Eukaryotic Cell Pillow

I've been in a bit of crocheting rut lately. I let myself get down about how the blog's going (I don't get compensated in any way for this blog, so it's easy to fall down the external validation rabbit hole, since there's not really anything else to reward my efforts). But then I remembered some really excellent advice I got from my creative writing professor, back in the day. He told us to just write what we would want to read; doing what interests you will always give better results than trying to please your audience. So I decided to get back to something I love with my next crochet project and make myself a eukaryotic cell pillow. Biology nerd for life! 

While I doubt most people (or really anyone but me) would want one of these, it makes me happy, so I thought I'd share the pattern anyway. Who knows? Maybe some fellow science lover will make one someday. 

I made all of mine from various colors of I Love This Cotton! Yarn, since it was what I had on hand. Feel free to ask if you want specific color names. The main body of the pillow was crocheted holding two strands together, but it should work with bulky yarn as well. Gauge doesn't matter for the project; if you really want to avoid any stuffing showing at all you may want to size down, but I'm pleased with how it turned out as is. If the pattern looks strange to you, it's probably because I staggered the locations of the increases/decrease to keep it more round; you could do a more traditional increase pattern, but it'll have funny corners on it. 

If you'd like a printable, PDF version of this pattern, you can find one on Ravelry. 

Materials:

• Worsted weight yarn in various colors
• Size E (3.5mm), G (4.0 mm), and J (6.0mm) crochet hooks
• Tapestry needle
• Fiberfill stuffing
• Stitch marker (recommended)

Stitch Glossary: 
st(s) = stitch(es)
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
ss = slip stitch
inc = work 2 sc in the same st
hdc = half double crochet
hdc inc = work 2 hdc in the same st
hdc dec = hdc decrease (work 2 hdc together)
​dc = double crochet

Note: Most of this pattern is worked in the round (meaning the stitches are worked in a continuous spiral). I recommend using a stitch marker and moving it after every round to help you keep track of which round you're working on. 

Cytoplasm (Pillow Base):
Using 2 strands of worsted weight yarn held together and the J hook:
Round 1: make a magic circle and work 8 hdc into the circle (8)
Round 2: hdc inc around (16)
Round 3: [hdc inc, hdc] around (24)
Round 4:  hdc, [hdc inc, hdc in the next 2 sts] 7 times, hdc inc, hdc (32)
Round 5: [hdc inc, hdc in the next 3 sts] around (40)
Round 6: hdc in the next 2 sts, [hdc inc, hdc in the next 4 sts] 7 times, hdc inc, hdc in the next 2 sts (48)
Round 7: [hdc inc, hdc in the next 5 sts] around (56)
Round 8: hdc in the next 3 sts, [hdc inc, hdc in the next 6 sts] 7 times, hdc inc, hdc in the next 3 sts (64)
Round 9: [hdc inc, hdc in the next 7 sts] around (72)
Round 10: hdc in the next 4 sts, [hdc inc, hdc in the next 8 sts] 7 times, hdc inc, hdc in the next 4 sts (80)
Round 11: [hdc inc, hdc in the next 9 sts] around (88)
Round 12: hdc in the next 5 sts, [hdc inc, hdc in the next 10 sts] 7 times, hdc inc, hdc in the next 5 sts (96)
Round 13: [hdc inc, hdc in the next 11 sts] around (104)
Round 14: hdc in the next 6 sts, [hdc inc, hdc in the next 12 sts] 7 times, hdc inc, hdc in the next 6 sts (112)
Optional: to even it off, sc, then ss. Fasten off. 

Nucleus:
Using one strand of worsted weight yarn and the G hook:
Round 1: ​make a magic circle and work 6 sc into the circle (6)
Round 2: inc around (12)
Round 3: [inc, sc] around (18)
Round 4: [inc, sc in the next 2 sts] around (24)
Round 5: [inc, sc in the next 3 sts] around (30)
Round 6: sc around (30)
Round 7: [inc, sc in the next 4 sts] around (36)
Rounds 8-10: sc around (42)
Ss to even off. Fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing. 

If you'd like to, you can stitch a nucleolus onto the nucleus using a contrasting yarn color. Then stuff with fiberfill and sew onto your pillow base using the long yarn tail. 

Golgi Body:
Using one strand of worsted weight yarn and the G hook:
Large Golgi Piece (make 1):
Ch 18
Row 1: sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in the next 15 sts, work 3 sc in the last st, then turn the piece and continue on the other side and sc in the next 15 sts, inc in the last st, ss to join (36)

Row 2: ch 1, sc around, ss to join (36)
​Fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing.

Medium Golgi Piece (make 2):
Ch 12
Row 1: sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in the next 9 sts, work 3 sc in the last st, then turn the piece and continue on the other side and sc in the next 9 sts, inc in the last st, ss to join (24)​ 
Row 2:​ ch 1, sc around, ss to join  (24)
Fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing.

Small Golgi Piece (make 1):
Ch 8
Row 1: sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in the next 5 sts, work 3 sc in the last st, then turn the piece and continue on the other side and sc in the next 5 sts, inc in the last st, ss to join (16)​ 
Row 2:​ ch 1, sc around, ss to join (16)
Fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing.

Fold the golgi pieces in half and sew them onto the pillow base as shown (or in a different arrangement of your choosing) using the long yarn tails. Be sure to bend the pieces before sewing so that they're curved rather than straight lines. 

Lysosome (make 2):
​Using one strand of worsted weight yarn and the G hook:
Round 1: ​make a magic circle and work 6 sc into the circle (6)
Round 2: inc around (12)
Round 3: [inc, sc] around (18)
Round 4: sc around (18)
Ss to even off. Fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing. Stuff with fiberfill and stitch onto pillow base in desired locations using the yarn tail. 

Mitochondria:
Using one strand of worsted weight yarn and the G hook:
Round 1: make a magic circle and work [sc, hdc, sc] twice into the circle (6)
Round 2: [inc, hdc inc, inc] twice (12)
Round 3: [inc, sc, hdc inc, hdc, inc, sc] twice (18)
Round 4: [inc, sc in the next 2 sts, hdc inc, hdc in the next 2 sts, inc, sc in the next 2 sts] twice (24)
Round 5:​ [inc, sc in the next 3 sts, hdc inc, dc in the next 2 sts, hdc, inc, sc in the next 3 sts] twice (30)
Round 6:  sc around (30)
Ss to even off. Fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing. 

Using a contrasting color and the E hook, surface crochet an oval on the inside of the mitochondria. 

Then join your yarn to the top of the surface crochet, ch 2, and hdc inc in the same st. Then work 3 hdc in each surface crochet stitch around. Ss to join and fasten off.

Using the long yarn tail from the body of the mitochondria, sew the mitochondria onto the pillow base (don't sew it at the outer edges if you want to retain the 3D cup-like shape, but sew it at the bottom, near the surface crochet instead). 

Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER):
Using one strand of worsted weight yarn and the G hook, surface crochet the outline of the ER onto the pillow base, as shown (or use a shape of your own design). 

Then join your yarn to the top of the surface crochet. Ch 2, then hdc across each surface crochet st. To make it taller, ch 1, turn, then sc across each st. Fasten off. 

To make it into a rough ER, add ribosomes by stitching on French knots in a contrasting color. I chose to make 2 different ERs for mine: one rough (with ribosomes) and one smooth (without ribosomes). 

Now step back and admire all your hard work! You can easily customize your cell by adding more of any organelle you might want. I ended up using 2 lysosomes and 2 ERs for mine and 1 of everything else. You can also stitch on additional ribosomes in the cytoplasm by adding French knots in random locations. You don't need to worry about weaving in any ends, since they'll be hidden inside of the pillow by the time it's finished (#winning). 

Cell Membrane (Pillow Back):
Using 2 strands of worsted weight yarn held together and the J hook:
Round 1: Join the yarn and sc around the outer edge of the pillow base (112)

Round 2: hdc around in back loops only (112)
Round 3:  hdc around (112)
Round 4: hdc in the next 6 sts, [hdc dec, hdc in the next 12 sts] 7 times, hdc dec, hdc in the next 6 sts (104)
Round 5: [hdc dec, hdc in the next 11 sts] around (96)
Round 6: hdc in the next 5 sts, [hdc dec, hdc in the next 10 sts] 7 times, hdc dec, hdc in the next 5 sts (88)
Round 7: [hdc dec, hdc in the next 9 sts] around (80)
Round 8: hdc in the next 4 sts, [hdc dec, hdc in the next 8 sts] 7 times, hdc dec, hdc in the next 4 sts (72)
Round 9: hdc around (72)
Round 10: [hdc dec, hdc in the next 7 sts] around (64)
Round 11: hdc in the next 3 sts, [hdc dec, hdc in the next 6 sts] 7 times, hdc dec, hdc in the next 3 sts (56)
Round 12: hdc around (56)
Round 13: [hdc dec, hdc in the next 5 sts] around (48)
Round 14: hdc in the next 2 sts, [hdc dec, hdc in the next 4 sts] 7 times, hdc dec, hdc in the next 2 sts (40)
Round 15: [hdc dec, hdc in the next 3 sts] around (32)
Begin stuffing pillow. Continue to stuff pillow as you go. 
Round 16: hdc, [hdc dec, hdc in the next 2 sts] 7 times, hdc dec, hdc (24)
Round 17: [hdc dec, hdc] around (16)
Round 18: hdc dec around (8)
Fasten off. Finish stuffing. Using the tapestry needle, weave the yarn tail through the remaining loops and pull taut to close. Weave in any remaining ends. 

And there you have it! A eukaryotic cell pillow! It's guaranteed to be a conversation piece. And, if nothing else, it makes my nerdy little heart happy.

If you end up making one of your own, please share a picture! I would love to see it. And, as always, if you have any questions or comments, you can reach me in the comment section below or on social media. Happy hooking!

***You're welcome to do whatever you'd like to with finished products made from this pattern but if you do sell them, I ask that you link back to my page. You may not copy this pattern, repost it anywhere (either altered or in its original form), or claim it as your own. You may not use any photos on this site for your own use. ***