honey bear crochet pattern
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Inspiration & Design
Woohoo! The first FREE amigurumi pattern on our blog– meet Honey Bear. You can thank our daughter for this inspiration. One day, she asked me if I could make her a crochet bear and at first I was thinking, “Aww, she loves it when I make her toys” and then my second thought was “Dang it, this is going to take some time.”
So, I went and ordered a bunch of yarn from Lion Brand and went right to it and she wouldn’t leave me alone until it was done. It was good motivation I guess.
Lion Brand Vel-Luxe Yarn
I’ve tried a couple of velvet yarn brands and I have to say that Vel-Luxe is one of my favorites! It is Weight 4 Yarn and made up of 100% polyester chenille yarn. It is perfect for the velvet trend in fashion (i.e., hair scrunches, etc.). It is also perfect for baby and kid gifts, which is the main reason why I chose this yarn. Our daughter loves anything soft and squishy and she couldn’t stop touching her Honey Bear when I used this yarn.
FREE CROCHET PATTERN
PATTERN NOTES
- This is an amigurumi style crochet pattern and referenced to the original design.
- You can get the ad-free, PDF/print version of the pattern here.
- You can save this to your Ravelry by clicking here.
- Skill Level: Intermediate; or, Advanced Beginner in Amigurumi
- US Terms
- Approximate Time: 2.5 hours
- Gauge: 2” x 2” (9 Stitches x 10 Rows)
Note: Gauge for this pattern is not extremely important. - Finished Size: Approximately 10 inches tall
- Yarn Substitution: It is preferred you used this same yarn; however, if you’d like to substitute then any velvet yarn will do. Keep in mind that this will change the size of your bear and colors may vary.
- This pattern is worked into X different sections to create one piece. Basic sewing skill is needed to sew together each piece.
- Abbreviations Used:
- Invisible Decrease (DEC): Insert hook into front loop of the first stitch and insert hook into the front loop of the second stitch (3 loops on hook). Yarn over, pull yarn through first two loops on hook (2 loops on hook). Yarn over, pull yarn through both loops on hook (1 loop on hook).
- Increase (INC)
- Magic Ring (MR)
- Single Crochet (SC)
- Slip Stitch (SS)
- Stitch(es) (st/sts)
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This bear is made by the “joined round” technique in amigurumi. At the end of each round, SS into the first SC of the round to “Join”.
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Gauge for this pattern is not extremely important; however, the bear shown in this pattern is approximately 10 inches tall.
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An alternative to MR in Round 1 is to “Ch 2. In the 2nd Ch from the hook, SC 6. This can help prevent velvet from falling apart if you have issues with the MR technique.
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“Ch 1” at the beginning of each round (this does not count as a stitch. Begin the first stitch of the round in the first SC of the round.
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Bear measures approximately 10 inches tall once assembled.
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“SC #” means SC # in 1 st (i.e., “SC 3” means SC 3 in 1 st). “# SC” means SC in the next # sts (i.e., 3 SC means SC in the next 3 sts).
Materials
- Yarn: (1) Skein of Lion Brand, Vel–Luxe
- Hook: G / 4.0 mm crochet hook
- Tapestry Needle
- Scissors
- Poly-Fil Filling
- (1) Hobby Lobby Tree House Studio Animal Nose, Size 0.590 in (15 mm)
- (2) Hobby Lobby Tree House Studio Animal Eyes, Size 0.590 in (15 mm)
- Stitch Markers (Optional)
HEAD
Round 1: Begin with a MR. SC 6. Join. (6 sts)
Round 2: SC 3, 2 SC, SC 3, 2 SC Join. (10 sts)
Round 3: SC, 2 INC, 3 SC, 2 INC, 2 SC Join. (14 sts)
Round 4: 2 SC, 2 INC, 5 SC, 2 INC, 3 SC Join. (18 sts)
Round 5: 18 SC. Join. (18 sts)
Round 6: 6 SC, 6 INC, 6 SC, Join. (24 sts)
Round 7: 6 SC, *(SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times, 6 SC, Join. (30 sts)
Round 8: *(4 SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (36 sts)
Round 9: *(5 SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (42 sts)
Round 10: *(6 SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (48 sts)
Insert safety eyes at approximately Rounds 8-9 (1.5 inches apart or to your liking) and safety nose. Begin to stuff bear’s nose with poly-fil stuffing.
Round 11-17: 48 SC. Join. (48 sts)
Round 18: *(6 SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (42 sts)
Round 19: *(5 SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (36 sts)
Round 20: *(4 SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (30 sts)
Round 21: *(3 SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (24 sts)
Round 22: *(2 SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (18 sts)
Stuff with poly-fil stuffing.
Round 23: *(SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (12 sts)
Round 24: *(DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (6 sts)
Leave 12 inch tail.
ears & Tail (repeat three times)
Round 1: Begin with a MR. SC 6. Join. (6 sts)
Round 2: *(INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (12 sts)
Round 3-5: 12 SC. Join. (12 sts)
Leave 6 inch tail. Fold in half. At approximately Round 16, sew two finished pieces (ears) on the bear head (approximately 9 stitches apart or to your liking). The last finished piece will be used later for the tail in the body section of the pattern.
BODY
Round 1: Begin with a MR. SC 6. Join. (6 sts)
Round 2: *(INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (12 sts)
Round 3: *(SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (18 sts)
Round 4: *(2 SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (24 sts)
Round 5: *(3 SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (30 sts)
Round 6-8: 30 SC. Join. (30 sts)
Round 9: *(4 SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (36 sts)
Round 10: 36 SC. Join. (36 sts)
Round 11: *(5 SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (42 sts)
Round 12-18: 42 SC. Join. (42 sts)
Round 19: *(5 SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (36 sts)
Round 20: 36 SC. Join. (36 sts)
Round 21: *(4 SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (30 sts)
Round 22: *(3 SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (24 sts)
Round 23: *(2 SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (18 sts)
Stuff with poly-fil stuffing.
Round 24: *(SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (12 sts)
Round 25: *(DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (6 sts)
Leave 6 inch tail and weave in ends. Using the last finished piece from the ears and tails section, fold the piece in half. Starting at the last 6 rounds of the body (lower back of the body), sew finished piece (facing vertically) up towards the center of the bear’s back.
ARMS (REPEAT TWICE)
Round 1: Begin with a MR. SC 6. Join. (6 sts)
Round 2: *(INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (12 sts)
Round 3: *(SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (18 sts)
Round 4: *(2 SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (24 sts)
Round 5-7: 24 SC. Join. (24 sts)
Round 8: *(2 SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (18 sts)
Round 9-10: 18 SC. Join. (18 sts)
Stuff with poly-fil stuffing.
Round 11: *(SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (12 sts)
Round 12-20: 12 SC. Join. (12 sts)
Leave 6 inch tail.
ATTACH HEAD AND ARMS TO BODY
use a needle and sew the 6 inch tail of one leg on the body at approximately Round 20 of the body’s pattern. Repeat for the other leg. Weave in ends.
Round 1: Begin with a MR. SC 6. Join. (6 sts)
Round 2: *(INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (12 sts)
Round 3: *(SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (18 sts)
Round 4: *(2 SC, INC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (24 sts)
Round 5-7: 24 SC. Join. (24 sts)
Round 8: *(2 SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (18 sts)
Round 9-10: 18 SC. Join. (18 sts)
Round 11: *(SC, DEC). Repeat * 5 more times. Join. (12 sts)
Stuff with poly-fil stuffing.
Round 12-16: 12 SC. Join. (12 sts)
Leave 6 inch tail.
ATTACH LEGS TO BODY
use a needle and sew the 6 inch tail of one leg on the body at approximately Round 20 of the body’s pattern. Repeat for the other leg. Weave in ends.
Cut a 20 inch strand of yarn and thread through a needle. Insert your needle into the back of the bear’s head. Leave a 6 inch tail on the back of the head. You will weave this in later.
Angle your needle to allow it to exit near one eye of the bear. Pull the needle and yarn out of the head. Wrap the yarn around the eye 3 times until you reach back to the inner corner of the eye.
Insert your needle back into the inner corner of the eye and navigate the needle out through the inner corner of the other eye.
Wrap the yarn around the eye 3 times until you reach back to the inner corner of the eye.
Insert your needle back into the inner corner of the eye and navigate the needle out through the back of the head where you first started. Weave in ends.