Webflake Monday

You knew this was coming, right? The webflake works up very quickly and is one of the easiest flakes I've ever made, although my first attempt was a total bomb. I came up with the idea for the spider during a gorgeous fall bicycle ride through a grove of red and orange trees. And the amigurumi idea worked right on my first attempt!

You may do whatever you'd like with webflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!

Oops. First try failed.

Finished Size: 6.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 8 crochet hook, tiny amount of fiber fill for spider body, approximately 1-inch round container or object to form spider legs (permanent marker, lipstick case, battery, center tube from Cebelia thread, etc.), seed beads for spider eyes, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, glue, water, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Webflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 2), *1 sc in ring, ch 2, 1 dc in ring, ch 2, 1 sc in ring, ch 2, 1 dc in ring; repeat from * around four times for a total of 6 points, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch 5. Pull magic circle tight.

Round 2: 1 sc in same ch, ch 4, *1 sc in next dc (top of next point), ch 4; repeat from * around 4 more times for a total of 6 ch 4 spaces; sl st in starting sc.
Round 3: Ch 8 (counts as 1 hdc and ch 6), *1 hdc in next sc, ch 6; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 8.

Round 4: Ch 12 (counts as 1 dc and ch 9), *1 dc into top of next hdc as if completing a picot, ch 9; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in 3rd ch of starting ch 12.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 5: Ch 16 (counts as 1 tr and ch 12), *1 tr into top of next dc as if completing a picot, ch 12; repeat from * around 4 times; sl st in 4th ch of starting ch 16.

Round 6: Ch 20 (counts as 1 dtr and ch 15) *1 dtr in top of next tr as if completing a picot, ch 15; repeat from * around 4 times, sl st in 5th ch of starting ch 20.

Round 7: Ch 9 (counts as 1 trtr and ch 3), [sl st in 2nd and 3rd st from hook, st st in next ch] ([ ] = webspoke or snowflake tip), ch 19, 1 trtr in top of next dtr as if completing a picot, [ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 3 ch, sl st in top of trtr] (2nd webspoke made), ch 19, 1 trtr in top of next dtr, ch 2, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in top of trtr, ch 19, 1 trtr in top of next dtr, ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 4 ch, sl st in top of trtr, ch 19, 1 trtr in top of next dtr, ch 3, sl st in 2nd and 3rd ch from hook, sl st in top of trtr, ch 19, 1 trtr in top of next dtr, ch 7, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 5 ch, ch 19, sl st in base of first webspoke [ ]; bind off. Weave in ends. There is not much on this flake to weave ends into, so you may want to wait until after snowflake has been stiffened to snip off ends. Or, you may intentionally leave a long tail and use it to connect spider to web...

Note: Webspoke or snowflake tip should be random; you don't have to follow the webspoke instructions I've given verbatim. The triple treble stitches and chain spaces between webspokes stay the same. Just make each webspoke randomly different.


Spider

Starting at rear end of abdomen, make magic ring.

Round 1: 6 sc in ring; pull magic ring tight. Do not join.

Round 2: 2 sc in each sc around for total of 12 sc. Do not join.

Rounds 3-5: 1 sc in each sc around.

Round 6: Dec 6 sc around for a total of 6 sc. Do not join. Stuff lightly.

Round 7: Dec 3 sc around for a total of 3 sc. Do not join.

Round 8: Forming head, 2 sc in each sc around for a total of 6 sc. Do not join.

Round 9: *2 sc in next sc, 1 sc in next sc; repeat from * around for a total of 9 sc. Do not join.

Round 10: Dec 2 sc around and keep going, continue until only 2-3 stitches remain, sl st across opening. Bind off. Weave in ends. Adjust stuffing into head by gently pushing it through neck with crochet hook. Squish spider body into shape.

To make legs, join thread to underneath side of abdomen close to the neck. Chain long enough to go around whatever mold you've chosen. (I used a lip gloss-like sunscreen tube I received at one of last summer's bicycle rides. It's 7/8 inch, and I chained ___ to go around it.) Sl st into body in the stitch directly next to where you attached the start of the chain. Chain the same number as your first loop (for me it was 21), and sl st in same stitch where you attached the start of the first loop. Chain the same number again and attach where you attached the end of the first loop. Chain the same number one more time, and attach where you began the first chain loop. You should have four loops on your spider body. This is the best time to try the mold on for fit to make sure you can get the loops snugly around it. Bind off. Weave in ends. Slide mold into loops, taking care not to twist them. On the underneath side of the legs, opposite the body, spread the loops as far as they will go. Paint glue (I did not mix water in for this step because I wanted the legs to be super stiff to support the spider's weight when done) onto legs and allow to dry. Gently slide spider off of mold and snip loops on the bottom side, opposite spider body, forming eight legs. Place the spider on a surface where you can allow glue to dry, and press down on the body until the legs reach the pose you want, then paint glue onto legs again, pinning spider to surface if necessary to keep him from moving while his legs heal after the surgery you just performed, and allow to dry. (Where I live in Colorado, I usually have to wait 24 hours for my snowflakes and spider legs to dry.)

If desired, sew or glue seed beads onto spider head for eyeballs.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin webflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

Mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint webflake with glue mixture. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow webflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel webflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach spider to web with thread, snowflake tail or by curling his legs around the web. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch the webflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Webflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle. Or hung on a rusty old fence!

Tweet

Pin It