Felix with pumpkin

***You may purchase this pattern here***
Russian: Вы можете найти версию этого описания на русском языке тут.

Not so wicked but trying to be a bad cat this Halloween season. Do you see his smirk over a stolen pumpkin?
You won’t get bored with Felix. He knows a lot of spooky stories, starring himself as the main character in most of them. Boo!

This pattern is written in US terms
Level of difficulty: advanced beginner

Materials:

Yarn
⋆ “LA MIA Baby Cotton”, #3, Light-DK weight (50% Cotton 50% Acrylic; 100 g / 3.5 oz per 200 m / 218 yd)
– Color 1: grey – 52 g / 1.9 oz – 104 m / 114 yd
– Color 2: white – 3 g / 0.11 oz – 6 m / 7 yd
– Color 3: black – 20 g / 0.7 oz- 40 m / 44 yd
⋆ “DROPS muskat”, #3, DK weight (100% Cotton; 109 yds / 100 m per 1.8 oz / 50 g)
– Color 4: orange – 3.5 g / 0.13 oz – 7 m / 8 yd
– Color 5: brown – 1 g / 0.04 oz – 2 m / 2.2 yd
Yarn needle
2.5 mm hook (body and pumpkin) and 3 mm hook (hat)
Scissors
Polyester or other filler you usually use
Contrasting yarn (or stitch markers) to distinguish the beginning and the end of each row
Pins
Good mood

Measurements:

If you use the specified yarn and hooks, your toy will be 9 inches (approximately 23 cm) tall without the hat. Note that your toy may be a different size if you use different yarn and hooks.

Notes:

Work in continuous rounds using contrasting yarn or a stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round.
Do not stuff too tight
[ ] – Repeat instructions between brackets the number of times indicated
( ) – Total number of stitches at the end of each round.
{ } – Multiple stitches go in the same stitch
When attaching applique, arms and eyes, make sure to pick up body stitches which are located right under the applique itself.
Use only back loops of applique, arms and eyes to attach them to the body.
When pattern says “secure the yarn”, it means make a knot.

Abbreviations and techniques:

MR – Magic Ring
rnd(s) – round(s)
ch – chain
sc – single crochet
hdc – half double crochet
dc – double crochet
inc – increase: 2 sc into the same stitch
dec – decrease: crochet 2 sc together into front loops
sc3tog – sc 3 together
st(s)- stitch(es)
sl st – slip stitch
yo – yarn over
3rd loop – a horizontal line at the back of a stitch

Special stitches:

Pumpkin pattern:

Pumpkin stem pattern:

Pattern Instructions:

Legs (make 2):

With color 1 (Grey)

Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Rnd 2: [Inc] 6 times (12 sts)
Rnd 3: [1 sc, inc] 6 times (18 sts)
Rnd 4-6: 18 sc around for the next 3 rnds (18 sts)
Rnd 7: 6 sc, inc, 4 sc, inc, 6 sc (20 sts)
Rnd 8-9: 20 sc around for the next 2 rnds (20 sts)
When the first leg is complete, secure yarn with a sl st into the next st. Fasten off leaving a short tail.
Crochet the second leg the same as the first but DO NOT fasten off.
Continue crocheting the body starting from the second leg.

Body:

Ch 4 and join the second leg to the first one with a sl st in the last sc of the first leg.

New rnd starts from the next st.
Rnd 1: 20 sc around the first leg, 4 sc along the ch 4, 20 sc around the second leg, 4 sc along the ch 4 (48 sts)

Rnd 2: 8 sc, inc, 3 sc, inc, 19 sc, inc, 3 sc, inc, 11 sc (52 sts)
Rnd 3: 8 sc, inc, 5 sc, inc, 19 sc, inc, 5 sc, inc, 11 sc (56 sts)
Rnd 4: 56 sc around (56 sts)
Rnd 5: 9 sc, inc, 5 sc, inc, 10 sc, inc, 10 sc, inc, 5 sc, inc, 10 sc, inc, 1 sc (62 sts)
Rnd 6-13: 62 sc around for the next 8 rnds (62 sts)
Rnd 14: 14 sc, dec, 29 sc, dec, 15 sc (60 sts)
Rnd 15: 60 sc around (60 sts)
Rnd 16: [8 sc, dec] 6 times (54 sts)
Rnd 17: 54 sc around (54 sts)
Rnd 18: [7 sc, dec] 6 times (48 sts)
Rnd 19-20: 48 sc around for the next 2 rnds (48 sts)

You can start filling the toy little by little. DO NOT stuff too tight, we do not need it to be round, it has to have a somewhat flat shape.

Rnd 21: [6 sc, dec] 6 times (42 sts)
Rnd 22-23: 42 sc around for the next 2 rnds (42 sts)
Rnd 24: [5 sc, dec] 6 times (36 sts)
Rnd 25-34: 36 sc around for the next 10 rnds (36 sts)
Keep on filling up and stretching to the sides.

Rnd 35: 9 sc, [dec, 1 sc] 3 times, 9 sc, [dec, 1 sc] 3 times (30 sts)
Rnd 36: 9 sc, [dec] 3 times, 9 sc, [dec] 3 times (24 sts)
Rnd 37: [9 sc, sc3tog] 2 times (20 sts)
Sl st in next st. Cut yarn, leaving a long tail.

Fold in half and sew edges together with the long tail. Fasten off, weave in the end.

Eyes (make 2):

With color 2 (white)

Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Rnd 2: [Inc] 6 times (12 sts)
Rnd 3: [1 sc, inc] 6 times (18 sts)
Sl st in next st, cut off the yarn leaving a long tail, pull the tail up through the loop. Thread yarn into needle, insert needle (from front) in back loop of the next st and pull through.

Thread approximately 19 inches of color 3 (black) yarn (split if too thick, I did) into needle and secure yarn on the back.
Backstitch around the eye:
Insert needle (from back) into any st of the last rnd, finish the st by inserting needle (from front) into the next st on the right.
Insert needle (from back) into next st on the left and finish the st by inserting needle (from front) into next st on the right.

Make sure you backstitch into the st with sl st.
And also make sure your white yarn is above black stitches.

Then wrap around any sc of the second rnd, repeat 5 more times if you split the yarn and 2 more times if you didn’t or until you are satisfied with the result. Secure yarn on the back and cut off.

Arms (make 2):

With color 1 (grey)

Row 1: Ch 7 (do not count loop on hook), sc into 2nd ch from hook, 4 sc, 5 sc into last ch, 5 sc across the bottom side of foundation chain (15 sts)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn, sc in same st, 6 sc, 3 sc in next st, 7 sc across (17 sts)

Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc in same st, 7 sc, 3 sc in next st, 8 sc across (19 sts)
Row 4: Ch 1 (do not turn), sc into last st, 4 sc across the side of the arm, sl st in 1st sc of third row (5 sts)
Fasten off leaving a long tail.

Thread approximately 25 inches of color 3 (black) yarn (split in half if too thick, I did) into needle and secure yarn on the back. Backstitch around each arm like you did with the eyes. When done, secure the yarn on the back and cut off. Stretch each arm a little by pulling each side in opposite directions.

Ears (make 2):

With color 1 (Grey)

Rnd 1: 4 sc in MR (4 sts)
Rnd 2: [Inc] 4 times (8 sts)
Rnd 3: [3 sc, inc] 2 times (10 sts)
Rnd 4: 10 sc around (10 sts)
Rnd 5: [4 sc, inc] 2 times (12 sts)
Rnd 6: [2 sc, inc] 4 times (16 sts)
Rnd 7: 16 sc around (16 sts)
Rnd 8: [7 sc, inc] 2 times (18 sts)
Rnd 9: [8 sc, inc] 2 times (20 sts)
Rnd 10: 20 sc around (20 sts)
Sl st in next st, fasten off, leaving a long tail.
Fold ear in half along the line with increases (you should have 9 sc on the front).

Thread approximately 16-18 inches of color 4 (orange) yarn into needle and secure yarn on the inside. Insert needle (from inside) into the middle st (“top st”) of the 5th rnd on the front side (st with increase), then insert needle (from outside) into the middle st of the last rnd.

Go back through the top st and then insert needle (from outside) into the 3rd sc of the last rnd to the left from the middle.
Go back through the top st and then insert needle (from outside) into the 3rd sc of the last rnd to the right from the middle.

Go back through the top st and then insert needle (from outside) 3 rnds below between middle and right stripes.
Go back through the top st and then insert needle (from outside) 4 rnds below between middle and left stripes.
Secure the yarn and hide the ends inside.

The first ear is done.
Repeat same process but in mirror image for the second ear.

Pumpkin:

With color 4 (Orange) and 2.5mm hook

Rnd 1: Make MR, ch 3 (count as a st), 9 dc in MR, sl st in 3rd ch (10 sts)

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in same st, {hdc, dc} in next st, [dc inc] 2 times, {dc, hdc} in next st, sl st in next st;

{hdc, dc} in next st, [dc inc] 2 times, {dc, hdc} in next st, sl st in 1st sc (18 sts)

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in same st, {hdc (you may want to mark this st), dc} in next st, [dc inc] 6 times, {dc, hdc} in next st, sl st in next st;
{hdc, dc} in next st, [dc inc] 6 times, {dc, hdc (you may want to mark this hdc)} in next st, sl st in 1st sc (34 sts).
Fasten off leaving a long tail.

With color 5 (brown) and 2.5mm hook

Rnd 1: Make MR (leave a long tail), ch 2, sc in 2nd chain from hook, 5 sc in MR and close the ring, sc in last ch.

Stop crocheting for now, thread the loose tail into a needle and sew the stem to the pumpkin:
Insert needle in 1st sc of last rnd of the stem (from back), then insert needle into last hdc of the last row of the pumpkin (from front), repeat one more time.

Insert needle in the middle of the base of the stem (from back), then insert needle into st with sl st of the last row of the pumpkin (from front), repeat one more time.

Insert needle in the last sc of the stem (from back) (the st where you left off), then insert needle into 1st hdc of the last row of the pumpkin (from front), repeat one more time. Secure this end and cut off.

Return to the stem:
Ch 5 (not too loose), 3 sc in 2nd ch from hook, [3 sc in next ch] 3 times; sl st into 1st hdc of the last row of the pumpkin .
Fasten off leaving a long tail.

Thread the tail into needle. Insert needle (from back) into the st where you just finished (1st hdc of the last row of the pumpkin).
Insert needle (from front) into the last hdc of the last row of the pumpkin. Do NOT cut the yarn.

Assembly:

I like to attach all parts before sewing to make sure I am satisfied with how it is going to look.
While attaching, you will be hiding free ends under those body parts as you go.
Place the toy in front of you, front side up and attach all part using pins:
Attach eyes between 5th and 10th rnds from the top.

Go 1 rnd below the eyes and center 2 pins, 3 sc apart, to mark the top part of the nose. You may need to reposition the eyes to center them with the nose.

Go 3 rnds down and visually divide the nose in half, you should have a stitch right in the middle, place a pin there.

If you struggle with this step, mark the nose borders first (in the middle between 12th and 14th rnd from the top), so you have a perfect triangle. And then place the eyes.
Place another (center) pin into the middle of sc (the one on the right) one rnd below the bottom part of the nose.
Place 2 more pins 5 sc apart from the center one in each direction.

From the very left pin go 2 rnds down and 2 sc to the right, place a pin.
From the very right pin go 2 rnds down and 2 sc to the left, place a pin.

Place pumpkin in the middle, so the stem is 1 rnd below the lower part of the mouth.
Place arms, so the top corners are on the same rnd as the top part of the pumpkin.

Place ears (do not make them round, they should be more or less flat) at least 2 rnds from the eyes (the cat will have eyebrows).

Are you satisfied with the look? If so, keep going. If not, move the details until you are satisfied.
You may remove the arms, the ears and the pumpkin at this time if they are in your way. However, leave the nose and mouth pins.

Eyes:

Attach the right eye by picking up body sts which are right under the eye and picking up only the back loops of the eye.
I insert the needle into the back loops from back to front, you may do from front to back, I don’t see a big difference.
However, try not to pick up black yarn, if so it will be noticeable.

Once the eye is attached, go to the corner of the head and secure the yarn there, hide the end.

Nose:

Thread approximately 34-36 inches of color 3 (black) yarn into needle and secure yarn on a stitch that will be behind the left eye.

1) Insert needle into the secured st and come out from point 1.
2) Insert needle into point 2 and come out from point 3.
3) Insert needle into point 2 and come out from point 1.
4) Embroider the nose from left to middle and then from right to middle. You might have little gaps as you go, try to fill them in by placing more stitches over them.

When done, pull yarn over the top of the nose from point 1 to point 3 and come out from point 2.

Pick up a couple of sts of the very bottom of the nose and make a knot. Repeat one more time.
When done, secure the yarn on a st behind the 2nd eye and hide the end.

Mouth + eyebrows:

At first let’s name points for easier comprehension.
When looking at the points for the mouth, note that point 3 is a sc on the right from the left bottom part of the mouth and point 5 is a sc on the left from the right bottom part of the mouth.

Thread approximately 35 inches of color 3 (black) yarn (split in half if too thick, I did) into needle and secure yarn on a stitch that will be behind the left eye.
1) Insert needle into secured st and come out from point 1.
2) Insert needle into point 2 and come out from point 3.
3) Insert needle into point 2 and come out from point 4.

4) Insert needle into point 3 and come out from point 5.
5) Insert needle into point 4 and come out from point 6.
6) Insert needle into point 5 and come out from point 6.

7) Insert needle into point 7 and come out from the st 1 rnd above point 2.
8) Insert needle into next st on the right, come out from the st on the right from point 1.
9) Insert needle into next st on the right and come out from the next st on the right.

10) Insert needle into next st on the right and come out from the 3rd st on the right.
11) Insert needle into the next st on the right and come out from the next st on the right.
12) Insert needle into the next st on the right and come out from the st 1 rnd above point 6.

13) Insert needle into the st on the left and come out from a corner of the head.

If your needle is too short for that, come out from where you secured the yarn and then from the corner of the head.
DO NOT cut off the yarn, you will need it a bit later.
Attach the second eye the same way as the first one.

To make the eyebrows, use the yarn tail from making the mouth.
This part depends on how you attached the eyes. Just follow the pictures below to get an idea on how to embroider the eyebrows (below I will include exact instructions how I did it. I made several toys and it worked out for each one).
Eyebrows should be approximately 1 sc apart from the eyes:
1) Outer parts occupy 2 rnds, 1 sc wide
2) Horizontal lines are 3 sc long
3) Inner parts occupy 1 rnd and 1 sc wide (it is OK if inner points are close to the eyes).

Exact instructions:
1) Insert needle in any corner st, go 5 rnds down from the top, come out from the st on the left, 1 sc away from left eye.
2) Insert needle into the next st on the right 2 rnds above (point 1) and come out from the 3rd st on the right (point 2).
3) Insert needle into point 1 and come out from the 4th st 1 rnd below.

4) Insert needle into point 2 and come out from the 3rd st on the right 1 rnd below.
5) Insert needle into the next st on the right 1 rnd above (point 3) and come out from the 3rd st on the right (point 4).
6) Insert needle into point 3 and come out from the 4th st on the right 2 rnds below.

7) Insert needle into point 4 and come out from a corner of the head.
Secure the yarn and hide the end.

Pin the ears back onto the toy so they do not cover the eyebrows and attach them to the head, secure and hide the ends.

Tooth:

Thread approximately 15 inches of color 2 (white) yarn into needle an secure yarn on a stitch behind where the pumpkin will go.
1) Insert needle in secured st and come out from point 6 of the mouth.
2) Insert needle in a st 2 rnds below and come out from point 5.
3) Apply 4-5 sts in between to embroider the tooth (the less sts it takes to cover the tooth, the better, thus it is thinner and more pointy).
Secure the yarn on a stitch behind where the pumpkin will go and hide the end.

Pin the pumpkin back according to the instructions above (when I pin an applique, I pin arms as well to make sure it all looks even) and sew it to the body. Once again it doesn’t really matter how you insert your needle into the applique front to back or back to front.
First attach the stem using the brown tail.
When the last st is made into the body, insert needle (from back) into the st where tendril is attached. Then insert needle into the very first st, where the stem is attached (last hdc of the pumpkin).
Secure the end on the inside and hide it.

Then attach the pumpkin using the orange tail.
When it is mostly attached, stuff the pumpkin a little. Do not fill in too tight.
When you are done stitching, secure the end on a stitch behind the place of an arm and hide the end.

Attach the arms and twist the ears.

Hat:

My cat’s hat is black (main) with a green (secondary) stripe. However, I will be using different colors in this tutorial, so you can see the stitches.

With main color and 3 mm hook

Rnd 1: 5 sc in MR (5 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc, 4 sc (6 sts)
Rnd 3: Inc, 5 sc (7 sts)
Rnd 4: Inc, 6 sc (8 sts)
Rnd 5: 8 sc around (8 sts)
Rnd 6: Inc, 7 sc (9 sts)
Rnd 7: Inc, 8 sc (10 sts)
Rnd 8: Inc, 9 sc (11 sts)
Rnd 9: Inc, 10 sc (12 sts)
Rnd 10: [Inc, 5 sc] 2 times (14 sts)
Rnd 11: [Inc, 6 sc] 2 times (16 sts)
Rnd 12: [Inc, 7 sc] 2 times (18 sts)
Rnd 13: [Inc, 8 sc] 2 times (20 sts)
Rnd 14: [Inc, 9 sc] 2 times (22 sts)
Rnd 15: [Inc, 10 sc] 2 times (24 sts)
Rnd 16: [Inc, 11 sc] 2 times (26 sts)

Change to secondary color the following way:

1) Sl st into the next st and remove hook from the loop.
2) Insert hook into the 3rd st on the right (pre-last sc).
3) Pull up the secondary color and sc in next st.

4) Insert hook into sl st, yo, pull up a loop, place the main color loop back on the hook, yo, pull through all loops.
5) Pull main color tight on the inside.

Rnd 17: You have already crocheted 2 sc of this rnd.
Crochet another 23 sc, sc in next st (where the secondary color starts) (26 sts)

Rnd 18: Sc in first sc of the previous rnd, 25 sc (26 sts)

Rnd 19: 26 sc around (26 sts)

You have 2 options now. Either cut off the main color, hide the end and start a new rnd with a new yarn or pull main color up on the inside.
If you pull it up, you will end up with the line like this.

Change to main color:

1) (With secondary color) sl st into the next st and remove hook from the loop.
2) Insert hook into the 3rd st on the right (pre-last sc).
3) Pull up the main color and 2 sc in next st.
4) Sc in sl st, make unfinished sc in same st, place remaining loop of the secondary color on hook and finish sc.
5) Pull secondary color tight on the inside.

Rnd 20: You have already crocheted 2 inc of this rnd.
[Inc] 23 times, inc in next st (where you picked up the main color) (52 sts)

Rnd 21: 52 sc around (52 sts)
Rnd 22: [3 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc] 7 times, 3 sc (66 sts)
Next rnd is optional. My green hat was wide enough, so I skipped it. However, I crocheted this round in the black one.
Rnd 23: 66 sc around (66 sts)
DO NOT fasten off.
Cut off the yarn, leaving a long tail. Thread yarn into needle.
Insert needle (from front to back) into the next st.
Insert needle (from front to back) into the back loop and the 3rd loop of the last sc.

Even out the loop.
Secure yarn on the back and hide the ends.

Twist the tip of the hat clockwise.