purlJam

1. **Design Strategy**: I will make a beginner-friendly "Old‑Timey Tin Toy Robot" using simple geometric shapes from the provided template so the pattern stays accessible. The robot is composed of cubes (body and head), short cylinders (arms and legs), small discs/buttons (eyes and chest dial) and a cone (antenna). Construction uses only basic amigurumi techniques (single crochet in rounds and rows, magic ring, flat single‑crochet squares) so no complex shaping or animal assembly is required. Yarn weight = Worsted (4); hook = 4.0 mm (G‑6). This creates a hand‑held toy about 10–12 cm tall. 2. **Construction Plan**: Build pieces separately then sew: - Body: cube assembled from 6 identical flat square panels (sewn together). - Head: smaller cube assembled from 6 flat panels. - Arms & legs: short tubes (cylinders) worked in continuous rounds. - Antenna: cone (worked small increases then decreases). - Eyes/buttons: small flat discs or embroidered features. - Assembly: sew head to body, sew on limbs and antenna, embroider face/details. - Stuff with polyester fiberfill; sew openings closed. I choose cube construction because it uses repeatable, easy-to-count flat pieces (best for beginner accuracy) and matches the "oldtimy toy" blocky, vintage look. 3. **Quality Assurance**: Potential pain points: - Gauge mismatch altering finished size: I set an explicit gauge and show how to measure a 10 cm sample square. I provide stitch & row gauge and convert pieces using those numbers. - Incorrect stitch counts for squares: Counts are computed from gauge (see Final Calculations) and validated inline. - Uneven seams or bulky joins: I include sewing tips (mattress stitch/whip, stuff before final seam, pin pieces). - Safety: small eyes/buttons for a child — I include embroidery option and advise adult supervision if given to small children. 4. **Final Calculations**: Gauge (single crochet, worsted yarn, 4.0 mm hook) - Gauge: 18 sc = 10.0 cm (width) and 20 rows = 10.0 cm (height). - Therefore 1 sc = 10/18 = 0.556 cm; 1 row = 10/20 = 0.5 cm. - Body (cube) target side: 10.0 cm → stitches = 18, rows = 20. - Calculation: stitches = (18 sc / 10 cm) * 10 cm = 18 sc; rows = (20 rows / 10 cm) * 10 cm = 20 rows. - Head (small cube) target side: 8.0 cm → stitches = round(18 * 8/10) = 14.4 → 14 sc; rows = (20 * 8/10) = 16 rows. - We use 14 stitches × 16 rows to produce ~7.8 × 8.0 cm head. - Arms & legs (cylinders): circumference ~4.0 cm → target stitches around = round(18 * 4/10) = 7.2 → 8 sc in round (use Rnd1→Rnd2 to 8 sc); length = 6.0 cm → rounds = 20 * 6/10 = 12 rounds. - Antenna (cone): small cone about 3.0 cm tall. Work increases to ~12 sc circumference then decrease. - Validation examples (inline math): Body square ch 19 = 18 working sts → width = 18 sc → width cm = 18 * 0.556 = 10.0 cm (valid). Rows = 20 → height cm = 20 * 0.5 = 10.0 cm (valid).