Westfarthing Crochet Blog

[westfarthingcrochet]

Yarn Recommendations for Boromir

Skin Tone:  Big Twist Value Worsted in Cream

Beard base: Big Twist Value Worsted in Toffee

Hair base: Big Twist Value Worsted in Toffee

Hair strands: Big Twist Value Worsted in Toffee

Boots:  Big Twist Value Worsted (Soles/upper both in Black)

Trousers: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Charcoal

Chainmail: Big Twist Twinkle in Slate

Doublet: KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Wine (main) + Lion Brand Heartland in Bryce Canyon (detail)

Surcoat: Lion Brand Heartland in Black Canyon 

Bracers: KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Sienna

Belt: Lion Brand Heartland in Sequoia

Cloak: Big Twist Value Worsted in Chocolate Brown (main) + JubileeYarn Baby Bear in Bronze (detail)

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Yarn Recommendations for Tauriel

Skin Tone:  Big Twist Value Worsted in Cream

Hair base: Big Twist Value Worsted in Rust

Hair strands: Lion Brand Jeans in Topstitch IMPORTANT: To achieve the color in the final pictures, I dyed this yarn with Synthetic Rit Dye More, 3 parts Racing Red and 1 part Chocolate Brown. I heated the dye and let it sit for about 30 minutes to reach this shade. An alternative yarn choice is listed below.

Boots:  Big Twist Value Worsted (Soles are Black and upper is Chocolate Brown)

Trousers: Big Twist Value Worsted in Toffee

Tunic: KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Dublin

Cuirass/Bracers:  KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Sienna

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Another choice for the hair strands by elf_lily17 (IG): Yarn Bee Warm and Cozy in Spiced Sienna 

[westfarthingcrochet]

Yarn Recommendations for Arwen

Skin Tone:  Loops and Threads Impeccable in Heather

Hair base: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Chocolate

Hair strands: Lion Brand Jeans in Stovepipe IMPORTANT: To achieve the color in the final pictures, I dyed this yarn with Synthetic Rit Dye More in Chocolate Brown. I heated the dye and let it sit for about 1 hour to reach this shade. 

Boots:  Big Twist Value Worsted (Soles are Black and upper is Chocolate Brown)

Trousers: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Charcoal

Undershirt: Loops and Threads Impeccable in White

Riding Dress: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Blue Moon

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Yarn recommendations for Aragorn

Skin Tone: Premier Anti-Pilling Everyday Worsted in Parchment

Beard base: Premier Anti-Pilling Everyday Worsted in Fawn

Hair base: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Chocolate

Hair strands: KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Carob

Boots:  Big Twist Value Worsted (Soles are Black and upper is Chocolate Brown)

Trousers: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Charcoal

Undershirt: Lion Brand Heartland in Badlands

Doublet: KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Carob

Coat: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Worsted in Bittersweet

Belt: Lion Brand Heartland in Sequoia

Cloak: Lion Brand Heartland in Black Canyon

[westfarthingcrochet]

Yarn recommendations for Legolas

Skin Tone: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Heather 

Hair base: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Soft Taupe 

Hair strands: Scheepjes Catona in Candle Light 

Boots:  Big Twist Value Worsted (Soles are Black and upper is Chocolate Brown)

Bracers: Big Twist Value Worsted in Chocolate Brown

Trousers: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Charcoal 

Undershirt: Premier Anti-Pilling Everyday Worsted in Meadow 

Doublet: Lion Brand Heartland in Joshua Tree 

Belt:  Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Hazelnut

Cloak: Lion Brand Heartland in Mammoth Cave

[westfarthingcrochet]

Yarn Recommendations for Gandalf

Skin Tone: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Heather Hair base: Big Twist Soft in Light Gray  Hair strands: KnitPicks Comfy in Whisker (accents in Hawk) Boots:  Big Twist Value Worsted (Soles are Black and upper is Chocolate Brown) Trousers: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Charcoal Undershirt: Big Twist Soft in Light Gray Robe: KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Cobblestone Heather Belt:  Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Hazelnut  Hat: Big Twist Soft in Light Gray. (NOTE: As of May 2023, Big Twist Soft is no longer available. I recommend Red Heart Super Saver in Dusty Grey as an alternative.)

Cloak: Lion Brand Heartland in Great Smokey Mountains 

Staff: KnitPicks Brava Worsted in Sienna 

[westfarthingcrochet]

Yarn Recommendations for Dwarves

Skin Tones: (Same for Gimli, Thorin and Bombur) Loops and Threads Impeccable in Heather

Hair base: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice (Gimli/Bombur: Rust, Thorin: Black)

Hair strands: Lion Brands Jeans (Gimli/Bombur: Top Stitch, Thorin: Stovepipe and Vintage) 

NOTE: For the Gimli with the redder palette, I used Lion Brand Homespun in Wildfire with the winding thread (the white thread on the outside) removed. This version looks really cool in my opinion, but it is fragile. The fibers of the Homespun yarn will come out if you pull on them. I do not recommend this option for toys. If you are making Gimli for display only, this option is fine. NOTE: I was originally intending to use Homespun in Midnight Stripe for Thorin. I think option would have a better look than the Jeans yarn, but would have the same issue as the above. If you are making Thorin for display only, I recommend taking a look at this option. 

Boots: (Same for Gimli, Thorin, and Bombur) soles are Red Heart in Black and upper is Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in Chocolate

Trousers: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice (Gimli: Burgundy, Thorin: Navy Blue). Bombur: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Charcoal 

Chainmail: (Gimli Only) Big Twist Twinkle in Slate

Thorin's undershirt: Loops and Threads Impeccable in Blue Moon (main body) and Charcoal (sleeves)

Thorin's doublet: Glam Universe Metallic Shine in Pewter

Surcoat: Lion Brand Heartland (Gimli: Badlands, Thorin: Lake Clark, Bombur: Joshua Tree)

Belt buckle:  Lion Brand Heartland (Gimli: Bryce Canyon.) Thorin’s buckle is DOUBLE STRANDED Glam Universe Pewter and Lion Brand Jeans Vintage. Details in the pattern. 

Belt and Bracers: Lion Brand Heartland (Gimli: Sequoia, Thorin: DOUBLE-STRANDED Glam Universe Pewter and Lion Brand Jeans Vintage)

Toe caps: Lion Brand Heartland (Gimli: Bryce Canyon, Thorin: Mammoth Cave)

Gimli's Shoulder Guards: Lion Brand Heartland in Bryce Canyon and Sequoia

Gimli's Cloak: Red Heart Super Saver (Medium Thyme)

Thorin's Overcoat: Lion Brand Heartland in Black Canyon. The border is NICEEC Faux Fur in Coffee

Bombur’s Cheese: Vanna’s Choice in Mustard 

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DK Weight

Skin tones: Premier Everyday DK Solids in Parchment

Hair Base: Premier Everyday DK Solids (Gimli: Terra Cotta, Thorin: Raven)

Hair strands: Gimli: Lion Brand Heartland in Yosemite, Thorin: Lion Brand Jeans in Stovepipe and Vintage

Boots (both): Premier Everyday DK Solids in Black (sole) and Black Walnut (upper) 

Trousers: Premier Everyday DK Solids (Gimli: Boysenberry, Thorin: Raven) 

Gimli's Chainmail: Ice Yarns Rock Star in Silver Gray 

Thorin's undershirt: Premier Everyday DK Solids in Cadet Blue

Thorin's doublet: Glam Universe Metallic Shine in Pewter  

Surcoat: KnitPicks (Gimli: Swish DK in Garnet Heather, Thorin: Shine Sport in Sailor)

Belt: Scheepjes Catona (Gimli: Chocolate, Thorin: Black) 

Belt Buckle: Scheepjes Catona (Gimli: Hazelnut, Thorin: Moon Rock) 

Gimli's Cloak: Premier Everyday DK Solids in Fern Green 

Thorin's Overcoat: Premier Everyday DK Solids in Black, the border is NICEEC Faux Fur in Coffee

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Yarn choices from u/princesslokiofasgard (Reddit): Skin: impeccable-heather. Undershirt: Baby bliss-ship blue. Surcoat: heartland-olympic. Belt/bracers/over coat: heartland-black canyon. Fur:go for faux-chow chow. Armor:capri tencel-slate. Silver sparkle thread: aunt lydias metallic 10

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Yarn choices from Gurumiville (IG): Alize Cotton Gold and Yarnart Jeans for body and clothing. Scheepjes River Washed XL for the hair.

[westfarthingcrochet]

Tips Section from the Large Halflings Pattern

Popcorn Stitch: If you are unfamiliar with the popcorn stitch, I recommend this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va6Rn1Dlzj0 The video demos a popcorn stitch with 5 double crochets. In this pattern, you will use different numbers and types of stitches in the popcorn stitch, but the technique is the same.

Invisible decrease: I recommend using an invisible decrease for this project, especially on the head: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPnIYYNC1oU

Leg and Arm Joins: This pattern uses a seamless/no-sew arm and leg join. I will describe the join in detail in the pattern, but if you have not used this technique before I recommend seeing this example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZvud2yETMI

Using stitch markers with spiral rounds: This pattern uses lots of spiril/continuous rounds (no sl st + ch 1.) This means your stitch marker will shift with the round and makes for some differences between the counts for left/right foot, leg, and arms. If you are not familiar with this, please read this quick tutorial: https://stitchesnscraps.com/continuous-rounds-running-stitch-markers/

[westfarthingcrochet]

Yarn Recommendations for Big Halflings

This post contains a running list of yarn recommendations for the Halflings pattern. Pattern is sold here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WestfarthingCrochet

General recommendations for custom/DnD characters:

For a good, slightly thicker worsted yarn (ideal for hair base, cloaks, etc,) you can can’t beat Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice. The colors are diverse, rare and gorgeous (but, keep in mind, tend to be noticeably lighter and less vibrant in person than they are on the listing!) 

For a good, slightly less bulky worsted yarn (ideal for skin and clothing,) I like Loops & Threads Impeccable. The colors are not quite as varied as Vanna’s Choice, but they have a good selection. This is also some of the softest acrylic worsted I’ve found.  The downside is that the colors looks VERY different in person than they do on the online listing. Go to Michael’s in person for this one, if possible. 

For clothing, I like Lion Brand Heartland can’t be beat. It is a very smooth acrylic that works up smoother and more supple than any other acrylic I’ve found. The colors are just amazing. They are very true to the online listings. The mix of colors gives a beautiful texture to the clothing. When possible, I make all clothing items out of this yarn. Fortunately, it comes in tons of colors, so working with it exclusively is often possible :)

My choices for pictured halflings:

Skin Tones: Loops and Threads Impeccable (Frodo: Heather, Sam and Bilbo: Golden Beige. But tbh these two colors are almost identical) Hair base on head (worsted): Lion Brand Vanna's Choice (Frodo: Chocolate Brown, Sam/Bilbo: Honey) Hair (Fuzzy/Eyelash): JubileeYarn 100g Soft Touch Fuzzy Fur (Frodo: Brown, Sam/Bilbo: Bronze) Trousers: Lion Brand Heartland (Frodo: Sequoia, Sam: Mammoth Cave, Bilbo: Bryce Canyon) Shirt: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice (Sam: Linen, Frodo: Asparagus Green. Note: The latter looks green on the listing but it's really a very pale cool cream tone.) Loops and Threads Impeccable (Bilbo: Aran) Vest: Lion Brand Heartland (Frodo: Yosemite, Sam: Grand Canyon), Loops and Threads Impeccable (Bilbo: Forest) Coat: Lion Brand Heartland (Sam: Smokey Mountain, Bilbo: Badlands), Red Heart Soft (Frodo: Chocolate) 

Cloak: Red Heart Super Saver (Medium Thyme)

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DK Weight Hobbits 

Skin Tones: Premier Anti-Pilling DK Solids (Parchment) Hair base on head (worsted): Premier Anti-Pilling DK Solids (Merry: Straw, Pippin/Sam/Bilbo: Boysenberry, Frodo: Black Walnut ) Hair (Fuzzy/Eyelash): JubileeYarn 100g Soft Touch Fuzzy Fur (Merry: Bronze Frodo: Brown, Sam/Pippin: Bronze but dyed to darken it! I used Rit Dye More to alter the color) Trousers: Scheepjes Catona (Merry: Root Beer, Pippin: Dark Olive, Frodo: Black Coffee, Sam: Anthracite, Bilbo: Hazelnut) Shirt: Premier Anti-Pilling DK Solids (Merry/Frodo/Bilbo: Linen, Pippin: Mist, Sam: Meadow.) Vest: Hobbii Amigo (Merry: Curry, Frodo: Cognac, Sam: Gray Melange), Premier Anti-Pilling DK Solids (Bilbo: Fern Green) Coat: Premier Anti-Pilling DK Solids (Merry: Fern Green, Pippin: Peacock), Hobbii Amigo (Frodo: Chocolate, Sam: Walnut) 

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Yarn recs from gurumiville (IG): This Frodo was made with sport weight yarns and stands approx 10 inches/25-26cm tall. Brands used were: Alize Cotton Gold and Yarnart Jeans. Hair is Yarnart Mink.

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Bilbo by ankostoffarten (IG)

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Additional: I have not made Merry and Pippin, but they could both be made with the Hobbits Main pattern. If I did make them (I’ve certainly thought out it!) I would probably use the same skin/hair tones as I use for Sam, plus:

Trousers: Lion Brand Heartland (Merry: Joshua Tree) Red Heart Soft yarn (Pippin: Chocolate) Shirt: Lion Brand Vanna's Choice (Pippin: Linen) Loops and Threads Impeccable (Merry: Aran) Vest: Lion Brand Heartland (Merry: Canyonland) Coat: Lion Brand Heartland (Pippin: Glacier Bay) I’m really not sure about Merry’s coat. Maybe Caron Simply Soft in Dark Sage?

Cloak: Red Heart Super Saver (Mocha)

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Merry and Pippin by u/Rindereth (Reddit)

Merry: Vanna’s Choice in Chocolate for the trousers/suspenders. Vanna’s Choice in Linen for the shirt. Caron Simply Soft in Sage for the coat. Heartland in Canyon Lands for the vest. Super Saver in Buff for the skin. Homespun in Bourbon for the hair. 

Pippin: Vanna’s Choice in Chocolate for the trousers/suspenders. Vanna’s Choice in Asparagus for the shirt. Impeccable in Sapphire for the coat. Heartland in Grand Canyon for the scarf. Super Saver in Buff for the skin. Homespun in Wild Fire for the hair. 

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Frodo by @biroseme 

Yarnart Jeans for body and clothes and Yarnart Mink for hair. 

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My choices for lady halflings:

Skin Tones: Loops and Threads Impeccable (Heather) Hair base on head (worsted): Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice (Lobelia: Black, Rosie: Honey) Hair: Lion Brand Homespun (Lobelia: Midnight Stripes, Rosie: Barley) Skirt: Loops & Threads Impeccable (Lobelia: Grass, Rosie: Forest) Petticoat: Loops & Threads Impeccable (Lobelia: Aran,) Lion Brand Vanna's Choice (Rosie: Asparagus Green) Bodice: Red Heart Comfort (Lobelia: Melon,) Lion Brand Heartland (Rosie: Glacier Bay and Grand Canyon for the main bodice, Lake Clark  for the edging)

NOTE: I’m only so-so about this color choice for Lobelia. I have only ever found this color in a MASSIVE skein, so I have been trying to use it up for a while. I expect there are better choices out there for this.

Apron: Knit Picks Mighty Stitch (Lobelia: Cream,) Lion Brand Heartland (Rosie: Yellowstone)

Lobelia’s Shawl: Big Twist Value Worsted in Pale Yellow

Lobelia’s Hat: Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in Mustard for the top/ruffle. Impeccable in Grass for the brim. Mighty Stitch in Fairy Tale for the ribbon.

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If you have made these patterns and have some recommendations for yarns that did or did not work well, I would love to hear about it and update the list! Please contact me to let me know.