"Where the Wild Things Are" is one of my favorite children's books. Everything about it is amazing: the illustrations, the message, the story, and its timelessness. It's one of those that has been carried down through the generations.

I've read it to my daughter so much that when she's too full of love she bites my arm! Ouch! and also, opps because now I've got to make sure she stops that before sending her off to school. 

In any case, I really wanted to make her a crown inspired by the book. When I found the "Go Faux Fur" yarn by Lion Brand I was so excited because "Mink" is the perfect color for the base of the crown. 

This pattern uses some unconventional techniques (crocheting over pipe cleaners) to make sure that the tall points of the crown stay upright. 

Difficulty:

Intermediate

Terms:

U.S. terms

Supplies:

• Lion Brand, Go Faux Fur - Mink, 1 skein
• Knit Picks, Comfy Worsted Cotton (109 yard, 50 gr) - Semolina, 2 skeins 
• Hook — U.S. J/10 (6.0mm)
• Yarn needle

Optional:

• Pipe Cleaners in a light tan, light yellow or golden color (6 pipe cleaners total)
  • Note: I used light tan because it’s what my local craft store had in stock. Just make sure the color of the pipe cleaner is lighter than the color of the yarn so that it blends better
• Needle-nose pliers

Abbreviations:

• yo - yarn over
• ftr - foundation treble crochet
• ch - chain
• sc - single crochet
• sc2tog - single crochet two together (a.k.a. decrease)
• fpdc - front post double crochet

Foundation treble — Foundation stitches are fantastic for most garments and hats because they create a stretch that can’t be achieved by beginning with a row of chains. If you’ve never done this stitch before I recommend venturing over to YouTube. It is very easy. The general idea is that you make an extra chain before beginning the stitch. If you just need a refresher or are amazing at following written directions here they are:

• 1 ST: Ch 5, yo two times, insert your hook into the 5^th st from the hook, yo, pull through st, ch 1, yo, pull hook through two loops, yo, pull hook through two loops, yo pull hook through final two loops
• ALL FOLLOWING STS: *yo two times, insert hook into ch st, yo, pull through, ch 1, pull hook through two loops, yo, pull hook through two loops, yo pull hook through final two loops repeat * until desire number of sts is achieved (making sure to count the beginning ch 5 as a st)

Gauge:

4”x4” — 13 sts and 15 rows

Size:

Ages 2 - 5 years old (18.5” - 19.5” head diameter)

The finished circumference is 18"

Notes:

Yarn —This piece is completed using two strands of yarn together. The point of this is to create a bulkier and stiffer cotton yarn that is less likely to lose its shape. Working with two strands at once is most easily achieved by pulling the yarn from the center of the skeins and holding both ends evenly together. 

Points — There are a total of six points on this crown. The first point is made without breaking the yarn after completing rows 1-7. The remaining five points are worked one at a time. I decided to work over one pipe cleaner, per one point, when completing the final row of the crown points. This step is not necessary if you find it intimidating. However, it’s much easier than it looks and leaves the points of the crown standing straight up without using starch. 

Pattern:

Headband portion of crown

Row 1: Work 48 ftr, sl st with top of 1st stitch (ch 5), ch 1 (48 sts)

Note: Make sure not to twist your work. Connecting the yarn in this way will leave an open notch directly underneath where the sl st connects the piece. This will help us when attaching the fur later on.

Rows 2 - 7: Sc into same st as join, sc in each stitch around, sl st to join, ch 1 (48 sts)

Points of crown

1st Point

Points 2 - 6

Pipe Cleaners

Working over your pipe cleaner

1. Find the seam of the piece and attach the yarn in the top of the seam
2. Sc in same st space
3. Fold and position the pipe cleaner to line up the point, leaving about a half inch of slack at either end of the point, point the tail of the pipe cleaner towards the inside of the piece. Moving foward, work over your pipe cleaner.
4. Sc 8 sts up towards the tip of the point 
5. Work 2 sc at into the top st of the point
6. Work 8 sc down towards the base of the crown
7. Let go of pipe cleaner
8. Sl st in next st
9. Repeat steps 3-8 five more times, sl st to join

Trimming excess pipe cleaner

Firmly and as close to the base as possible, twist adjoining ends of the pipe cleaner together, trim excess to ¼”, use needle nose pliers to fold pointed tip away from the inside of the crown, repeat with pipe cleaner end. To finish, use your pliers to firmly pinch the points where the pipe cleaners meet. Be sure to feel the inside of the crown. If any rough points remain, just keep pinching until the inner brim is nice and smooth inside. 

Attaching fur

Row 1: Hold piece with the base of the crown facing up, attach fur yarn to 1^st sp between tr sts, loosely sc in each space around, sl st to join and close the notch

Row 2: Work fpsc in each st around, sl st to join, fasten off