This is a crochet pattern review of the Mini Manatee designed by Crafty Kat Shop. Review done by Candace of T&C Crafters for EyeLoveKnots.
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It’s me, Candace with T&C Crafters.
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With summer quickly approaching, I have been looking around for some cute beach-themed patterns to make for my summer markets. When I saw that Crafty Kat Shop had a low-sew Mini Manatee pattern, I knew I needed to add it to my collection! I love how cute manatees are, and after some research, I realized one of their closest relatives is an elephant – one of my favorite animals.
The Mini Manatee pattern by Crafty Kat Shop is a really low-sew crochet pattern that works up quickly and can be made in a variety of different sizes and weights of yarn. The pattern features an extensive amount of details to help you make an adorable finished product. I am really excited about adding these finished manatees to my summer market inventory, and I think they are going to be a big hit!
What Materials Do I Need to Make a Mini Manatee?
- Lion Brand Cover Story in the colorway Mineral
- K10.5/6.5 mm Crochet Hook – I used my Clover Amour Ergonomic Crochet Hook!
- Yarn Needle – I love using these steel yarn needles for amigurumi!
- Polyester Fiber Fil
- 10 mm Black Felt Eyes
- Mini Manatee, Paid Crochet Pattern by CraftyKatShopUS via Etsy
Material Notes:
I used Lion Brand Cover Story to make my Mini Manatees. If you aren’t familiar with this type of yarn, I highly suggest you check it out! Cover Story is a weight 6, super bulky yarn that is similar to the popular Bernat Blanket yarn. It works up really quickly because of the weight. I find that it is just a little thicker than Bernat Blanket yarn. My favorite part of this yarn is that it comes in huge cakes with 547 yards included in just one cake. I’m looking forward to seeing how many finished manatees I can make with just one cake, but I assume I can probably make around 10 or more!
The pattern materials suggest using 10 mm black safety eyes. I opted to use 10 mm black felt eyes instead because they aren’t a choking hazard like safety eyes can be. I attached my felt eyes with hot glue. You could also embroider eyes on with black yarn. It is important to make sure your eyes are around 10 mm or smaller since manatees are known for having small eyes compared to their body.
I used a K10.5/6.5 mm crochet hook because that it the hook I typically use for this weight of yarn. This is also the suggested hook size for the pattern. If you decide to make the manatee in a smaller weight of yarn, you will just want to adjust your hook size accordingly. I am looking forward to trying out this pattern with worsted weight yarn, and I will likely use a G6/4 mm crochet hook when I do.
While not required for the pattern, you may want to also have some stitch markers when making your manatee. They can help you keep track of rounds and placement of the arms when it is time to sew them on to the body.
How Long Does it Take to Crochet a Mini Manatee?
This is a pretty quick pattern. I was able to make the entire manatee, including sewing, in just under an hour.
How Big is a Finished Mini Manatee?
The finished manatee made with Cover Story yarn is approximately 8 inches long and 4.5 inches wide.
Gauge:
I used a K10.5/6.5mm hook with Lion Brand Cover Story yarn. A magic circle with 6 single crochets measured approximately 1 1/4 inches in diameter.
Gauge is not critical in this type of project. You mainly just want to make sure that there are not gaps between stitches so that the stuffing does not come through. If you notice gaps, you will want to go down a hook size.
All About the Mini Manatee Crochet Pattern:
The Mini Manatee crochet pattern by Crafty Kat Shop is a quick and easy advanced beginner pattern. In order to be able to make a mini manatee, you will need to have knowledge of working in the round, single crochet, increasing and decreasing, slip stitching, and sewing on pieces. This pattern utilizes the magic ring method when starting to work in the round, but you could alternatively chain two and working in the first chain space to make your starting rings if necessary.
I found this pattern really easy to follow and very well-written. Each step is clearly described with stitch counts for the round included. There are tips placed throughout the pattern and pictures provided for almost every single step. Even at parts that may have seemed tricky at first, the pattern provided all the information I needed to successfully follow the pattern the first time through.
The trickiest part of this pattern for me was making the snout of the manatee. This is the first part of the pattern, and there is a tactic the designer uses to help shape the snout to look realistic. The snout requires skipping some stitches and later grabbing some loops from the skipped stitches to help pull the snout’s bottom towards the top of the snout. Reading the directions alone left me a little confused at this part at first, but as soon as I checked out the pictures provided, I was able to do what I needed to do.
The remaining parts of the pattern are all super easy to follow. If you are used to making amigurumi and working in the round, you shouldn’t have any issues at all. As I mentioned earlier, this is a really low-sew pattern. The only sewing involved is for closing up the body of the project, closing up the arms, and attaching the arms. You can either whip stitch to close up the tail and the arms, or use slip stitches. I tried to use slip stitches at first, but I didn’t like how it looked, so I opted to use whip stitching.
Placing the arms was super easy. The pattern describes the exact placement for both of the arms and how to sew them on. I really liked that these directions were so clear because attaching features to amigurumi can be quite a pain if details aren’t provided.
Overall, I think this was an expertly written pattern with a lot of fantastic details! I would highly recommend you try out this adorable Mini Manatee pattern by Crafty Kat Shop!
Check Out These Other Great Patterns:
If you liked this crochet pattern review, be sure to check out some other pattern reviews and free patterns right here on the EyeLoveKnots blog!
- Petal the Sunflower Turtle Crochet Pattern Review
- Pacific Disk Stingray Crochet Pattern Review
- Pi and Pippi the Octopi – Free Crochet Pattern
- Ollie the Mini Octopus Crochet Pattern Review
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