Ladybug Photo Prop

Materials required: Hook sizes G and E 4 ply yarn in red and black Tapestry needle

Note: To make this prop larger, you would need to size your hook up. For each hook size up, you can add an approximate half to three quarters of an inch to the finished project. Stitches used:

sl st (slip stitch) ch (chain) dc (double crochet) fpdc (front post double crochet: complete the stitch around the post of the next indicated stitch by inserting the hook from front to back to front around the post) v-st (v-stitch: [dc, ch 1, dc] in same space)

Pentagon Motif: Make 6: 3 SMALL spotted pentagons and 3 LARGE spotted pentagons. Stitches used: sl st (slip stitch), ch (chain), dc (double crochet), fpdc (front post double crochet: complete the stitch around the post of the next indicated stitch by inserting the hook from front to back to front around the post), v-st (v-stitch: [dc, ch 1, dc] in same space). Using black, Ch 3, sl st to 1st ch to form a ring. Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), v-st 4 times in ring, dc in ring, ch 1, sl st to top of ch 3. (10 dc)

For SMALL spotted pentagon only, change color to red. For LARGE spotted pentagon, continue this round with black. Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc), fpdc around ch 3 from round 1, fpdc around next dc, *v-st in next ch 1 sp, fpdc around next dc, fpdc around next dc, rep from * around to 1st ch 1 space, dc in 1st ch 1 sp, ch 1, sl st to top of ch 3. (10 fpdc, 10 dc) For SMALL spotted pentagon, continue round as normal. For LARGE spotted pentagon, change color to red. Round 3: Ch 3 (counts as dc), fpdc around ch 3 from round 2, fpdc around next dc, fpdc around next dc, fpdc around next dc, *v-st in next ch 1 sp, fpdc around next dc, fpdc around next dc, fpdc around next dc, fpdc around next dc, rep from * around to 1st ch 1 space, dc in 1st ch 1 sp, ch 1, sl st to top of ch 3. Finish off. (20 fpdc, 10 dc) Round 4: Ch 3 (counts as dc), fpdc around ch 3 from round 3, fpdc around next 5 dc, *v-st in next ch 1 sp, fpdc around next 6 dc, rep from * around to 1st ch 1 space, dc in 1st ch 1 sp, ch 1, sl st to top of ch 3. Finish off. (30 fpdc, 10 dc) Weave in all tails before moving on to next motif. Assembly: Start with your center motif. Arrange the other 5 motifs around the center and prepare to assemble. (Use pic as a general guide)

You will be working the assembly with only your center motif. All flanking motifs will be joined by one side to the center first, (we will join the rest later). Take your center motif and any flanking motif and place them wrong sides together. Note: Keep in mind that your two motifs will be places wrong sides together, so the back loops will be the two loops closest to each other.

Using an E hook and your red yarn, join in ch 1 space of both motifs. Working back loops only, *sl st across to next ch 1 sp. Sl st in ch 1 space and arrange your next flanking motifwrong sides together, with the center motif. Sl st in ch 1 space of new motif and center motif. Continue from * until all flanking motifs are joined by one side to center motif.

Just like with the turtle prop, the next thing we will need to do is to sew up the rest of the seams between each flanking motif. There are two ways you can do this. Remember: when you join your motifs you want to make sure you are holding them wrong sides together. The hard way: Since your yarn is already attached to your hook, simply sl st that first seam between the flanking pentagons closedtaking care to hold the motifs wrong sides together, finish off. Insert your hook into both ch 1 spaces at the base (close to the center pentagon) of the next two flanking pentagons. Attach your contrasting yarn with a sl st, sl st in the back loops only to the end of the pentagons and finish off. Continue around until all seams have been slip stitched closed. Weave in all those loose ends. The easy way: The other way you could do it would involve a tapestry needle. Since your yarn is already attached to your hook, sl st that first seam between the flanking pentagons closed, finish off. Thread your tapestry needle with a long length of contrasting yarn and simply whip stitch the rest of your seams shuttaking care to whipstitch in the back loops only and making sure that all of your motifs are being held wrong sides together. In order to move your needle, simply thread it under your project, hiding the extra yarn in the undersides of your stitches. When youve finished sewing all the seams, your project should look like this:

If youve joined your motifs the hard way, now would be a good time to weave in all those loose tails in the center. Dont worry about the loose tails that are to the outside of the shell because well crochet right over them when we do the border. Now were on the home stretch! The only thing left to do with this blanket is the border and the neck. In order to put a border around our motifs, we'll need to join red with a sl st in any ch 1 space located in a point of a pentagon (in other words, NOT in a valley portion where you have two ch 1 spaces side by side), ch 2, dc in the same space as join, *dc all the way across to the next ch 1 space (8 dc), 2 dc in the ch 1 space, 2 dc in the next ch 1 sp, dc all the way across to the next ch 1 space (8 dc), 2 dc in the next ch 1 sp, continue from * around, join in the top of the ch 2. Finish off and weave in any remaining tails.

To create the neck portion of this blanket, you need to find the top pentagon and count the top most 8 stitches. (I covered this in the turtle prop so I'll just reuse that pic below to show you how to find the stitches.)

Find the center 8 stitches of the top pentagon to attach the neck portion to your ladybug prop. Sl st in the 8th stitch, ch 3, dc across the next 7 sts, ch 3, turn. dc across the next 7 sts, ch 3, turn. dc across the next 7 sts, finish off and weave in tail.

All thats left is to make a hat with two antennas. Ladybug Photo Prop Hat Materials Needed:

Size G (4.5mm) crochet hook 4 ply yarn in black

Tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Finished Sizes: Preemie/12 (Baby/14) Ch 4, sl st into 1st ch to join rnd. Rnd 1: With black: Ch 1, 8 sc into center of rnd, sl st to 1st sc to end rnd -- 8 sc. Rnd 2: Ch 1 (counts as 1st sc), sc in same st, *2 sc in next st; rep from * around, sl st to beginning ch to end -- 16 sc. Rnd 3: Ch 1 (counts as 1st sc), sc in same st, sc in next st, *2 sc in next st, sc in next st; rep from * around, sl st to beginning ch to end -- 24 sc. Rnd 4: Ch 1 (counts as 1st sc), sc in same st, sc in next 2 sts, *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts; rep from * around, sl st to beginning ch to end -- 32 sc. Rnd 5: Ch 1 (counts as 1st sc), sc in same st, sc in next 3 sts, *2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts; rep from * around, sl st to beginning ch to end -- 40 sc. Rnd 6: Ch 1 (counts as 1st sc), sc in same st, sc in next 4 sts, *2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts; rep from * around, sl st to beginning ch to end -- 48 sc. For size 12/Preemie skip to Rnd 8. For size 14/Baby proceed to next rnd. Rnd 7: Ch 1 (counts as 1st sc), sc in same st, sc in next 5 sts, *2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts; rep from * around, sl st to beginning ch to end -- 56 sc. Rnd 8: Ch 1 (counts as 1st sc), sc in each st around, sl st to beginning ch to end -- 48 (56) sc. Repeat Rnd 8 until hat measures 4.5 (5.5) or until desired length. Fasten off and weave in ends. Antenna (make 2) Use two stitch markers to mark where to place the antennas. Attach black yarn with a sl st, ch 10, sc in 3rd ch from hook, sl st down the length of the antenna, sl st around post of the st on hat where attached. Fasten off and weave in tails. When you're all done, your prop should look like this: