Stacking Ring Toys

 I've got a finish to celebrate. Here is my latest stacking ring toy make:

Cute sheep stacking ring toy

This blog serves me in part as a portfolio. A look back on things I've made. A lot of what I make, I give to family and friends as gifts. I would REALLY be a hoarder if I tried to keep it all. But that means I don't have it around me to remind me what I've done, Or what I've learned from it. The blog also serves me as a record of what I've attempted, successful or not (or somewhere in between) and what I've learned. It flavors choices I make when I'm planning future projects, whether that future is tomorrow, or years from now.

This sheep is the fourth of the stacking ring toys that I have made, and while each toy is different, there are some basic similarities, like making the rings, and the stacking pole. My previous efforts were made from acrylic yarn, which is readily available to me, and reasonably inexpensive. This one is made from cotton yarn. A couple of years ago, I made many, many small birds, and I used cotton yarn for them, so I had quite a selection in my stash, so I didn't have to go buy more yarn. (Hooray for having a stash, and being able to grab something from it and start a project without going shopping!)

I like to share the patterns that I use, to give credit where it is due, and let anyone interested in creating something from that pattern be able to find it, too.

There is a website at the bottom of the page if you like the pattern.

In the pattern, the creator suggests using cotton yarn, and I decided that I would give it a try. I really liked the cotton yarn because it isn't as stretchy as the acrylic, and so the stuffing doesn't show through as much as with the other ring toys I made (and a lot of the other stuffed toys I've crocheted through the years). Although you can't really tell from the black and white print of the pattern that I made, the sheep is in a variety of tans/browns. I didn't use the exact colors that are listed, I used the tans and browns that I had, and I made notes so I would know which color was going where. A lot of the decision about which color went where was determined by how much of that color I had, and how much I would need for that part. I also used a smaller crochet hook than I did with the acrylic yarn, because I wanted the finished toy to be a bit smaller. I decided not to make the Easter Egg this time, as I wasn't making this specifically an Easter toy, and I would need more yarn to make it than I have right now.

Basic ring stack

Having made the ring stack a few times already helped that part to go pretty quickly. I placed the eyes as suggested, but might space them a little further apart if I make it again. Maybe even just one or two stitches further apart. And use bigger eyes, if I have them. What is it about bigger eyes??? They are just cuter, I think.

The facial features are pretty basic on this toy, especially when I compare it to the baby yoda ring toy that was the first one I made. He was quite the challenge for me, when it came to all that face building.

Getting some character!

I made hats for the snowmen ring toys, too, but this little bonnet is going to stay on a lot better than those do. I did change a couple of things, first the last two rows before the edge are in pink thread, making a little hat band. The other thing I changed, was to make the brim from a shell stitch instead of a bobble stitch. I don't know that it changes anything esthetically, but I'm really practiced at making the shells, and not so much the bobbles.

A little spring bonnet

Finally, the legs. The snowman had arms and legs that were similar lengths. This sheep has long "arms" and short "legs". I was expecting the legs to be longer, and it kind of threw me off that they weren't. To be honest, though, I would probably leave the legs as is, next time and maybe shorten the arms a couple of rows. I might also make the choice to make them the same color, which I would have done if I had enough of either of those yarns do that (but I didn't).

All in all, my take-aways are that the cotton yarn did well. The smaller toy is maybe a better size for display than the bigger one, but then it depends one where and why you're displaying it and how much room you have. I think I'm going to look for a couple cute flower buttons to add to the bonnet as well. I have really enjoyed making these toys, and will probably make more, although I'm probably ready to move on to some other crochet project at the moment. There are quite a variety of stacking ring toy patterns available at ICANCROCHET.COM if you are interested!

I won't be surprised if a couple of these end up entered in the fair this year...