While I was working to finish “Rhapsody in gray,” I kept a tab on my computer open to a free elephant pattern courtesy of Repeat Crafter Me.

There does not exist in my memory, a time in my life that I did not completely adore elephants and this admiration of pachyderm goodness probably peaked about the time I was eight or nine, and I got my hands on a copy of 101 Elephant Jokes.

First published in 1964 and written by a then 14-year-old Robert Blake, 101 Elephant Jokes was, for me the epitome of sophisticated humor. I loved each and every joke and on the rare occasions I would come across a joke I did not understand, I thought the problem was that I simply lacked the sophistication required to understand high brow humor.

So when I first came across this little gem of an elephant pattern, I really wanted to crochet an elephant, but I knew that this project would be, for me, like potato chips: I would not be able to crochet just one, and while I didn’t manage to finish 101 crochet elephants, I did finish four before the sun set on my Thursday.

I made the first elephant using Red Heart Super Saver light gray and a 4.5 mm hook. While the ear as designed was perfectly acceptable, I used May Cheang’s “Endless Love” pattern (available at Ravelry) to fashion a more heart-shaped ear to give my elephant a St. Valentine’s Day flare.

Here he is in all of his “first elephant off the hook” glory:

Then, as I was just a little bit tired of gray, I took out a ball of Red Heart Super Saver pretty ‘n pink, and made this holiday inspired pachyderm:

From there, I decided to experiment with variegated yarns, making this one with Craft Smart Value sangria with a Red Heart Super Saver pumpkin ear as an accent:

Satisfied that a variegated elephant was a workable idea, I got out some of my beloved Red Heart Super Saver gray fizz, and make this elephant with a yellow ear:

And here is a photo of the three more colorful elephants on parade:

I have a way to go before I amass 101 crochet elephants to call my own, but given enough time and enough yarn, I should be able to reach my goal — one stitch at a time.

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