The Ungalled Hart

“ Through the fathomless deeps of space swims the star turtle Great A’Tuin, bearing on its back the four giant elephants who carry on their shoulders the mass of the Discworld…Exactly why this should be may never be known. Possibly the Creator of the universe got bored with all the usual business of axial inclination, albedos and rotational velocities, and decided to have a bit of fun for once. ” - Terry Prachett from the book Wyrd Sisters As a fan of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, I thought it would be fun to crochet the Great A’Tuin as a Christmas gift for a friend who is also a fan. The Great A’Tuin has three parts: the turtle, four elephants, and a flat Discworld. Although there isn’t an official pattern for A’Tuin, there are plenty of patterns for turtles and elephants available across the internet, and a fellow fan of the series has kindly provided a free pattern for the Discworld. This is a great moment to mention that crocheters should always take a second to look for fre...

I keep stumbling across the same knit frog online, always dressed in an adorable little sweater. Since I’ve never tried knitting an amigurumi before, I thought that this would be a good challenge. The pattern is by Claire Garland. I got it from her Etsy shop DotpebblesKnits but it is also available on her own website. I believe there is also a crochet version of the same frog for those who don’t knit. First, I made the frog’s little striped sweater using 5 double-pointed needles (DPNs). It turned out ridiculously cute. If you're new to knitting or working with DPNs, I definitely recommend trying to make the tiny sweater. It’s a great way to practice color changes and try some intermediate work with DPNs. The frog itself was fairly straightforward to knit, and the pattern included instructions for adding wire to make him posable. I’m happy with how the frog turned out—he’s now my little desk buddy at work. I even did a little photoshoot with him during my break.