Erratum:

On page 40, under the heading “Propeller Cap”, it reads:

“Rounds 4-11: Make one Sc into each stitch around. (18)”

IT SHOULD READ:

“Rounds 4: Make one Sc into each stitch around. (18)”

On page 31: it reads as follows:

Round 14: (white yarn)
Using your white yarn again, Ch3
Make one dc into each of the next 7 stitches
Make one sc into each of the next 13 stitches
Make one dc into each of the next 7 stitches.

IT SHOULD READ:

Round 14: (white yarn)
 Using your white yarn again, Ch3
 Make one dc into each of the next 7 stitches
 Make one sc into each of the next 13 stitches
 Make one dc into each of the next 10 stitches.

Please note: This listing is for a downloadable PDF of the pattern instructions for making Eddie and his plane …there is no hard copy of the pattern available, nor a finished item. The pattern is available only in English :)

Eddie the zebra and his trusty little plane form the ninth of my patterns that makes use of the African Flower hexagon crochet motif and variations thereof, joined in a specific order to make a recognizable 3D item. I love this African Flower pattern and the creative possibilities of using it to make 3D items :) The plane is made using different African Flower motifs and is an excellent stash buster project, as you only need to use very small amounts of leftover sock yarn to make a motif.

Please note that I have permission from the designers of this African Flower Crochet Hexagon to design patterns using the African Flower Hexagon motif, and to sell these patterns.
You are welcome to sell any finished flying Eddie’s, made by yourself. Please respect the pattern itself, including instructions, words, photographs, diagrams and the actual construction of the plane and Eddie, and do not share, copy, post or distribute in any way, electronic or other that will infringe my right as the author and creator of this pattern. Please do not use the idea and actual plane pattern to modify and/or alter in any way to create or design and sell derivative patterns, including the use of a different hexagonal / polygonal motif to make a plane like Eddie’s. Thank you for respecting the hard work that has gone into designing this pattern. I hope you will love making your own adventurous Eddie in his plane :)
You have permission to make and sell finished Eddies and planes, but with the proviso that you yourself have made them and that a credit link is added to any finished items, linking to my Ravelry pattern shop: http://www.ravelry.com/designers/heidi-bears
Your finished item tag should state that this African Flower plane and its zebra are made from a Heidi Bears Design pattern. NO mass production is allowed.

So, let’s take a look at the important points and how you will start to make your own adventurous Eddie and his plane :)

:: Steps to making your own Eddie and his plane ::

1. First read the whole pattern through properly, so you have a good overview.

2. Make sure you know how to crochet the African Flower hexagon crochet motif. I have included both written and charted instructions for the African Flower hexagon in this pattern. If you are a visual learner, you can see a step by step photo tutorial on my blog: http://heidibearscreative.blogspot.com/2010/05/african-fl...

3. Make sure you are able to crochet an African Flower Pentagon and Heptagon… for clarity: the pentagon has five petals and five sides and the heptagon has seven petals and seven sides. The difference is simply the number of “petal” repeats that you crochet…pentagons, and heptagons are therefore equally easy to crochet. I have included written and charted instructions in this pattern on how to crochet an African Flower pentagon and heptagon. I have also posted a fully explained pentagon tutorial, on my blog, which can be found here:

http://heidibearscreative.blogspot.com/2011/09/african-fl...

1. Make sure you have gone through and practiced the join-as-you-go technique. This has been explained and illustrated in the PDF named Appendix : Joining Tutorials. Since the joining method is really very important to the success of the project, I strongly suggest that you practice joining on scrap yarn motifs before starting the project. If you would prefer to sew your motifs together, you won’t need to practice the join-as-you-go technique, but will need to be confident in your neat sewing ability. I have not included instructions on how to sew stuff together…there are plenty resources available on the internet…

2. Either choose your yarn for this project or use the sock yarn that you have left over from other projects. Make all the required motifs for your plane BUT only up to Round 4 of the African Flower motif if you are doing a join-as-you-go method, or the full motif up to Round 5 if you are sewing up the motifs.

3. Know how to crochet basic stitches : chain stitch, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet, treble crochet, slip stitch, joining to finish the round, single crochet decrease, double crochet decrease, Magic Ring start to a round.

: : Materials Requirements : :

The plane that has been crocheted for this pattern, was made using sock weight/fingering/#1 weight yarn. Using this weight yarn will give you a plane measuring approximately 30cm measured wing to wing, and approximately 30cm measured nose to tail.

ALL THE CROCHET STITCHES USED IN THIS PATTERN ARE BASED ON AMERICAN CROCHET TERMS

Sock weight / Fingering weight yarn/ #1 in colors of your choice…

I USED YARNS INDIE DYED BY THE FOLLOWING AMAZING DYER:
Dana Biddle : www.colourspun.com

This little plane is a great stash busting project as you can use small amounts of sock yarn for each motif. I used three set colors, but you can make a colourful plane instead… I can’t tell you exactly how much yardage of each color I used but I can tell you that the total weight of yarn for the plane was around 140g (unstuffed).

The yardage for the sock yarn I used is around 320m/100g (350yds/100g). It is a superwash merino yarn, but you can use any alternative fingering weight yarn you like…I suggest that animal fibre yarns would be preferable, as they have more stretch, making the stuffing and shaping of the Eddie and the plane easier. Try to use a yarn with a similar yardage / 100g.

Crochet Hook 1.75mm If you are planning to make your project in a heavier weight yarn, adjust your hook size accordingly…however, use the smallest hook size possible for the weight of yarn that you can manage. Since the toys are stuffed, your stitch density will need to be tighter than usual to prevent the stuffing from popping out. Make a test motif in your chosen yarn and hook to see which would be the best size to use.

Polyester toy stuffing Haemostats (optional for stuffing)

Scissors Tapestry Needle used for sewing in ends Sewing Pins

Sewing needle Curved sewing needle

Eyes (plastic safety eyes or glass looped eyes). PLEASE NOTE THAT ATTACHED EYES ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR TOYS CREATED FOR CHILDREN! They can be a suffocation hazard. If you are making this toy for a child, rather embroider the eyes using embroidery thread! I would still suggest sculpting the eye sockets before embroidering the eyes…it adds a lovely realistic element :) I have used 7mm wire looped glass eyes. These can easily be sourced from sellers on eBay and Etsy.

: : Skills Requirements : :

Basic Crocheting Skills: Chain stitch (ch) , Single Crochet (sc), Double Crochet (dc), Slip Stitch (sl st), joining a chain to make a ring, joining in a new color yarn, Magic Ring (MR), half double crochet (hdc), double crochet decrease (dcdec), single crochet decrease (scdec)

Join-as-you-go motif joining: This pattern will require that you join the crocheted motifs each stitch to each stitch. This is necessary to prevent the stuffing popping out of the plane. It is imperative that you are confident in your join-as-you-go ability. The method I use is explained in the Appendix pages found at the end of the pattern. These tutorials are illustrated by using actual motif chart illustrations with explanatory notes. This cuts down on printing :) However, if you are scared witless by the thought of doing a join-as-you-go joining method, all is not lost…you can simply make all your motifs in full (including Round 5), then sew them together. The order of motif placement and the number of sides needing to be joined stays exactly the same whether you join-as-you-go or sew up.

Basic sewing skills Sewing the ears to the head, sewing the mane and arms to the body, sewing Eddie to the plane, sewing the propellers and cockpit shield to the plane.

Please kindly let me know if there are any errors in the pattern! I try very hard to avoid mistakes, but sometimes they pop up :)

Happy crocheting folks!