Making Toothless: About the wings

Hello everybody, this is the post that gave me the idea to create a blog with the process of every amigurumi I make. I have been crocheting for about 4 months so now I'm starting to try more difficult amigurumis like this Toothless pattern (please note that both pattern and pictures belong to http://sarselgurumi.blogspot.com.es/ ).

The very first thing you should do before you start making an amigurumi is have a look at the whole pattern. Check that you understand every abbreviation and you know how to make every stitch. When I read Toothless' pattern I wasn't sure I could do the wings, so this was the first thing I did before going on crocheting the little dragon. It is quite easy once you understand the pattern. I will talk about my mistakes so maybe it can help. If you are a beginner, consider doing a couple of amigurumi before this one, as working in black is really hard, you should already know how to "subconsciously" find the next loop, etc.

This is the picture of the finished wing:

And this is the first wing I tried (on top, unfinished, you will read later on what happened) compared with the final piece:

On with the tips for the wings!!!

ch=chain

st=stitch

inc=increase

sc=single crochet

I have rewritten the instructions just for the sake of making it similar to the rest of the instructions given on "sarselgurumi" page.

Examples: 

3sc=means make one sc in each of the following 3 stitches.

ch6= make six chains.

1st row.- ch6, sc in second st from hook and the one after it (second chain from hook means basically that you dont sc in the very last chain you made, if you do this part well then you should have 7 stitches when you finish as indicated), double inc in next ch (make 3 sc in only one stitch, basically increase by 2), sc 1 in each of the next 2 chs; ch1 and turn (the ch1 is basically so that you have the same number of stitches when you turn it to begin next row, if you don't do the chain you will lose that stitch when you turn) (7 sc) (when it says turn, think of a mirror, don't put it upside down)

This explains where is the second loop to start crocheting

2nd row.-  3sc, double increase(remember, this means 3sc in one st), 3sc; ch1 and turn (the ch1 is basically so that you have the same number of stitches when you turn it to begin next row, if you don't do the chain you will lose that stitch when you turn) (9 sc)

3rd row.-  4sc, double inct, 4sc; ch4 and turn (same as before, you are doing 4 chains but in the next row you won't be working on the last one but the following 3, doing this part well is important). (11 sc) In the picture I have circled the 4 chains so you can see them, they are really important as they start the tip of the wings.

4th row.- sc in 2nd ch from hook  and next 2 chs (same as the beginning of first row) , 5sc, double inc, 5sc, 3 foundation sc (I did 3slip stitches and it gave the wings the round look you can see on the left, it looks quite nice). (19 sc) ch 1, and turn.

5th (last row).- 9sc, double inc, 9sc; fasten off (21 sc)

TIPS: I didn't do all the loop of a stitch but only the FRONT LOOP so that the wings do not have an inner and outer part. This way, when you do the second wing and turn it left, they will look the same.

This wings are the very first non-circular design I crocheted so I can assure you it really isn't difficult.

When it says "turn", DO NOT turn it upside down like I did first time, you will end up with a wannabe-circular pattern and that is not what we want. Flip it like a mirror.

Hope it helps. I will be updating this while I keep doing more toothless' parts, so let me know if you have any doubts in the comments section (I can also speak Spanish or show you how to read English patterns).