Part Three--"Sum of the Parts"

*Just a reminder: The pattern I'm referencing is by Linda Potts, aka WolfDreamer, and may be found at http://wolfdreamer-oth.blogspot.com/2009/08/toad-and-toadette.html. While you're there, take a few minutes to check out her blog; she's got some great patterns for free and for sale. (I bought Darwin the Dinosaur a few months ago.)*

I decide to take a couple of days away from the body in an effort to save my sanity. In that time, I'm able to finish all of the smaller pieces. The only glitch I encounter is that the spots for Toad/Toadette's hat are a bit larger than I would like. That's an easy fix: instead of using half double crochet for the second round, I use single crochet. This maintains the integrity of the design while shrinking the finished product by just a hair.

The instructions are so easy to follow that while I crochet I'm able to catch up on the many episodes of "V" that I've missed. I sit at the table in front of my laptop and toggle between HULU and WolfDreamer's blog. (Did I mention one of the reasons I crochet so much is to keep me from snacking in front of the TV?) The only part I find difficult is the arm. The arms are so little that I need to pay close attention to what I'm doing. LOL...That's what "pause" is for!

I check my parts list to make sure I haven't missed anything and let out a heavy sigh as I turn to the dreaded task of crocheting the body. In one last ditch effort to procrastinate, I pull all the pieces I've made and "dry fit" Toadette. That's when the light bulb turns on in my brain! The body is supposed to have a "bubble butt!" If it didn't then the body would be top heavy once the vest is added. There's nothing wrong with my piece...YAY! Well, okay, I did figure out that I had accidentally skipped a row in the instructions, but that won't be a problem since I already took apart the first body I made. Now that I've found the reason for the deformity, I've got the motivation to finish crocheting.

I don't recommend this to anyone, but I put off stuffing any of my pieces until they are all finished. The spheres for Toadette's braids really should get stuffed as I crochet, but stuffing the finished product through the small hole at the top is not really as difficult as it may sound. Anyhow, the stuffed pieces look great and I can now focus on final assembly.