Read Across America CAL, Part 3

Last week, we kicked of National Read Across America month with Shalock and the Cloud of Bad Dreams, by C.F. Lawrenson. It was so fun to share that story with you, and the details about how it came to be! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and I hope you enjoyed the puppets as well! This week I will be going in a slightly different direction with an old classic, Little Red Riding Hood.

There is something delightfully fascinating about folklore and fairy tales, and this particular story has roots so deep in history, that it is impossible to say who first came up with the story. The story of Little Red Riding Hood originated in oral folklore. It was the kind of story people would tell around a fire at night, after everyone had eaten, and the children were starting to drift off to sleep. It was often told as local folklore, as though some believed it to have actually happened.

The Brothers Grimm are the most common writers of Little Red Riding Hood known to us today. Many fairy tale collections site them as the author, however, it is believed to have first been printed in the early 11th century, by a writer named, Egbert of Liège. Part of a collection called The Well-Laden Ship, its intended use was for education; teaching young students grammar and life lessons. Today, Little Red Riding Hood is known as a largely edited lesson, teaching children the value of not talking to strangers. Many early translations, however; were quite violent!

Little Red Riding Hood Puppet Pattern

Notes:

This pattern is worked from the top down, in the rnd, with no joining. The arms, hair, and accessories are made separately and sewn on. The eyes are embroidered on with black worsted weight yarn; the nose with matching skin color. Pictures below can give more details into the process. 

Size: This is one size, fitting child through adult, but if you wish to make it smaller for a smaller child to play with, simply tighten gauge or go down a hook size. 

Gauge: 7 sts across and 8 rnds down = approximately 2 inches

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn 

• Skin color (A) – approximately 44 yds
• Dress color, blue (B) – approximately 88 yds
• Dress ruffle and collar, white (C) – approximately 25 yds
• Cape color, red (D) – approximately 45 yds
• Lion Brand Homespun for hair – (E) – approximately 30 yds
• Small amount of worsted weight black yarn for the eyes.

Crochet hook size G – 4.25mm

Tapestry needle

Stitch marker

Scissors

Terms and abbreviations to know:

Magic ring

Rnd, rnds – round, rounds

Ch, chs – chain, chains

St, sts – stitch, stitches

Sl st – slip stitch

Sc – single crochet

Hdc – half double crochet

Dc – double crochet

Inc – increase, 2 sc sts in same st

Dec – decrease

Invsc2tog – invisible single crochet 2 together; this is essentially a decrease, but done in such a way as to make the continuous stitching smoother, and the decrease not as noticeable. 

1. Insert hook into front loop only of next stitch, DO NOT yarn over.
2. Insert hook into front loop of second stitch. 
3. Yarn over. Pull through 2 loops. 
4. Yarn over and pull through last 2 loops.

Dc bobble – double crochet bobble

1. Yarn over, and insert hook into designated st.
2. Pull up a loop. 
3. Yarn over, and pull through 2 loops, leaving 2 loops left on hook.
4. Yarn over, and insert hook into same st.
5. Pull up a loop.
6. Yarn over, and pull through 2 loops, leaving 3 loops left on hook.
7. Yarn over, and insert hook into same st.
8. Pull up a loop. 
9. Yarn over, and pull through 2 loops, leaving 4 loops left on hook.
10. Yarn over, and insert hook into same st.
11. Pull up a loop.
12. ​Yarn over and pull through all 5 loops.

Body

in A 

Begin with magic ring.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in magic ring; 6 sts

Rnd 2: inc in each st around; 12 sts

Rnd 3: (inc, sc in next st)6x; 18 sts

Rnd 4: (inc, sc in next 2 sts)6x; 24 sts

Rnd 5: (inc, sc in next 3 sts)6x; 30 sts

Rnds 6-7: sc in each st around; 30 sts

Rnd 8: (3 inc, sc in next 12 sts)2x; 36 sts

Rnds 9-14: sc in each st around; 36 sts

Rnd 15: (3 invsc2tog, sc in next 12 sts)2x; 30 sts

Rnd 16: (3 invsc2tog, sc in next 9 sts)2x; 24 sts

Rnd 17: sc in each st around; 24 sts

Change to blue (B), and fasten off (A). 

Rnd 18: sc in each st around; 24 sts

Rnd 19: (3 inc, sc in next 9 sts)2x; 30 sts

Forming the holes for the fingers.

Rnd 20: (ch 7, sk next 4 sts, sc in next 11 sts)2x; 36 sts, counting the chs

Rnd 21: sc in each of the 7 chs, sc in next 11 sts, sc in each of the 7 chs, sc in next 11 sts; 36 sts

Rnds 22-24: sc in each st around; 36 sts

Rnd 25: (invsc2tog, sc in next 4 sts)6x; 30 sts

Rnd 26: sc in each st around; 30 sts

Rnd 27: (inc, sc in next 4 sts)6x; 36 sts

Rnd 28: (inc, sc in next 5 sts)6x; 42 sts

Rnds 29-33: sc in each st around; 42 sts

Attach white (C) and fasten off blue (B). 

Rnd 34: sl st into the first st of rnd 33, ch 3, 4 dc into same st as sl st, sk next 2 sts, (sl st into next st, sk next 2 sts, 5 dc in next st, sk next 2 sts)6x, sl st into beginning ch; 7 dress ruffles

Fasten off and weave in ends. 

Arms

beginning in A, make 2

Begin with magic ring.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in magic ring; 6 sts

Rnd 2: (inc, sc in next st)3x; 9 sts

Rnds 3-4: sc in each st around; 9 sts

Rnd 5: dc bobble, sc in next 8 sts; 9 sts

Rnds 6-10: sc in each st around; 9 sts

Attach white, and fasten off skin color. 

Rnd 11: inc in each st around; 18 sts

Rnds 12-13: sc in each st around; 18 sts

Rnd 14: (invsc2tog, sc in next st)6x; 12 sts

Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing, and sew onto the arm holes, with the thumbs pointing inward toward the head. 

Collar

in white – C 

Ch 11

Row 1: turn and 2 hdc in 3rd ch from hook, 2 dc in the next ch, 2 hdc in the next ch, sc in the next ch, sl st in the next ch, sc in the next ch, 2 hdc in the next ch, 2 dc in the next ch, 2 hdc in the last ch; 15 sts

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew around the neck at the neckline of the dress. 

Hair

with Lion Brand Homespun – E

Ch 7

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and next 5 chs; 6 sts

Row 2: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 4 sts, inc; 8 sts

Row 3: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 6 sts, inc; 10 sts

Row 4: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 8 sts, inc; 12 sts

Rows 5-13: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 12 sts

Row 14: ch 1 and turn, dec, sc in next 8 sts, dec; 10 sts

Row 15: ch 1 and turn, dec, sc in next 6 sts, dec; 8 sts

Row 16: ch 1 and turn, dec, sc in next 4 sts, dec; 6 sts

Do not turn.

Rnd 1: continue to work 48 sc evenly around the hair until you get back to where you started. This amounts to 18 sc down each side, and 6 sc across the bottom, and the top. 

Fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing. Shape the hair around the head so that the back is just 2 or 3 rnds above the blue, and shape the bangs over the top of the head so that there appears to be a part, dented in. Weave in ends. 

Braids

Cut 12 (6 for each braid) strands of the Homespun, each about 12 inches long. Fold 6 of them in half with your hook at the middle. Pull them through the hair like hat tassels, 6 strands on each side. Then split them into 3rds and braid them. Tie them off with red yarn.

Nose

in skin color

Use a strand of your skin colored yarn to wrap around 2 or 3 stitches in the center of the face, approximately rnd 12. Knot off and weave in ends inside the puppet.

Eyes

in black

Eyes should be over rnds 10 and 11, with about 2 sts between them. Sew the U shape, and then the lashes attached to it to help it keep the U shape. Knot and weave in on the inside of the puppet. 

Cape

in red – D

Ch 25

Row 1: turn and sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in each ch across; 24 sts

Rows 2-3: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 24 sts

Row 4: ch 1 and turn, dec, sc in next 20 sts, dec; 22 sts

Rows 5-6: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 22 sts

Row 7: ch 1 and turn, dec, sc in next 18 sts, dec; 20 sts

Rows 8-9: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 20 sts

Row 10: ch 1 and turn, dec, sc in next 16 sts, dec; 18 sts

Rows 11-12: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 18 sts

Row 13: ch 1 and turn, dec, sc in next 14 sts, dec; 16 sts

Rows 14-15: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 16 sts

Row 16: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 6 sts, 2 inc, sc in next 6 sts, inc; 20 sts

Row 17: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 8 sts, 2 inc, sc in next 8 sts, inc; 24 sts

Row 18: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 10 sts, 2 inc, sc in next 10 sts, inc; 28 sts

Row 19: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 12 sts, 2 inc, sc in next 12 sts, inc; 32 sts

Row 20: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 32 sts

Row 21: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 14 sts, 2 inc, sc in next 14 sts, inc; 36 sts

Row 22: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 36 sts

Row 23: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 16 sts, 2 inc, sc in next 16 sts, inc; 40 sts

Rows 24-25: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 40 sts

Row 26: ch 1 and turn; inc, sc in next 18 sts, 2 inc, sc in next 18 sts, inc; 44 sts

Rows 27-28: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 44 sts

Row 29: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 20 sts, 2 inc, sc in next 20 sts, inc; 48 sts

Rows 30-31: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 48 sts

Row 32: ch 1 and turn, inc, sc in next 22 sts, 2 inc, sc in next 22 sts, inc; 52 sts

Rows 33-34: ch 1 and turn, sc in each st across; 52 sts

Sew the sleeves together as pictures, the ends of the top row to the ends of the bottom row, and weave in ends. You do not need to sew the hood onto the puppet. Simply put it over her head, with her arms through the sleeves.

You can also purchase a printer-friendly, ad-free version of this pattern from my Etsy or Ravelry shops, at a low cost! Thank you for your support!

You can now find the Wolf pattern here!