Felix the Falcon

    It has been a busy month for me! I finished Felix on my birthday, but just have not found the time to blog about him.  I tried a lot of new techniques with this little guy, and I am so proud with the final product!

     As I started planning for my falcon, I looked up some pictures.  I ended up modeling Felix as a baby Kestrel.

 http://www.montgomeryvets.co.uk/news_15795.html

http://cuteanimalworld.blogspot.com/2013/09/kestrel-baby.html

    The next step was to draw out some basic shapes to help decide the construction.

      I then looked for some yarn to work with and settled on this awesome feathery yarn! I wanted my falcon to be fluffy, I had learned from a previous pattern, that the 'wrong side' of amigurumi tends to be fluffier.  So I actually constructed my falcon inside out.  It is important to work with a stitch marker while using fluffy yarn! It is hard to count your stitches, since it is so fluffy.  Also don't worry about perfection, the fluffiness will cover some mistakes for you.

 

      Using a 3.5 mm hook; I decided to construct the body and head as one piece.  I started with the head and then inc to make the body.  I also constructed him with a flat bottom so he wouldn't roll around.

     I didn't want the eyes to get lost in the yarn.  So I cut out some felt, to be a little bigger than the eyes.  I then slit a tiny hole in the center of the felt; and inserted the eye before  putting it on the head.  I was so happy how this turned out! I also added some black thread around the eyes for the trademark look of a Kestrel.  However, the yarn sort of obscured this.  For the curved beak, I  used a 2.00mm hook.  To create the curve I slip stitch for the underside, and a few double crochet for the top side.  

    

I then constructed the wings and tail and sewed them onto the body. I was going to try to make feet... but I sort of liked the pudgy look for Felix.

    Since this month was my birthday month, and I had already made a heart for Otis, and a four-leaf clover for Lucky; I decided to make Felix a birthday hat! 

Birthday Hat Pattern: (using a 3.5mm hook)

row 1: ch 2, single crochet 5 in first ch. (5sts)
row2: single crochet around. (5sts)
row3: Increase in each stitch. (10sts)
row4: single crochet around (10sts)
row5: single crochet 1, Increase.  repeat around (15sts)
row6: single crochet around (15sts)
row7: single crochet in next 2 sts, Increase. Repeat around (20sts)
row8 - 9: single crochet around (29sts)
Fasten off
*Pom pom: take a fork and wrap your choice of yarn around the spokes.  tie some yarn (tightly) in the center, creating a bow. slide off fork and cut ends.  Trim until satisfied with shape and size.  attach to top of cone.

The gang so far! Lucky, Felix, and Otis