Sun for Sunshines

Yesterday I caught several calls for crochet octopuses on Facebook. Neonatal Centre in Olomouc posted a small article that they run out of them and the article had hundreds shares within hours.

So the second wave of octopuses’ mania has started. For some reason I did not want to crochet this small sea creature so I came up with a sun idea and instead the curly tentacles I was more thinking about curly sun rays. When I got home I apologized to my family for being creatively busy and started crocheting and writing this easy pattern for anyone who wants to help or is bored by making tenth-twentieth octopus. Surprisingly this project took longer than I expected but my hook took speed whenever I imagined the little babies in incubators.

I crocheted from bamboo yarn due to its superb features but 100% cotton is perfectly fine too.

Sun for Sunshine
Size: the diameter of the sun is 8.5 cm, the length of rays is approximately 15-18 cm
Yarn: 100% cotton, 50g/125m (1.76 oz/136y) yellow, I consumed almost 100g
Thickness: 2 Fine, Sport, Baby
Hook: 3 mm, US 3
White and black yarn to make the face of the Sun
Stuffing suitable for small babies
Needle with a big eye

US terminology:
MC – Magic Circle
Sl St – slip stitch
CH – chain stitch
SC – single crochet
HDC –  half double crochet
Each row starts with either 1 CH = Single Crochet or 1 loose CH = Half Double Crochet. You can end with SlSt or crochet around with the help of marker.

1st row: 10 SC into MC
2nd row: 2 SC into SC from the previous row (20 SC)
3rd row: crochet scheme 2 SC – 1 SC, repeat (30 SC)
4th row: crochet around SC (30 SC)
5th row: crochet scheme 2 SC – 1 SC – 1 SC, repeat (40 SC)
6th row: crochet around SC (40 SC)
7th row: crochet scheme 1SC – 2 SC – 1 SC – 1 SC, repeat (50 SC)
8th row: crochet around SC (50 SC)
9th row: crochet scheme 1 SC – 1 SC – 2 SC – 1 SC – 1 SC, repeat (60 SC)
10th row: crochet around SC (60 SC)
11th row: crochet scheme 2 SC – 1 SC – 1 SC – 1 SC – 1 SC, repeat (72SC)
12th row: crochet around SC (72 SC)

Finish off the yarn. The circle is not flat but that is OK. Let´s do it again to make the other half of the sun. Do not finish off the yarn at the second circle.

Sunrays and finish
Embroider the face of the sun. I made a nose, embroidered a mouth and made two eyes and eyebrows. Then put two circles on each other and with the unfinished yarn start to crochet these two circles together with the help of a slip stitches. Make 6 or 7 then make a chain of 40 loops (this is the first sunray). To the second loop from the hook make 4 HDC in the one loop, make another 4 HDC into the next loop and so one. This way you get back to the sun and also with too many stitches on the loops the sunray starts to curl up on its own. When you get back to the sun, make a slipstitch and continue with next 6 or 7 SlSt. Then repeat the part with CH 40 and crocheting 4 HDC into each loop. You should end up with ten  or eleven sunrays. Do not forget to stuff the sun before you fully finish it. Cut off the yarn and sew in. Your Sun with its tender sunrays is ready to help the premature baby. Thank you for your time you give these little angles.

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Thank you very much for your visit.

Katy