Meet Franois.

Franois, as you may have gathered, is a lobster. I hadnt seen any patterns for a toylobster on the internet, so, while procrastinating on studying for my Tibetan Buddhism final,I decided to create one.As a Mainer (and, additionally, someone who works by the water and deals with a lot oftourists), I find myself constantly correcting people when it comes to the actual color of alobster - theyre actually a dark, blue/green/black kind of combination, and only turn redafter you boil them. Because of this, its ironic that the only worsted weight yarn I had inmy stash at the time was bright red. Sorry, Franois, looks like its the dinner table for you.Materials:

less than one skein of any worsted weight yarn, any color size 6 DPNs (this is what I used, but a lower size is recommended - depending on

how tightly you knit, it might be a good idea to use a size 2, 3, or 4 set of DPNs sothat the stuffing isnt seen)

a handful or two of poly-fil stuffing tapestry needle

Gauge:

not terribly important, but make sure its tight enough that the stuffing wont showthrough

Instructions:

The lobster is knit in several stages, with as little seaming as possible. The tail consists offive little fin pieces which are sewn together and then sewn onto the mail body piece. Sixlegs are created with three icords that are simply poked through the lobsters belly. Theclaws are created separately and then stitched onto the sides of the head.

M1: make 1 stitch. This is accomplished by picking up the leg between two stitches (or atthe beginning of a needle when working with DPNs). (See this video for a visual.)KFB: knit the front and back of a stitch to increase one.Tail:

The tail has five pieces and is built from the middle. The two pieces on either side of themiddle piece are symmetrical, and the two outermost pieces are identical. All pieces are knitstraight on two DPNs (or straight needles if you prefer).middle (make 1)CO 8 stsRow 1: KnitRow 2: PurlRow 3: KnitRow 4: P2tog, P4, P2togRow 5: KnitRow 6: P2tog, P2, P2togRow 7: K2tog twiceCut yarn and thread through last sts, pull tight.inner right (make 1)CO 6 stsRow 1: KnitRow 2: PurlRow 3: k2tog, knit to endRow 4: PurlRow 5: k2tog, knit to endRow 6: PurlRow 7: k2tog twiceCut yarn and thread through last sts, pull tight.inner left (make 1)

CO 6 stsRow 1: KnitRow 2: PurlRow 3: Knit to the last 2 sts, k2togRow 4: PurlRow 5: Knit to the last 2 sts, k2togRow 6: PurlRow 7: k2tog twiceCut yarn and thread through last sts, pull tight.outer piece (make 2)CO 4 stsRows 1-6: Work stockinette stitchRow 7: k2tog twiceRow 8: PurlCut yarn and thread through last sts, pull tight.finishing tailWeave in ends from BO edges. With ends from CO edges, connect the tail pieces. The pieceswill overlap. Flat end (CO edge) of inner pieces tilt at about a 45 angle from the middlepiece. CO edge of outer pieces tilt at about a 45 angle from the inner pieces. Hopefully thepicture helps!Body/Tail:CO 24 sts, 8 on each needle. If you leave a long tail (8-12), you will be able to use thislater for seaming. Join in the round, being careful not to twist.Rounds 1-6: knitRound 7: p first 16 sts, k to end of round.Rounds 8-10: knitRound 11: p first 16 sts, k to end of roundRounds 12-15: knitRound 16: p first 16 sts, k to end of roundRounds 17-20:knitRound 21: k2tog, k5, k2tog, k5, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k3 (20 sts)Round 22: purl first 13 sts, k to end of roundRound 23: M1, knit to end of needle, M1, knit to end of needle, M1, k3, M1, k1, M1, k3 (25sts)Round 24: knitRound 25: M1, knit to end of needle, M1, knit to end of needle, M1, knit to end of needle(28 sts)Round 26: knitRepeat rounds 25 and 26 until you have 40 stitches.Round 35: k2tog, k10, k2tog, k10, k2tog, k6, k2tog, k6 (36 sts)Round 36: knitRound 37: k2tog twice, k6, k2tog, k6, k2tog twice, k5, k2tog twice, k5 (29 sts)Round 38: knitRound 39: k2tog twice, k3, k2tog, k3, k2tog twice, k5, k2tog twice, k4 (22 sts)Round 40: knitRound 41: k2tog x6, k3, k2tog twice, k3 (14 sts)Round 42: knitRound 43: k2, k2tog, k2, k3, k2tog, k3 (12 sts)Round 44: knitRound 45: k2, k2tog, k3, k2tog, k3 (10 sts)Round 46: k2tog all around (5 sts)Cut yarn and thread through remaining sts. Pull tight and weave in.finishing

Stuff the body. Using the CO tail, sew the CO end shut flat while also sewing on the tailpiece.Legs: (make 3 using 2 DPNs)CO 1 st.Row 1: KFBRow 2: KFB, k1Continue icord until leg measures about 6.5 inches long.next row k2tog, k1next row k2togCut yarn and pull tight through last stitch. Do not weave in.finishingLegs are attached immediately after the tail portion of the main body ends (the last purlline). All three are fit in before the halfway mark of the upper body, if not a little less. Isuggest that you wait to bring the legs through until after you make the claws, to makesure everything is lined up right. If not, it is easy enough to pull them out and adjust themwhen all is said and done.

Make sure you leave both ends of each leg free. With one end threaded through a tapestryneedle, poke the tapestry needle through the belly of the lobster. Make sure that the twoholes are on the same row of stitches, and then pull the leg through so that there are equalportions on either side of the body. (You may need to put a knitting needle through the holeto make it big enough.)It should be noted that the legs do not go straight out through the sides of the body, butare actually more underneath the picture should help with this.

To make the legs crook forward, weave in an end to about the halfway point of the leg, thenjump a few stitches before bringing your needle back in, and pull. Continue weaving the endin. If you weave the end in through to the body, the legs will be secured so that no one canaccidentally pull them out. The legs will remain straight if you then straighten them, butthey have fairly good memory and will now stay bent if you point them that way.Arms and claws:

arm and claw (make two)CO 6 sts (2 on each needle). Join in the round, being careful not to twist.Rounds 1-3: knitRound 4: k1, m1, k1 for each needle (9 sts)Knit 10 roundsRound 15:Needle one: k1, m1, k1, m1, k1Needle two: k1, m1, k1, m1, k1Needle three: k3 (13 sts total)Round 16: knitRound 17:Needle one: k1, m1, k1, m1, k1, m1, k1, m1, k1Needle two: k1, m1, k3, m1, k1Needle three: k3 (19 sts total)Rounds 18-19: knit.Round 20: knit the first two needles, but instead of knitting the 3rd needle (with 3 sts onit), use a 5th needle and knit 5 sts from needle one. This new needle, with 5 sts, is yournew needle one. That means that the old needle one is now needle two, and needletwo is needle three. Make sure to pull tight. The needle with 3 sts will not be used untillater. If you only have 4 DPNs, a stitch holder for the 3 sts will work fine.Rounds 21-22: knitRound 23:Needle one: k2tog, k3Needle two: k1, k2tog, k1Needle three: k3, k2tog twice (12 sts total)Round 24: knit(note: around this point youll probably want to stuff the arm and what you have of theclaw. You can then continue to add bits of stuffing as you go, though the top of the clawdoesnt really need much.)Round 25:Needle one: k2tog, k2Needle two: k1, k2togNeedle three: k2tog, k1, k2tog (8 sts total)Round 26: knitRound 27:Needle one: knitNeedle two: k2togNeedle three: knit (7 sts total)Round 28: knitRound 29:Needle one: k2tog, k1Needle two: k1Needle three: k1, k2tog (5 sts total)Round 30:Needle one: k2tog

Needle two: k1Needle three: k2togCut yarn and thread through remaining stitches. Pull tight and leave the tail.Now work an icord for 6 rows using the 3 live sts remaining.Row 7: k2tog, k1Row 8: k2togCut yarn and pull tight through remaining st. Leave tail.Sew a claw to each side of the lobsters head with the i-cord part of the claw facing inward.You may want to use a needle (poked through the body) to make sure they line upcorrectly.Using the same method as crooking the legs, you can work with your tapestry needle andthe ends of the two claw parts to make them bend toward each other. Weave in allremaining ends.Cut four short lengths of yarn (two for each arm). Tie one tightly at the base of each clawand weave in ends. Tie the other tightly about a half inch lower than the first and weave inends. Voila - knuckles!finishing touches.

Draw a length of yarn through the front of the lobster, near his nose, forantennae. Another option is to chain stitch a length of yarn with a crochet hook anddraw it through.

Use a contrasting color yarn to create eyes, also near his nose. After youveembroidered them, poke the needle under the stitches and push them outwards sothey kind of pop out a little.

Questions, comments, pictures, suggestions, or pattern corrections can be sent to me atmm.link@gmail.com. My username on Ravelry is Mahoney.Huge thank you to my Ravelry test knitters for their enthusiasm and feedback!-yenju-yarnhoardinmama-tinker-sjanova

2007-2008 Molly Lincoln. For personal use only. Contact mm.link@gmail.com forquestions regarding alternate usage.