Have you heard of Heidi Bears? She is a South African Crochet Designer and Blogger who creates the most gorgeous animals using the African Flower Motif.
Heidi’s latest pattern release is Puff the Magic Stegosaurus – would you like to see?
Puff the Magic Stegosaurus’s pattern is a 39 page delight of coloured crochet charts, instructions and photos. The pattern is written in US terms, but with the helpful crochet charts, you will be fine converting to UK stitches. Make sure you read all the instructions before you start as it helps you to understand how the motifs join so you can pick your colours accordingly.
I’m crocheting Magic out of Stylecraft Special Double Knitting Yarn – a great way to use up my Attic 24’ Granny blanket left overs! As the DK yarn is thicker than the sock weight yarn suggested in the pattern, Magic will come out bigger. My double knitted Magic is 37cm tall from the tip of his plate to his toe and 72cm long from nose to tail. Heidi’s sock weight version is 24cm tall and 45 cm long.
To make sure Magic’s toy stuffing doesn’t pop out of the motif’s natural holes, you need a tighter stitch density so use a smaller hook than the yarn recommends (I used a 3mm crochet hook).
The pattern has really clear instructions for making the Triangles, Squares, Pentagons, Hexagons, Heptagons and Octagon motifs.
Assembling Puff’s body may seem a little daunting at first. All those shapes and learning how to “join as you go”! Just stay calm – you will be fine – the photos in the instructions really help.
The motifs tessellate so beautifully to form Magic’s dinosaur scales. It feels weirdly maternal as through you are crocheting his soul!
Here is Magic without his back plates.
At this stage he looks like a cute and cuddly Diplodocus!
Now, for his final features…….
………. back plates. A fully formed Stegosaurus!
thestitchsharer 
I just did tomato the frog and he came out beautiful. Had so much fun making him. My older son (26) asked me to make him one. I’m one it. I have the hippo will be buying more. Thanks for such great patterns.
Thanks for leaving you fabulous feedback, Heidi is an amazing designer, I totally adore her pattern too. Xxxx
I can’t figure out how to get to the pattern. Is there a link I missed? Or do I have to buy it?
Hi there, you do need to buy Heidi’s pattern, the one I brought was as a downloadable pdf and really easy to do. The link should take you to where it is.
I am having a hard time figuruing out the tail instructions on page 15, joining the hex on 4 sides. I can’t quite figure out which is the 4th side. I just completed happypotamous, and didn’t think I’d have this much trouble right off the bat, any help?
sorry – only just found your message, it went into my spam box. Did you manage to work it out?
I unpicked about four times because I put a pentagon mistakenly for a hexagon. I got there in the end….check and re check…it’s about my third Heidi Bear design too…..!
Hi! He looks absolutely gorgeous! I was just thinking about making one myself, also using the stylecraft special dk yarn – so I am wondering how much yarn did you need to make him?
Thank you. I would love to see a photo of your dino when he / she is finished. I brought 2 balls of the main colour yarn (green) and 1 of plum for the scales (I did have lots of green left over). The rest of the yarn was left over from blanket makes. Remember to use a smaller hook than the yarn recommends (mine was a 3mm) so the holes aren’t too big. x
OK, one more question, please: which method of joining the motifs did you use? It’s very attractive.
I did the join as you go method – totally loved making Magic – amazing what Maths and Crochet can create! x
Yah, I saw that you used join as you go, but your seam looks different from the one Heidi did in her tutorial: do you have a link for the particular one YOU used? It doesn’t have holes the way hers does…
Thanx!
I checked out the technique Lucy uses over at Attic 24 too and then just went with the flow! I think you just need to go with it and try what seems right. Although I try to do what I’m supposed to do but I am a bit random sometimes and put extra stitches in every now and then if the gap looks to big! Hope that helps….
But yours looks different from the one Heidi did in her tutorial: do you have a link for yours? Hers had holes in it; your’s doesn’t and has a pretty zigzag effect to it.
Thank you, I think that must be the extra ‘random’ stitches I put in when the gap looks too big! X
Can you possibly post the instructions for the heptagon? Thanx in advance!
Jazzki
The tutorial for the hexagon is over on heidi bears website, here is the link. http://heidibearscreative.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/african-flower-hexagon-crochet-tutorial.html
I don’t think I can post the pattern for the shape you are after because of Heidi’s pattern copyright. There might be a similar shape on the Ravelry site. X
Yah, I had seen plenty of tutes for the hexagon (and there’s one for the octagon, too), but if there’s a copyright issue, then of course I understand your not being able to post it (boohooo). Thanx anyway! 🙂
Yah, I’ve seen plenty of tutes for the hexagon and even one for the octagon, but there’re none for the HEPTAgon {sniff}. I do understand that you can’t post it if there’s some sort of copyright restriction on it, but thanx anyway.
HA, I just looked again at a symbol diagram for the octagon, and it hit me: all you have to do is leave out one repeat from that in the beginning round and you’ve gotcherself the heptagon! WHOOOOPPPPPEEEE!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Can i ask how you got the spine plates to stand up mine keep falling over Thanks
I had a similar problem! In the end I popped a bit of toy stuffing into each which seems to work. Would love to know what works for you. X
He’s gorgeous!
Thank you. X
Just catching up with posts. I’m sooooo jealous that you’ve completed a Heidi Bears pattern!!!!!
Are you keeping him for yourself? He’s fabulous.
Thank you Lucie, my hubby has adopted him already so he’s here to stay! X
He’s fabulous.I have my eye on the hippo pattern.
I would love to hear how you get on with him if you do!
Lovely post, yes Heidi and I love Lucy of Attic24~~ both of these ladies are one of a kind! Sandy
Beautiful
Thank you! X
Oh my gosh, this is amazing and brought a smile to my face! So cute!
Thank you. He is so cute and cuddly! x
really lovely! you’ve done a fabulous job, the colours are beautiful.
Thank you so much – he was great fun to make. x
Thank you – it was a great way to use up my Attic 24 colour stash!
Ah, Attic 24…drooooooooooooool!