Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Crocheted Eternal Inner Sailor Scout Transformation Wand

A lot has been going through my mind lately. Between changing jobs, dealing with school, having less money, and just all around feeling lost, something interesting happened to me.

From realizing I am not doing too much in my life, to realizing that maybe I don't want to, and dealing with all of this inner turmoil by spending about $100 on Ebay on Sailor Moon things and cheap jewelry.


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After my inner searching subsided a bit, and most of my packages arrived, I sat down for about 3 days and watched the first 40 or so episodes of Sailor Moon. Being in Japanese, they required a lot of attention, and I was less productive than ever. Watching the group of girls who molded my childhood, and pretty much made me the person I am today, I couldn't help but feeling as though I was letting them down.

Now, I realize what this sounds like. 23 Year Old girl letting down imaginary characters, but it worked, right? Another bout of inner turmoil began and I ended up somewhere I think I've been all along.

I like this stuff. I like crocheting, and anime, and games and whatever else most 23-year-old women shouldn't really find themselves obsessed with. But then I realized that if I'm going to use this stuff to make me happy, I still have to work hard.

After everything made itself crystal clear to me, I suddenly had a burst of energy, inspiration and nostalgia hit me like a ton of bricks.

When I was younger, I used to try to cut out cardboard in the shape of these transformation wands to use when I played sailor Moon with my best friend. They were always flimsy, uneven, a little too small, and covered in marker. I started to think about that time in my life, how happy I was, being in my own world all the time, and I wanted to have that back, if only on a small level. Remembering this, and about the fact that I would LOVE to make my own pattern, I immediately started drawing up plans, and around 3:30 AM yesterday, I started crocheting this.

I had SO MUCH FUN making this. I reminisced, I problem-solved, and upon finishing the first wing I felt full from how smart I was feeling. The wings were completely my creation, and I couldn't be more proud. I hope when you make this, you feel as stuffed with nostalgia, magic, love and justice as I did.

Since this is a bit of a prototype, I am offering this pattern for free, but please respect me and the time, energy and planning that went into this creation. I don't mind if you sell items from this pattern, but on 2 conditions:

1. PLEASE get my permission when you sell any creations from this pattern (gifting and trading is fine, of course)
2. I wanna see! Show me your finished product, and let me know where the pattern confused you, or was incorrect. I have only made this once, and some proxy-pattern-testers would be very helpful to me. It is the biggest reason I am offering this pattern for free. Also, I would LOVE to see that other people are finding inspiration and fun from something I created in a very pivotal 3 AM moment.

So, with inner turmoil behind me, 4 seasons of Sailor Moon ahead of me, and a very comforting Sailor Mars transformation wand beside me, please enjoy this pattern.

Eternal Sailor Scout Transformation Pen

Designed by Pam Gabriel
Sailor Moon and Sailor Scouts (TM) Naoko Takeuchi
This pattern can be used to gift or trade with friends and family, but please do not sell products from this pattern without my permission.

This pattern is for the transformation wands the Inner Scouts use in Sailor Moon Super S & Sailor Moon Stars seasons. Hopefully I will have patterns for the other Transformation pens soon.

What you'll need:

  • E Hook
  • H Hook
  • Tapestry Needle
  • Less than a skein of worsted weight yarns in:
    • Yellow
    • Color of your choice depending on the Scout wand you are making (Blue, Red, Green or Orange).
    • Pink
    • White
  • Polyfil, or other stuffing.

Abbreviations:

  • Chain (Ch)
  • Single Crochet (Sc)
  • Single Crochet Increase (scinc)
  • Single Crochet Decrease (scdec)
  • Slip Stitch (sl st)
  • Half Double Crochet (hdc)
  • Double Crochet (dc)

Final Dimensions:

Height (From top of star to bottom of stick): 12 ½"
Width (From wing tip to wing tip): 8 ¼"
Handle circumference: 3.75"
Star height: 2 ½"
Sphere circumference: 8"
Wing (From base to tip of Feather #1): 5"


This wand will be made in 5 parts (Star, Sphere, Stick, Handle and Wings), then sewn together. We will start with the star, and work our way down.

Let's get started!



Star (Make 2):

Using E Hook, and Yellow Yarn:

Rnd 1: Using the Magic Adjustable Ring technique, make 5 sc in loop. Do not join.
Rnd 2: Make 2 sc in ea sc around (10 sc). Do not join.
Rnd 3: *Sc in first sc, 2 sc in next sc* around (15 sc). Join with sl st in first sc. Circle complete.
Rnd 4: Sl st in 1st sc. *[Ch5, sl st in 2nd lp from hook, sc in next st, hdc in next st, dc in next st] point made. Sk next sc in circle and sl st in next 2 sc. Rep from * around circle, after last point, make only 1 slst.
Rnd 5: Ch 1, sc in ea st around (50 sc).
Fasten off, and weave in ends..

Putting the Star together:

With wrong sides facing each other (right sides facing outwards), sew together the outer loops only, using a whip stitch. Fill with stuffing before sewing together last point. Make sure stuffing is evenly distributed throughout points. Finish Sewing together. Weave in end(s).

Sphere:

Using H Hook, and Sailor Scout's Main Color (Blue for Mercury, Red for Mars, Green for Jupiter or Orange for Venus):

Row 1: Ch 2. 6 Sc in second Ch from hook. (6 sc)
Row 2: inc in each stitch around. (12 sc)
Row 3: Add 5 scincs evenly throughout the row (17 sc)
Row 4: Add 6 scincs evenly throughout the row (23 sc)
Row 5: Add 4 scincs evenly throughout the row (27 sc)
Row 6: Add 4 scincs evenly throughout the row (31 sc)
Row 7: Add 3 scincs evenly throughout the row (34 sc)
Row 8: Add 2 scincs evenly throughout the row (36 sc)
Row 9: Add 1 scincs within the row (37 sc)
Row 10: One sc in each sc (37 sc)
Row 11: Decrease by 1 (36 sc)
Row 12: Evenly scdec by 2 within the row (34 sc)
Row 13: Evenly scdec by 3 within the row (31 sc)
Row 14: Evenly scdec by 4 within the row (27 sc)
Row 15: Evenly scdec by 4 within the row (23 sc)
Row 16: Evenly scdec by 6 within the row (17 sc)
Row 17: (scdec, sc) repeat () around (12 sc)

(This is a good time to fill your sphere with Polyfil.)

Row 18: 6 scdec (6 sc)

Fasten off. Weave loose end through each stitch in the opening. Pull tightly to close.


Putting the Star and Sphere together:

First we're going to add the star to the sphere. Do this BEFORE embroidering your Scout's symbol on the sphere. There is a good chance the angle of your star may be changed as you attach it, and you don't want a weird wand. I did this by running yellow yarn up from the sphere, through the star, then under one stitch of the sphere, coming right back up to go through the star again. It's pretty tricky, so play around with what works for you. After I attached the 1st point of the star, I pulled my yarn all the way through to the bottom of the sphere (the Stick will be attaching here, so it doesn't need to be pretty), then pulling it back up to the top. When I brought it back up, I made sure to line it up where the star was going to be sewed down to, so it wouldn't be crooked, then continued to sew down the second Star Point.

To weave in the ends, I brought both ends down to the bottom of the sphere and tied them off.

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Bring the yarn down from the right Star Point to the bottom


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You can see the top of the (light blue) needle where I brought the yarn back up to the top, and through the left Star Point





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Yay! You should have this by now! I used my hand as a size reference.

Embroidering:

True to the Wands when the Scouts transform, their symbol appears in gold, so I'll be using yellow as well. I'm also only using the Planet Symbol. If you're feeling ambitious, feel free to add the extra symbol (Harp, Bow & Arrow, Laurels, or Hearts, depending on your chosen scout).


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Sailor Mars FTW.
This part is a bit tricky, you can use the stitches on the sphere to help guide you, but it's going to take some undoing and redoing. For this, you're just going to sew in and out in the shape of the symbol, then go over it again to cover the empty spaces the stitches leave. Once again, bring the ends down to the bottom and tie them off.

Stick:

Stick is made from the bottom.

Using Yellow and H Hook:

Row 1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook (6 sc)
Row 2: 2sc in each sc (12 sc)
Row 3: (2sc, sc, sc) around (16 sc)
Row 4: (sc, sc, sc, 2sc) around (20 sc)
Row 5: sc in each sc (20 sc)

Switch to Pink.

Row 6: In FL only, (sc, sc, sc, 2sc) around (25 sc)
Row 7: In BL only, (sc, sc, sc, sc, 2sc) around (30 sc)
Row 8: In both loops, sc in each sc (30 sc)
Row 9: (sc, sc, sc, scdec) around (25 sc)
Row 10: Repeat row 9 (20 sc)
Row 11: Repeat row 9 (16 sc)
Rows 12 - 31: Sc in each sc (16 sc)
Row 32: (sc, sc, sc, 2sc) around (20 sc)
Row 33: (9 sc, 2sc) twice (22 sc)
Row 34 - 35: sc in each sc (22 sc)

Switch back to Yellow.

Row 36: In FL only, sc in each sc (22 sc)
Row 37: Evenly distribute 3 scincs throughout row (25 sc)
Row 38: (sc, sc, sc, 2sc) around (30 sc)
Row 39: sc in each sc (30 sc)
Row 40: (sc, sc, sc, sc, scdec) around (25 sc)
Row 41: (sc, sc, scdec) around, 1 sc (19 sc)
Row 42: Repeat row 41 (15 sc)
Row 43: (sc, scdec) around (8 sc)
Row 44: sc in each sc. (8 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail.
Stuff with Polyfil.

Putting the Stick and Sphere Together:

With a tapestry needle, using the long tail of yellow yarn from the Stick, pull the yarn through the scs of the opening of the stick through the middle of the bottom of the sphere, and back through again until you have gone all the way around. Now, go about one stitch towards the outside of the circle and repeat. This will keep the sphere firmly on the stick. Repeat if necessary. If you are finding your sphere isn't staying on, and the stick isn't staying straight, you may need to stuff more Polyfil into the stick.

Handle:

This is that extra part on the right of the stick that sort of resembles half of a heart. I am not sure what the purpose of it is except to make it look cooler. Either way, I will refer to it as the "Handle" for lack of a better term.

This will be crocheted twice as wide as it should be, then folded in half lengthwise and sewn together with polyfil inside to keep the shape.

With Pink, and H Hook:

Ch 7

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, and in each st across (6 sc)
Rows 2 - 44: ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across (6 sc)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Fold in half lengthwise, and whipstitch along the outer edge. Sew up one short side, but leave the other open. From the open end, you will be inserting stuffing. Using a stuffing stick (or a chopstick), push the stuffing down into the Handle. The opening isn't very big, so a small stick is necessary, and so is some patience. It doesn't need to be very dense, just enough to keep some shape once it's sewn on.


Putting the Handle and Stick Together:

Attach the open end of the handle to the right side of the very top of the pink part of the Stick. I sewed around twice just for good measure. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Now, shape the handle into the general half-heart you want (refer to reference picture if needed). Now, leave about an inch of the handle to curl up at the bottom of the curve of the handle. Using your tapestry needle and pink yarn, go through the small end part of the handle, the part that is actually attached to the stick, and through the stick itself. Do this 3 – 5 times until it is securely attached. Also be sure the bottom of the handle is in line with the top of the handle, so your handle isn't sewn on crooked. Weave in ends.

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Push your needle through all three parts.

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Be sure the top and bottom of your Handle are aligned





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How the bottom of the handle should look. It kind of represents a Violin Scroll.


Wings (Make 4):

Wings will be comprised of a base and 3 Feathers. It will all be one continuous piece, so there will be no yarn cutting. Once you reach the end of a feather, sl st down the feather towards the base where the bottom of the previous feather is to start the next feather.

If you are having trouble visualizing the pattern as you read, there is a picture diagram below the pattern

Base:

Row 1: Ch 2, 3 sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1, turn.
Row 2: 2 sc in next 2 sc, sc, ch 1, turn (5 sc)
Row 3: sc in next sc (sc, 2sc) twice, ch 1, turn (7 sc)
Row 4: (2sc, sc) twice, 3 sc, ch 1, turn (9 sc)
Row 5: (2sc, sc) twice, 5 sc, ch 1 turn (11 sc)
Row 6: (2sc, sc, sc) three times, 2 sc, ch 1, turn (14 sc)
Row 7: (2sc, sc, sc) three times, 5 sc, ch 1, turn (17 sc)

Begin First Feather:

Row 8 - 15: 3 sc, ch 1, turn (3 sc)
Row 16: 1 sc, 1 scdec, ch 1, turn (2 sc)
Row 17: 1 scdec, ch 1, turn (1 sc)
Row 18: 1 sc, ch 1, turn (1 sc)

Sl st down Feather #1 until you reach the base of the wing.

Begin Second Feather:

Row 8 (Now moving across BASE of wing): 3 sc, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)
Row 9: 3 sc, sl st to side of Feather #1, ch 1, turn
Row 10: 3 sc, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)
Row 11: 3 sc, sl st to side of Feather #1, ch 1, turn
Row 12: 3 sc, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)
Row 13: 3 sc, sl st to side of Feather #1, ch 1, turn
Row 14: 1 sc, 1scdec, ch 1, turn (2 sc)
Row 15: 1 scdec, ch 1, turn (1 sc)
Row 16: sc (1 sc)

Sl st down Feather #2 until you reach the base of the wing.

Begin Third Feather:

Row 8 (Once again along BASE of Wing): 3 sc, ch 1, turn (3 sc)
Row 9: 3 sc, sl st to side of Feather #2, ch 1, turn
Row 10: 3 sc, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)
Row 11: 3 sc, sl st to side of Feather #2, ch 1, turn
Row 12: 1 sc, 1 scdec, ch 1, turn (2 sc)
Row 13: 1 scdec, ch 1, turn (1 sc)
Row 14: 1 sc, Sl st down feather until you reach the base of the wing, 1 sc, sl st in each st to end of wing. Fasten off.

Leave one long tail on 2 of the 4 wings (for sewing), then weave in all other ends.

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The pen lines represent where the scs are, and the orange dots represent where you should sl st. The numbers are not accurate. This is just a visual aid to help you out with following the written pattern.


Putting the Wings together:

On both wings, there will be a wrong side facing outwards, and a right side facing outwards. Place 2 of the wings right side against wrong side, and stitch up along the bottom, feathers, and top. Flip inside out, then fill with stuffing. Sew the last side together, except for a small opening about the size of a penny. This will be the area used to attach the wings to the Stick.

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Now you can see where the opening should be left for attaching it to the Stick.

Putting it all together:

Now, all you have to do is sew the opening on the wing onto the top yellow portion of the Stick. The only thing you have to worry about here is making sure it doesn't touch the handle. If you need to sew on a higher part of the wing onto the stick for reinforcement, go ahead. This wand is pretty big, and you wanna make sure it's sturdy.


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Hooray! We're done!


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Now you can transform into your favorite Sailor Scout! Well...maybe not. But you can have a nice addition to your Cosplay, or just keep it around to remind you of where you've been, where you want to go, and the imaginary people you're letting down if you just...give up.

Next time! I'm working on some patterns for deck and dice bags in Pokeball and TARDIS flavors. See you soon!

12 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for sharing this. I recently revisited Sailor Moon with my BFF as well. :P Off to go make one!

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    1. Of course! I'm really excited to share my reignited love of Sailor Moon with everyone! I'm REALLY excited that you wanna make one, and I hope you'll share it with me when you're done ^_____________^

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    2. Definitely will post a picture once I'm done, you can count on that. ^_^v

      Unrelated: My friend said that they are pretty much rebooting the series! I don't know for sure if they are just re-releasing it or if they are going to create new chapters, but I've started seeing SM stuff EVERYWHERE. It's definitely a fun trip down memory lane. One project I've wanted to do is like a retrospective blog of watching the show as an adult... With alcohol.

      Really it would just be an excuse to dump all of my SM pictures into a gallery online and say, "Look at what I collected 10+ years ago!"

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  2. Fabulous! This is just the project to get me excited about crochet again. Thank you for sharing :)

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  3. This pattern is adorable, I've added it to the new site www.crochetatplay.com A new site to find 100s of free crochet patterns from all over the web. Updated every Wednesday and Saturday nights! If for some reason you do not wish to have your pattern linked up please email me at megan@crochetatplay.com Thanks! Megan

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  4. Hey, I am currently in the process of making this for my little sister who is obsessed with all things SM but I noticed your Wing pattern doesn't have a hook size on it. Do I use the H or the E hook?

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    1. The wings are made with the H hook. Everything in this pattern uses the H hook except for the star. Good luck! I hope your sister likes it :)

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    2. Thank you! Have a happy holidays!

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  5. Thank you so much for posting this! I had so much fun making it! I was expecting the wings to be complicated, but they were really easy to make.

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  6. This looks amazing! I can't wait to finish up my current projects so I can start this, I've made a few crocheted sailor senshi but I was looking for a different type of sailor moon related crochet pattern.

    I also wanted to say that I understand completely what you mean when you say you don't want to let the senshi down. I'm 21 and still in love with sailor moon and all the things I learned; strength, friendship and dedication.

    More people need to learn from our faviourite moon family.

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  7. Thanks for sharing. I’ve linked you in my blog for crochet items related to Sailormoon.
    http://cuteyamigurumi.blogspot.com/2015/05/sailormoon-themed-crochet-doll-toy.html

    ReplyDelete