to indulge in their favourite snack.


Comic picture from Jeff Smilth's Treasure Hunters, Scholastic edition, page 88.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Welcoming a New Cousin!

We're welcoming another cousin here at Cthulhu Crochet and Cousins today. This Fone Bone, or Leppo Luupään as he's called in Finnish, was made by Elina who is from Helsinki, Finland. Elina is a big fan of Jeff Smith's work as the collection of graphic novels behind Fone here will attest. I can't read Finnish so I had to rely on a Google translation to read Elina's blog entry. Even though the translation probably isn't perfect I think her description of the comics is just wonderful:

"Seldom one and the same [series] has offered as much sweet laughter and breathtaking tension."

I just picked up a copy of Bone Volume 8: Treasure Hunters the other day. I read all the comics in their original black and white state when they were first released. I didn't collect the series then so now I'm picking it up as it's released in these beautiful colourized editions. Definitely worth waiting for. Anyways, I haven't had a chance to reread it yet, but just flipping through the pictures I'm feeling seriously inspired to start working on the Smiley Bone pattern. I think his body will be easy, but I'm still freaked out about making his vest. I'm not sure why. I guess because I've never crocheted any clothes before. At least it's a tiny piece of clothing.

I think I want to make his bowler hat too and maybe the cigar. It seems to me the hat and cigar disappear from the series after the first few issues. Is that right? Does anyone else remember? I'm not sure if getting rid of the cigar smoking would have been a choice Smith made for the sake of political correctness, or if it just wasn't practical for Smiley to be smoking when they were always running for their lives...

Want the Pattern?

Check the sidebar on the left under "My Free Patterns" for the Fone, Phoney and Bartleby patterns.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Purple Bone


So over at Une So Tisse was so captured by the cuteness of Fone Bone that she not only made her own purple version but also spent the last week tracking down a French translation of Jeff Smith's comic. I'm so happy that my little creation has inspired someone to take an interest in the comic. More fans are always welcome.

With my permission So is also providing a French version of the pattern free on her blog. You can view it and a larger picture of her purple Bone here. She has a lot of interesting creations on her site and thank goodness there are web page translators to help me read some of the words I couldn't remember from my days of high school French.

So was worried about the fact that her Bone character wasn't white, but who knows, maybe female Bones are purple. Or maybe Bone creatures come in a variety of different colours and just turn white as they get older. I think there's room for speculation!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Correction to Fone Bone Pattern

I've been adapting the Fone Bone pattern this week to make Phoney Bone and noticed an error in RND 26. Instead of reading: RND 26: *sc into first 3 st, 2 sc in next st* repeat around (40 sts).



It should read: RND 26: *sc in first 2 st, 2 sc in next st* repeat around (40 sts).

I've made the correction in the original pattern as well and hopefully this hasn't caused anybody any major problems. Contact me if you see any other mistakes in this or any of the other patterns. Phoney Bone coming soon!

Friday, March 7, 2008

Fone Bone of Boneville (with Free Pattern)

My boyfriend, who is both wise and witty, recently gave me three of the new colourized Bone graphic novels for my birthday. After staring at the pictures for a while I was inspired to make my own Fone Bone character. I think I could probably spend the rest of the year crocheting all the other non-human characters from the comics, but I think I'll try to restrain myself and only make Fone's cousins Phoney and Smiley. Okay, and maybe the baby rat creature Bartleby because he's just too cute to resist.

If anyone sees any problems in the pattern or has any questions please feel free to contact me.

**Update** I've also made some accessories and a backpack (with tutorial) for Fone Bone, which you can view here.



Fone Bone Pattern

Materials

white worsted weight yarn (one skein or less)
black felt
black embroidery thread
fiber fill or stuffing material of your choice
size G (4.25mm) Hook

Note: The head and nose pieces start separately and then are joined together later. I recommend starting with the nose, then stitching the head and body. The body and head are all one piece. I find this helps prevent the head from flopping around too much.

Nose
5 sc into magic ring
RND 1: 2 sc into each st around. (10 sts)
RND 2: *sc in first st, 2 sc into next st* repeat around (15 sts)
RND 3: *sc in first 2 st, 2 sc in next st* repeat around (20 sts)
RND 4-6: sc in each st around. (20)
Finish off, leave long tail for sewing.

Head
5 sc into magic ring
RND 1: 2 sc into each st around (10 sts)
RND 2: *sc in first st, 2 sc into next st* repeat around (15 sts)
RND 3: *sc in first 2 st, 2 sc in next st* repeat around (20 sts)
RND 4: *sc in first 3 st, 2 sc in next st* repeat around (25 sts)
RND 5: *sc in first 4 st, 2 sc in next st* repeat around (30 sts)
RND 6-10: sc in each st around (30 sts)
Now we attach the nose and head pieces together.
RND 11: instead of crocheting into head piece, sc into the first 15 stitches of the nose piece, then skip 5 stitches on the head, sc into 6th st on the head and continue sc around the head. (40 sts) Use the long tail from the nose piece to whipstitch the 5 sts you didn’t stitch on the nose to the five stitches you skipped on the head piece. Also use this thread to tighten up any holes near the joined pieces that are too large.
RND 12-14: sc into each stitch around (40 sts)
RND 15: *sc into first 6 sts, dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (35 sts)
RND 16: *sc into first 5 sts, dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (30 sts)
RND 17: *sc into first 4 sts, dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (25 sts)
RND 18: *sc into first 3 sts, dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (20 sts)
Place eyes and embroider mouth and eyebrows now.
RND 19: *sc into first 2 sts, dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (15 sts)
Now we start the body shape
RND 20: *sc in first 2 st, 2 sc in next st* repeat around (20 sts)
RND 21: *sc in first 3 st, 2 sc in next st* repeat around (25 sts)
RND 22-24: sc into each st around (25 sts)
RND 25: *sc in first 4 st, 2 sc in next st* repeat around (30 sts)
RND 26: *sc into first 2 st , 2 sc in next st* repeat around (40 sts)
RND 27-30: sc into each st around (40)
stuff head and nose section to your desired firmness level.
RND 31: *sc into first 6 sts, dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (35 sts)
RND 32: *sc into first 5 sts, dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (30 sts)
RND 33: *sc into first 4 sts, dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (25 sts)
RND 34: *sc into first 3 sts, dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (20 sts)
RND 35: *sc into first 2 sts, dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (15 sts)
stuff body
RND 36: *sc into first st, dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (10 sts)
RND 37: *dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (5 sts)
Finish off and sew shut.

Arms(make 2)
5 sc into magic ring
RND 1: 2 sc into each st around (10 sts)
RND 2: sc into each st around (10 sts)
RND 3: *sc in first 4 st, 2 sc into next st* repeat around (12 sts)
RND 3: sc into each st around (12 sts)
RND 4: *dec over next 2 sts* repeat around (6 sts)
RND 5-7: sc into each st around (6sts)
Finish off, leave long tail for sewing. Stuff only the widest part of arms.

Legs (make 2)
6 sc into magic ring
RND 1-7: sc into each st around (6)
Finish off, leave tail for sewing. Legs are not stuffed.

Feet (make 2)

4 sc into magic ring
RND 1: 3 sc into first st, 2 sc into each st around (9 sts)
RND 2: 2 sc into each st around (18 sts)
RND 3-5: sc into each st around (18 sts)
RND 6: *sc into first 7 sts, dec over next two sts* repeat around (16 sts)
RND 7: *sc into first 2 sts, dec over next two sts* repeat around (12 sts)
RND 8: *sc into first st, dec over next two sts* repeat around (8 sts)
stuff foot
RND 9: *dec over next two sts* repeat around (4 sts)
Finish off. sew shut.

Assembly
Sew arms to body. Sew feet to legs and attach legs to body. Secure and hide all thread tails.

Enjoy!