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You can crochet a simple stuffed animal with only a little yarn and a few basic stitches. By changing the ears and tail, you can even use the same basic body and head structure to create a variety of animals, including bears, cats, and dogs.
Steps
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Attach the yarn to the hook. Tie the yarn onto your crochet hook using a standard slip knot.
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Establish a set of single crochet. Work one single crochet into the second chain from the hook and one single crochet into the chain after that. Work three single crochet into the last stitch.
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Single crochet to complete the first round. Single crochet along the bottom side of the foundation chain to form an oval shape. These stitches should be worked into the chain stitches, not the previous set of single crochet. [1] X Research source
- Single crochet once in the next stitch.
- Single crochet twice into the final stitch.
- There should be 8 single crochet overall in the first round, including the single crochet made in the previous step.
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Single crochet the second round. Single crochet directly into the stitches of the previous round, increasing gradually so that there are 14 stitches in this round.
- Work two single crochet in the first stitch.
- Single crochet once into the next stitch.
- Single crochet twice into each of the next three stitches.
- Work one single crochet into the stitch after that.
- Single crochet twice in each of the next two stitches.
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Create a third round of single crochet. Increase the stitch count in this row to 20 single crochet and work the stitches directly into the previous row.
- Single crochet twice into the first stitch.
- Single crochet once into each of the next two stitches.
- Single crochet twice into the next stitch, then once into the stitch after that. Repeat this step three times.
- Work one single crochet into the next stitch.
- Single crochet twice in the next stitch, then once in the stitch after that. Repeat twice.
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Work a fourth round of single crochet. Work the single crochet stitches of the fourth round into those of the third, increasing the count of this round to 26 stitches.
- Single crochet twice into the first stitch.
- Work one single crochet into each of the next three stitches.
- Single crochet twice in the next stitch, then once into each of the next two stitches. Repeat this three times.
- Single crochet once into the next stitch.
- Single crochet twice into the next stitch and once into each of the two stitches after that. Repeat twice.
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Single crochet in each stitch around. Single crochet once into each stitch of the previous round. Repeat this step until you have worked up a total of nine rounds in this manner.
- These are rounds 5 through 13, and each round should have 26 stitches.
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Single crochet decrease down next round. Single crochet round 14, decreasing the stitch count to 20 single crochet.
- Work one single crochet into the next two stitches.
- Single crochet once into both of the two stitches after that. The process of working one single crochet into two stitches simultaneously is called a "single crochet decrease."
- Single crochet once into the next stitch.
- Single crochet once into each of the next two stitches, then once into both of the two stitches after that. Repeat three times.
- Work one single crochet into the next stitch.
- Single crochet once in each of the next two stitches and once into both of the two stitches after that. Repeat twice.
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Decrease the stitch count further. Continue to single crochet decrease around round 15 so that this round will consist of 14 stitches.
- Single crochet once into both of the first two stitches.
- Single crochet once into each of the next two stitches.
- Work one single crochet into both of the next two stitches and one into the next stitch after that. Repeat three times.
- Single crochet once in the next stitch.
- Single crochet once into both of the next two stitches, then once into the stitch after that. Repeat two times.
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Make a final round using a single crochet decrease. Single crochet decreases across round 16, reducing the stitch count of this round to 8 single crochet.
- Single crochet once into both of the next two stitches.
- Single crochet once into the stitch after that.
- Work one single crochet into both of the next two stitches. Repeat three times.
- Single crochet once into the next stitch.
- Single crochet once into both of the next two stitches. Repeat two times.
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Cut and fasten off the yarn. Cut the yarn leaving a tail roughly 6 inches (15 cm) long. Pull this tail through the loop on your hook to fasten it off.
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Stuff the body. Fill the body and head with enough stuffing to plump them up.
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Sew the hole closed. Thread the tail of the yarn through a yarn needle. Pinch the opening together, then whip stitch it closed.
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Attach new yarn to your crochet hook. Use a slipknot to tie the yarn onto the hook.
- Leave a starting tail of 4 inches (10 cm) or so.
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Chain three. Create a foundation chain of three chain stitches from the loop on your hook.
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Single crochet the paw shape. Single crochet once into the second chain from the hook, then once into the chain after that.
- This should produce a rounded triangular shape. Each paw consists of nothing more than this flat triangle of yarn.
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Fasten off the yarn. Cut the yarn, leaving a 4-inch (10 cm) tail. Pull the tail through the loop on your hook to knot it.
- Do not trim this tail. It will be used later on to help attach the paw to the body.
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Create three more paws. Follow the same steps outlined above to create three more identical paws.
- Set the paws aside until you are ready to assemble the final animal.
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Bear
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Attach the yarn to your hook. Use a slipknot to attach a fresh piece of yarn to your crochet hook.
- Leave a 4-inch (10 cm) starting tail.
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Chain two. Create a foundation chain of two chain stitches from the loop on your hook.
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Single crochet three times. Work every single crochet into the first chain of your foundation.
- This should form a small, circular earpiece.
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Fasten off the yarn. Cut the yarn, leaving a 4-inch (10 cm) tail. Pull the tail through the loop on your hook to finish the ear off.
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Make another ear. Follow the same steps to produce a second ear.
- Set both ears aside until you are ready to assemble the entire stuffed animal.
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Cat
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Attach the yarn to the hook. Use a basic slipknot to attach the yarn to your crochet hook.
- Leave a starting tail roughly 4 inches (10 cm) long.
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Chain two. Create a foundation of two chain stitches from the slipknot loop on your hook.
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Single crochet six times. Work six single crochets into the first chain of your foundation.
- This should give you a round with six stitches in it.
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Single crochet increase for another two rounds. Increase the stitch count by two single crochets as you create rounds two and three. [2] X Research source
- For round two, single crochet once into each of the next two stitches. Single crochet twice into the stitch after that; repeat twice, giving you a final stitch count of 10.
- For round three, single crochet once into each of the next three stitches. Single crochet twice into the stitch after that; repeat twice, giving you a final stitch count of 12.
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Fasten off the yarn. Cut the yarn, leaving a tail that measures 4 inches (10 cm) long. Pull the tail through the loop on your hook to knot it.
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Make a second ear. Follow the same steps to create a second ear that is identical to the first.
- Set both ears aside until you are ready to assemble the entire cat.
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Dog
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Attach the yarn to the hook. Use a slipknot to tie a fresh piece of yarn onto the hook.
- Leave a starting tail of 4 inches (10 cm) or so.
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Chain two. Work a small foundation of two chain stitches from the loop on your hook.
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Single crochet six times. Work six single crochet into the first chain of your foundation.
- This should create a small, bulky circle.
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Increase around the second round. Single crochet twice into each stitch of the first round.
- You should be left with 12 stitches after this round.
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Single crochet another eight rounds. Single crochet once into each stitch of the previous round. [3] X Research source
- Repeat this step to complete rounds three through ten.
- Each round should have 12 stitches.
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Fasten off the yarn. Cut the yarn, leaving a 4-inch (10 cm) tail. Pull this tail through the loop on your hook to knot it.
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Make a second ear. Repeat the same steps to create a second identical ear for the dog.
- Flatten each ear in between your two fingers. When you attach the ear to the head of the dog, you will position the open end flat against the head and stitch both sides of the opening in place.
- Set both ears aside until you are ready to attach them to the body.
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Bear
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Attach the yarn to the hook. Use a slipknot to attach a new piece of yarn to the crochet hook.
- Leave a starting tail roughly 4 inches (10 cm) long.
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Chain two. Create a foundation of two chain stitches, working them off the loop on your hook.
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Single crochet six times. Work six single crochet into the first chain of your foundation.
- Doing this should produce a bulky circle.
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Join the ends of the circle. Slip stitch the first and last stitch of the circle together to close it off.
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Fasten off the yarn. Snip the yarn so that a 4-inch (10 cm) tail remains and pull the tail through the loop on your hook. This should be enough the finish the tailpiece.
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Cat or Dog
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Knot the yarn onto the hook. Use a slipknot to attach the yarn to your crochet hook.
- Leave a starting chain roughly 4 inches (10 cm) long.
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Chain four to nine stitches. Work a strand of four to nine chain stitches from the loop already on your hook.
- Use four chain stitches for a dog's tail or nine chain stitches for a cat's tail.
- This tail is very simple and consists only of this one chain. You can make the tail longer or shorter as desired by working more or fewer chain stitches.
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Secure the yarn. Cut the yarn, leaving a 3-inch (7.6 cm) tail. Pull the tail through the loop on your hook to fasten it off.
- After knotting the chain, you may want to trim the excess or weave it into the stitches. You'll use the starting yarn tail to attach this tailpiece to the body of the cat or dog.
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Create a small felt nose. Cut a small oval or triangle out of black felt to create a nose for the stuffed animal.
- The nose should be about 1/5 inch (5 mm) long.
- You can change the color of the felt as desired to match the yarn color used for the body of the stuffed animal.
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Create two felt eyes. Cut two small felt circles from black felt to make two eyes. These felt circles should be slightly larger than the ones created for the nose.
- You can change the color of the felt if desired.
- The exact size of the eyes should be a matter of preference, but they can range anywhere from the same size as the nose to a size twice as large.
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Sew on the ears. Place the ears on the top of the body, keeping them even with one another. Use the yarn needle and excess yarn tails to whip and stitch them into place.
- Bear and cat ears should rest between the second and fourth rows of the body.
- Dog ears should rest below the fifth or sixth round of the body and should be positioned so that they extend from the sides of the head, rather than sticking up from the top.
- Note that the top of the body is the end opposite the whip-stitched portion of the body.
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Attach the tail. Place the tail three or four rows up from the bottom of the body and whip stitch it into place using the yarn needle.
- Make sure that the tail is horizontally centered between the two ears.
- You also need to make sure that the animal can sit flat once the tail is stitched in place. If not, you may need to move it up a little.
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Put the paws in place. Use your yarn needle to whip stitch two paws onto the bottom of the animal and two paws onto its front.
- The two bottom paws should be positioned just below round 13 of the body. They should be a little lower than the tail and positioned toward the front of the body.
- The two top paws should be below the eighth round of the body and angled inward.
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Glue on the eyes and nose. Glue the eyes in place first, followed by the nose. Use fabric glue or hot glue for the best results.
- The eyes should be in line with the sixth round of the body.
- The nose should be horizontally centered between the two eyes on the row below them.
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Admire your work. At this point, your tiny stuffed teddy bear, dog, or cat should be complete and ready to adore.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat yarn is best recommended?MicheleTop AnswererWorsted weight is perfect for making a stuffed animal, but you can use any kind you want. I wouldn’t use wool, because it could felt if it gets wet.
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Things You'll Need
- Crochet hook, size E-4 (3.5 mm)
- Medium-weight yarn, 1 skein
- Polyfill stuffing
- Yarn embroidery needle
- Scissors
- Black felt
- Glue
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about knitting and crochet, check out our in-depth interview with Sarah Stearns .
References
About This Article
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