And now, by popular request (maybe 3 peoples)-- my English translation notes on the Pierrot whale pattern! See this previous post if you want to know what materials I used and see additional photos. Here is direct link to the pdf. And here is a link to an @Nifty translated to English webpage. ETA 10/28/09: A tip: If you want to translate the pattern's webpage to English language, try @Nifty. Paste the URL for the pattern into the small box, click the bottom radio button 日本語
英語, then the bigger button below that one.
MATERIALS
Yarn...Yuttari soft acrylic (about worsted weight)
Main color - black (col. 93) about 80 grams
Water spray color - light blue (col. 84) small amount
(Notions/other materials)...
Japanese crochet hook size 7/0 = U.S. size G, 4.0 mm
??? 20 cm
white and black felt for the eyes and mouth
???
Gauge (over 10 cm)... 15 stitches and 15 rows in single crochet
??? see picture
You'll also need stuffing, fabric glue for the felt pieces, a gray marker to draw the teeth on the white felt mouth, and wire for the water spray.
Whale is about 30 cm long including tail.
INSTRUCTIONS
TABLES
For each body part there is a table. Notice that the crochet rounds start at the bottom row of the table. The +/- symbol before a number in parentheses is the number of stitches that you will increase/decrease in that round.
CHARTS
The charts have circled numbers to mark the beginning of each round. Read the charts counter-clockwise starting from the number, just as you are crocheting counter-clockwise round the circle.
X = single crochet.
V= sc 2 in the same stitch to increase
inverted V (sometimes slanted) = sc 2 stitches together to decrease
0 = chain stitch
A black dot probably indicates that at the end of a round, you make a slip stitch into the beginning chain stitch of the round.
Snuffykin says: It looks better if you don't join rounds with a slip stitch and chain stitch, and just crochet in spiral.
----------------
BODY (1 piece)
Work in rounds using main color black. To save space, the pattern designer didn't chart out full rounds after round 4. So for all remaining rounds 5 through 42, you repeat whatever sequence of stitches is given a total of 6 times each round. For example, round 5 reads V XXX 0 (5). This translates to: (3 sc, 2 sc inc) x 6.
If you are going to use plastic eyes instead of felt eyes, insert them after crocheting the head part. Keep stuffing as you go along.
SIDE FIN (2 pieces)
Work in rounds using main color black. From the chart, you can see the fin is divided in three sections and the dashed lines point to which part of the chart you should follow for the section. The increases and decreases are uneven, giving the fin a flat shape, so pay attention. You should probably ignore the table - it'll just confuse you.
TAIL FIN (2 pieces)
Work FLAT using main color black. Connect flat fins by crocheting all around the edges through both pieces at the same time. Example single crochet stitches are shown the right edge of the chart, starting at the bottom right corner. When you crochet around the bottom left corner, STOP. Leave an opening and leave length of yarn for sewing to body.
-----------
FINISHING
Make sure to stuff the tail, then sew it to the whale body.
Sew tail fins to body using picture guide.
Cut white felt circle for eye 2.2cm wide. Cut black felt for eye pupil slightly smaller and glue to white circle. Glue eye on whale.
Cut white felt for mouth 18 cm wide, 1.8 cm high. Draw teeth with gray marker. Glue mouth on whale.
Cut and bend wire so that 5 cm is poking out of the blowhole, and the spray is 3 cm long bending outward. Glue and wrap with blue yarn.
MATERIALS
Yarn...Yuttari soft acrylic (about worsted weight)
Main color - black (col. 93) about 80 grams
Water spray color - light blue (col. 84) small amount
(Notions/other materials)...
Japanese crochet hook size 7/0 = U.S. size G, 4.0 mm
??? 20 cm
white and black felt for the eyes and mouth
???
Gauge (over 10 cm)... 15 stitches and 15 rows in single crochet
??? see picture
You'll also need stuffing, fabric glue for the felt pieces, a gray marker to draw the teeth on the white felt mouth, and wire for the water spray.
Whale is about 30 cm long including tail.
INSTRUCTIONS
TABLES
For each body part there is a table. Notice that the crochet rounds start at the bottom row of the table. The +/- symbol before a number in parentheses is the number of stitches that you will increase/decrease in that round.
| Row (round) number | Stitches number |
| 2 | 12 (+6 stitches) |
| 1 | 6 |
CHARTS
The charts have circled numbers to mark the beginning of each round. Read the charts counter-clockwise starting from the number, just as you are crocheting counter-clockwise round the circle.
X = single crochet.
V= sc 2 in the same stitch to increase
inverted V (sometimes slanted) = sc 2 stitches together to decrease
0 = chain stitch
A black dot probably indicates that at the end of a round, you make a slip stitch into the beginning chain stitch of the round.
Snuffykin says: It looks better if you don't join rounds with a slip stitch and chain stitch, and just crochet in spiral.
----------------
BODY (1 piece)
Work in rounds using main color black. To save space, the pattern designer didn't chart out full rounds after round 4. So for all remaining rounds 5 through 42, you repeat whatever sequence of stitches is given a total of 6 times each round. For example, round 5 reads V XXX 0 (5). This translates to: (3 sc, 2 sc inc) x 6.
If you are going to use plastic eyes instead of felt eyes, insert them after crocheting the head part. Keep stuffing as you go along.
SIDE FIN (2 pieces)
Work in rounds using main color black. From the chart, you can see the fin is divided in three sections and the dashed lines point to which part of the chart you should follow for the section. The increases and decreases are uneven, giving the fin a flat shape, so pay attention. You should probably ignore the table - it'll just confuse you.
TAIL FIN (2 pieces)
Work FLAT using main color black. Connect flat fins by crocheting all around the edges through both pieces at the same time. Example single crochet stitches are shown the right edge of the chart, starting at the bottom right corner. When you crochet around the bottom left corner, STOP. Leave an opening and leave length of yarn for sewing to body.
-----------
FINISHING
Make sure to stuff the tail, then sew it to the whale body.
Sew tail fins to body using picture guide.
Cut white felt circle for eye 2.2cm wide. Cut black felt for eye pupil slightly smaller and glue to white circle. Glue eye on whale.
Cut white felt for mouth 18 cm wide, 1.8 cm high. Draw teeth with gray marker. Glue mouth on whale.
Cut and bend wire so that 5 cm is poking out of the blowhole, and the spray is 3 cm long bending outward. Glue and wrap with blue yarn.
- Current Mood:
exhausted


Comments
Also, you're Japanese->English hook info has become invaluable to me - i just bought those very awesome Hamanaka Rakuraku double ended hooks and they have the sizes printed on them but it's the Japanese system which leaves me scratching my head! :)
You're very awesome - as always :)
Thanks!
So in round 1, you start with a magic loop and sc 6. In Round 2, you increase 6 sts more sts and end up with 12 at the end of that round.
The wing isn't in a table, only in a symbol diagram. It's just one round, working back across chain 6, and then around on the other side of each chain. x is sc, T is half double, the double T is double crochet.
ps, I'm writing American crochet terms not UK/Aus.
Here are some patterns I bookmarked:
http://delicious.com/snuffykin/japa
And here is help with translating:
http://delicious.com/snuffykin/japa
There are probably more, but I haven't done much scouring the internet lately for them.
Haaave fuuuun!
At this point you could work on either right or left part one at a time. For example, you can then turn your work to the WS and continue working the left side, turning when you get to the end of each row.
Or you could work each row going across both sides while picking and dropping the left or right strand as needed. You might want to turn your work to the WS, continue working to the end of the left side row. Then you drop the 2nd yarn strand, pick up the 1st yarn strand, and continue working to the end of the right side row.