How to Crochet a Stuffed Animal
Crocheted stuffed animals not only make wonderful gifts for peers or children but also can serve as a family heirloom for future generations to enjoy. While there are many patterns to choose from, creating a stuffed animal using a standard pattern is much simpler and the steps can be repeated to create a variety of animals. All you need are some basic crochet materials, minimal knowledge of crochet stitches and a bit of imagination to create the perfect stuffed animal.
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Instructions
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Choose which animal you want to crochet. If this is your first time crocheting a stuffed animal begin with an animal that has an upright body, a circular head and four legs that face front, such as a bear.
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Make the head of the animal by performing six chain stitches (ch st) and connecting the ends to create a loop. Continue around the spiral pattern with single crochet stitches (sc st) in every yarn loop around the ch st. Increase each row with additional sc st. As a guideline, a small animal should have 18 sc st in the first row, 24 sc st in the second row and 36 sc st in the third row. Once you reach the center of the head, begin reducing the number of stitches to form a ball. The size of the stuffed animal will determine the center of the head. Every few rows, take a look at the overall size of the pattern so you can judge whether or not to decrease. Make sure to leave an opening for the stuffing before you close the head completely.
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Stuff the head using a polyester fiberfill or some other type of stuffing material when you see about two or three inches left in the opening. Take care not to stretch the stitches when you add the stuffing. Once the stuffing has been added, continue to decrease until you completely close the space and then finish off the head by tying a knot at the end to secure your work.
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Continue with the body of the animal using the same crocheting and stuffing method as the head. The body should be more elongated in shape. Once you reach the widest portion of the body with the most sc sts in the row, continue to crochet the same number of sts until you reach the desired length of the body then decrease the sts to completely form the body.
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Crochet the arms and legs by creating a tight circle of ch sts then continue along the spiral pattern using the sc method. Repeat the head and body crochet process by increasing the stitch count for the first five or six rows and then continue with sc sts to create a tube shape before tapering the stitch count. Stuff the arms and legs before closing the hole completely. Repeat this process three more times until you have two arms and two legs. This step can be repeated to create a tail.
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Attach the head, arms, legs and body together using a strand of yarn that is the same color as the stuffed animal. Use a yarn needle to sew the pieces together.
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Add eyes, a nose, mouth or ears by sewing them in with yarn or sew on felt features. Be creative with this process. You can also use buttons for eyes or the nose and ribbons to create a tail.
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Tips & Warnings
Free Crochet Pattern offers patterns for a cat, a puppy, a panda bear, a frog and a monkey.
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
