Gallon Friend Learning Toy

This li’l guy is kind of crazy-looking, no? It’s based on my son’s third-grade classroom drawing of the relationship between cups, pints, quarts, and gallons.

With this teaching tool, children will proudly answer the question, “How many cups in a gallon?” faster than the average adult! The gallon (labeled “G” with fabric paint) is the body and the four quarts (“Q”) are arms and legs. Each quart has two pints (“P”), and each pint has two cups (“C”).

Finished Dimensions

Toy shown is 12 in/30.5 cm X 12 in/30.5 cm.  As when crocheting most other ‘amigurumi’ figures, use any yarn you like and adjust your hook size to make tight enough stitches so that the stuffing doesn’t show through them.

The dishcloth cotton yarn and acrylic fabric paint used here hold up well to classroom use. So would acrylic craft store yarn. For this project I prefer the fabric paint over embroidery for durability. (See my blog post for more on this: http://crochetpatterncompanion.blogspot.com/2010/11/dimensional-fabric-paint-for-crochet.html )

Skill level

Easy/Intermediate because of unusual construction: you begin with a square worked flat in rows, then you build a 3-dimensional figure by working in the round. You use single crochet stitches with no increasing or decreasing. I wrote this pattern with a limited amount of abbreviations.

International English equivalents to American measurements and stitch terms are provided in brackets.

Supplies Needed

• Crochet Hook: Size G/US7/4.5mm or size required for gauge.
• Yarn: Approximately 120 yards/109 meters at most of a #3 Light Weight or #4 Medium Weight yarn, or one that states a gauge of approx. 12-17 stitches to 4 inches with a G/7/4.5mm or H/8/5mm hook.

Yarn Used: Lily’s Sugar ‘n Cream 4-Ply (100% Cotton, 120yds/109m per 2.5oz/70.9g ball) and Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co.’s Peaches & Crème 4 Ply Worsted Weight (100% Cotton, 120yds/109m per 2.5oz/70.9g ball): 1 ball each of four colors.

• Optional: 4 or more stitch markers (recommended)
• Yarn needle
• Polyester Fiberfil or other pillow stuffing material
• Dimensional Fabric paint in 3 colors (I used red, dark blue, and yellow). Fabric paint is the most durable for classroom use, however you may wish to embroider the surface details instead.