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Thursday, October 18, 2012

Frankenstein's Monster Hopscotch Marker

Hopscotch is ALIIIIIVE with the Kindergarteners at Mimsey's school.  It's not just the girls either, at her school it's an activity for the boys too!  They don't play exactly by the rules (give 'em a break, they're 5) but they LOVE throwing the markers even if they don't exactly know why they're doing it.  Unfortunately, unless a someone brings markers (one super cool dad at her school let them use his keys once *shocked face*) they don't get to do it too often.  

I looked into getting some Chinese Jacks, which was what we used when I was in elementary school.  Do you remember them?  Little plastic rings that we hooked together to make a donut shaped marker (and necklaces, earrings, bracelets... they were pretty awesome!). I found a package  of 200 rings on Amazon for $30 and almost fell out of my chair... That package used to be $2 at the drugstore (and a loaf of bread only cost a nickel, and they paid YOU to haul the gasoline away...).  200 rings would make about 5 hopscotch markers, so the cost was just not worth it to me.

But it did make me think that I could make something else they could use.



Frankenstein's Monster hopscotch markers!


They don't have to be Frankenstein's Monster, of course, but it's fun and Halloween-y and hey, boys would dig it and I never make anything boys like...

(also, these are fun little beanbags, and you don't have to use them solely as hopscotch markers.  Mims has been throwing them around in the living room, and Jake used them to juggle, so they're just fun to play with without having to hop around...)

Hopscotch Markers (Frankenstein's Monster version)
Supplies:
Embroidery floss (Green, Black and Pink.  Don't split the floss, just use all 6 strands)
Size C crochet hook (use a Susan Bates hook if your Boye hook splits the thread too much)
Tapestry needle (for embroidering and weaving in ends)
Scissors
Poly-pellets for filling the marker (you know, the filling they use for hackey-sacks... You can get it at big box craft stores... You only need a little, so print a coupon before you go...)

Using green embroidery floss ch 20, sl st to first ch to form a ring (be careful not to twist your stitches)
R1: ch 1, sc in each ch space, sl st to first st to finish round (20 st)
R2-9: (from now on work without joining rounds, amigurumi-style) sc in each stitch around (20 st)
R10: change to black, sc in each st around (20 st)
R11-13: sc in each st around (20 st)
Fasten off.  Leave a 5" tail.


Using a small amount of pink embroidery floss, add a mouth to the front.  Use black embroidery floss to add the eyes.  Now you can sew the bottom of the head up!  Use a whipstitch to close the bottom.


Add the poly-pellets!  It won't take very many.  Then you can use the tail end that you left when you finished the hair to whipstitch the top of the head closed.  You're done!  Take them outside to play!



**A commentary on embroidery floss as used in a crochet project:  The Franken-marker on the left has been played with and is now soft and squishy.  The Franken-marker on the right has also been played with, but it seems to be still holding it's square shape...  The one on the left was made with cheap, bulk pack floss, and the one on the right was made with higher quality, but more expensive, DMC floss... For the Frankenstein Monsters it doesn't matter, but I thought it was interesting and worth pointing out...**
xoxo

16 comments:

  1. We always used rocks for our markers! :-) Shows how old I am!

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    1. Hi Charlotte! We looked around her playground for rocks to use, but all we could find was one teeny pebble. It was pretty sad... LOL!!
      xo Jaime

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  2. You think of the neatest things to make! I bet all the kids want these now. :D

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    1. Hi Teeni! They're just happy when I bring them. So far noone's tried to keep one...
      xo J

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  3. These are seriously cute. I used to love playing hopscotch! You could make some dark brown tubular ones and make them look like Mr. Hankie (from South Park, not that I'm a big southpark fan but Mr. Hankie was a cute poop) too, hee hee.

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    Replies
    1. LOL!!! That is hilarious!! I will have to work on that...
      xo Jaime

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  4. You always come up with the most awesome stuff :) These are too cute and I might just have to make some just because. I am so glad I found your blog :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sylvye! I'm glad you found me too! They are a great 'just because' project!
      xo Jaime

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  5. Ahhaha! Love Piper's comment about Mr. Hankie. He really was a cute poop. :D

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    Replies
    1. Hidey-ho! I love that we're discussing cute poops here...
      xoJ

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    2. Me too LOL..more please.

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  6. OH=MY GOODNESS!! I have a little fellow who loves to hopscotch in our driveway. I grew up playing with rocks. Yeah, not happening next to my van! So just this morning I crocheted him a rock to hoipscotch with! I may have to make him one of these, too!

    Awesome!
    Dawn

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    Replies
    1. Hi Dawn! That's so cool! The best part about crocheted rocks (or Frankenstein Monster heads) is that they can be an indoor toy too. Mims always wants to bring rocks home, and is so annoyed when I don't want her to bring them in the house. With a crochet version, the fun doesn't have to stop when it's time to go inside.
      xo Jaime

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  7. $2 at the drugstore, bread cost a nickel, and I bet you had two walk to school up hill -- both ways -- in the snow! :-)

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    Replies
    1. Ah the legend of my childhood precedes me! LOL!!!

      Although I do remember when gas was 90 cents and it cost me less than $10 to fill up my Geo Metro during my first year of college... Oh, I just made myself sad, it was almost 20 years ago...

      xo J

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