How to Crochet a Skeleton
Skeletons of the human body have different meanings when they are used as creative motifs. They may remind people of mortality, deceased individuals or simply the bone structure beneath living bodies. Skeletal figures are often associated with Dia de los Muertos and Halloween, but they can also be found in designs throughout the year. You can make your own skeleton by embroidering bones onto a solid black crocheted body. It would be difficult to crochet all of the individual bones of a human skeleton, so this method allows for simplicity and customization.
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Things You'll Need
- Black yarn
- 3.0 mm crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- White embroidery thread
- Stuffing material
Instructions
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Make the legs and arms of the body. These four limbs will be identical. Start by making six chain stitches. The chain stitch is created by making a slipknot and placing it on the hook. Use the top of the hook to catch the yarn and guide it through the loop as you drop the loop off the hook. After you make six chain stitches, join them into a round using a slip stitch. Insert the hook into the first chain stitch you made, catch the yarn and pull it through the stitch as well as the loop on your hook.
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2
Use the single crochet stitch to work the six stitches of the round you just made. The single crochet stitch is created by inserting the hook into a stitch, catching the yarn and pulling a new loop up onto the hook. Then catch the yarn again and pull it through both of the loops while dropping them from the hook. Complete five rounds of single crochet, then cut the yarn and pull it through the final loop, leaving a long enough tail to sew with later. Do this for all four limbs, then fill them with stuffing.
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3
Create the body by making six chain stitches and joining them into a round using a slip stitch. Make two single crochet stitches into each stitch in the round so that you have 12 stitches. Then work five even rounds of single crochet stitches. Cut the yarn and pull it through the last loop. Stuff the body.
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4
Create the head by making six chain stitches and joining them into a round using a slip stitch. Make two single crochet stitches into each of the six stitches so that you have 12 stitches. In the next round, make one single crochet stitch in the first stitch and two single crochet stitches in the second stitch. Repeat this pattern so that you have 18 stitches at the end of the round. Crochet the next round evenly. In the next round, make a single crochet stitch in each of the first two stitches, then skip the next stitch. Repeat this pattern so that there are 12 stitches at the end of the round. Then make one single crochet stitch in the first stitch of the next round, then skip the second stitch. Repeat this pattern so that there are six stitches at the end of the round. Cut the yarn, pull it through the final loop and using the stuffing to fill the head.
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Sew the head onto the open end of the body, using the loose ends of the yarn that you cut when you finished those pieces. Sew the limbs in place on the body. Weave in the loose ends.
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Use the white embroidery thread to embroider a skeleton onto the black body you created. Use a reference to see where and how the bones should be positioned. You can be as detailed or simplistic as you wish. Most of the bones can be executed by embroidering straight lines. Consider embroidering several short lines together to make the pelvic bones and the skull. You could also just embroider the outline of these parts.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images
