Floamzoner Pattern
Dec. 4th, 2020 12:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hooked_on_animeNot long ago, I got sucked into the extremely strange and slightly horrifying world of Awful Hospital. It's, uh. Well, I enjoy it? But if blood, guts, medical trauma, medical abuse, child illness and endangerment, unsanitary situations, and general existential horror (among other things) are squicks or triggers for you, you may want to give it a miss. (I swear it's still somehow wholesome and fun! Partly from the cartoony way it's drawn, partly from the writing and the characters themselves. Just, uh, be aware.)
Anyway, Mitchell the floamzoner, AKA "Blob Dad" showed up close to strip/layer number 900, and someone in the comments mentioned that he'd make a cute plush. What the heck, I figured; why not! I had to wait until I finished Gritty to get to work (official charity commissions first), but having finished crocheting Mitchell, I have to agree with the commenter: He makes a darn cute plush!
Oh, and for any of you worried about the long list of warnings up there? I promise, his crocheted pictures are 100% safe (and the strip I linked above is probably 95% safe as well).
Told you he was a super cute plush!
And now for the pattern:
SKILLS
Crocheting in the round [spiral]
Single crochet (sc)
Half double crochet (hdc)
Double crochet (dc)
Triple crochet (tc)
Slip stitch (sl st)
Front loop crochet (fl [stitch])
Increasing ([stitch] 2 in 1)
Decreasing [double crochet] ([stitch] 2 tog)
Popcorn stitches (Pop [stitch] [number])
US stitch terms used
Sizing information: I used a size H/5.0mm hook and worsted weight yarn for a gauge of 4 dc/inch (2.5 cm).
How to Popcorn Stitch: To make a popcorn stitch, you make the number and type of stitches indicated into a single stitch, like when you’re increasing (in this case, five). When you’ve made the final stitch, you remove your hook from the yarn, put it through the top of the first stitch in the popcorn group, then pull the working loop from the end of the popcorn group through that first stitch. This will make a little cluster of stitches that stick out from the rest of the work, like a ball. In the next round or row of stitches, treat the first stitch in the popcorn cluster as the only stitch. For this pattern, I used them for Mitchell's thumbs. When crocheting the next round of the pattern, go through only the loop that you used to cluster the popcorn stitches together (the one you pulled from the last stitch through the first stitch).
Note: A Floamzoner is very similar to a Futurama-style brain slug in size and shape! If you’d prefer to use a pattern that’s mostly single crochet rather than one that’s mostly double crochet, I highly recommend this one by Hook & Needles, only increase by three (evenly spaced) every third round once you get to the main body. For the arms, my conversion rate is 5 rounds of sc for every 2 rounds of dc (so 4 rounds of dc would be 10 rounds in sc). Increases and decreases should remain in roughly the same place on the arms, and for the eyes, make two rounds (sc 6, then sc 12) instead of one round. Alternately, for the eyes, you can just use crescents of yellow fabric, such as felt.
Disclaimer: I haven’t tested this out! This is only a possible suggestion for an alteration or alternate pattern, since I know a lot of people prefer patterns that are mostly in single crochet rather than double crochet.
Body
Round 1: Begin in the round; Dc 12; continue in a spiral
Round 2: Dc 18 ([dc 2 in 1, dc 1] x 6)
Round 3: Dc 24 ([dc 2 in 1, dc 2] x 6)
Round 4: Dc 30 ([dc 2 in 1, dc 3] x 6)
Round 5: Dc 36 ([dc 2 in 1, dc 4] x 6)
Round 6: Dc 36
Round 7: Dc 39 ([dc 11, dc 2 in 1] x 3)
Round 8: Dc 39
Round 9: Dc 42 ([dc 12, dc 2 in 1] x 3)
Round 10: Dc 42
Round 11: Dc 48 ([dc 6, dc 2 in 1] x 6)
Round 12: Fl dc 60 ([fl dc 3, fl dc 2 in 1] x 12)
Round 13: [Dc 1, hdc 1, sc 1, sl st 2, sc 1, hdc 1, dc 1, trc 2 in 1 x 2] x 6
Round 14: Dc 1, hdc 1, sc 1, sl st 1
Fin
Arms (Make 2)
Round 1: Sc 6
Round 2: Dc 9 ([dc 1, dc 2 in 1] x 3)
Round 3: Dc 9
Round 4: Dc 8, Pop dc 5
Round 5: Dc 6 ([dc 1, dc 2 tog] x 3)
Round 6 thru 17: Dc 6
Round 18: Dc 4, sc 1, sl st 1
Fin
Use the tail from the beginning to sew the palms closed. You do not need to stuff the arms.
Base Version 1
Round 1: Dc 12
Round 2: Dc 24 (dc 2 in 1 x 12)
Round 3: Dc 36 ([dc 1, dc 2 in 1] x 12)
Round 4: Dc 48 ([dc 2, dc 2 in 1] x 12)
Round 5: Sc 47, sl st
Fin
Sew into the free loops of Round 12 of the body, ridged side in; stuff when ¾ the way through sewing together.
Base Version 2
Round 1: In the free loops of Round 12 of the body, sc 48
Round 2: Dc 36 ([dc 2, dc 2 tog] x 12)
Round 3: Dc 24 ([dc 1, dc 2 tog] x 12)
Round 4: Dc 12 (dc 2 tog x 12); stuff the body around now
Round 5: Dc 6 (dc 2 tog x 6)
Round 6: Sl st 3 (every other stitch)
Fin
(Note: This version is untested, since I liked how Version 1 went; I just wanted to provide options.)
For either style of base, you can sew the next-to-outermost round (Round 4 for Version 1, Round 2 for Version 2) to Round 11 of the body to make the base stay more upright/concave and keep it from bubbling out too much; this is entirely optional.
Eyes (Make 4; 2 in the same green as the body/arms, and 2 in light yellow)
Round 1: Dc 12; sl st through first stitch to make clean circles
Fin
Set the circles down in pairs so the green circles overlap the yellow ones, with the edge of the green circle meeting or just passing the center of the yellow circle. To make them easier to sew together, make sure that the yarn tail from the green circles is on the left side where the circles meet, while the yellow yarn tail is on the right side where the circles meet like so. Sew the green circle down to the top of the yellow circle, as seen here. Place on the body with the yellow crescents “pointing” down, and sew the eyes in place, using the green yarn tail to sew the green side down and the yellow yarn tail to sew the yellow side down.
Sew the arms to the top of the floamzoner’s head around Round 2 or 3 of the body, with the thumbs on the same side of the body as the eyes. Sew slightly higher on the arms near the top of the head/body than underneath, to give the arms more lift.
If you like this pattern—or even if you don't—and are comfortably able to do so, please consider donating to Native American Covid 19 relief funds! Native American communities have been among the hardest hit by Covid, with little to no government aid.
Here are a couple of donation options:
Navajo/Diné and Hopi Covid 19 Relief Fund
Pueblo Relief Fund
Anyway, Mitchell the floamzoner, AKA "Blob Dad" showed up close to strip/layer number 900, and someone in the comments mentioned that he'd make a cute plush. What the heck, I figured; why not! I had to wait until I finished Gritty to get to work (official charity commissions first), but having finished crocheting Mitchell, I have to agree with the commenter: He makes a darn cute plush!
Oh, and for any of you worried about the long list of warnings up there? I promise, his crocheted pictures are 100% safe (and the strip I linked above is probably 95% safe as well).
Told you he was a super cute plush!
And now for the pattern:
SKILLS
Crocheting in the round [spiral]
Single crochet (sc)
Half double crochet (hdc)
Double crochet (dc)
Triple crochet (tc)
Slip stitch (sl st)
Front loop crochet (fl [stitch])
Increasing ([stitch] 2 in 1)
Decreasing [double crochet] ([stitch] 2 tog)
Popcorn stitches (Pop [stitch] [number])
US stitch terms used
Sizing information: I used a size H/5.0mm hook and worsted weight yarn for a gauge of 4 dc/inch (2.5 cm).
How to Popcorn Stitch: To make a popcorn stitch, you make the number and type of stitches indicated into a single stitch, like when you’re increasing (in this case, five). When you’ve made the final stitch, you remove your hook from the yarn, put it through the top of the first stitch in the popcorn group, then pull the working loop from the end of the popcorn group through that first stitch. This will make a little cluster of stitches that stick out from the rest of the work, like a ball. In the next round or row of stitches, treat the first stitch in the popcorn cluster as the only stitch. For this pattern, I used them for Mitchell's thumbs. When crocheting the next round of the pattern, go through only the loop that you used to cluster the popcorn stitches together (the one you pulled from the last stitch through the first stitch).
Note: A Floamzoner is very similar to a Futurama-style brain slug in size and shape! If you’d prefer to use a pattern that’s mostly single crochet rather than one that’s mostly double crochet, I highly recommend this one by Hook & Needles, only increase by three (evenly spaced) every third round once you get to the main body. For the arms, my conversion rate is 5 rounds of sc for every 2 rounds of dc (so 4 rounds of dc would be 10 rounds in sc). Increases and decreases should remain in roughly the same place on the arms, and for the eyes, make two rounds (sc 6, then sc 12) instead of one round. Alternately, for the eyes, you can just use crescents of yellow fabric, such as felt.
Disclaimer: I haven’t tested this out! This is only a possible suggestion for an alteration or alternate pattern, since I know a lot of people prefer patterns that are mostly in single crochet rather than double crochet.
Body
Round 1: Begin in the round; Dc 12; continue in a spiral
Round 2: Dc 18 ([dc 2 in 1, dc 1] x 6)
Round 3: Dc 24 ([dc 2 in 1, dc 2] x 6)
Round 4: Dc 30 ([dc 2 in 1, dc 3] x 6)
Round 5: Dc 36 ([dc 2 in 1, dc 4] x 6)
Round 6: Dc 36
Round 7: Dc 39 ([dc 11, dc 2 in 1] x 3)
Round 8: Dc 39
Round 9: Dc 42 ([dc 12, dc 2 in 1] x 3)
Round 10: Dc 42
Round 11: Dc 48 ([dc 6, dc 2 in 1] x 6)
Round 12: Fl dc 60 ([fl dc 3, fl dc 2 in 1] x 12)
Round 13: [Dc 1, hdc 1, sc 1, sl st 2, sc 1, hdc 1, dc 1, trc 2 in 1 x 2] x 6
Round 14: Dc 1, hdc 1, sc 1, sl st 1
Fin
Arms (Make 2)
Round 1: Sc 6
Round 2: Dc 9 ([dc 1, dc 2 in 1] x 3)
Round 3: Dc 9
Round 4: Dc 8, Pop dc 5
Round 5: Dc 6 ([dc 1, dc 2 tog] x 3)
Round 6 thru 17: Dc 6
Round 18: Dc 4, sc 1, sl st 1
Fin
Use the tail from the beginning to sew the palms closed. You do not need to stuff the arms.
Base Version 1
Round 1: Dc 12
Round 2: Dc 24 (dc 2 in 1 x 12)
Round 3: Dc 36 ([dc 1, dc 2 in 1] x 12)
Round 4: Dc 48 ([dc 2, dc 2 in 1] x 12)
Round 5: Sc 47, sl st
Fin
Sew into the free loops of Round 12 of the body, ridged side in; stuff when ¾ the way through sewing together.
Base Version 2
Round 1: In the free loops of Round 12 of the body, sc 48
Round 2: Dc 36 ([dc 2, dc 2 tog] x 12)
Round 3: Dc 24 ([dc 1, dc 2 tog] x 12)
Round 4: Dc 12 (dc 2 tog x 12); stuff the body around now
Round 5: Dc 6 (dc 2 tog x 6)
Round 6: Sl st 3 (every other stitch)
Fin
(Note: This version is untested, since I liked how Version 1 went; I just wanted to provide options.)
For either style of base, you can sew the next-to-outermost round (Round 4 for Version 1, Round 2 for Version 2) to Round 11 of the body to make the base stay more upright/concave and keep it from bubbling out too much; this is entirely optional.
Eyes (Make 4; 2 in the same green as the body/arms, and 2 in light yellow)
Round 1: Dc 12; sl st through first stitch to make clean circles
Fin
Set the circles down in pairs so the green circles overlap the yellow ones, with the edge of the green circle meeting or just passing the center of the yellow circle. To make them easier to sew together, make sure that the yarn tail from the green circles is on the left side where the circles meet, while the yellow yarn tail is on the right side where the circles meet like so. Sew the green circle down to the top of the yellow circle, as seen here. Place on the body with the yellow crescents “pointing” down, and sew the eyes in place, using the green yarn tail to sew the green side down and the yellow yarn tail to sew the yellow side down.
Sew the arms to the top of the floamzoner’s head around Round 2 or 3 of the body, with the thumbs on the same side of the body as the eyes. Sew slightly higher on the arms near the top of the head/body than underneath, to give the arms more lift.
If you like this pattern—or even if you don't—and are comfortably able to do so, please consider donating to Native American Covid 19 relief funds! Native American communities have been among the hardest hit by Covid, with little to no government aid.
Here are a couple of donation options:
Navajo/Diné and Hopi Covid 19 Relief Fund
Pueblo Relief Fund
