Don't you love it when things just come together?
Lately I've been thinking about the future of Bextraordinary Creatures. I love designing fantasy creatures, but as I thought about creatures I'd like to make, I realized that a lot of the 'stock characters' of the fantasy genres have many patterns out there already. I don't mind putting my own spin on things, of course, but if I really wanted to make more unique creatures, what could I do...?
At the same time, my 8-year old son -- who is definitely his mama's boy when it comes to his interests in fantasy! -- had been drawing pictures of a large pantheon of gods for a made-up world. They all had really cool names and abilities, and I wanted to encourage him to flesh out this world he was creating. I showed him some fantasy maps and got him set up with large pieces of paper and some guides to drawing map icons and features. he enjoyed working on maps by himself, but what we both really liked was when we worked on them together.
Then one day, when he was at school, I had what I thought was a great idea: what if he designed his worlds and I crocheted the fantasy creatures who lived there? I was so excited about it, I was actually annoyed that he was at school and I'd have to wait for him to come home! But he finally did, and I shared my idea, and we were off.
He drew a map of Pyrara, the Divided Islands, and created a large desert environment that he named the Nine Moons Desert. Jackal-like creatures called Sandstalkers live there, leading largely solitary lives. He explained to me that the dominant male Sandstalkers can have two pairs of horns, one smaller pair in the front and the larger pair that all Sandstalkers have.
This was such a fun project and I'm so excited about our new adventure! I can't wait to make more unique fantasy creatures and really push the limits of my skills and creativity, as well as spend more precious time with my quickly-growing kiddo.
If you like this Sandstalker, you're welcome to make your own! The body is my Serpent Dragon pattern (available on Etsy and Ravelry). The head was freehanded for this project but here are my notes - please understand that this is not a published pattern and has not been tested, but that I am making it available for free for you to experiment with.
JACKAL HEAD:
Rnd 1: 6sc in magic ring
Rnd 2: (inc, 2sc) x 2
Rnd 3: (inc, 3sc) x 2
Rnd 4: 10sc
Rnd 5: (inc, 4sc) x 2
Rnd 6: 8sc, inc, 2sc, inc
Rnd 7: 9sc, inc, 2sc, inc 1sc
Rnd 8: 16sc
Rnd 9: 10sc, inc, 3sc, inc, 1sc
Rnd 10: inc, 7sc, (inc, 1sc) x 5
Rnd 11 - Rnd 16: 24sc
Insert eyes around Rnd 11, approximately 8 stitches apart (4 spaces on either side of the center line of the head - the increases in Rnds 6, 7, and 9 are balanced around the center of the head, and the (inc, 2sc) x 5 goes across the brow, to give you some idea of where that center line should be).
Rnd 17: (2sc, dec) x 6
Rnd 18: (1sc, dec) x 6
Rnd 19: (dec) x 6
JACKAL EARS:
Rnd 1: 6ch, turn, slst, sc, hdc, sc, slst, working around other side of chain, slst, sc, hdc, sc, slst, 2ch, starting in 2nd chain from hook, slst, Continue working in spiral.
Rnd 2: slst, sc, hdc, slst, finish off with a moderate yarn tail for sewing to attach.
