Project introduction
This article is a pattern overview, not a full tutorial, for the Monster Ice Pop Holders by Sonya Blackstone of Blackstone Designs. It summarizes the project, construction, and finishing so you can plan a set before working from the complete instructions. For the full steps, use the Original designer’s pattern and instructions prominently, because this page explains the approach without replacing the original pattern.
Blackstone designed the holders in the summer of 2013, when her sons were nine and twelve and reacted enthusiastically, and the pattern was later moved to her blog. The crochet sleeve gives children a layer between a frozen ice pop and their fingers, adding playful monster faces to a practical summer item. The source presents them as ideas for pool parties or summer birthday party favors, and notes the design is offered as a free crochet pattern, without claiming every format is free.
Materials
Gather everything in this concise checklist before you begin. The project uses scrap amounts, so colors can vary from holder to holder while the face details stay consistent. Black yarn has a specific job, and the felt colors have assigned roles, which makes sorting the small pieces ahead of time especially helpful for a tidy start.
- Worsted weight yarn (#4), 5 to 6 colors in scrap amounts
- Black yarn, for the mouth
- H/8/5.00mm crochet hook
- Colored felt, for eye backs
- White felt, for teeth
- Google eyes
- Glue
- Yarn needle
Gauge
Gauge is not important for this project, according to the designer. That removes one planning task from this small holder, but it does not remove the need to follow the original pattern for construction decisions and to check the designer’s instructions if questions about fit come up while you work.
Stitch Guide
The pattern uses a short set of US abbreviations for the stitches and terms in the base and ears. Keep this guide nearby while reading the original instructions, especially if you are newer to working in rounds. The table below preserves the exact technical definitions supplied for this pattern in a quick reference format.
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| arnd | around |
| ch | chain |
| dc | double crochet |
| sc | single crochet |
| sl st | slip stitch |
| st(s) | stitch(es) |
Skill Level
The stated skill level is Beginner. That label, together with the short stitch guide and the relaxed gauge note, makes the overview approachable to read through before starting. Beginner does not mean finishing should be rushed, because the small felt pieces, eyes, and glued details give each holder its clear monster character.
Notes
Two designer notes affect how you read and assemble the pattern. Beginning chains do not count as stitches, so apply that rule when following the original rounds. For assembly, any glue can be used for this project, and the designer notes a preference for hot glue or E6000. Choose the option you can control most neatly on small pieces.
Construction Overview
The base is the main sleeve and is worked in rounds from a joined chain ring. Single crochet is worked into the back bump of each starting chain, then double crochet rounds build the body before a final single crochet round and fastening off. This overview gives the sequence at a high level only, so follow the designer for exact rounds, joins, and counts.
Two ears are made separately, and each begins with a magic ring and single crochet rather than the chain start used for the base. After the second ear round, the maker fastens off. The ears are attached to the base at round 6, with one placed on each side, creating the raised monster silhouette before the face is added during finishing.
Finishing
Finishing turns the plain sleeve into a monster. Cut a short strand of black yarn, 1 1/2 to 2 inches, for the mouth, and cut small pieces of white felt into triangular pieces for the teeth. For an eye backing, place a Google eye on colored felt and cut around it to outline the eye, then glue the eye to the felt.
Glue the felt eye pieces to the base between the ears, glue the black yarn mouth to the base at round 3, and glue the teeth next to the mouth in the location you prefer. The pattern and photographs are copyright 2013 by Sonya Blackstone of Blackstone Designs. The source says finished items made with the pattern may be sold, while the pattern itself should be shared by link rather than sold, shared directly, or modified.
Written Crochet Pattern: Toddler Monster Costume - YARNutopia & More: Pattern Overview
