Mr. Popper's Perky Penguins

“Perky Penguin” Can Cover from Kitchen Crochet, 1964

It wasn’t easy being a penguin in 1964. The halcyon days of being pampered by little girls or palling around with Commies were long gone. However, thanks to equal opportunity legislation in Canada and the United States, penguins were finally allowed to apply for Work Visas in North America.

Alas, it wasn’t the workers paradise they expected. Penguins had to work harder than their human counterparts, and were frequently harassed by their bosses. Mr. Perky above had to obey a dress code that sexually objectified him, while Mademoiselle Adélie below was forced to engage in humiliating tricks to earn her bonus fish.

Only the perkiest penguins survived this decade with their self-esteem intact!

For the complete pattern (and more snark):

“Perky Penguin” Can Cover

These new, re-usable coffee cans...

Sixties new, that is. Because you definitely wouldn’t want to buy one of the new re-usable cans of the 1940s.

That’s right, our special blend lets you sleep...

Forever!

Bwah-ha-ha!

...come in so handy for storing cookies, candies or just plain odds and ends...

Assuming you really like coffee scented cookies, candies and odd and ends.

...and this fellow is a real “fun” cover – quite a conversation piece! Illustrated in color on Back Cover.

Mr. Perky is saying “Help me! I’m surrounded by kitchen kitsch! And I’m so damn perky from inhaling coffee fumes, I can’t close my eyes!

Tragically, Mr. Perky doesn’t realize that he IS kitchen kitsch. So even if he could close his eyes, the pain of his percolated perkiness would never go away.

COATS & CLARK’S O.N.T. “SPEED-CROSHEEN” MERCERIZED COTTON: 2 balls each of No. 12 Black and No. 1 White.

Putting Speed-Crosheen in quotes leads me to believe that this mercerized cotton is neither speedy nor sheeny.

COATS & CLARK’S “O.N.T.” PEARL COTTON: 1 ball of No. 11 Orange.

“O.N.T” stands for Our New Thread. However, since this acronym is also in quotes, I assume that either it’s not their thread, or it isn’t new. I’m hoping for recycled thread, because I don’t want to purchase stolen yarn from the Russian mafia!

Milward’s Steel Crochet Hook No. 2/0 (double zero).

Scraps of black, white and green felt; cotton batting.

Cover will fit over a 1 lb. size easy-open coffee can (5 1/2 inches tall and 4 1/2 inches in diameter).

So what did a new, re-usable coffee can look like back in the Sixties? Why, it looked like this!

Only with less rust.

GAUGE: 11 sc = 2 inches; 13 rnds or rows = 2 inches.

HEAD . . . Starting at center with Black, ch 4. Join with sl st to form ring. 1st rnd: 6 sc in ring. Do not join rnds, but carry a contrasting color thread up between first and last st of each rnd to indicate beginning of rnd. 2nd rnd: 2 sc in each sc around – 12 sc. 3rd rnd: * Sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc – 1 sc increased. Repeat from * around – 18 sc. 4th rnd: Sc in each sc around. 5th and 6th rnds: Sc in each sc around, increasing 6 sc evenly spaced – 30 sc on last rnd. 7th, 8th and 9th rnds: Repeat 4th, 5th and 6th rnds – 42 sc on last rnd. 10th and 11th rnds: Repeat 4th and 5th rnds – 48 sc on last rnd. 12th through 17th rnd: Repeat 4th rnd. 18th rnd: * Sc in next 6 sc, draw up loop in each of next 2 sc, thread over and draw through all 3 loops on hook – 1 sc decreased. Repeat from * around – 42 sc. 19th rnd: Repeat 4th rnd. 20th rnd: Decreasing 6 sc evenly spaced, sc in each sc around. 21st and 22nd rnds: Repeat 4th and 20th rnds – 30 sc on last rnd. 23rd and 24th rnds: Repeat 4th rnd. 25th rnd: Increasing 6 sc evenly spaced, sc in each sc around – 36 sc. 26th and 27th rnds: Repeat 4th rnd. At end of last rnd ch 1, turn. Now work in rows as follows:

I wonder if ACME brand coffee was higher quality than certain other ACME products!

Please be careful, Mr. Coyote!

BACK OF BODY . . . 1st row: Sc in first 6 sc, (2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc) 12 times; sc in remaining 6 sc – 48 sc. Ch 1, turn. 2nd row: Sc in each sc across. Ch 1, turn. Repeat last row until length from first row of body is 7 1/2 inches. Ch 1, turn.

To Shape Tail: 1st row: Sl st in each of the first 4 sc, sc in each sc across to within last 4 sc, sl st in next sc. Ch 1, turn. 2nd row: Skip the sl st, sl st in next 4 sc, sc in each sc across to within last 4 sc, sl st in next sc. Ch 1, turn. Repeat last row until 8 sc remain. Break off and fasten.

Hopefully, Wile E. Coyote was ultimately successful...

...in suing the pants off the ACME corporation, of course!

FRONT OF BODY . . . Starting at neck with White, ch 2. 1st row: Mak e3 sc in 2nd ch from hook. Ch 1, turn. 2nd row: 2 sc in first sc, sc in next sc, 2 sc in last sc. Ch 1, turn. 3rd row: 2 sc in first sc, sc in each sc across to within last sc, 2 sc in last sc. Ch 1, turn. Repeat last row until there are 27 sc on row. Ch 1, turn. Next row: Sc in each sc across. Ch 1, turn. Repeat last row until total length is 7 1/2 inches. At end of last row ch 47, turn. Following row: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each ch and in each sc across – 73 sc. Ch 1, turn. Work 4 rows even over these sts. Break off and fasten. Sew ends of last 5 rows together.

Sheesh, you can’t honestly think I’m in favour of avian-icide?

FLIPPER PIECE (Make 2 Black and 2 White) . . . Starting at center, ch 22. 1st row: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 19 sc, 3 sc in last ch; working along opposite side of starting chain, sc in each of next 20 ch – 43 sc. Ch 1, turn. 2nd row: Working in back loop only of each st and making 3 sc in center sc of the 3-sc group, sc in each sc across to within last 3 sc. Repeat last row 7 times more. Break off and fasten. Place one piece of each color together, matching rows. Sew together with Black to form 2 flippers.

INNER DISC . . . Starting at center with White, work as for Head until the 6th rnd has been completed. Repeat 6th rnd until there are 60 sc on rnd. If necessary, work even until disc is 4 1/2 inches in diameter. Sl st in next sc. Break off and fasten.

Although, this being my third penguin post this month, I must confess that popping off perky penguins has a certain appeal.

BOW TIE . . . Starting at a narrow edge with White, ch 15. 1st row: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of remaining 13 ch – 14 sc. Ch 1, turn. 2nd row: Sc in each sc across. Ch 1, turn. Repeat last row for about 5 inches. Break off and fasten. Gather piece at center to form bow tie and wind a short strand of White around center. Fasten securely.

BEAK . . . Wind Orange into two equal balls and use 2 strands throughout. Starting at tip, ch 2. 1st rnd: 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook. 2nd rnd: Sc in each sc around. 3rd rnd: * Sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around – 9 sc. 4th rnd: Sc in each sc around. 5th rnd: Sc in each sc around, increasing 3 sc evenly spaced. 6th and 7th rnds: Repeat 4th and 5th rnds – 15 sc on last rnd. Work even until beak is about 2 inches long. Sl st in next sc. Break off and fasten.

Don’t worry. I’ll settle for exploiting them in the Arctic Olympics instead. (To play, type any letter you like into the user name box. Oh, and click on the Yeti when he appears!)

FOOT (Make 2) . . . Using 2 strands of Orange throughout and starting at narrow edge, ch 6. 1st row: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 4 ch – 5 sc. Ch 1, turn. Note: Work in back loop only of each st throughout. 2nd and 3rd rows: Sc in each sc across. Ch 1, turn. 4th row: 2 sc in first sc, sc in each sc to within last sc, 2 sc in last sc. Ch 1, turn. 5th through 10th row: Repeat 2nd, 3rd and 4th rows twice – 11 sc on last row. Ch 1, turn.

Edging (right side): Working through both loops of each sc of last row and making 3 sc in each corner, sc closely around entire edge. Join with sl st to first sc. Break off and fasten.

Line each foot with black felt.

And don’t think you can get away with not lining the bottom of this penguin’s feet! After their poor treatment in the 1960s workforce, penguins are very sensitive to being treated shoddily.

Even a penguin coffee cozy will know if you try cutting corners. So ask yourself – do you want a droopy penguin or a perky penguin?

Overlapping back edges slightly over front edges, starting at neck, sew 2 1/2 inches of body sections together. Stuff head and the 2 1/2 inches of body. Sew disc loosely inside body over stuffing, concealing sewing sts. Placing tail over White at back, continue to sew back to front. With White half facing body, sew a flipper to each side (pointing forward), 1 1/2 inches from head. Sew feet to lower edge, 3/4 inch apart. Sew bow tie in place. Sew beak to center of head, 3/4 inch from starting ring, as shown. Cut two 3/4-inch white felt circles and two 1/4-inch green felt circles for eyes. Sew a green circle inside each white circle as shown. Sew eyes in place.

And don’t say droopy just to be funny. Because, trust me, no one wants a droopy penguin!

Click here for the printable pattern.