Monday, March 15, 2010

Pixie Popemobile Not Included

Pixie from Crochet World, October 1978

Hey, it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day, so what could be more appropriate than crocheting up a pixie wearing the Pope’s mitre?

After all, this is a Catholic celebration, and St. Patrick once threw a hoard of pixies out of his church. Sure, some of the pixies still hold a grudge, but this particular one has clearly decided to change the system from within. Not only has he embraced Catholicism, he even aspires to become the pontiff himself.

Poor pixie, he doesn’t realize that he hasn’t a snowball’s chance in... a very hot place, of ever getting elected Pope. Still, he has a better chance than this lion cub.


Bad kitty! You don’t become pope by eating your predecessor!

For the complete pattern (and more snark):

Crochet for Fun
Crocheting for fun is always preferable to spending long hours in sweatshops, crocheting for pennies.
by kay mariotti

For all you girls who may be bored with thoughts of winter and all the snow to come, how about digging out that empty L’eggs container and some green yarn.
Hey, boys knit too!

Although, to be fair, only the most unique boys will have empty L’eggs containers lying around their homes.


St. Patrick’s Day will be here in a few months and those little pixies will be popping in for that special day.
This pattern was published in October 1978, thereby giving crocheters a good five months head start on making St. Patrick’s Day Pixies.
I’m sure the little one in this pattern will become a great friend for any child. In fact, my son Tim could hardly wait until I’d finished putting him together.
Tim always wanted his own pixie. Finally, he thought, there will someone else to blame when the cow gives curdled milk and the chickens lay snake eggs!

That’s why Tim’s mother, being a clever woman, decided to give the pixie a Pope hat. If tricks were played on the household, everyone would know it couldn’t possibly have been the pixie. After all, this pixie’s a good Catholic!
Once again I chose to stuff mine, mainly because at the moment I have only the one egg and want to keep it for a pattern. For my pixie, I’d decided to put a pompon on his hat, but Tim wanted a bell, so I decided to use the little jingle bells that are popular at Christmas. The noise from the bell seems to intrigue a small child.
Tim’s mom had long suspected her son was a Changeling, but now finally she had proof. He’s fascinated by bells, and everybody knows that fairies have a love/hate relationship with bells.
Remember to use washable yarn when making this, so when little hands get it dirty, into the washer and dryer it may go and back out the same day.

This pattern is a very simple one, which takes a little more than an hour to make. I made six of them in one evening, so you see you won’t be bored while making it.
If a woman with a serious case of OCD can crochet six pixies in one evening, and she starts crocheting on October 17, how many pixies will she have crocheted by St Patrick’s Day?
It might also be used as a decoration at Christmas, so let’s get out those crochet hooks and pass the time away. Good luck on your Pixie!

PIXIE

MATERIALS:
Knitting worsted yarn, about 2 oz. pink and green
½ ounce light green
Size G and D crochet hooks
L’eggs container or stuffing
Small bell

HEAD: With pink, chain 2, 6 sc in 2nd chain from hook.
RND 2: 2 sc in each sc around.
RND 3: * Sc in first sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
RND 4: * Sc in first 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Repeat from * around.
RND 5-10: Sc around. At end of round 10, cut pink. Join green yarn.
RND 11-18: Sc around.
RND 19: Sc around, decreasing every third sc. At end of this rnd, slip egg in or stuff.
RND 20: Sc around, decreasing in every other sc.
RND 21: Repeat round 20. End off.

ARM: Make two.
RND 1: With pink, chain 2, 6 sc in 2nd chain from hook.
RND 2-4: Sc in each sc around. End off.
RND 5-12: Attach green and sc around. End off and stuff.
By the time you’ve crocheted your sixth pixie of the evening, you may want to start mixing up the colours. Purple pixies, green pixies, magenta pixies... go nuts! After all, why would you want to perpetuate the stereotype that all Pixies are White (or Pink), when you can create a rainbow coalition of pixies!
FEET: Make two.
RND 1: With lighter green, chain 2, 6 sc in 2nd chain from hook.
RND 2-4: Sc in each sc around. Cut lt. green and join green.
RND 5-12: Sc in each sc around. End off and stuff.

HAT:
RND 1: With light green, chain 25. Join and sc around.
RND 2: Sc in each sc around. Join and end off.
RND 3-10: Attach green and sc in each sc around.
RND 11: Sc around, decreasing in every third sc.
RND 12: Sc around, decreasing in every other sc.
RND 13: Sc in each sc around.
RND 14 AND 15: Repeat round 12. At end of round 15, end and sew hat to top of head. Sew small jingle bell to top of hat.
Although, if you want to be truly inclusive, you should also vary your pixie’s religious head gear. Consider a yarmulke, or perhaps a hijab. Or you could go for a vintage pixie look.
EYES: With size D hook and blue yarn, chain 2, 8 sc in 2nd chain from hook. End off. Make one more.
MOUTH AND NOSE: With red yarn, embroider these in proper places.

FINISHING: Complete stuffing head and body, or if L’eggs was used, close up end opening. Stuff arms and legs and sew to body, placing arms where green starts on body. Place eyes on face.

EARS: Make 2.
With pink yarn, chain 3, sc across, chain 1, turn. Then sc around entire piece. End off and sew to head.

BOW: With light green, chain 46. End off. Tie knot at each end and form bow. Tack to front of body.
Or you could toss your hooks and yarn aside and make your pixie out of blue silly putty.

I bet you could make a dozen Cornish Pixies in the time it would take you to crochet just one Papal Pixie. Plus, just think how thrilled the Harry Potter fans in your house will be to find one of these toys on their pillow on St. Patrick’s Day morning!

If your children run away screaming, they’re Changelings just like young Tim. You’ll just have to crochet them a couple of belled pixies, and then go to the Universal Studios Harry Potter theme park without them.

Click here for the printable pattern.


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