Crochet Tutorial: Crochet Around Mache-Skull

Crochet Tutorial: Crochet Around Mache-Skull

Crochet over Paper Mache!! Just in time for Halloween, I demonstrate how to crochet over this skull form made from paper mache. This is the perfect eerie accent for any Halloween party or event. Adding additional accents such as beads, bedazzle, and flowers can take a plain skull to a sugar skull in a few easy steps!

 


Follow along with this video tutorial to learn how to make this fun project:

 

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**You can always contact me via Facebook if you have any problems with the pattern. I am happy to help if you have any questions along the way.
***These patterns are copyright YARNutopia © so PLEASE DO NOT COPY, SHARE, ADJUST OR RESELL MY PATTERN. I wrote and tested this pattern myself, from beginning to end. It took a lot of time and work, and I would really like to have it remain “my pattern.”
***You can sell anything you make from my patterns, please just link back to my website YARNutopia.com. Thank you!Teacher: Nadia Fuad
Video and Editing: Fuad Azmat (My Daddy)
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Pattern
:

“Designed by Nadia Fuad
You *may* sell items made from my pattern, but please reference my website YARNutopia.com.
Please do not copy, sell, and/or post this pattern and claim it as your own.

Materials:

Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in Aran
Paper Mache Skull (I bought mine at JoAnn Fabrics)
G6-4.25mm Crochet Hook
Yarn Needle
Scissors

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NOTES:

-This project uses less than 100 yards of yarn.
-If the instructions above are confusing, please message me on Facebook, and I will answer any questions you may have. Please be specific in your questions. Thank you!!
-Work in continuous rounds

Special stitches:
Ch(s): chain(s)
YO: Yarn Over
St(s): Stitch(es)
BLO: Back Loops Only
prev.: Previous
Sl st: slip stitch
SC: Single Crochet
SC2TOG: Single crochet decrease
HDC: Half Double Crochet
DC: Double Crochet
DC2TOG: Double Crochet Decrease


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Pattern:

If you have any confusion or difficulty with reading this pattern, please watch the video tutorial to have visual instructions.

With Aran, Work in continuous rounds
Rnd 1: Ch 2, 6 SC in 2nd ch from hook. (6)
Rnd 2: 2 SC in each st around. (12)
Rnd 3: [2SC in next st, SC in next st] 6 times. (18)
Rnd 4: [2SC in next st, SC in next 2 sts] 6 times. (24)
Rnd 5: [2SC in next st, SC in next 3 sts] 6 times. (30)
Rnd 6: [2SC in next st, SC in next 4 sts] 6 times. (36)
Rnd 7: [2 SC in each of the next 6 sts, SC in next 12 sts] twice. (48)
Rnds 8-16: SC in each st around
Rnd 17: SC in 27 sts, 2 HDC in each of the next 6 sts, SC in next st, 2 HDC in each of the next 6 sts, SC in last 8 sts. (60)
Rnd 18: [SC2TOG, SC in next 2 sts] 5 times, SC in next 7 sts, [SC2TOG] 6 times, Sk next st, [SC2TOG] 6 times, SC in last 8 sts. (42)
Rnd 19: [SC2TOG, SC in next 5 sts] 3 times, SC2TOG, SC in next 2 sts, 2 HDC in next 2 sts, SC in next 2 sts, 2 HDC in next 2 sts, SC in next 2 sts, SC2TOG, SC in next 5 sts, SC2TOG. (40)
Rnd 20: SC in 21 sts, 2 HDC in next 3 sts, Sk 1 st, SC2TOG, Sk 1 st, 2 HDC in next 3 sts, SC in last 8 or 9 sts. (43)
Rnds 21-22: SC in each st around

Assembly Step:
Take a piece of yarn and tie it to inside of eyes and cinch it to the inside of the skull by tying a very tight knot.
See video tutorial for visual instructions on this part.

Rnd 23: SC in 15 sts, [SC2TOG] 3 times, SC in 15 sts, [SC2TOG] 3 times, SC in last st. (37)
Rnd 24: SC in 15 sts, [SC2TOG] 3 times, SC in 4 sts, [SC2TOG], SC in next 4 sts, [SC2TOG] 3 times. (30)
Rnd 25-26: SC in each st around. (30)

Assembly Step:
Take a piece of yarn and tie it to inside of each cheek and cinch it to the inside of the skull by tying a very tight knot.
See video tutorial for visual instructions on this part.

Rnd 27: SC in 5 sts, HDC in next, DC in next 5 sts, HDC in next st, SC in next 8 sts, HDC in next st, DC in next 6 sts, HDC in next st, SC in last 3 sts. (30)
Rnd 28: SC in 5 sts, HDC in next, DC in next 5 sts, HDC in next st, SC in next 8 sts, HDC in next st, DC in next 6 sts, HDC in next st, SC in last 3 sts. (30)
Rnd 29: SC2TOG, SC in next 3 sts, [DC2TOG] 4 times, SC in next 3 sts, [SC2TOG, SC in next 3 sts] 2 times, SC2TOG, SC in last 2 sts. (22)
Rnd 30: [SC2TOG, SC in next st] 7 times, SC in last st. (15)
Rnd 31: [SC2TOG, SC in next st] 5 times. (10)
Rnd 32: [SC2TOG] 5 times.
Slip stitch through 1st and 4th sts
Fasten off, weave in ends.

Enjoy!!


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This post contains affiliate links, which I may be compensated for when you make a purchase. That means if you click on any link and buy from the linked websites, I will receive a small percentage of the value of your order. The amount you pay is not changed. Thank you for all your support in clicking the links in my blog!! You all are so amazing!! ~Nadia


The yarn provided for this pattern is courtesy of Red Heart Yarns





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Health Update: A Promise of Hope

This blog is the first part of my birthday gift to you, Nate.

As I start this blog I have to admit that, surprisingly, it is one of the hardest pieces I am writing for a couple of reasons. I have backspaced and deleted enough to the point where, if I were writing in the 1970s, my trashcan would be over flowing with crumpled paper that I keep pulling out of my ancient typewriter. Good thing it is 2016, and several trees are being saved from my inability to focus on how I want to put these thoughts into words.

Gravity

Part of the reason I am having trouble with this blog is because it was the object behind a bit of a disagreement between Nate and me. It was nothing major, just a misunderstanding. I can be feisty and stubborn, but being ill has taught me enough about what is important and what matters, so arguments and fights with anyone are few and far between. So, no worries please.

Secondly, I am hesitant on writing this because, usually, when things go up, they must come down, and that has been my typical health pattern for nearly nine years. I have learned that a lot of things are temporary. As I continue to write about some of the positive things that have been happening with my health, in the back of my mind there is a whisper reminding me of Newton’s Universal Law of Gravity. That pesky law keeps me from getting too comfortable with the status quo. But tonight I am going to ignore that stinking voice so I can write in peace.

Barbie Butt

I had surgery on December 9th, 2015 following a very scary episode of sepsis which landed me in the critical care unit for nearly a week. You can read my last health update here. The surgery was scheduled in hopes to offer me a better chance at not repeating history of sepsis in that area as the risk was so high. All of my physicians concurred that I may not be so lucky ‘next time,’ so I had a removal of my rectal/anal cuff and the surgeons closed my bottom. Essentially I was given what they call a ‘Barbie Butt.’ You can laugh. It’s OK. It’s the truth, and God help us all, we NEED humor. I am 25-years-old and have managed to survive some of the most painfully undignified, frightening, and major health hurdles to end up with this Barbie Butt. Believe me, laughter has helped me so much it’s not even funny…or it is…but it’s not. (You know what I mean!) Without humor I wouldn’t have survived; I promise you that. Having this surgery is better than the alternative. So, I laugh in the face of this *bleep* disease that keeps coming at me. “Go ahead Crohn’s disease, Take my a-hole. I didn’t need it anyway!”

Following surgery, I ended up back in the hospital with another abscess and sepsis scare, but it was minor and with a strong dose of antibiotics, I recovered and was home in time for the holidays. That was crucial because I was about to launch the 365 Days of Granny Squares blog in the New Year. Here I was, sitting in the hospital, trying to figure out if I could orchestrate this project from my hospital bed so it would be ready to go by January 1st. I got lucky. I got to come home. 365 Days of Granny Squares went off without a hitch. Today, it has officially been an entire three months that I have not been hospitalized, and to be honest, that is a near record. The granny squares are helping me keep count! Haha!

The struggle is real

Although it hasn’t been easy, and finding an effective treatment plan for my Crohn’s disease has been like playing roulette, things are beginning to look up.

I struggled for the entire month of January trying to recover my strength. By February, I felt stronger but didn’t feel fully better. I started a new drug treatment six weeks ago that offers a lot of promise. Other than being bothered by a few side effects and minor setbacks, I am hopeful as I have seen some mild improvements *knock on wood*. I have tried so many new drugs and treatments, diets and health regimens, that I started to lose hope after failing so many times, but this time I have to hold on to hope. This time is different. It’s different because there is someone else in my picture besides myself, my friends, and my family. It’s Nate.

Nate

He’s my person

Remember that argument I mentioned we had earlier? Yeah, well, it was because I put him on the spot barraging him with questions about all this health stuff the other night with that not-so-pleasant side of my personality that demands answers about handling life with a sick person. I was probably having a tiny pity-party. There were tears, but I’m over it. Sometimes, in those fleeting, not-so-pretty moments, I feel unlovable, ugly, and scarred from a dozen surgeries and having an ostomy, all THIS worry comes out and gets overwhelming. It is overwhelming living with a terrible disease, so walking into this life by choice and choosing to love someone with these circumstances on their plate is HUGE. It’s a risk, and he did it. He did it for me. He told me I am worth the risk. Me! *insert a million feels here*

Flaws

Presently, I am surrounded by several skeins of yarn and 600 tiny square crocheted pixels for a project I am making for Nate’s birthday gift.

So many mini squares!

I’m not thinking about the ugly side of this disease but about how lucky I am to have that love. For the first time in three months since surgery, I don’t just feel good, but I feel amazing! It has nothing to do with medication, doctors, good lab results, or clinic visits. It has to do with someone who Googled Crohn’s disease so many months ago and spent time reading all about it trying to learn what he could, so he could better understand this disease and what he would be facing with me. I feel amazing because Nate says I “fight like a champ” and I am the strongest person he knows, and guess what? I believe him. I feel amazing because, when he looks at me, he doesn’t see all those scars or my ostomy, and that I feel “broken.” He just sees me. Nadia. The girl I always wanted to be before my body was attacked by this disease.

Fighting like a champ (Surgery 2015)

Fighting like a champ  (Surgery 2015)


The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades

There are a lot of things in life that aren’t fair. Nothing is remotely pretty when fighting against sickness. Chronic illness has taught me how unpredictable life can be. I wish I had that magic crystal ball to see the future, so I could know what is coming, but I don’t. I can recite to you my dream of what I would want to see, if the universe lined up just right to grant me that future. It’s a beautiful private dream. But it is exactly that – just a dream.

One thing I have learned is that I can’t control any of this disease, and the universe has a plan of its own. However, despite all these trials, I have been given this perfectly imperfect life that looks nothing like a perfect dream, and that is OK. Illness was the reason I started to crochet. That led me to create YARNutopia and introduced me to this wonderful crochet community. It has brought me lifelong friendships. It taught me the value of what is truly important, and finally, it navigated my life to cross paths with an extraordinary man who is willing to face that frightening, unknown future by my side. He gave me a pinky promise. That is a promise of HOPE. There are no words that exist to thank someone for a gift that extraordinary. Maybe these undeleted, uncrumpled words can help.

Pinky Promise

Pinky Promise

So when you ask how I am feeling, the truth would be, I feel amazing.

Happy Birthday, Nathan Lyden.

Hand in Hand
“…It’s a blessed thing to love and feel loved in return.” ~E.A. Bucchianeri

~Nadia