Cat Face Medallion

Cat Face Medallion — Symbol Chart (Base Piece)

This is a flat cat-head medallion worked in one continuous spiral from the center out.

Construction from the chart:
Start: MR at the marked center point (g); ch 1 and begin the spiral.
Rnd 1: Work sc into the ring; the short chain arm to the right of the center (the row of ch ovals) sets up the muzzle offset.
Spiral rounds: continue around following the guideline, increasing as for a flat circle (inc spaced evenly each round). Stitch heights vary by area exactly as charted: sc near the center, hdc/dc through the mid rounds, and tr (the tallest bars) across the lower cheeks and chin to widen the face; return to shorter stitches at the sides so the piece stays flat and round.
Color: the face center is worked in yellow, shifting to orange for the outer rounds (the tabby outer coat).
Ears: worked at the two upper corners — rows of sc with an inc at the outer edge and x-marked decs toward the inner edge, finishing with a sl st and a dot (fasten off) at each ear tip; the small yellow oval clusters inside the ears are the ch turning sts of the short ear rows.

Use the chart image for exact stitch placement — every bar is one stitch, dashes mark dc (1 dash) vs tr (2 dashes), V = inc, X = sc.

Cat Face Medallion — Spiral Direction Overlay

Same cat-head chart as the base piece, with the working direction drawn on top.

How to read it:
The heavy black line is your path: begin with the MR at the center (marked point), sc into the ring, then crochet continuously outward in a counter-clockwise spiral — do not join rounds; just keep following the line to the outer edge.
The short straight black segment at the center-right is the initial ch arm for the muzzle offset; work back along it in sc before starting the spiral.
The blue dots mark where each ear begins and ends: when the spiral reaches an upper corner, work the short sc rows of the ear (inc at the outer edge, dec toward the center, per the base chart), sl st back onto the head edge at the second blue dot, then continue the spiral.
Stitch heights along the spiral are those of the base chart: sc at the center, hdc/dc mid-way, tr across the chin/cheek area, orange outer rounds over a yellow center.

Cat Face Medallion — Face Placement Guide

Same spiral cat-head chart with the finished face marked in place:
Eyes: two round black beads (or safety eyes) placed just above the center ring, roughly 4 sts apart — one on each side of the yellow center.
Nose/mouth: a black X embroidered directly below the center of the magic ring.
Whiskers: three straight black strands on each cheek, anchored near the eye line and fanning outward past the medallion edge.
Work the medallion exactly as in the base chart (spiral from MR, sc center graduating to dc/tr at the chin, orange outer rounds), then add the features last.