3 If By Land, 6 If By Sea!

Soapy the Soap Turtle
A Pattern By Me!
(once this is put on the internet, copyright laws legally apply. Please respect them - you may not profit from this pattern or in any way represent it as your own without my express written permission. In other words, yada yada yada.)



Materials: Small amounts of Sugar 'n' Cream cotton - less than 150 yds Main Color (MC) and less than 50 yds Accent Color (AC)
I would estimate three turtles could be made from each MC ball.

For the original Soapy, I double stranded Key Lime Pie (variegated) and Hot Green for the shell (MC), only because that's how I got the color I wanted, and used a single strand of Sage Green for the feet, tail, and head (AC).

Appropriate needles for knitting small circumferences and i-cord in the round - gauge is unimportant, just so long as you like the fabric. I used a set of 4 DPNs - the increases and decreases work out easily this way.

*Pop Quiz!*
Do you want a Box/Land Turtle or a Sea Turtle?
The original Soapy is a Sea Turtle - because I didn't want him to drown! If you want a Land Turtle, though, do the increases in the parentheses - you'll get a taller, rounder shell. The decreases are done the same for both "breeds".
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SHELL:

With MC, CO 3 stitches in the round

Round 1: Increase once into each stitch (6 stitches total)

Round 2: Increase (3) 6 times evenly around

Repeat Round 2 until you have 60 stitches total

Purl One Round

BO 10 Stitches

Purl 50 stitches

CO 10 Stitches

Returning to Knit, decrease 6 stitches evenly around until 12 stitches remain

Thread yarn through and pull tight.

HEAD: Uses AC
CO 9 stitches in the round

Knit around until neck measures about 1.5 inches

Increase 3 stitches evenly for two rounds (15 stitches total)

Knit 3 rounds

Decrease 6 stitches evenly for two rounds (3 stitches remain)

Pull yarn through and pull tight

(Option: Duplicate stitch eyes and a tiny smile on your Soapy's face!)

FRONT LEGS: Uses AC
About half an inch from opening on shell, PU 5 stitches

Rows 1 - 6: K, P, K, P, K (Seed Stitch)

Decrease 1 stitch at the beginning of each row for four rows, continuing in Seed pattern, 1 stitch remains

Repeat on the other side

TAIL: Uses AC
At center of shell's closed end, PU 2 stitches

Work i-cord for 4 rows

BO

BACK LEGS: Uses AC (optional - the original Soapy didn't have them)
About half an inch from tail on shell, PU 3 stitches

Rows 1 - 4: K, P, K

Decrease 1 stitch at each of next two rows, continuing in Seed Stitch, 1 stitch remains

BO

Finishing:
Sew head to "lip" at top of opening, weave in ends, stuff with homemade soap and have fun in the bath!