My Crochet Bucket List – Tau – the pattern
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More than a year ago, I found Tau – designed by Dawn Toussaint and I fell in love.
Tau – The Pattern
I love Dawn Toussaint’s Designs – I have purchased a few of them – and they have been sitting, waiting patiently for me to work up my nerve to give them a try.
Dawn’s patterns are worked as ‘one-piece’, meaning you crochet the limbs, tail, etc. and then stuff them and set them aside…and crochet them into the body as you go. The only parts that are hand-sewn to Tau were the ears, nose and eyelashes.
This is not a beginner-level pattern. At least I didn’t feel it was.
The written instructions were very clear. There were a few diagrams and photos; but no real photo tutorial.
I had some difficulty because I did not put the eyes directly across from the finishing stitch of the round. This caused the limb placement to be ‘off’ and I had to manually recalculate the rounds to ensure the arms and legs ended up where they were supposed to end-up.
So – in hindsight, my ‘note to self’ would be make sure at the end of the round you place the eyes on the correct side of the ‘face’! Having never made a pattern in one-piece – I didn’t even think eye placement might cause the problems it did.
The mane technique was time-consuming BUT well worth the effort. I actually enjoyed making it – I sat listening to my Audiobook and I was able to relax (somewhat – no stitch counts running through my mind) and make the mane over a period of a few hours (with interruptions from the Littles of course!). It helped that I am completely loving the current audiobook (“Discovery of Witches” – Deborah Harkness).
The template provided for the felt backing for the eyes seems to be too small. When I cut it out and then used it to make my felt pieces, I could barely see the felt behind my 12-mm plastic safety eyes. The effect on Dawn’s Tau was so different from what I achieved, I tried to hand-cut larger ones. I think they needed to be even larger though!
Here is Dawn’s fabulous Tau:
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| Photo Credit: Dawn Toussaint (Raverly) |
Here is Drew with his Lion – I think he likes him ‘just the way’ he is.
I had a wee bit of trouble getting my munchkin to sit still – he kept roaring and jumping around!
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| Neila Photo Credit: Dawn Toussaint (blog) |
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| Hermione |
Happy crocheting!
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About the Author
Rhondda Mol is the crochet designer and blogger behind Oombawka Design Crochet. Since 2012, she has been sharing free crochet patterns, tutorials, and expert tips to help crocheters of all levels succeed. With more than 600 published patterns, Rhondda focuses on creating clear instructions and resources to inspire creativity and confidence in the crochet community.