I cannot tell you how hard it has been for me to keep this Sophie’s Stool a secret!!  Every time I walk past it (or steal it back from the boys), I get such a rush of happiness.  I’m so pleased that I can finally tell you about it :)

When Scheepjes asked me if I would like to design a stool cover, I immediately thought of using Sophie’s Mandala, which is the centre of Sophie’s Universe.

I decided to keep the sides and socks plain so that they would complement the top, not fight with it.  I also wanted a sturdy fabric that would hug the stool well.  Linen stitch has always been one of my favourite ‘plain’ stitches.  It is quick and easy to make, but it doesn’t look boring – especially when each round is done in a different colour.

The cover and socks are made in Catona, which is 100% mercerized cotton (sturdiness again).  I chose the same shades as those used in the Cotton 8 version of Sophie.

Each stitch of this project was a joy to make.  I think I smiled more working on this than I have in the past year – and I have smiled (and laughed) A LOT this year.  The Sophie pattern in all its guises has become a companion and trusted friend.  I cannot imagine the day when working it up will no longer bring me joy.  We wanted a way to celebrate this joy, so when it came to choosing an inscription for the buttons, what better than ‘Live, Love, Laugh’?

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Sophie’s Stool Kits

Each Sophie’s Stool kit contains the following:

• 9 skeins of Catona (50 grams each)
• 1 stool – 42 cm (16.5″) high and the seat is 30 cm (11.8″) in diameter
• 1 ‘Authentic Sophie’s Universe’ label
• 4 unique olive wooden buttons with the inscription ‘Live, Love, Laugh’

Please note that the kits do NOT contain a printed version of the pattern.  You will find the pattern below under ‘Sophie’s Stool Pattern‘.

Kits will be available in stores from November 1st, but I believe that some stores will offer the option to pre-order.  I was pleasantly surprised with the price of the kits, and I think they would make wonderful Christmas presents.  Kits have a recommended retail price of € 34,95/£ 31,95/US$ 41,99 and will be available from the following stockist:

• UK
  • Wool Warehouse
  • Black Sheep Wools
  • Deramores
  • Amazon.co.uk
• International
  •  Yarn.com (Webs) – US
  • Amazon.com – US
  • Stitched Naturally – US
  • Knotty House – Canada
  • Favoritgarner – Sweden
  • Other Scheepjes Retailers.

Please Note:  Due to the size and weight of the kits, most UK sellers will NOT be shipping internationally.

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Sophie’s Stool Pattern

© Dedri Uys and Scheepjes 2017.  All Rights Reserved.

Resources

• Add this Pattern to your Ravelry Queue

Translations

• Dutch Translation by Dianne Baan
• French Translation by Sandra Larvin
• German Translation by Maja Heidingsfelder
• Spanish Translation by Lynda Hernandez

Materials

• 3 mm crochet hook – for Parts 1 – 3 and bottoms of socks
• 3.25 mm crochet hook – for sides of stool cover and sides of socks
• Catona, 100 % Cotton, 50g/125m/137yds – 1 ball each
  • Yarn A – Yellow – 208
  • Yarn B – Light Pink – 238
  • Yarn C – Medium Pink – 222
  • Yarn D – Dark Pink – 114
  • Yarn E – Light Blue – 397
  • Yarn F – Green – 245
  • Yarn G – Light Purple – 240
  • Yarn H – Dark Purple – 394
  • Yarn I – Dark Blue – 146
• Stool – 42 cm (16.5″) high, seat is 30 cm (11.8″) in diameter

Colours Per Round

Abbreviations

US Terminology

• BP – Back post
• Ch – Chain
• Dc – Double crochet
• Hdc – Half-double crochet
• Sc – Single crochet
• Sp/sps – Space/spaces
• St/sts – Stitch/stitches

Punctuation

• * An asterisk indicates pattern repeats. You will need to repeat all the instructions between asterisks the number of times specified. This is a hard-core repeat and will consist of multiple instructions.
• Parentheses () indicate repeats. You will need to repeat the instructions between parentheses the number of times specified. This is a lower level repeat. Parentheses are also used to indicate a group of stitches to be worked into the same stitch/space.

Notes

Please check your gauge!  You might find that you crochet looser than me (most people do), in which case you will need to go down a hook size (or maybe even two).

When you have completed your stool cover and socks, you want them to fit quite snuggly over your stool and stool legs.  It should be a bit tricky to get the socks onto the legs.  If they slip on easily, they can slip off again just as easily.

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Sophie’s Stool Cover

Make 1.

Gauge

At the end of Part 1, your circle should measure 10 cm across.

Size

30 cm (11.8”) in diameter, 10 cm (4”) high.

Top

Using a 3 mm hook, make Parts 1 – 3 of Sophie’s Universe (including the Optional Round 25) following these three photo tutorials (or Parts 1 – 3 of the Sophie’s Universe Book):

• Part 1 (Rounds 1 – 8)
• Part 2 (Rounds 9 – 15)
• Part 3 (Rounds 16 – 25)*

*Cover Coming Out Too Big?

If you think that your cover will be too big, even though you have tried to match tension, please see ‘Making Your Cover Smaller‘ at the bottom of this post.

Sides

The sides are made with a larger hook.

Round 1

With a 3.25 mm hook, join your yarn by making a standing BPhdc around any FPdc from Round 24.  BPhdc in each remaining st of Round 24.  Join to the first BPhdc with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your ends.  Make sure that you don’t accidentally skip any sts.  If you count in 20’s, the first st of each ’20-stitch repeat’ should fall in a FPdc from Round 24.  {240 BPhdc}

Round 2

Join your yarn by making a standing sc in any BPhdc around.   (Ch 1, skip the next st, sc in the next st) until one st remains.  Ch 1 and join to the first sc with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your ends.  {120 sc and 120 ch-1 sps}

Round 3

Join your yarn by making a standing sc in any ch-1 sp around.  (Ch 1, sc in the next ch-1 sp) until you have worked into each ch-1 sp.  Ch 1 and join to the first sc with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your ends.  {120 sc and 120 ch-1 sps}

Rounds 4 – 29

Repeat Round 3.

Round 30

Join your yarn by making a standing sc in any ch-1 sp around.  Skip the next ch-1 sp.  Make 7 dc in the next ch-1 sp.  Skip the next ch-1 sp.  *Sc in the next ch-1 sp.  Skip the next ch-1 sp.  Make 7 dc in the next ch-1 sp.  Skip the next ch-1 sp.* Repeat from * to * 28 more times.  Join to the first sc with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away ends.  {30 Scallops and 30 sc}

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Sophie’s Socks

Make 4.

Gauge

The socks should measure 5 cm at the end of Round 4.  This is important!  Measure them against the base of the stool leg.  They should be the tiniest bit bigger than the base.

Size

5 cm (2”) in diameter, 5.5 cm (just over 2”) high.

Instructions

Round 1

With a 3 mm hook and working into a magic ring, ch 1 (doesn’t count as a st throughout).  Make 10 hdc.  Join to the top of the first hdc with a sl st.  {10 hdc}

Round 2

Ch 1, make 2 hdc in each st.  Join to the first hdc with a sl st.  {20 hdc}

Round 3

Ch 1, make 2 hdc in the st at the base of the ch-1.  Hdc in the next st.  (Make 2 hdc in the next st, hdc in the next st) 9 times.  Join to the first hdc with a sl st.  {30 hdc}

Round 4

Ch 1, make 2 hdc in the st at the base of the ch-1.  Hdc in the next 2 sts.  (Make 2 hdc in the next st, hdc in the next 2 sts) 9 times.  Join to the first hdc with a sl st.  {40 hdc}

Round 5

Ch 1, make an hdc in each st around.  Join to the first hdc with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your ends.  {40 hdc}

Round 6

Change to a 3.25 hook.  Join your yarn by making a standing sc in any hdc around.   (Ch 1, skip the next st, sc in the next st) until one st remains.  Ch 1 and join to the first sc with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your ends.  {20 sc and 20 ch-1 sps}

Round 7

Join your yarn by making a standing sc in any ch-1 sp around.  (Ch 1, sc in the next ch-1 sp) until you have worked into each ch-1 sp.  Ch 1 and join to the first sc with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your ends.  {20 sc and 20 ch-1 sps}

Rounds 8 – 17

Repeat Round 7.

Round 18

Join your yarn by making a standing sc in any ch-1 sp around.  Skip the next ch-1 sp.  Make 7 dc in the next ch-1 sp.  Skip the next ch-1 sp.  *Sc in the next ch-1 sp.  Skip the next ch-1 sp.  Make 7 dc in the next ch-1 sp.  Skip the next ch-1 sp.* Repeat from * to * 3 more times.  Join to the first sc with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away ends.  {5 Scallops and 5 sc}

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Finishing Off

Sew the label to the side of your stool cover, lining the bottom of the label up with Round 26.

Sew the buttons onto the socks, lining them up with one of the Scallops.  I sewed mine to Round 14 of the socks.

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Making Your Cover Smaller

Depending on your personal style of crocheting (throwing/picking and yanking/lifting/riding), you might find it hard to obtain or maintain gauge, even if you do go down a hook size or two.  If you find your cover coming out too big, don’t worry.  All is not lost.  You can still make it fit.

Before you make Round 23, measure your ‘Top’ against your stool.

If it is already the right size, make the following adjustments:

1. Continue on to Round 25 (Crab Stitch Round), skipping the first FPdtr of each FPdtr pair in Round 22 for a total of 228 sts.
2. Then complete Round 1 of the ‘Sides’ as follows:  Still using the 3 mm hook (or the hook you have been using up to this point), join your yarn by making a standing BPhdc around any st from Round 22.  BPhdc in each of the remaining 239 sts of Round 22.  Join to the first BPhdc with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your ends.  Make sure that you don’t accidentally skip any sts.  {240 BPhdc} 
3. Continue the pattern as written, still using the same hook.

If it is ‘almost there’, but you just KNOW that all 24 Rounds will be too big, make the following adjustments:

1. Complete Round 23 for a total of 228 sts.  You might find it necessary to use hdc instead of dc.
2. Continue on to Round 25 (Crab Stitch Round) for a total of 228 sts.
3. Then complete Round 1 of the ‘Sides’ as follows:  With a 3.25 mm hook (or one size bigger than the one you have been using up to this point), join your yarn by making a standing BPhdc around any FPdc from Round 23.  BPhdc around the same st.  BPhdc around the next 18 sts of Round 23.  (Make 2 BPhdc around the next st of Round 23, which should be the FPdc.  BPhdc around the next 18 sts of Round 23) 11 times.  Join to the first BPhdc with a sl st.  Fasten off and work away your ends.  Make sure that you don’t accidentally skip any sts.  {240 BPhdc}
4. Continue the pattern as written.

But What About My SOCKS?!

If you feel that the bases of your socks are way too big at the end of Round 4, make the following adjustments:

1. Frog Round 4 (I know!) and re-make it in sc instead of hdc for a total of 40 sc.  It is ok if they are still slightly too big at this point.  If they are absolutely ginormous, you might have to re-make both Rounds 3 AND 4 in sc instead of hdc.
2. Complete Round 5 as written.
3. Complete Round 6 (and the remainder of the rounds) WITHOUT changing hook sizes!

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I hope you are as excited about this project as I am!  If you make Sophie’s Stool, I would love it if you would share photos using #sophiestool so that I can see them.

This blog post contains affiliate links. I only link to products I personally use or would use.  All opinions are my own.