A unicorn, a bee, a frog and a whale, each above an ombre coil with its own habitat growing along it. Daisies and leaves down the bee’s coil, lily pads and lotus flowers down the frog’s, clouds and glass raindrops down the whale’s, and flowers and hearts down the unicorn’s.
The idea that ties the set together is that the coil is not just a tail. It is the world the animal lives in, and every decoration on it belongs to that animal. That is why these read as a set even though the four colours have nothing in common.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in the following, depending on which you make.
Unicorn, cream, lilac, pale pink and a soft yellow. Bee, golden yellow, dark brown and white. Frog, three greens from dark to pale, plus pink and white. Whale, three blues from deep to pale, plus white.
A 2.5 mm hook, worked tight.
You’ll also want polyester fibrefill, 8 mm black safety eyes, small glass drops for the whale, about a metre of 0.8 mm florist wire per hanging, and a tapestry needle.
Finished length is about 40 cm each.
Abbreviations are US terms. ch is chain, sl st is slip stitch, sc is single crochet, hdc is half double crochet, dc is double crochet, inc is two stitches in one, dec is an invisible decrease, MR is magic ring.
Part 1. The ombre coil
Make one per animal, in three shades of its colour running dark at the top to pale at the bottom, or the reverse.
The chain is worked in colour blocks. Change on the last pull through of the final chain in each block.
Starting with your first shade, ch 24. Change to the second and ch 24. Change to the third and ch 24, giving 72 chains.
Row 1. Ch 2, then work 2 dc into the third chain from the hook and 2 dc into every chain across, matching your yarn to the chain colour underneath. Do not fasten off.
Row 2. Turn and work sc into every stitch across the full length. Fasten off.
Thread florist wire through the base of the row 1 stitches along the inner edge, fold both ends over and tuck them in, then set the turns about 4 cm apart.
Part 2. The heads
All four are round amigurumi worked to 30 stitches. 6 sc in MR, inc six times, sc and inc repeated six times, sc twice and inc repeated six times, sc three times and inc repeated six times, then seven plain rounds, then decrease back down in reverse order, stuffing firmly before closing.
Eyes go between rounds 8 and 9, seven stitches apart, and every one of these gets pink French knot cheeks.
Unicorn. Cream head with a lilac and pink mane worked as loops of chain sewn across the back of the head, two small ears, and a horn worked as 4 sc in a magic ring increased to 8 over six rounds in soft yellow, with a spiral of surface slip stitch wound up it. Closed sleeping eyes embroidered rather than safety eyes.
Bee. Yellow head with two dark brown antennae, each a 6 chain with a small bobble at the tip. Two white wings worked as flat ovals over a chain of 10, sewn to the back. Work the body in yellow and brown stripes if you want it fuller.
Frog. Green head with two eyes set high on separate small bumps rather than flush in the face. Work each bump as 6 sc in a magic ring increased to 12, stuffed, and sew them on top of the head with the safety eyes through them. That placement is the whole frog.
Whale. Blue head with a white belly patch sewn across the lower face, a small tail fluke at the back, and a spout of three white chain sprays at the top.
Each animal holds a flower or a lotus between its front paws or fins, sewn in place.
Part 3. Decorating the coil
This is what makes each one specific, so do not treat it as an afterthought.
Bee. Six white daisies with yellow centres and about eight small green leaves, sewn flat along the coil. Add two or three daisies hanging from the outer edge on short cords, and one large one at the very bottom.
Frog. Six lily pads, each a flat green circle of about 24 stitches with a wedge cut into it by working three rows back and forth instead of closing the round. Three pink lotus flowers, worked as two layers of six petals with the back layer offset. Sew the pads flat and let the lotus sit on top of them.
Whale. Six white cloud shapes, each three small bobbles joined side by side and edged with sc. Sew them along the coil, then hang small glass drops beneath three of them on short threads so they read as rain. Finish with a star at the bottom.
Unicorn. Small flowers in pink, lilac and cream scattered along the coil, plus two or three hearts hanging from the outer edge, and a larger heart at the bottom.
Sew everything to the outward facing turns only. Hold the coil in its hanging position and pin the positions first, because anything sewn to a turn that faces the wall is wasted work.
Part 4. Putting it together
Sew the animal to the top of the coil, going through the same spot five or six times. A stuffed head is heavy and this join takes all of it.
Attach a hanging cord in the animal’s main colour at the top of the head.
Hang the bottom charm from the last stitch of the coil. Its weight keeps the whole thing hanging straight.
Hang it up and adjust the coil spacing once it is carrying its own weight.
Notes and variations
A cat with fish and a ball of wool down the coil, or a bunny with carrots and clover, both work on the same principle.
Make all four and hang them in a row at slightly different heights.
For a nursery, embroider all the eyes, skip the glass drops and shorten the coil to 50 chains.
Questions I get asked
Why does my frog look wrong? The eyes are set into the face rather than on top of the head. Work them on separate stuffed bumps and it transforms.
Why does my ombre look like stripes? The three shades are too far apart. They need to be close enough that the joins are almost invisible.
Which is easiest? The bee. The frog is the fiddliest because of the lily pads.
How long does it take? About six hours each.