Crochet Humpback Whale Jumper (age 5-6)

This week I have finally gotten around to getting my humpback whale jumper sorted and ready for you.  This pattern was written for Oliver for his world book day costume.   This year his school had a Julia Donaldson theme, and as soon as he knew this, Oliver picked the humpback whale from his favourite book, the Snail and the Whale.   After a little looking online, it soon became apparent that I wouldn't be able to buy a costume, he needed one making.    As luck would have it, Aldi had one of their yarn specials on at the time and their aran yarn had the colours grey and white which were the perfect match for this costume.

After getting all of Oliver's measurements I set to work.   The jumper is mostly constructed in parts, a back, front, tail and details are all made separately and sewn together.   The hood and the arms are worked off the jumper as it is constructed.    I knew that I wanted the back of the jumper to be grey, and the front white with the lines you get on the front of a humpback whale.   The hood needed to have blow holes and eyes, and the back needed the hump, whilst the sleeves needed to double up as whale flippers.   After a period of considerable thinking, I was able to come up with this jumper design and I have to say I was very pleased with the way it came out, and Oliver loved his costume too.   In fact, as far as I am aware, he was the only humpback whale to come to school for world book day.

I have only worked this pattern up in age 5-6, however, it is fairly easily adaptable.   You could add or subtract stitches and rows to the front and back panels to make the jumper smaller or larger.   The sleeves would work in the same way, as would the hood.   All the details should be able to remain the same.   I did also make a snail which was attached via a keyring onto the tail, but as that was a direct copy from the book illustration, I have decided not to publish that pattern due to copywrite laws.   However, I am sure that if you wanted, there are many snail patterns that could be used as an alternative.

You can find the pattern for the Humpback Whale Jumper below, I hope that you enjoy making it, and I would love to see your finished jumpers on any of my social media profiles.   Next week I will be sharing with you a little surprise pattern that should work up in just a few hours.   Join me then to find out more.

Vicky x

Humpback Whale Jumper (age 5-6) 

1.  Materials and Resources

Below is a list of everything you will need to make this jumper

·        Aran yarn in the following colours;

o   Grey - 375g

o   White – 150g

o   Small amount of dark grey to eyes and blow holes

·        Tapestry needle

·        A little stuffing for the hump

·        Scissors

2.   Stitch List

Below is a list of all the stitches (and their abbreviations) featured in this pattern.  All terms used are American.

·        Sc – single crochet

·        Ch – chain

·        inc – increase

dec – decrease

·        Hdc – half double crochet

·        Dc – double crochet

·        b/l – back loops

·        f/l – front loops

·        m/c – magic circle

·        sl st – slip stitch

 

3.  Notes

Here are a few handy tips to help you with the pattern.

·        The gauge for this jumper is worked in sc and has 18 rows and 14 stitches in a 10cm square.

·        The jumper is made in pieces which are sewn together.

·        The finished jumper has a chest size of 70cm, and a body length of 40cm (not including the hood or the tail).   It is designed to fit a child of age 5-6 with a bit of growing room.

·        You need to ch 1 and turn at the end of each row for all pieces except the sleeves.

·        The sleeves are mostly worked in the round and to avoid the seams they are worked without joining, in continuous rounds.

4.  Pattern

Jumper Back – work in grey

Row	Instruction	Stitches
1	Ch 53, sk 1st ch from hook and sc to end, turn	52
2-73	Sc across, turn	52
74	Sc across and cast off	52

 

Jumper front – work in white (only sc are included in stitch count)

Row	Instruction	Stitches
1	Ch 67, sk 1st ch from hook and sc to end, turn	66
2-19	Sc across in b/l, turn	66
20	Sl st, 65 sc in b/l, turn	65
21	64 sc in b/l, sl st, turn	64
22	Sk sl st, sl st, 63 sc in b/l, turn	63
23	62 sc in b/l, sl st, turn	62
24	Sk sl st, sl st, 61 sc in b/l, turn	61
25	60 sc in b/l, sl st, turn	60
26	Sk sl st, sl st, 59 sc in b/l, turn	59
27	58 sc in b/l, sl st, turn	58
28	Sk sl st, sl st, 57 sc in b/l, turn	57
29	56 sc in b/l, sl st, turn	56
30	Sk sl st, sl st, 55 sc in b/l, turn	55
31	54 sc in b/l, sl st, turn	54
32	Sk sl st, sl st, 53 sc in b/l, turn	53
33	52 sc in b/l, sl st, turn	52
34	Sk sl st, sc in b/l, turn	52
35	51 sc in b/l, sc inc in b/l, ch 1, turn	53
36	Sc in 2nd ch from hook, 53 sc in b/l, turn	54
37	53 sc in b/l, sc inc in b/l, ch 2 turn	55
38	Sc in 2nd ch from hook, 55 sc in b/l, ch 1 turn	56
39	55 sc in b/l, sc inc in b/l, ch 2, turn	57
40	Sc in 2nd ch from hook, 57 sc in b/l, turn	58
41	57 sc in n/l, sc inc b/l, ch 2 turn	59
42	Sc in 2nd ch from hook, 59 sc in b/l, turn	60
43	59 sc in b/l, sc inc in b/l, ch 2, turn	61
44	Sc in 2nd ch from hook, 61 sc in b/l, turn	62
45	61 sc in b/l, sc inc in b/l, ch 2, turn	63
46	Sc in 2nd ch from hook, 63 sc in b/l, turn	64
47	63 sc in b/l, sc inc in b/l, ch 2, turn	65
48	Sc in 2nd ch from hook, 65 sc in b/l, turn	66
49-65	Sc in b/l, turn	66
66	Sc in b/l, cast off	66

 

To Assemble Front and Back of Jumper;

·        Lay the back of the jumper down with the rows horizontally.   Place the front of the jumper on top of the back with the rows vertically.

·        Sew rows 1-19 of the front to the left side of the back of the jumper. 

·        Sew rows 49-66 of the front of the jumper to the right side of the back, this will form the shoulders.   Leave rows 20-48 unworked for the head to fit in.

·        Sew 50 rows (grey panel) down the sides starting from the bottom.   This makes the sides of the jumper.  The remaining 24 rows are not to be sewn together as they will form the arm holes.

·        You should now have a jumper with 2 arm holes and a head hole.   Sew in all ends and turn the jumper the right way out.

 

Sleeves – work in grey, 1 on each side of the jumper

Row	Instruction	Stitches
1	Attach yarn in the middle bottom of the arm hole and sc around for 45 stitches	45
2	Sc around	45
3	Dec, 43 sc	44
4-5	Sc around	44
6	42 sc, dec	43
7-8	Sc around	43
9	Dec, 41 sc	42
10-11	Sc around	42
12	40 sc, dec	41
13-14	Sc around	41
15	39 sc, dec	40
16-17	Sc around	40
18	Dec, 38 sc	39
19-20	Sc around	39
21	37 sc, dec	38
22-23	Sc around	38
24	Dec, 36 sc	37
25-26	Sc around	37
27-65	Sc around	37
66	Dec, 33sc, dec, turn	35
67	Dec, 31 sc, dec, turn	33
68	Dec, 29 sc, dec, turn	31
69	Dec, 27 sc, dec, turn	29
70	Dec, 25 sc, dec, turn	27
71	Dec, 23 sc, dec, turn	25
72	Dec, 21 sc, dec, turn	23
73	Dec, 19 sc, dec, turn	21
74	Dec, 17 sc, dec, turn	19
75	Dec, 15 sc, dec, turn	17
76	Dec, 13 sc, dec, turn	15
77	Dec, 11 sc, dec, turn	13
78	Dec, 9 sc, dec, turn	11
79	Dec, 7 sc, dec, turn	9
80	Dec, 5 sc, dec, turn	7
81	Dec, 3 sc, dec, turn	5
82	Dec, sc, dec, turn	3
83	Sc 3 tog, cast off and sew in ends	1

 

Hood – work in grey – with the jumper facing you, count 10 rows to the right on the front of the jumper, starting from the right edge of the left shoulder and attach yarn

Row	Instruction	Stitches
1	Place 1 sc in each row on the front, then sc in each stitch on the back panel, and finally work 1 sc in the next 10 rows of the front (to the left of the left shoulder), turn	37
2-43	Sc around, turn	37
	Cast off and fold top edge in half, and sew shut on the inside of the hood.   Sew in ends.

 

Hood edging– work in grey – with the jumper facing you, attach yarn at the corner of the hood

Row	Instruction	Stitches
1	86 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, turn	87
2	87 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, turn	88
3	88 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, turn	89
4	89 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, turn	90
5	90 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, turn	91
6	91 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, turn	92
7	92 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, turn	93
8	93 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, turn	94
9	94 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, turn	95
10	95 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, turn	96
11	96 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, turn	97
12	97 sc, add 1 sc into the next white row, DO NOT TURN	98
13	5 sc in next 5 white rows, sc in the middle of the v. And then 5 sc in the remaining white rows, sl st to starting stitch of row 12 and cast off	109

 

Whale Eyes – work 2 starting in dark grey

Row	Instruction	Stitches
1	6 sc in m/c	6
2	(sc inc) x 6	12
3	Change to grey, 2 sc, hdc inc, dc inc, hdc inc, 3 sc, hdc inc, dc inc, hdc inc, sc	18
4	Work in f/l, 5 sc, ch 1 , 9 sc, ch 1 , 4 sc, sl st, cast off with a long tail

 

Sew eyes to hood 14 rows below the top seam, just before the hood edging.

Blow Holes – in dark grey

Row	Instruction	Stitches
1	6 sc in m/c	6
2	Sc inc, sc inc, hdc-ch 1-hdc, sc inc, sc inc, hdc-ch1-hdc, sl st, cast off with a long tail	12

 

Sew next to each other on the back of the hood in line with the eyes.

Hump – in light grey

Row	Instruction	Stitches
1	6 sc in m/c	6
2	(sc inc) x 6	12
3	(sc, sc inc) x 6	18
4	(2 sc, sc inc) x 6	24
5	(3 sc, sc inc) x 6	30
6	(4 sc, sc inc) x 6	36
	Sl st and cast off with a long tail

 

Sew blow hole to middle, back of the jumper, 22 rows from the bottom, stuff as you attach.

Bottom Edging – In grey

Row	Instruction	Stitches
1	Attach yarn to bottom of jumper and sc around the bottom edge	118
2-5	Repeat row 1	118
	Sl st, Cast off and sew in all ends

 

Tail – work in 1 grey and 1 in white

Row	Instruction	Stitches
1	Ch 2, 3 sc in 2nd ch from hook, turn	3
2	Sc across, turn	3
3	Inc, sc, inc, turn	5
4	Sc across, turn	5
5	Inc, 3 sc, inc, turn	7
6	Sc across, turn	7
7	Inc, 5 sc, inc, turn	9
8	Sc across, turn	9
9	Inc, 7 sc, inc, turn	11
10	Sc across, turn	11
11	Inc, 9 sc, inc, turn	13
12	Sc across, turn	13
13	Inc, 11 sc, inc, turn	15
14	Sc across, turn	15
15	Inc, 13 sc, inc, turn	17
16	Sc across, turn	17
17	Inc, 15 sc, inc, turn	19
18	Sc across, turn	19
19	Inc, 17 sc, inc, turn	21
20	Sc across, turn	21
21	Inc, 19 sc, inc, turn	23
22	Sc across, turn	23
23	Inc, 21 sc, inc, turn	25
24-28	Sc across, turn	25
29	Dec, 23 sc, turn	24
30	22 sc, dec, turn	23
31	Dec, 21sc, turn	22
32	20 sc, dec, turn	21
33	Dec, 19 sc, turn	20
34	19 sc, inc, ch 2, turn	21
35	Sc in 2nd ch from hook, 21 sc, turn	22
36	21 sc, inc, ch 2 turn	23
37	Sc in 2nd ch from hook, 23 sc, turn	24
38	24 sc, inc, turn	25
39-43	Sc across, turn	25
44	Dec, 21 sc, dec, turn	23
45	Sc across, turn	23
46	Dec, 19 sc, dec, turn	21
47	Sc across, turn	21
48	Dec, 17 sc, dec, turn	19
49	Sc across, turn	19
50	Dec, 15 sc, dec, turn	17
51	Sc across, turn	17
52	Dec, 13 sc, dec, turn	15
53	Sc across, turn	15
54	Dec, 11 sc, dec, turn	13
55	Sc across, turn	13
56	Dec, 9 sc, dec, turn	11
57	Sc across, turn	11
58	Dec, 7 sc, dec, turn	9
59	Sc across, turn	9
60	Dec, 5 sc, dec, turn	7
61	Sc across, turn	7
62	Dec, 3 sc, dec, turn	5
53	Sc across, turn	5
54	Dec, sc, dec, turn	3
55	Sc across, turn	3
56	3 sc tog, cast off	1
	Attach yarn at the right hand side of the straight egde in the middle of the tail
57-66	Sc across, turn	20
67	sc around the edge of the tail until you get 2 stitches before the 1st point, hdc in these 2 stitches, 5 hdc in the corner of the tail, hdc in the next 2 stitches, then sc until you get 2 stitches before the next point, then hdc in these 2 stitches, 5 hdc in the point, hdc in the next 2 stitches, sc to the start of the tail, sl st and cast off

 

Holding white tail piece in front of the grey and using grey yarn, sc both tail pieces together.   Then sew tail to the middle back of the jumper and sew in all ends.

 

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