Free Pattern: Baby D – a just-hatched duckling

Smaller than the Ultra Mini Ugly, tinier than Lil Other Brother, Baby D is the cutest just-hatched duckling you’ll ever want to give away. The latest duck I’ve been making for The Little Yellow Duck Project, Baby D is a really small version of Darryl – a duck and with only 11 rounds for the body and head and another 2 for the beak, he works up in well under an hour, like a half hour or less. Like some of the other mini ducks, Baby D is a great size to be used as a bag charm, backpack clip, or key chain.

Materials:

Just a little worsted weight yarn in 2 colors. (The head and body are worked in one color. The beak is in another color and needs very little yarn.)
6mm black safety eyes
E crochet hook (3.5 mm)
Tapestry Needle
Polyfill Stuffing

Abbreviations (US Terms):

CH: Chain
dec: Single Crochet Decrease
inc: Single Crochet Increase
SC: Single Crochet
SC3tog: Single Crochet 3 Together
SS: Slip Stitch

Notes:

This pattern is worked in continuous rounds.

Head and Body (make 1 in main color):

Round 1: Ch 7, Starting with second chain from hook, 5SC, 4 SC in same stitch, now crochet back up the other side, 5SC, inc (last increase is in the first chain) (16)

Round 2: 14SC, inc, SC (17)

Round 3: inc, 14SC, inc, SC (19)

Round 4: inc, 16SC, inc, SC (21)

Round 5: inc, 8SC, 3SCtog, 8SC, 3SCtog (you’ll include 2 stitches from the next round in your last 3SCtog) (20)

Round 6: Flatten in half, 6SS through both sides starting by slip stitching through the next stitch and the stitch before the SC3tog you just made, stuff (not a full round, you will be slip stitching the top together through both sides to finish the body, there will be 5 stitches left unworked, that is where you will be working the head in the next round)

Round 7: (SC, inc) 3x (last inc in SS) (9)

Round 8: (2SC, inc) around (12)

Rounds 9-10: SC around (12)

Add plastic safety eyes 1 row down from the top, 4SC apart.

Round 11: (dec) 6x (6)

FO leaving long tail

Stuff head

Weave tail through front loop of Round 11 and pull tight. Tie knot and pull into head.

 

Beak (make 1 in contrasting color):

Round 1: CH 3, (SC, inc), repeat up the other side of the chain (6)

Round 2: (2SC, inc) 2x (8)

FO leaving long tail

Sew beak onto head with running stitch.

You’re done!

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Free Pattern: Darryl – a duck

Free Crochet Pattern: Darryl – a duck

Final tweaks made and Darryl is finally ready to be posted! Darryl is the second duck from Duck Evolution and works up in an hour or less. I’m making a few more this morning getting ready to release them at the Rubber Duck Derby in Tarrytown, NY today as part of The Little Yellow Duck Project. Seems like the perfect event to be releasing crocheted ducks into the wild.

Materials:

A little worsted weight yarn in 2 colors. (The head and body are worked in one color. The beak is in another color and needs very little yarn.)
9mm black safety eyes
G crochet hook (4.0 mm)
Tapestry Needle
Polyfill Stuffing

Abbreviations (US Terms):

CH: Chain
dec: Single Crochet Decrease
inc: Single Crochet Increase
SC: Single Crochet
SC3tog: Single Crochet 3 Together
SS: Slip Stitch

Notes:

This pattern is worked in continuous rounds.

Head and Body (make 1 in main color):

After round 1

Round 1: Ch 12, Starting with second chain from hook, 10SC, inc, now crochet back up the other side, inc, 9SC, inc (25)

Round 2: 11SC, inc, inc, 11SC, inc (28)

Round 3: 26SC, inc, SC (29)

Round 4: inc, 26SC, inc, SC (31)

Round 5: inc, 28SC, inc, SC (33)

Round 6: inc, 30SC, inc, SC (35)

Round 7: inc, 32SC, inc, SC (37)

Round 8: inc, 16SC, 3SCtog, 16SC, 3SCtog (you’ll include 1 stitch from next round in your last 3SCtog) (35)

Round 9: Flatten in half, SS13 through both sides starting by slip stitching through the next stitch and the stitch before the SC3tog you just made, stuff (not a full round, you will be slip stitching the top together through both sides to finish the body, there will be 7 stitches left unworked, that is where you will be working the head in the next round)

After round 9

Slip Stitch through both sides

 

Round 10:  inc, inc, SC, inc, inc, SC, inc (12)

After completing Round 10

Round 11: (SC, inc) around (18)

Rounds 12-15: SC around (18)

After round 15

Round 16: (SC, dec) 6x (12)

Add plastic safety eyes 3 rows down from the top, 6SC apart.

Round 17: (dec) 6x (6)

FO leaving long tail

Stuff head

Weave tail through front loop of Round 17 and pull tight. Tie knot and pull into head.

 

Beak (make 1 in contrasting color):

After beak round 3

Round 1: CH 4, (2SC, inc), repeat up the other side of the chain (8)

Round 2: (3SC, inc) 2x (10)

Round 3: (4SC, inc) inc (12)

FO leaving long tail

Sew beak onto head.

You’re done!

 

P.S. Keep an eye out for more sizes of Darryl still being developed.

 

Little Yellow Ducks Invade NY

For the past 2 weeks I’ve been more than a little obsessed with The Little Yellow Duck Project. I’ve been crocheting little ducks like crazy and my son, husband, and I have now placed 34 ducks in NYC, Long Island, and around Westchester County.

It’s ridiculously fun. Sneaking around. Trying to leave a duck in a super crowded place without being noticed. Eagerly checking The Little Yellow Duck Project’s world map to see if any new ducks have been reported. The rush when we’ve had another duck on the map. The amazement that our ducks were the first ones reported in NY state. The shouts of joy when we realized that the 500th duck reported was one we had left!

Ducks about to hit the streets of NY

My husband’s continued attempts have resulted in 0 of 14 ducks on the map. However, after leaving ducks on his coworker’s desks and discussing the project with them, he learned that one of them is about to donate a kidney in a few days. He didn’t feel it was right to push her to register it. She was doing more than her share for the cause.

So what is the cause? The Little Yellow Duck Project has two goals: to brighten up someone’s day by finding a little duck and to increase awareness and registration for organ, blood, and bone marrow donation. How is that personal? My friend Tania who I mentioned in my last post died earlier this year at the age of 41 while waiting for a heart transplant.

Little Yellow Duck with Tag

So what’s the deal with these ducks? There are a few official free patterns, but you can make any duck you like however you want to make it and stick a tag on it letting people know to take it home and that it’s part of The Little Yellow Duck Project with the website listed. I’ve used both the Just Ducky Lovey pattern and Filbert. Both are free patterns and work up in about an hour. I’ve found that Just Ducky Lovey is better for sticking in places, like slots of a bench if it’s windy. Filbert stands up and works great for flat places like picnic tables or the top of washing machines. The tags are available in multiple languages on the website and even include a place for you to name each duck.

While I’ve crocheted my ducks, there are also patterns for knitted and sewn ducks. People have also made ducks out of pom poms and have made bags with appliqued ducks on them.

This is an international initiative so no matter where you are, no matter what your medium, give it a shot. You just might make it on the map (and help to save a life in the process).

First Group of Ducks for The Little Yellow Duck Project

Filbert! as a Little Yellow Duck

Mallard variations of Just Ducky Lovey