How to Crochet a Giant LEGO Man

LEGO men, like this colorful image, are made of simple geometric shapes.

The earliest LEGO interconnecting toys in 1932 didn't have human faces to them, but by 1974 the Denmark company had started making human figures that could be attached. If you are looking for a needleworking challenge, making a crochet giant LEGO man is one way to, as the Danish phrase says, "leg godt" ("play well").

Things You'll Need

• Card stock or paper
• Pen or pencil
• Scissors
• Crochet yarn in three primary colors: yellow, cyan blue, red
• Crochet hook
• Cardboard or plastic grid
• Fiberfill stuffing
• Wooden dowel/s
• Black darning thread
• Black buttons

Instructions

1. 

   Start with a simple line drawing of a figure whose body parts are clearly delineated from one another.

   Line-draw a flat version of the LEGO man in the size you want on a flat sheet of card stock or paper. Make sure that the drawing is simple and clearly defines each doll part: 1) hat, 2) head, 3) neck, 4) torso, 5) legs, 6) feet, 7) arms, 8) hands.

   Note: This freestyle pattern is meant as a guide for experienced crocheters, so expect to do some of the thinking on your own for joining the pieces and creating alternate stitch patterns (for example, the sides of the hips can use an expanding circular crochet, which adds a stitch or more per revolution).

2. 

   Your final pattern pieces can be paper or cardstock.

   Cut apart the card stock drawing so you have eight doll parts. These are preliminary shapes.

3. 

   Reduce body parts to basic geometric shapes for ease in rendering.

   Label the dimensionality and math on each body part: rectangles (torso, legs, feet, and hands - front plus back plus two sides); cylinders (hat, neck, arms - width times pi (3.14)); spheres (head - width times pi (3.14), height times 3/5). Note: the head will not be a true sphere, so you will create a filet cylinder of 3/5 height and later add rows while reducing the number of stitches in each added row as needed to dome the 1/5 bottom (chin) and 1/5 top (pate).

4. 

   Similar to using sewing patterns, you will filet stitch crocheted body parts the same sizes as each body part.

   Create finalized flat blanks of desired sizes by changing the widths and heights as needed. (This means that the head blank will be approximately three times the original flat width and only 2/3 as tall, for instance.) These blanks will be the sizes of the 3D actual body parts. Note: you will need to decide what shapes you want for the sides of the rectangles such as the torso, legs, and feet. This will take some extra work on your part to make the foot section the right length and width.

5. 

   Filet is a block of stitches made of adjacent rows of double - as in the photo - or triple crochet stitches.

   Double crochet (or triple crochet, if you prefer the look and ease) filet pieces the size and color of each body part. (Hat,head, and neck - yellow; torso - red; legs and feet - cyan blue). Choose a needle to match the yarn thickness you choose.

   (You won't find a list of knot counts; count on your own to match the size of filet pieces you need.)

   Note: For an authentic look, you can create a circular stitch to fill the hip section using increasing rows of concentric double or triple crochet stitches.

6. 

   Use a chain stitch crochet to "sew" together the body.

   Begin with the feet and crochet together the sections of each body part and add fiberfill stuffing to each. To add rigidity, insert a wooden dowel from body into head. (If you are really skilled, you can add a crossing wooden dowel in the body at chest level crossing from arm to arm, sewing in washers so arms can rotate.) Attach an inner lining of stiff plastic craft mesh around the inside of the neck so the head's weight is supported. Do the same with the hands. Attach all body parts, leaving crown of hat til last.

7. 

   This brick rosette shows the basic pattern to make the hat crown and the fancy version of the side hip joint.

   Stitch the crown of hat closed (with stuffing inside) with concentric rows of double crochet stitches, reducing the number as needed row by row.

8. 

   Buttons as eyes and a stiched-on mouth add the final finishes

   Sew on bright black button eyes and a smiling mouth.

9. 

   He may not be "David," but you have a sculpture of your very own creation.

   Take finished masterpiece and show it off, because you've achieved a truly one-of-a-kind work of art!

Tips & Warnings

• Try a tiny LEGO man first as a sample so you can practice the extra stitchery it will need to connect the pieces and creatively add your own details and flourishes.

• To save time, you can change from the tighter woven double crochet stitch to the looser triple crochet stitch wherever you don't mind the stuffing showing.

• Color code the pattern pieces to help you remember which yarns to use for each body part.

References

• Enchanted Learning: Inventors and Inventions