Now, if you’ve been following me for a while, you would know that one of my favourite things to make is a crochet frog. Any kind, really. Cute, realistic, chubby, cheeked up. If it's a frog, it's on my list of things to make. With my new website launching, I wanted to make use of the blog feature, and thought what better way than to make short reviews/behind-the-scenes entries regarding the patterns I test!
After finishing my Jumbo Finn the Human pattern test, I was on the look out for a new pattern to test, alongside a few other personal projects I was working on. Low and behold, I found the sweetest tester call for a beautifully whimsical meadow frog called Florin. He had petals adorning his head, and the cutest little body. I applied, and as you might guess by the fact that I’m writing this post, I was given the incredible opportunity to test Florin!
Considering I always have a huge stock of green yarn to hand - again, I love to make frogs - I was able to begin the pattern as soon as I received it! I decided to use my staple yarn and hook combination: Yarnsmiths Chenille Chunky, and a 6mm hook. Now, for some this might result in loose stitches, but fear not! My tension is tighter than anything you can imagine, so it works for me! I believe that this particular yarn comes across as more of a super chunky - in my opinion, at least! I made two variations of the pattern: one using similar colours to the original pattern, and the other I had the idea to turn into a sunflower! This meant I was using pink and green for one, and brown, green and yellow for the other. I’ll include the exact names of the yarn colours below.
All-in-all, I think this is an incredibly well-written and beginner friendly pattern. It’s low sew, and mostly allows you to crochet in the details as you go, such as the arms, legs and the petals. This also meant that the pattern works up surprisingly quickly, and I was able to finish my second Florin in a single sitting! The instructions were very clear, with in-depth descriptions concerning arm and leg placement. There are plenty of pictures to reference, which were also very clear. One note I made while testing was that I had to slightly adjust the arm placements to ensure they aligned with the legs, due to my tension being too tight. The designer has since added in a little note to mention that other makers might also need to adjust their placement, which is super helpful when going into a new pattern!
With the yarn that I used, my Florin came out bigger than I had expected, coming out to around 12 inches from the tip of his petal to the bottom of his foot. If I had to choose a favourite part of this pattern, it would be the body. I love the position of the arms and the legs, and the shape of the body allows for an adorable sitting position. The petals are, of course, a close second! Finally, I want to make a note of how much possibility this pattern has for different colour schemes and variations! I absolutely love my sunflower Florin, and I really think that there are so many more possible combinations you could come up with!
Overall, I really enjoyed testing this pattern, and I highly recommend it. It's incredibly clear to read, with lots of descriptive detail. It also has the added benefit of being low sew, making it better for ones who hate sewing (like myself!). It's a great pattern if you're looking for something whimsical and cosy - right up my street! I want to thank the amazingly imaginative designer for allowing me this wonderful opportunity to test Florin, and I hope many more purchase the pattern, and enjoy the process as much as I did!
The details:
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Yarn used: Yarnsmiths Chenille Chunky in Rust, Mustard Yellow, and Apple Green (Sunflower Florin); Dark Sage and Candyfloss Pink (original Florin).
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Hook size: 6mm
Credit to the creator: @/crochetbynahren on Instagram and Etsy
