For Make It! Challenge #5, Lisa Egolf challenged me to crochet a sweater for her tortoise, Myrtle, so that he would be easy to spot when she lets him loose to play in the courtyard of the school where she teaches science. “I think bright yet manly colors would be best,” she said, because after all this Myrtle is male (don’t judge). So I set out to design the most masculine turtle sweater I could.
I don’t know about you, but when I think of a beefy, manly turtle, my first thought is of Bowser. If you’re familiar with the Super Mario Bros. video game franchise, you undoubtedly remember Bowser as the game’s super villain. The object of the ’80s Nintendo game is to get the main character Mario through the Mushroom Kingdom, survive Bowser′s attacks, and save Princess Toadstool. Running into Bowser, with his spiny shell, pug nose, and domineering height, is enough to make little Mario shiver.
Myrtle definitely looks like he could do some damage in his Bowser sweater. Go on, Myrtle! Go get your princess and take back your Mushroom Kingdom.
Click here to download a pdf of the pattern.
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June 13, 2013 at 12:32 pm
Awesome!!
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August 6, 2013 at 5:05 pm
I’m trying to follow your instructions and I am having trouble with the hexagons, I keep making pentagons! I am new at crocheting. Do you have any idea what I am doing wrong? I feel like I am following your instructions and the first ring comes out okay. Seems to match up with the picture and there are 23 chains along the outer ring. But then I start on the second ring and run out of chains to get all 6 sides done. Thanks for any advice! Love the idea too!
August 7, 2013 at 4:47 am
Hi Roxanne! Thank you so much for crocheting a Bowser turtle sweater with my pattern. I’m happy to help you along. I’ve sent you an email with instructions and photos detailing how to crochet the second round of the hexagon pattern. Please feel free to contact me here or by email — squirrelpicnic(at)gmail(dot)com — anytime. I look forward to hearing if the photos and step-by-step helped you. Thanks again!
September 4, 2013 at 11:33 am
Could I please have that email too? I’m having trouble with the hexagons as well.
September 4, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Hi Andrea! I’m so excited that you are making a Bowser turtle sweater with my pattern. And I’m always happy to help. Please check your email. I have sent you additional instructions. 🙂
September 12, 2013 at 9:28 am
Hi to every , because I am genuinely keen of reading this weblog’s post to be updated daily. It includes pleasant stuff.
September 23, 2013 at 10:18 am
Love this! I featured it this morning on Moogly: http://www.mooglyblog.com/free-pet-costume-patterns/ 😀
September 23, 2013 at 12:34 pm
Thanks, Tamara! I’m so honored that you have chosen my Bowser costume for your Halloween roundup. I’m a big fan of your blog!
December 11, 2013 at 7:51 pm
I’m sad because I do not have a turtle… I’m not sure it suits my cat 😉
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March 4, 2014 at 7:56 pm
Hello!
My husband has a tortoise and I just know he would love to have a sweater for his little Bulbasaur. Could you please email me additional instructions?
Thank you!!!
March 5, 2014 at 7:53 am
Hi Maria! Thank you for your interest in my pattern to make a sweater for your husband’s Bulbasaur (yay Pokemon!). I just want to make sure I understand what you mean by additional instructions. As you may have noted from previous comments, I have a series of photos and instructions that I have emailed to others in the past to help them crochet the hexagons. Will that help you too? I’d be happy to email them to you and to help in any other way that I can. 🙂
March 9, 2014 at 1:21 am
Hello! Thank you so much for sharing your patrern.
I am thinking on doing this sweater for my 1 year old baby boy tortoise named squirrel. 🙂 ( his dad being a huge pokemon fan helped him choose the name ) but I am a beginner so I bel8eve I might run into the same problems with the hexagons shapes so could u please send me your image step by step help u have sent to the other ladies as well ill really appreciate it! Thank you once again.
And have a magnific day!
March 9, 2014 at 6:18 am
Hi Emma! I’m so excited that you are making a Bowser turtle sweater with my pattern. And I’m always happy to help. Please check your email. I have sent you additional instructions. 🙂
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March 28, 2014 at 3:23 am
Very beautifully done pattern and videos. Best I have seen on this site! And what a fun project for my tortoise!
March 28, 2014 at 7:26 pm
Thank you so much, Cyn. I’m so glad you like it! I know your tortoise will look fierce in his new Bowser sweater.
April 13, 2014 at 7:14 pm
We use to tease my Grandma that she would crochet sweaters and hats for the lizards by her condo if we let her. (Long story…) This is the closest I’ve found to a hat or sweater wearing lizard! Thank you for the great memory and laugh. : ) Oh, and I’m a huge Mario fan too, I got the joke right away. 😉
April 14, 2014 at 7:38 am
Sounds like your Grandma and I are two peas in a pod. My friends are always telling me that someday I’ll be that little old lady crocheting sweaters for all the squirrels in my backyard! I’m so glad that you like my turtle Bowser sweater. Thanks for stopping by! Your comment made my day. 🙂
April 14, 2014 at 10:43 am
I’m so glad I was able to send a smile, there aren’t enough of them these days. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll find a turtle to make one of these for! 🙂
Have a wonderful week!
April 14, 2014 at 1:12 pm
If you ever find that turtle and make it a sweater, be sure to share a photo. I’d love to see it! Have a wonderful week too!
April 21, 2014 at 3:50 pm
I just randomly found your blog (was doing a search for turtles for my next crochet project) and I’m so glad because I think yours is now my favourite blog! Everything is so cute and I love the comics. Can’t wait to see what else you create 🙂
April 22, 2014 at 6:02 am
Welcome to the picnic! It’s so nice to meet you and I’m glad you are enjoying what you see here. 🙂 Your blog is entertaining me as well! I love your zombies. And I smiled so big when I saw your South Park pumpkin hats. They’re adorable and so creative! I’m very glad you stopped by and introduced yourself. It’s so nice to meet a like-minded crocheter!
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May 11, 2014 at 8:21 pm
Hi there! I love your pattern! But i was wondering, do you have instructions for the shark cozy? My son has a box turtle and he was really wanting the shark fin. Or even a flower or girly pattern. His turtle is a girl, Mona Lisa, so of he can’t make her a shark he’d like her to look girlie lol. Thanks for any help you can give us!
May 12, 2014 at 5:49 am
Hi Shelley! I’m so glad you love my Bowser turtle sweater pattern. Your son (and his turtle) have good taste. 😉 Unfortunately I don’t have a shark fin or flower sweater pattern for turtles. I might recommend contacting Katie Bradley of Mossy Tortoise. She sells turtle cozies like the ones you describe and might also sell you a pattern.
May 12, 2014 at 8:20 am
Thank you so much!
September 3, 2014 at 1:27 am
This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger.
I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your fantastic
post. Also, I have shared your website in my social networks!
September 3, 2014 at 12:05 pm
Thank you, Lisa Ann, and welcome to the picnic!
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June 9, 2016 at 1:54 am
Just found your blog. One of my daughter’s friends is having a baby girl. I asked if she would like an afghan for the new baby girl. Her husband saw a picture of your turtle cover ,sent it to me and asked if i could make a turtle cover also. I just found your pattern and can’t wait to create a cover for a girl turtle. Although it may need to be a boy cover for a boy turtle for their two year old boy. I’ll have to ask. Thank’s for posting your pattern.
I’m recovering from a lumbar spine revision surgery and can’t do much except lay around and knit or crochet. Gives me something to look forward to creating.
Karen Burke
June 9, 2016 at 4:19 am
Thanks for stopping by! I’m excited to hear you will be making a Bowser turtle sweater. Enjoy! Wishing you a speedy recovery.
August 27, 2016 at 7:17 pm
Hello, I love this pattern. My friend’s tortoise is slightly larger 8 inches long and 6 inches wide approximately. Would you a C hook stretch enough or would you recommend a G hook?
Thanks for the advice.
August 28, 2016 at 11:48 am
Hi Freddie! How awesome of you to make this for your friend’s tortoise. I haven’t tried to scale this pattern for larger tortoises, but I would agree that using a larger hook would result in a larger Bowser shell. Keep in mind the hexagons made with a C hook measure 2.5″ in diameter. The width of the finished sweater is basically 3 of these hexagons (plus about an inch of white trim). So you might measure the width of your friend’s tortoise (up and over his shell at the widest part) and divide that by 3 to get the width of the hexagon you should try to shoot for. I hope that helps. I wish you the best of luck with your Bowser turtle sweater!
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