Hello everybody! I hope you all are doing well! Recently I have been given the opportunity to pattern test for the lovely Nicole from Coco’s Creations on Instagram (@cocoscreationsinc). Nicole created and designed Bernard Blueberry. Bernard is an amigurimi blueberry-based pattern, with two little chonky legs, arms, and a cute calyx to top it off. And the best part of all, Bernard is NO SEW! I loved being able to have this amazing opportunity to help pattern-test Bernard. I can’t wait to share my journey with you.
Before I share my experience, I wanted to share Nicole’s inspiration and design process! Nicole says, “I’ve been wanting to make my own patterns for a while and wanted to make something that wasn’t too hard, didn’t use too many colors, and had little to no sewing involved.” This was a key factor in her design process as she isn’t a fan of making 5+ pieces, and having to individually sew and attach each piece. Quite frankly, I agree. Nicole continues, “Most of the pieces I make are geared towards children, so I wanted to make something fun and cute. I had a thought about doing fruit and veggies since I noticed there weren’t many of those out there, and I wanted to make them cuddle-sized! You could say that I had a very distant inspiration from Veggie Tales–fruits and veggies that have faces. That’s how Bernard the Blueberry was born!” I love how Nicole kept in mind her guided audience while in her design process. While I never watched Veggie Tales, I have seen a few clips of their cute cartoon faces. I can see the inspiration clearly. If there was a “Fruit Tales”, I think Bernard would be the main character!
Once a creator has their inspiration, their next step is to start designing. Nicole said “My process for writing was basically writing as I went, then testing it once or twice myself before asking other crocheters to test my pattern. Pattern writing involves a lot of math and can be written wrong very easily, which is why we need people who are generous enough to test for us!” I had a similar experience when designing both of my patterns. I think that it’s a crucial design element to have people pattern test for you.
I finished Bernard in the time span of three nights. For reference, I had limited time at night to work on the pattern. I am a busy student and I came home excited to work on this pattern :) I found the perfect yarn for this project and grabbed my 7mm crochet hook (after essentially giving up on looking for my 8mm). I landed on Bernat Blanket Confetti, in the colorway Stone Blue Confetti. This colorway is a nice medium blue with a range of black, blue, and green “confetti” specs.
After finding the necessary tools, I started with the arms… and that concluded night one. I wrapped up my work and got ready for a night's rest. The next day of work I created the legs and two or so rows of the body. And the third night of crochet I decided I was going to finish Bernard! I attached the eyes, added a calyx on top, and smiled proudly at my work. That following morning I added the facial features (blush and smile). Although it took me three nights to crochet, I am more than confident that I would be able to crochet this through and through in one day.
I have some notes regarding pattern statics that I wanted to share. To begin, I wanted to note
that I used bigger safety eyes than the pattern originally called for – I used a size 24mm. As I had mentioned previously, the yarn that I used was Bernat Blanket Confetti. The ball-band says this includes 300g/10.5oz of yarn. I had a little ball left of 14g/5oz. Therefore instating that I used 286g/5.5oz of yarn for this project. My Bernard’s finished dimensions are 19” tall, 12” wide, and 9” depth.
I am beyond thankful for this opportunity and I am excited to see everybody’s finished Bernard’s! If you decide to make Bernard, make sure to tag Nicole (@cocoscreationsinc) on Instagram so that she can see your beautiful work (and let her know that I sent you!). After having Bernard for a week now, I can confidentiality say that he is a great snuggle buddy and pillow. If you are looking for a reason to make a Bernard of your own, I would say being able to have a pillow/cuddle stuffed animal like that is a valid reason. Nicole wanted everyone to know that Bernard Blueberry is just the first to be released of her Fruit Pals and Veggie Gals collection! More will be coming soon so stay tuned!
Nicole’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cocoscreationsinc?hl=en
Bernard Blueberry Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1553142298/bernard-blueberry-crochet-pattern-no-sew?click_key=5b3e393a57df4cf4166d60634227892e44e9745b%3A1553142298&click_sum=18bff93f&ref=s2_cur_tg_lc-2-1&pro=1
Stay crafty,
Emilia
Emilia’s Crochet Studio