That’s No Moon…that’s a space station
And…… That’s the extent of my Star Wars knowledge! I know I’m a nerd but I’m a math nerd, not a Sci-Fi nerd. And yes, there is a difference! One of my best friends however is a huge Star Wars fan. So much so that she is dragging us to Star Wars convention in Orlando, FL this April and dressing us in Star Wars cosplay. Okay, maybe “dragging” is a bit dramatic as we all quickly said yes to her. It also helps that we are hopping on a cruise the next day. I’ve never been on a cruise before 🙂
Any who— Today was my Sci-Fi friend’s birthday so I wanted to make her something special. Not to mention that she is very difficult to shop for so one can never go wrong with a homemade gift. I thought about making a blanket but I didn’t have enough time to finish that in time so then I started to think about something with Star Wars. She has a Death Star cookie jar on her dining table…. What if I made a matching Death Star pillow for her to use on her couch??? Done! Now what does the Death Star really look like? All I knew was that it was a ball…so I’ll start there. I make a lot of hats in the winter and they are usually a beanie style that is a half sphere shape. What if I continue to work that same hat pattern and then finish with a reverse pattern? Will that make my sphere? It did!
I started off with some Heather Gray yarn from Red Heart that I just happened to have in my stash at home.
I then started off my pattern like I would normally do a hat….just much bigger. This was the perfect project to work out on long drive home from Vermont. My boyfriend would watch me do a bunch of stitches, then pull them all out again and do it all again. It’s all part of the creative learning process!
I finally figured it out! After finishing the sphere and stuffing it, I made a separate little circle to use as that little round indentation thingy on the Death Star (I warned you about how great my knowledge was of Star Wars LOL) and put that aside.
To finish the project, I took some white yarn that I had laying around (you can also use a lighter gray if you have it) and stitched the detailing onto the Death Star using a yarn needle. I also used some black yarn to attach the separate circle thingy to the sphere to give it a little depth and contrast (you can use the white yarn here if you want too). I swear I stared at pictures of the Death Star for hours hoping to get all the lines in the right place thinking my friend would surely notice. But then I quickly realized and accepted that this was not going to be an exact replica. I’m still very proud of the way it turned out J
There is no better way to celebrate a birthday than being surrounded by friends, family, wine, and food! My friend treated herself to some birthday wine which she very graciously shared with us. OMG! is all I can say. Cooper and Thief red wine blend was very yummy!
The wine is aged bourbon whiskey barrels and it is like nothing you’ve tasted before. It was very smooth and easy to sip. I tasted the bourbon flavors on the finish right away. My friends described the flavor as root beer on the finish. Either way, it was a huge hit! This bottle will set you back approximately $30 which is definitely more expensive than what you will typically see on my blog but it was worth every penny. And who doesn’t deserve good wine on their birthday!
Pair this project and wine with some homemade paneer cheese and a good time you will have! (See what I did there??!! LOL!!!!! I crack myself up! If you don’t get it, go look up Yoda)
Here’s how you can make your own!
Abbreviations:
CH=Chain
Slst= slip stitch
DC= Double crochet
INC= increase (2 DC in same stitch)
DEC= decrease (insert hook through 2 stitches and DC)
Pattern:
Row 1: CH 6, slst into first chain to form ring, CH 3
Row 2: Fit 10 DC into the ring, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
[I did not turn my work at all. I feel this gave me a smoother “seam” where my rows met]
Row 3: INC in each stitch around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 4: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in next stitch), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 5: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 2 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 6: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 3 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 7: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 4 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 8: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 5 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
[you can make this as big or as small as you would like. If you feel the circumference of the circle is where you want it then stop increasing and move to Row ()
Row 9: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 6 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 10: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 7 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 11: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 8 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 12: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 9 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 13: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 10 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 14-16:
1 DC in each stitch all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 17-18:
1 DC in each stitch using back loops only all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 19-21:
1 DC in each stitch all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 22: *(DEC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 10 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 23: *(DEC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 9 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 24: *(DEC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 8 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 25: *(DEC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 7 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 26: *(DEC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 6stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 27: *(DEC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 5 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 28: *(DEC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 4 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 29: *(DEC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 3 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Time to stuff your sphere!! I used polyfill but feel free to use whatever you would like to stuff your Death Star pillow.
Row 30: *(DEC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 2 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 31: *(DEC in first stitch, 1 DC in the next 1 stitch), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 32: DEC in each remaining stitch all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, fasten off.
Little circle thingy:
Row 1: CH 6, slst into first chain to form ring, CH 3
Row 2: Fit 10 DC into the ring, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 3: INC in each stitch around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 4: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in next stitch), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, CH 3
Row 5: *(INC in first stitch, 1 DC in next 2 stitches), continue from * all the way around, slst into top chain of the CH3, fasten off
Finishing Touches:
Using a yarn needle and the white (or light gray yarn) stitch the detailing onto the Death Star. If you are not familiar with how it looks, Google images is a life saver! Attach the little circle thingy onto the sphere and add some detailing there as well.
And that’s it!!!! The force is with you! You did it!
