Amigurumi Crochet Rat Bookmark – “Book-Rat” www.supergurumi.com /amigurumi-crochet-rat-bookmark
A particularly erudite and well-read type of rat represents the Book-Rat. Always to be found in libraries, bookshops and/or private bookshelves and often so engrossed in a book to realize the approach of the bookowner that slams the book shut with the Book-Rat inside. Despite the now flattened appearance, the Book-Rat will remain faithful to the books and helps from now on to fight dog-ears and will remember your last read page in your favourite books. Not only helpful but just great looking, the Amigurumi Crochet Rat Bookmark. The Amigurumi Rat is crocheted in spiral rounds and the later part in rows. The depicted crochet rat has a lenght from head to the end of the body of 25 cm (9,84 inch) and from the head to the end of tail of 37 cm (14,56 inch). The rat was crocheted using the “Schachenmayr Catania” yarn and crochet hook size 2.5 mm metric (there is not an exact US size for this, so use either a slightly smaller B/1 or a slightly bigger C/2 crochet hook). The pattern will give you options to crochet the bookmark shorter or longer.
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Rat Bookmark Crochet Pattern Needed Techniques Magic Ring Chain Stitch Slip Stitch Single Crochet (SC) Half Double Crochet Increase Decrease Weave In
Needed Materials and Tools Yarn Colors: Gray for the rat body and the circumnavigation of the ears , white for the eyes and black for the pupil and a delicate pink colored yarn for nose, feet, ears and tail. 2.5 mm Crochet Hook (US size: B/1 or C/2, 2.5 metric lays exactly in between those two US sizes) Tapestry Needle Polyfill and Scissor The “Schachenmayr Catania” yarn was used crocheting this pattern. The following colors were used: stein/grey (# 242), weiß/white (# 106), schwarz/black (# 110), soft apricot/apricot (# 263) IMPORTANT: This crochet pattern is like almost any other Amigurumi pattern crocheted in spiral rounds, means, you keep crocheting without joining rounds unless said otherwise. Always work a marker in the first stitch of a new round, to know when a round begins and/or ends.
How to crochet the rat head, body and tail The best thing about this bookmark crochet pattern is that except the eyes and the ears and later a small residual thread on the rat tail, nothing needs to be sewn. Means the bookmark is almost completely crocheted in one piece. The head of the rat is crocheted with single crochet stitches in spiral rounds and is then seamlessly crocheted in rows that form the body, legs and paws of the rat without sewing. So if you don’t like sewing as i do, there is not much to complain about in this pattern. Use the check boxes to mark your finished rounds, rows and steps.
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You start crocheting the nose of the rat with a Magic Ring using the pink yarn. 1. Round: 6 SC into Magic Ring. (6 stitches) 2. Round: [ 1 SC, 2 SC in next stitch. ] Repeat till end of round. (9 stitches) 3. Round: [ 1 SC, SC every 2nd and 3rd stitch together. ] Repeat till end of round. (6 stitches) 4. Round: Change yarn color to grey. [ 1 SC, 2 SC in next stitch. ] Repeat till end of round. (9 stitches) 5. Round: [ 2 SC, 2 SC in next stitch. ] Repeat till end of round. (12 stitches) 6. Round: [ 3 SC, 2 SC in next stitch. ] Repeat till end of round. (15 stitches) 7. Round: [ 6 SC, 2 SC in next stitch. ] Repeat 2 times. 1 SC. (17 stitches) 8. Round: [ 7 SC, 2 SC in next stitch. ] Repeat 2 times. 1 SC. (19 stitches) 9. Round: [ 8 SC, 2 SC in next stitch. ] Repeat 2 times. 1 SC. (21 stitches) 10. Round: [ 9 SC, 2 SC in next stitch. ] Repeat 2 times. 1 SC. (23 stitches)
11. – 15. Round: Crochet 5 rounds, each round 23 SC. (23 stitches) 16. Round: [ 6 SC, SC 7th and 8th stitch together. ] Repeat 2 times. 5 SC, SC 6th and 7th stitch together. (20 stitches) 17. Round: [ 3 SC, SC 4th and 5th stitch together. ] Repeat till end of round. Afterwards fill head of the rat with polyfill. Don’t cut the yarn. (16 stitches) 18. Row: Press the opening of the head together, so that both rows of stitches lay parallel to each other while the last crocheted stitch is the most right one. Now push the hook through the next stitch AND the stitch directly opposite that first stitch (but not the last stitch you crocheted), yarn over, pull the yarn through both stitches and do 1 single crochet. Repeat this for all opposing stitches but not the last one. The head should now be closed with a total of 7 stitches. DON’T cut off the yarn. Do 1 chain stitch and turn your work. (7 stitches) 19. Row: 2 SC in first stitch, 5 SC, 2 SC in last stitch, 1 chain stitch and turn. (9 stitches)
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20. Row: 2 SC in first stitch, 7 SC, 2 SC in last stitch, 1 chain stitch and turn. (11 stitches) 21. Row: Don’t cut the yarn and keep crocheting the instructions for the “How to crochet the rat legs and paws”.
How to crochet the rat legs and paws The rat legs are not crocheted separately but as direct part of the body. Whenever the pattern says to crochet a rat leg, jump back to this instructions and crochet a rat leg. All four legs are crocheted the same. When finishing one leg go back to the step you last stopped and keep going on with the main pattern. Keep working with the grey yarn on your crochet hook. 1. Step: 12 chain stitches. (12 stitches) 2. Step: Yarn over the pink yarn and pull it through the loop that is right now on the crochet hook. Don’t cut the grey yarn, we keep working with it later.
3. – 6. Step: [ 6 chain stitches, 1 SC, 4 slip stitches. ] Repeat 4 times. 7. Step: You finished crocheting 4 toes and one loop is on the hook. Now stitch through the stitch left from the crochet hook between toe #4 (the toe you crocheted last) and toe #3, yarn over and pull the yarn through. Repeat this for the stitch between toe #3 and #2 and between toe #2 and #1. you should have 4 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull the yarn through all 4 loops. 8. Step: Change back to the grey yarn that you used before. 12 single crochet along the chain. One rat leg is finished. Go back to where you stopped last time to crochet a leg and come back when the instructions says so.
CONTINUATION: How to crochet the rat head, body and tail Keep working with the grey yarn.
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22. Row: 11 SC along the body. (11 stitches) 23. Row: Crochet the second rat leg. Go back to “How to crochet the rat legs and paws”. After finishing the leg, continue with the next step. 24. Row: 11 SC along the body. 1 chain stitch and turn. (11 stitches) 25. Row: 2 SC in first stitch., 9 SC, 2 SC in last stitch, 1 chain stitch and turn. (13 stitches)
26. – 78. Row: 53 rows, each round 13 SC, 1 chain stitch and turn. Last round turn without chain stitch. This part will be the main part of the body. Add more rounds to get a longer bookmark or do less rounds to get a shorter one. 53 rows worked perfect for me, using a 2.5 mm crochet hook and the “Schachenmayr Catania” to fit all my books so the head, the legs and tail were hanging out from the top and the bottom of the book. 79. Row: 12 SC, turn without chain stitch. (12 stitches) 80. Row: 11 SC. (11 stitches) 81. Row: Crochet the third rat leg. Go back to the “How to crochet the rat legs and
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paws” instructions. After finishing the leg, continue with the next step. 82. Row: 11 SC along the body. (11 stitches) 83. Row: Crochet the fourth rat leg. Go back to the “How to crochet the rat legs and paws” instructions. After finishing the leg, continue with the next step. 84. Row: 11 SC along the body, turn without chain stitch. (11 stitches) 85. Row: 10 SC along the body, turn without chain stitch. (10 stitches) 86. Row: 9 SC along the body, turn without chain stitch. (9 stitches) 87. Row: 3 slip stitches. Rattail 1. Step: Change yarn to pink. 35 chain stitches. Rattail 2. Step: 25 SC along the chain, 10 half double crochet. Cut the thread generous and sew the tail tight to the body. Weave in the leftover thread.
How to crochet the rat eyes (2 pieces) The eyes are crochetet in spiral rounds with single crochet stitches. The black pupil is knotted to the eye later on, instructions how to do that will be further down. Crochet in total 2 eyes. Start with a Magic Ring using the white yarn. 1. Round: 5 SC into Magic Ring. (5 stitches) 2. Round: 2 SC in each stitch. (10 stitches) 3. Round: 10 SC. (10 stitches) Fasten off and leave long tail for sewing.
How to crochet the rat ears (2 pieces) The rat ears are crocheted in spiral rounds with single crochet stitches. Crochet a total of 2 ears. Start again with a Magic Ring using the pink yarn. 1. Round: 5 SC into Magic Ring. (5 stitches) 2. Round: 2 SC in each stitch. (10 stitches) 3. Round: [ 1 SC, 2 SC in next stitch. ] Repeat till end of round. (15 stitches) 4. Round: Change to the grey yarn. [ 2 SC, 2 SC in next stitch. ] Repeat till end of round. (20 stitches) Fasten off and leave long tail for sewing.
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Assemble and finish the Book-Rat After finishing all crochet parts, you should have an assembly kit in front of you that looks like this: Ears: Decide what is the top side of the bookmark and sew the rat ears on the head. Sew the rat ears on end of the head that is still filled with polyfill, so that the ears don’t get swallowed by the bock when closed. Use the pictures as guidance for a good positioning of the ears. Eyes: Before sewing the eyes we need to add the pupils. Take a black yarn with the same strength as the yarn used to crochet the eyes and form a simple circle. Take the black yarn and do a loop into the circle, same as if you would do a simple knot, but don’t tighten it. Do two more of those loops into the circle and slowly pull on both threads to make a big knot. Pull both threads through the opening in the middle of the eye. Tighten the opening as much so that the knot won’t go through it anymore. Do several knots with the two threads on the inside of the eye, close the opening of the eye so the pupil is not moving anymore. Cut the thread short and repeat the same for the second eye. Sew the finished eyes close under the ears. Take again the pictures for help to find the right spot to place the eyes. Since the eyes are relatively small and stiff after sewing them on you dont need to fill them with polyfill but if you want to be sure, fill them first and sew then.
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And done! Your own, amazing looking Amigurumi Crochet Rat Bookmark. There to help you against dog-ears and to always remember your last read page ‌ also a great eyecatcher.
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