Colin the Cat Pictures and Pattern

A large black cat called 'Colin' resides at St.Christopher's Hospice.
As a volunteer gardener, I often find him lurking about in the undergrowth. Failing that, he leaves evidence of his presence for us gardeners to deal with...
He is the inspiration for the following amigurumi which I designed. It is worked from the top down and ears, arms, legs and tail are integral to the design and do not need to be sewn on afterwards. Yay!
These were made using 4ply and DK yarn, hook size between 2-3.5mm, the fabric just needs to be quite tight, as stuffing would show through if it is too loose.The large Colin in the second picture was made in chunky yarn with a 4 or 5mm hook.

The pattern is still at the testing stage, so I'd appreciate any crocheters out  there giving it a go, feedback welcome, positive or negative. This batch of Colins sold out very quickly after being on sale in the Anniversary Centre.

Colin the Cat Crochet Amigurumi Pattern by Jo Bodley

Materials

Any yarn weight, with hook size to create fairly dense fabric in mainly dc. As a rough guide:

4ply-2.5mm hook

DK- 3.5mm hook

Chunky- 5-6mm hook.

Small amount embroidery thread (or wool for chunky version)in pink and green.

Tapestry Needle

U.K. Abbreviations

ch- chain

dc- double crochet

htr- half treble

tr- treble

ss- slip stitch

lp- loop

yrh- yarn around hook

rep- repeat

rnd- round

st(s)-stitch(es)

sp- space

CB- Centre Back

CF- Centre Front

tog- together

Instructions

Ch2 loosely.

Rnd 1:Into 2^nd ch from hook, make 6dc.(6sts.)

Rnd 2:2dc in each st. 12sts.

Rnd3:(2dc in first st,1dc), repeat to end. (18sts.)

Ears Round

Rnd 4:*Make ear thus:(1htr,2tr,ch2).Ss into third st from hook and 2 more ss into side of last tr.1dc for between ears. Repeat instructions in brackets from* for 2^nd ear.(2dc in next st, 2dc) to end.

Rnd 5:*Fold  ear towards centre of work and make 3 dc behind it.1dc between ears. Repeat from * for second ear.Dc into remaining sts.

Rnd 6: Work 7htr into sts behind ears. Then dc  remaining sts.

Rnd 7: As rnd 6.

Rnds 8-11:Dc all around. Finish at centre back of head. You may want to use a stitch marker.

Rnd 12: *(2dc into next st, 4dc).Rep from * to end.

Rnd 13:Dc all around without increasing

Rnd 14:Rep rnd 12

Arms Round.

Rnd 15:Fold cat facing forward to determine sides where arms will be. Dc to start of arm if needed. Arm starts:Ch 10.Work 2 tr into 3^rd ch from hook, ss.Make bobble by pulling yarn out ,yrh,pull through lp to match first one 3x,yrh pull through all lps,ss to close then dc into same sp you made lps in.Insert hook into top of next tr and make 2^nd bobble.Insert hook in final top of tr and make 3^rd bobble.Dc into base of st and next st.Htr into rem ch sts.Dc into next st of round. Dc until you reach placement for second arm, and repeat.

Rnd 16:Dc all around, when you get to arms, fold them towards head and work 2dc into the underarms.

Rnd 17-23.Dc all around.

Tail and Leg Round

Rnd 24:At CB ch 21.Ss into first 3sts.Dc next 4 sts.Htr into next 7sts.Dc into next 6 sts. Dc to next st of round.Dc to position of first leg. Legs can be positioned directly below arms for an akimbo look, or closer together, say either side of centre 3 sts. Determine where CF is by folding cat in half.

Each leg is worked the same as arms.

Decrease round

Rnd 25:( Dc 2tog, 3dc)to end.

Rnd 26:(Dc 2tog,2dc)to end

You may want to stuff cat at this point.

Rnd 27:(Dc 2tog, 1dc) to end.

Rnd 28:Dc2tog all around.

Keep decreasing in like manner until there are 6 sts left. Leave a long tail for sewing in.

Make running sts in and out of sts of last round and pull tight. Weave in end.

Face is made using embroidery thread and photos as a guide, with couch st for mouth and upper lip, satin st for nose and the eyes are French Knots.

For collar, with red (or green- or any colour you like) ch enough to fit around neck and attach at CB using a tapestry needle to sew in ends.

Variations.

Punky Cats based on the above pattern. Made by using an eyelash yarn and a 4ply together- using just the 4ply for faces,arms and legs.