Happy Cactus

 
A  crochet  pattern  by  Artificial Sweetener Dolls
Happy Cactus Pattern by Artificial Sweetener Dolls

Materials:
DK 8 ply yarn.
Colours:
Light green
Dark brown
Preferred flower colour if adding a flower

3mm crochet hook. (You could instead use 2.5 if you prefer)
Fiberfill for stuffing
5cm terracotta pot. If you can't find any you can alternatively crochet a pot or
buy small metal buckets this size from craft stores.
Embroidery floss in black
Tapestry needle for embroidery
Embroidery scissors, or any small sharp scissors
Hot glue gun
Optional: stitch markers to make it easier to keep track of rows.
7.5mm animal eyes (You can embroider eyes on instead if you prefer)
Pink embroidery floss for blushed cheeks

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Instructions:

R1: 6 sc in magic ring

R2: Inc in every sc (12)
R3: (Inc, 1 sc) repeat around (18)
R4: (Inc, 2 sc) repeat around (24)
R5: (Inc, 3 sc) repeat around (30)
R6 - 19: Sc around (30)
R20: (1dec, 3sc) repeat around (24)
R21 - 22: Sc around (24)
R23: (1dec, 2sc) repeat around (18)
*Turn your work inside out if you haven't already, the neater X shaped stitches
should be on the outside of your cactus.
R24: Sc around (18) Don't tie off, in your last sc of this round you want to pull
up a loop, get your brown yarn, fold over the end and pull it through both loops
(pictured). Pull on the green to tighten the loop and trim it off at about 2cm.

R1 R1 R2

R5 R20 R24

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R25: Continuing with brown Sc around in front loops only (18)
R26: Back to crocheting through both loops (Inc, 2sc) repeat around (24)
R27: (Inc, 3sc) repeat around (30)
At this stage I test to see how this fits in the pot. The brown circle should sit
pretty flat. For my pots this is usually perfect but if your pot is a little bigger
you can do another row of (Inc, 4), or if your pot is smaller or using thicker
yarn you might want to remove a few stitches for the right fit.
Leave a short end. I leave around 5 cm. We're going to tuck it into the body of
the cactus.

Contruction 1: Insert your animal eyes now. I usually eyeball placement, but
as a guide you can count around 10 rows down from the top of the cactus,
insert an eye. The next is inserted in the same line and it looks best with
around 6 sc between the eyes.

C2: The mouth can be added now, or after you fill your cactus if you prefer.
With black embroidery floss and a tapestry needle, insert at a point away from
the face. I go in above the eye and come out inbetween the eyes around 2
rows underneath, leaving the end of the thread inside my cactus but not all the
way through (pictured). This is why you want to insert it away from the face so
that the end is long enough inside that it can't easily be pulled out once you're
done. Following the diagram, do two stitches to create a V, making sure that
your stitches are even in length and your needle comes out at exactly the
same point at the base of the V. The stitches should be firm but not too tight
and it should be anchored well enough that you can just snip your excess
thread off at the base of the V with sharp embroidery or small scissors when it
is done.

C3: (Optional) Follow a similar method if you want pink embroidered blush.
The cheeks can be positioned below the eyes slightly off the outside. They

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can be created by doing the same stitch 3 times, the stitch should be the
length of 2 of your cactuses sc "x's".

C4: Fill your cactus with fiberfill until it's pretty firm, but not so much that it
starts to lose the cactus shape, and put a loose ball in the pot, enough to
support your plant.
Hot glue around the inside of your pot and lower your cactus base into it to
secure it into the pot. This can be a bit fiddly and might have to carefully add
more glue underneath spots that aren't secured properly.

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Pattern by Artificial Sweetener Dolls on Etsy and facebook. ArtificialSweets on 6
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Flower:
1: Do a slip knot and chain 4.
Slip stitch the end to the first
chain to create a small ring.
2: Ch 2, (Treble stitch through
the centre of the loop) Repeat
the tr x2, for a total of 3. Slip
stitch through loop. This forms
1 petal.
Repeat last step 3 times to
make 4 petals. Leave a long
end for sewing.
With a tapestry needle secure
the flower to the top of the
cactus. I do a stitch through
each petal to the ring of the cactus, run the end through the flower a few times
to stop it from unraveling and snip off the remaining end.

You can also decorate with a simple pom pom on top, a bow, or a hat. Or
leave out the face for a more natural cactus. Have fun decorating your
cactuses!

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