{"id":10697,"date":"2013-11-26T09:02:05","date_gmt":"2013-11-26T14:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.planetjune.com\/blog\/?p=10697"},"modified":"2017-07-07T03:11:01","modified_gmt":"2017-07-07T07:11:01","slug":"giant-pine-cone-pattern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.planetjune.com\/blog\/giant-pine-cone-pattern\/","title":{"rendered":"Giant Pine Cone pattern"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pine<\/div>\n

A couple of weeks ago, futuregirl blogged a photo<\/a> of a selection of giant pine cones she’d gathered in the forest. I couldn’t get that photo of Alice hugging that armful of pine cones out of my head, and I kept reloading the page to look at them again – I had no idea pine cones could even get that big; did you?<\/p>\n

With impending book deadlines and taxes to file and other commitments to juggle, I found myself in need of comfort, and the thought of a giant huggable pine cone suddenly sounded like something I had<\/strong> to make, as a fun little break from everything. And the result is a new Expansion Pack pattern: the Giant Pine Cone<\/a>!<\/p>\n

\"giant
\n(Those are cones A and E from Pine Cone Collection, for size comparison!)<\/em><\/p>\n

Giant Pine Cone is based on my very popular Pine Cone Collection<\/a> pattern, but super-sized and with a few additions to improve the shape and appearance at such a large size. <\/p>\n

It’s about 8″ tall<\/strong> and can be worked with 2 strands of worsted weight yarn held together (as I did) or a bulky\/chunky yarn – the thick yarn not only makes the pattern work up more quickly, but also keeps the scales of the pine cone realistically proportioned. <\/p>\n

Or you could make a not-quite-so-giant pine cone with just 1 strand of worsted weight yarn as usual (and a smaller hook – details in the pattern). The mini Giant Pine Cone option would be about 5″ tall, so it takes much less yarn, but it’d still tower over all the cones in my original collection!<\/p>\n

\"giant<\/p>\n

The finished giant cone is wonderfully soft and squishy – the large yarn scales add a layer of plush cushioned padding that makes it really tactile to hug and play with (I’m speaking for myself here, but I’m sure kids would love it too), but it’s also weighty enough to stand up by itself – it’s even more appealing than I imagined it would be! Maui can’t resist it either – he’s already been snuggling up with it as a giant pillow…<\/p>\n

If you’ve made my original Pine Cone Collection, you’ll know how easy and fun the scales are to crochet, and this version is no different – it just takes a bit longer because it’s so much larger, but, for its size, it works up surprisingly quickly. <\/p>\n

What is an Expansion Pack?<\/h2>\n

\"Expansion<\/p>\n