Assembling ribs, spine, and sternum

This is the latest pattern in a series of pattern I'm working on that build up to create a life-sized skeleton. It details how to create the ligaments and cartilage that joins the ribs to the spine and sternum, as well as a photo tutorial on how to sew all of these pieces together.

Difficulty:

Easy-medium

The crochet for the cartilage/ ligaments is very simple, and I have tried to include as many pictures as I can to explain how things are attached together

You will need:

• Rico essentials #10 crochet cotton in lemon and smokey blue
• A 1mm crochet hook
• A darning/ embroidery needle
• A crocheted spine (note that you don't need to have completed the lumbar vertebrae at this point)
• A full set of crocheted ribs
• A crocheted sternum
• A pair of scissors 

We will start by attaching the ribs to the spine, beginning with rib 1 and working out way down.

Lay out your spine so that all of the spinuous processes (the pointy bits at the back) are facing away from you, as shown below

Note that the spine in these diagrams does not yet have the lumbar vertebrae attached.

Take one of the T1 ribs and place it to the left of the T1 vertebra (the 8th one down). The cast-on end (the thinner, rounder end) should be to the right of the vertebra. Look for the part of the rib where it get slightly thicker (as shown in image). The rib should be sewn so that the circles on the image below line up. Sew all the way down to the cast-on tip of the rib.

Sew the other 1st rib to the other side of the vertebra in the same way.

The tips of the 2nd ribs are attached to both the top of T2 and the bottom of T1, as shown below. Make sure that you are attaching the right end - it should be the narrower end that is attached.

For the first 10 Costotraversal ligaments: 

With grey #10 crochet cotton

Make a magic loop with 2sc. ch1, turn

Rows 1 - 7: (7 rows) sc in both of these sts. ch1, turn

Row 8: sc2tog

Fasten off

Each costotransversal ligament should be sewn to the vertebra so that one end of it is in contact with the tip of the rib, and the other side is in contact with the centre of the transverse process of the spine (circled in blue below). Then the rib should be sewn to the edge of this ligament not attached to the vertebrae. You should also sew the tip of the transverse process to the rib.

Note that for all ribs past this point, the end attached to the spine should be the cast-off end of the rib

The 3rd ribs are attached in exactly the same way,with the tips articulating with the bottom of T2 and the top of T3. The transverse process of T3 should be sewn to the bump of the rib made by the hdcsts (circled in the image below)

This same process is carried down all the way down the ribcage until rib 10

The 10th, 11th, and 12th ribs are sewn on in largely the same way, but  their ends should be sewn only to the corresponding vertebra (T10 - 12), instead of being sewn to 2 vertebrae.

For the 11th Costatraverse ligament:

Make a magic loop with 2sc. ch1, turn

Rows 1 - 4: (4 rows) sc in both sts. ch1, turn

Row 5: sc2tog (1sc)

Fasten off

For the 12th Costatraverse ligament:

Make a magic loop with 2sc. ch1, turn

Rows 1 - 3: (3 rows) sc in both sts. ch1, turn

Row 4: sc2tog (1sc)

Fasten off

You now need to attach the ribs to the sternum. You should use lemon #10 yarn for all cartilage sections.

For the cartilage of the first ribs (make 2):

ch18

Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in each of the following 17 chain sts to make a loop (18sc)

Round 2: sc in each st

Round 3: sc4, hdc4, sc6, sc2tog, sc2 (17sts)

Round 4: sc3, hdc6, sc5, sc2tog, sc (16sts)

Round 5: sc3, hdc6, sc7

Round 6: sc3, sc6tog, sc3, sc5tog

Fasten off

Slip this onto the end or rib 1 (with the end where you made the hdc sts on the lower side)

Sew this in place, then sew the other end to the sternum, as shown in the images below.

For the cartilage of the 2nd ribs (make 2):
ch12

Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in every following st to make a loop (12sc)

Rounds 2 - 8: (7 rounds) sc in each st

Round 9: sc4tog, sc2, sc4tog, sc2 (6sc)

Fasten off

Use this to attach the ribs to the sternum, just underneath the manubrium (as shown below)

For the 3rd rib cartilage (make 2):

ch12

Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in every following st to make a loop (12sc)

Rounds 2 - 9: (8 rounds) sc in each st

Round 10: sc4tog, sc2, sc4tog, sc2 (6sc)

Fasten off

For the 4th rib cartilage (make 2):
ch14

Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in every following st to make a loop (14sc)

Rounds 2 - 6: (5 rounds) sc in each st

Round 7: sc2, sc2tog, sc5, sc2tog, sc3 (12sc)

Rounds 8 - 11: (4 rounds) sc in each st

Round 12: sc2, sc4tog, sc2, sc4tog (6sc)

Fasten off

For the 5th rib cartilage (make 2):
ch11

Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in every following st to make a loop (11sc)

Rounds 2 - 16: (15 rounds) sc in each st

Round 17: sc4tog, sc2, sc3tog, sc (6sc)

Fasten off

For the 6th rib cartilage (make 2):

ch10

Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in every following st to make a loop (10sc)

Rounds 2 - 6: (5 rounds) sc in each st

Round 7: sc, hdc3, sc2, slip3, sc

Rounds 8 - 13: (6 rounds) sc in each st

Round 14: sc3, sc2tog, sc2, slip3 (9sts)

Rounds 15 - 22: (8 rounds) sc in each st

Round 23: sc3, sc2tog, sc2, slip2 (8sts)

Rounds 24 - 27: (4 rounds) sc in each st

Round 28: sc, sc3tog, sc, sc2tog, sc (5sc)

Fasten off

For the bottom cartilage sections (make 2):
ch10

Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in every following st to make a loop (10sc)

Rounds 2 - 3: (2 rounds) sc in each st

Round 4: sc, hdc4, sc, slip4

Round 5: sc in each st

Round 6: sc, hdc4, sc, slip4

Rounds 7 - 9: (3 rounds) sc in each st

Fasten off neatly

*****************************

ch12

Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in every following st to make a loop (12sc)

Rounds 2 - 6: (5 rounds) sc in each st

Round 7: sc in the 'new' st you created when fastening off neatly on the previous section. 

sc in the next 7sts, skip 2 on the section you've just been working on, then sc in the next 10sts (19sc)

Round 8: sc2, sc2tog twice, sc5, slip4, sc3 (17sts)

Round 9: sc, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog, sc3, slip5, sc2 (15sts)

Round 10: sc2tog 3 times, sc9 (12sc)

Round 10: sc in each st

Round 11: hdc4, sc2, slip4, sc2

Rounds 12 - 13: (2 rounds) sc in each st

Round 14: sc, hdc4, sc7

Round 15: sc ineach st

Fasten off neatly

ch10

Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in every following st to make a loop (10sc)

Rounds 2 - 8: (7 rounds) sc in each st

Round 9: sc in the st before the 'new' st of the main section (i.e.the previous section you worked on),

 

 sc in the next 9sts. skip 2 on the section you've just been working on, then sc in the next 7sts (18sc)

Round 10: sc2, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog, sc4, slip5, sc2 (16sts)

Round 11: sc2, sc2tog twice, sc4, slip5, sc (14sts)

Round 12: sc in each st

Round 13: sc, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog, sc3, slip4, sc (12sts)

Rounds 14 - 17: (4 rounds) sc in each st

Round 18: sc2, sc2tog, sc8 (11sts)

Rounds 19 - 22: (4 rounds) sc in each st

Round 23: sc3, sc2tog, sc4, make 2sc in the next st, sc (11sc)

Rounds 24 - 27: (4 rounds) sc in each st

Fasten off neatly

ch10

Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in every following st to make a loop (10sc)

Rounds 2 - 6: (5 rounds) sc in each st

Round 7: sc2, slip3, sc2, hdc3

Rounds 8 - 9: (2 rounds) sc in each st

Round 10: sc2, slip3, sc2, hdc3

Rounds 11 - 15: (5 rounds) sc in each st

Round 16: sc8, sc in the st after the new st you made when fastening off neatly on the main section (the previous section you've been working on). sc in the following 8sts. (17sts)

Round 17: sc in each of the 17sts of the previous round

Round 18: sc11, sc2tog twice, sc2 (15sc)

Round 19: sc3, slip4, sc4, sc2tog, sc2 (14sts)

Rounds 20 - 23: (4 rounds) sc in each st

Round 24: (Note that this sis slightly over 1 round) sc11, sc2tog twice (12sc)

Round 25: sc3, slip4, sc3, sc2tog (11sc)

Rounds 26 - 39: (14 rounds) sc in each st

Round 40: sc3tog, sc2, sc4tog, sc, sc2tog (5sc)

Fasten off

Sew the ends of this to the ends of ribs 7-10, then sew the other end to the bottom of the sternum, as shown in the photos below.

That's all from this pattern - I hope you've enjoyed it! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me, either by leaving a comment below, or via my Ravelry or Instagram pages. Instagram is your best bet if you're hoping for a speedy reply, and you can also follow me there to find out what I'm currently working on, and be alerted whenever I publish a new pattern.

 

Please don't re-post this pattern or claim it (or any of the images) as your own, but as always you are very welcome to sell finished products :)