Gallbladder

This gallbladder pattern is part of a series of patterns I'm gradually publishing that fit together to form a complete human digestive system. It is approximately life-size.

Difficulty:

Easy - medium

You will need:

• A 2mm crochet hook
• Anchor creativa fino cotton
• black 4ply yarn
• White sewing cotton
• Polyester toy stuffing
• A regular sewing needle
• A darning needle
• A pair of scissors

The gallbladder is important for storing and concentrating bile, an important substance that helps our bodies break down fat. If you want to find out more about this organ I recommend watching this Kunhub video.

For the gall bladder:

Make a magic loop with 6sc
Round 1: make 2sc in each st (12sc)
Round 2: (sc, make 2sc in the next st) 6 times (18sc)
Round 3: (sc2, make 2sc in the next st) 6 times (24sc)
Round 4: (sc3, make 2sc in the next st) 6 times (30sc)
Rounds 5 - 9: (5 rounds) sc in each st
Round 10: (sc8, sc2tog) 3 times (27sc)
Round 11: Sc4, sc2tog, sc7, sc2tog, sc7, sc2tog, sc3 (24sc)
Round 12: Sc in each st
Round 13: (sc6, sc2tog) 3 times (21sc)
Rounds 14 - 17: (4 rounds) sc in each st
Round 18: (sc5, sc2tog) 3 times (18sc)
Round 19: Sc in each st
Round 20: Sc, sc2tog, sc4, sc2tog sc4, sc2tog, sc3 (15sc)
Round 21: Sc in each st
Round 22: (sc3, sc2tog) 3 times (12sc)
Round 23: Sc in each st
Round 24: Sc, sc2tog, sc2, sc2tog, sc2, sc2tog, sc (9sc)
Round 25: (sc, sc2tog) 3 times (6sc)
Round 26: (sc, sc2tog) twice (4sc)
Rounds 27 - 34: (8 rounds) sc in each st
Fasten off neatly

Fun fact:
Humans can live perfectly healthy lives without a gallbladder. Its function is thought to have originated from when humans lived as hunter-gatherers and had to cope with fewer, larger meals. The bile released from the gallbladder helped to break down large amounts of fat in a short period of time.

For the hepatic duct:

Part 1:
Ch4
Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in the next 3 chain sts to make a loop (4sc)
Round 2: Sc in each st
Fasten off neatly

Part 2:
Ch4
Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in the next 3 chain sts to make a loop (4sc)
Round 2: Sc in each st
Round 3: Sc in 3sts of part 1 of the hepatic duct, then skip1 on part 2 and sc in the next 3sts (6sc)
Round 4: Sc, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog (4sc)
Rounds 5 - 17: (13 rounds) sc in each st
Round 18: Sc in 3sts of the main section of the gallbladder, then skip1 on part 2 of the hepatic duct and sc in the next 3sts (6sc)
Round 19: Sc, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog (4sc)
Rounds 20 - 35: (16 rounds) Sc in each st

Fasten off neatly

Fun fact:

In 2012 A report from the Canadian Journal of Surgery recommended that astronauts have their gallbladder removed, even if this organ was seemingly healthy. This is to eliminate the risk of gall stones and cholecystitis (inflammation of the gall bladder) when they are far from Earth.

For the eyes:

With black 4ply yarn and a 2mm hook make a magic loop with 6sc

Fasten off

Use white thread to embroider highlights onto each eye then sew them to the face. Use black yarn to embroider eyebrows and a mouth. You can also add other facial features if you wish.

That's all from this pattern, I hope you have enjoyed it! You are very welcome to sell finished products but I do ask that you don't re-post this pattern, or claim it or any of the images as your own. If you have any questions about this or any of my other patterns, please don't hesitate to contact me. You can leave a comment below, or message me on my Ravelry page, through the best way to contact me is through my Instagram page, where you can keep updated with all the projects I'm currently working on.

References:

Mentalfloss.com