It’s one of our favorite days of the year today: World Turtle Day!
A day just for turtles!
This year’s World Turtle Day tortle tower is squishy and striped!
One of these is not like the others.
This tortle tower is actually a bit of a flashback: In fall 2014, friend Assaf P. saw my Princeton turtle chilling on my desk and asked if I could make a turtle or two for his animal-loving daughters. Of course I said yes! Then life got crazy busy, and I couldn’t fulfill his request until last December.
These turtles are made from the same pattern as my Princeton turtle.
Three of a kind!
But, unlike my Princeton turtle, these turtles are not inside out!
Can you tell the difference?
Having the right side facing out means that these turtles have much better shaping. For example, their heads are not bigger than their shells, so they stand up much more easily!
See how the Princeton turtle’s head is lower? He has trouble standing up sometimes. No alcohol involved.
Best solution: Have your friends hold your big head up for you!
Having the right side out also means smoother stripes.
Fewer hitches in the purple and pink stripes!
I made the purple shell before the pink one. Halfway through the purple shell, I realized how to make the stripes perfectly smooth, without even the slight hiccups in the first half of the purple stripes: I was changing colors at the wrong point! By changing just half a stitch earlier, I got perfect, hiccup-less stitches, as you can see with the pink shell! No yarn cutting required at all!!
Almost perfect 120 degree angles! Almost, but not quite. I never did master the art of thirds.
I am so excited about finally figuring out what I was doing wrong with changing colors!
Such perfect stripes!
I may not have perfect stripes, but I am still cute and pretty!
Kirby was not as impressed with the pink turtle’s perfect stripes.
Yes, I see stripes…
…but what’s the fuss?
Squishy turtles are much fun to sit on though when you’re a (not so) tiny baby tortoise!
So many squishy turtles!
Squishy turtles, your heads are way out of proportion to real turtles’ heads!
Squishy turtles also make great friends for telling secrets to.
Squishy striped friends! Boy do I have news for you! Did you hear–
Hang on, what’s the human doing?
We’re not doing anything here at all, Mommy. Move along, now!
But, of course, best of all, squishy turtles make a surprisingly stable tortle tower!
Happy World Turtle Day, everyone!
the whimsy turtle 
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