Tardigrade by Jessica Polka

Tardigrade

no longer available from 1 source show
Crochet
September 2011
Worsted (9 wpi) ?
4.0 mm (G)
English
This pattern is available for free.

From the website:

You will need:

  • Worsted weight yarn (pretty sure this is Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Lemongrass)
  • Size G hook (my standard for a nice tight gauge)
  • Yarn needle
  • 2 safety eyes
  • Needle and thread to match the yarn
  • Felt for the claws
  • Stuffing or fabric scraps to use as such

You’ll use the following techniques:

  • Slip ring
  • Chain
  • Single crochet
  • Increase
  • Decrease
  • Importantly, to make the tardigrade look like it has a hard cuticle, you really need to work only in the back loops and then switch to working in only the front loops to form the hard edges at the boundaries of each segment. See this sculptural crochet primer I wrote for a demonstration of this technique.
  • Note that this is worked in a spiral like amigurumi.