Mini Panda & Brown Bear Pattern
Thank you so much for trying my pattern! This pattern is the property of Lindsey Peppers. You may not copy or distribute any part of this pattern. Find me at Instagram at @lindsey_crochets and at Facebook.com/Lindseycrochets.
The basic pattern is identical for the panda and the regular bear. Pay attention to headings on the head and body to make sure you are following the correct pattern for the finished bear you want (panda or regular).
Additionally, I chose to add eyebrows to the regular bear. Because the regular bear is all made in one color, the yarn color for each part is not specified.
Materials:
2.5 mm hook
Worsted weight brown yarn for regular bear, white and black (or other contrasting color) for the panda,
2 8 mm safety eyes, 9 mm safety nose
Polyester fiber stuffing
4 stitch markers (2 different colors)
Finishing/tapestry needle (to sew parts together, embroider nose, and weave in ends)
Embroidery thread (or yarn) in black and white embroidery needle
Skills:
Basic understanding of how to complete amigurumi and follow patterns
Working in a spiral
Working in distinct rounds
Color changing
Sewing amigurumi parts together
Basic embroidery skills
Finishing off (f.o.) and weaving/tucking in ends
Chain (ch)
Single crochet (sc)
Increase (inc.)*
Invisible decrease (dec.)**
Regular decrease***
Half Double Crochet (hdc)
Double Crochet (dc)
Crocheting in back loops only (BLO)
Slip stitch (sl st)
*An increase is 2 scs in 1 stitch.
** An invisible decrease is completed by following these instructions: 1. Identify the next two stitches you wish to combine into one. 2. Insert your hook into the front loop of the first stitch. 3. Insert your hook into the front loop of the second stitch. You should have 3 loops on your hook. 4. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops. 5. Yarn over and pull through the remaining 2 loops.
***A regular decrease is completed by following these instructions: 1. Insert your hook beneath the next stitch. 2. Yarn over and pull up a loop. 3. Insert your hook beneath the next stitch. 4. Yarn over and pull up a loop. You should have 3 loops on your hook. 5. Yarn over and pull through all 3 hooks.
This pattern is written in US crochet terms.
Muzzle
Use white yarn for the panda.
R 1: ch 4, starting from the 2nd ch from the hook complete 2 sc, inc. On the other side of the chain complete 2 sc, inc. (8)
R 2: (sc, inc.) x 4 (12)
R 3: 12 sc (12)
F.o. and leave a tail that is a few inches long (for sewing the muzzle onto the bear later.)
To even out the muzzle, insert your finishing yarn in your tapestry needle, skip the next stitch (that comes right after the stitch you completed before finishing off), and insert your needle through the following stitch. Pull through. Then insert your yarn back through the front loop only of the stitch you just skipped and pull through.
(This technique can also be used to even out other parts of the bear, if desired.)
Place the safety nose between rounds 1 and 2 of the muzzle (top side) and embroider a black line from the middle of the nose to the end (round 3) of the muzzle (reference pictures later in the pattern if necessary).
Set muzzle aside.
Panda Head
Begin with white yarn.
For rounds 16-23, blue text indicates a color change to black yarn. After round 23, the rest of the head is crocheted in white.
R 1: ch 4, starting from the 2nd ch from the hook complete: 2 sc, inc. On the other side of the chain complete: 2 sc, inc. (8)
R 2: inc. x 8 (16)
R 3: (sc, inc.) x 8 (24)
R 4: (2 sc, inc.) x 8 (32)
R 5: (3 sc, inc.) x 8 (40)
R 6: 40 sc (40)
R 7: (4 sc, inc.) x 8 (48)
R 8-11 (4 rounds): 48 sc (48)
R 12: 7 sc, 2 sc, 6 sc, 2 sc, 31 sc (48)
R 13: 6 sc, 5 sc, 2 sc, 5 sc, 30 sc (48)
R 14: 5 sc, 6 sc, 2 sc, 6 sc, 29 sc (48)
R 15: 4 sc, 6 sc, 4 sc, 6 sc, 28 sc (48)
R 16: 4 sc, 5 sc, 6 sc, 5 sc, 28 sc (48)
R 17: 5 sc, 4 sc, 6 sc, 4 sc, 29 sc (48)
R 18: (4 sc, dec.) x 8 (40)
R 19: 40 sc (40)
Regular Bear Head R 1: ch 4, starting from the 2nd ch from the hook complete: 2 sc, inc. On the other side of the chain complete: 2 sc, inc. (8) R 2: inc. x 8 (16) R 3: (sc, inc.) x 8 (24) R 4: (2 sc, inc.) x 8 (32) R 5: (3 sc, inc.) x 8 (40) R 6: 40 sc (40) R 7: (4 sc, inc.) x 8 (48) R 8-17 (10 rounds): 48 sc (48) R 18: (4 sc, dec.) x 8 (40) R 19: 40 sc (40)
Insert safety eyes between rounds 15 and 16, about 9 stitches apart. Embroider the bottom outer edges of each eye with white yarn. If desired, stuff the muzzle and then sew it onto rounds 14-17 of the head. (If you stuff the muzzle, I recommend sewing about half the muzzle onto the face, stuff the muzzle, and continue to stuff as you sew). For the regular bear, embroider eyebrows on round 12.
If you haven’t already, stuff the head so far and continue to stuff as you go.
Rounds 20-23 are the same for both the panda and the regular bear.
R 20: (3 sc, dec.) x 8 (32)
R 21: (2 sc, dec.) x 8 (24)
R 22: BLO (sc, dec.) x 8 (16)
R 23: dec. x 8 (8)
F.o and weave/tuck in the end tail.
Ear (Make 2)
For the panda, use black yarn.
This will be crocheted in distinct rounds (with a ch 1 at the beginning and a sl st to the first st you made of each round).
R 1: ch 2, complete 8 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, sl st to the first stitch of the round (8)
R 2: ch 1, inc. x 8, sl st to the first stitch of the round (16)
R 3-4 (2 rounds): ch 1, hdc, 5 sc, hdc, dc, hdc, 5 sc, hdc, dc, sl st to the first stitch of the round (16)
F.o. and leave a long tail for sewing. So ears onto about rounds 6-11 of the head.
Arm (Make 2)
For the panda, use black yarn.
R 1: ch 2, complete 6 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook (6)
R 2: inc. x 6 (12)
R 3-8 (6 rounds): 12 sc (12)
Stuff the tip of the arm.
R 9: ch 1, fold arm in half and crochet closed with 6 sc (6)
F.o.
Leg (Make 2)
For the panda, use black yarn.
R 1: ch 2, complete 7 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook (7)
R 2: inc. x 7 (14)
R 3: BLO 14 sc (14)
R 4-5 (2 rounds): 14 sc (14)
F.o. the first leg but not the second leg you make.
Connecting the Legs/Body
R 6: In round 6, you will create a chain of 4 on your second leg, connect to the first leg by single crocheting all the way around. Then you will single crochet along one side of the chain, single crochet all around the first leg, and single crochet along the other side of the chain. This will give you a total of 36 stitches. Feel free to skip the more detailed directions below if you’re already familiar with this technique.
If you’d like more guidance, place a green stitch marker in the last stitch you completed on each leg. Place a blue stitch marker in the first sc you made of round 5 on each leg. The purpose of this is to more clearly identify the first and last stitches of each leg as this can get confusing when joining them. Feel free to remove stitch markers as you go.
Next, continuing on the second leg you made, chain 4. Insert your hook beneath the stitch that contains the blue stitch marker on your first leg.
Complete 14 sc around the first leg, making sure the 14th single crochet is in the stitch that contains the green stitch marker.
Next, complete 4 sc along the side of the chain.
Next, insert your hook beneath the stitch that contains the blue stitch marker on your second leg. Complete 14 sc around the second leg, making sure that the 14th single crochet is in the stitch that contains the green stitch marker.
Lastly, complete 4 sc along the other side of the chain.
R 7: 8 sc, (3 sc, inc.) x 4, 12 sc (40)
The remainder of the body pattern is for the panda only. For the remainder of the regular bear body panda, skip this part and see the part labeled “Regular Bear Body Pattern Continued.”
R 8: 40 sc (40)
Change to white yarn.
R 9-13 (5 rounds): 40 sc (40)
R 14: 8 sc, (3 sc, dec.) x 4, 12 sc (36)
R 15: 36 sc (36)
Change to black yarn.
R 16: (7 sc, dec.) x 4 (32)
R 17: (6 sc, dec.) x 4 (28)
For round 18 you will single crochet all the way around while also crocheting the arms on. To do so, insert your hook under one stitch of the arm and the corresponding stitch on the body. Then, complete a single crochet.
Tip: Because each arm is crocheted in a spiral, the tip tends to tilt in one direction. Whether you would rather your arms tilt slightly inward toward the body or outward away from the body, make sure they are consistent. I chose to have each arm tilt inward. (The yarn tail of each arm, where I finished off the arm, fell on the right side as I crocheted each arm on.)
R 18: 4 sc, crochet the first arm on along the next 6 corresponding pairs of stitches, 8 sc, crochet the second arm on the next 6 corresponding pairs of stitches, 4 sc (28)
F.o. and leave a tail long enough to sew the body onto the head.
If you have not already, weave or tuck in the ends of your arms. (I wove each arm’s yarn tail to the inside of the body and made a double knot on a stitch to keep it secure.)
Stuff the body, and use the tail to sew the body onto the head. (I sew about half of the body on, stuff the body so far, and continue to stuff as I sew.)
Regular Bear Body Continued R 8-13 (6 rounds): 40 sc (40) R 14: 8 sc, (3 sc, dec.) x 4, 12 sc (36) R 15: 36 sc (36) R 16: (7 sc, dec.) x 4 (32) R 17: (6 sc, dec.) x 4 (28) For round 18 you will single crochet all the way around while also crocheting the arms on. To do so, insert your hook under one stitch of the arm and the corresponding stitch on the body. Then, complete a single crochet. Tip: Because each arm is crocheted in a spiral, the tip tends to tilt in one direction. Whether you would rather your arms tilt slightly inward toward the body or outward away from the body, make sure they are consistent. I chose to have each arm tilt inward. (The yarn tail of each arm, where I finished off the arm, fell on the right side as I crocheted each arm on.)
R 18: 4 sc, crochet the first arm on along the next 6 corresponding pairs of stitches, 8 sc, crochet the second arm on the next 6 corresponding pairs of stitches, 4 sc (28) F.o. and leave a tail long enough to sew the body onto the head. If you have not already, weave or tuck in the ends of your arms. (I wove each arm’s yarn tail to the inside of the body and made a double knot on a stitch to keep it secure.) Stuff the body, and use the tail to sew the body onto the head. (I sew about half of the body on, stuff the body so far, and continue to stuff as I sew.)
Tail
For the panda, use black yarn. Stuff if desired.
R 1: ch 2, complete 6 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook (6)
R 2: inc. x 6 (12)
R 3: 12 sc (12)
F.o. and leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff the tail lightly and sew it onto rounds 9-11 of the body.
The end!
Thanks for trying my pattern! I’d love to see your finished result on instagram. Tag me at @Lindsey_Crochets
