Panda

Free crochet tutorial for a Panda Bear by Nataliya Lobzova.

With this pattern, you can crochet a plush panda. Any plush yarn will work for this amigurumi project. You can also make the bear with Alize Softy.

Finished toy size: about 28 cm.

Materials and Tools

• YarnArt Dolce yarn in black and white
• 5-6 mm crochet hook
• 18 mm safety eyes
• Toy stuffing
• White felt
• Needle for sewing pieces together
• Scissors

Abbreviations

• MR - magic ring
• ch - chain stitch
• sl st - slip stitch
• sc - single crochet
• inc 3in1 - 3 sc worked into one stitch
• inc - increase
• dec - decrease
• (...) x n - repeat n times

Crochet Panda Bear Amigurumi Pattern

Head

Start crocheting with black yarn:

Rnd 1: ch 2, work 6 sc into the first ch, join into a round.
Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
Rnd 3: (inc, 1 sc) x 6 (18)

Make a sl st, cut the yarn, and fasten off. Make one more identical piece, repeating Rnds 1-3. Next, continue with white yarn. The next round, Rnd 4, needs to be worked with front post single crochet stitches. Join the yarn, make 1 ch - this counts as the first stitch of the round - and continue crocheting around.

Rnd 4: 1 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc 3in1, inc, 3 sc, inc, inc 3in1, 2 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc, 1 sc = 27 sc

For the increases, simply insert the hook into the same place again and pull up the yarn one more time; for inc 3in1, do this 3 times. Mark the highlighted increases on your work. You will use them as guides when sewing on the eyes.

Work around both pieces this way. On the first piece, cut the yarn and fasten off. On the second piece, leave the yarn attached.

Rnd 5: work sc to join both pieces together, skipping the marked increases and the stitches between them = 40 sc

Pull the working loop longer so it will not come undone while you insert the eyes. Cut two circles from white felt, slightly larger than the eyes (a little smaller than a two-ruble coin). Cut small holes in them. Insert the eyes into the felt pieces, but do not secure them yet. Insert the eyes into the head, adjust the whites so the eyes "look" outward and downward, then secure them.

Return to crocheting.

Rnds 6-12: 40 sc
Rnd 13: (dec, 8 sc) x 4 (36)
Rnd 14: (dec, 4 sc) x 6 (30)
Rnd 15: (2 sc, dec, 1 sc) x 6 (24)
Rnd 16: (dec, 2 sc) x 6 (18)
Stuff the head.
Rnd 17: (1 sc, dec) x 6 (12)
Rnd 18: 6 dec (6)

Cut the yarn and close the opening. Through the remaining opening on the muzzle area, add a little more stuffing to the head and sew it closed. Plush yarn will not work well for sewing this shut, so use any other yarn or thread in a matching color.

Muzzle

Rnd 1: ch 2, work 6 sc into the first ch
Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
Rnd 3: (3 inc, 3 sc) x 2 (18)
Rnd 4: 2 sc, 2 inc, 7 sc, 2 inc, 5 sc (22)
Rnd 5: 22 sc

Make a sl st, fasten off, and cut the yarn.

Stretch the muzzle gently to the sides, stuff it lightly to shape it, and sew it tightly against the eyes, bringing it slightly upward between them. Do not sew it all the way closed at first; when a small opening remains, add more stuffing, then finish sewing it on.

Body

Start crocheting with white yarn.

Rnd 1: ch 2, work 6 sc into the first ch
Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
Rnd 3: (inc, 1 sc) x 6 (18)
Rnd 4: (2 sc, inc) x 6 (24)
Rnd 5: (inc, 3 sc) x 6 (30)
Rnd 6: (3 sc, inc, 6 sc) x 3 (33)
Rnds 7-12: 33 sc
Rnd 13: dec, 5 sc, dec, 5 sc, dec, 17 sc (30)
Rnd 14: (2 sc, dec) x 3, 18 sc (27)
The area where you make the decreases is the bottom. You can mark one decrease to make sewing easier. Make a sl st, cut the white yarn, and fasten off. Continue with black yarn.
Rnd 15: work 27 front post sc
Rnds 16-18: 27 sc

Make a sl st, cut the yarn, and fasten off. Stuff the body and sew it to the head so the bear lies with its bottom facing upward. Do not sew it all the way closed at first; when a small opening remains, add more stuffing, then finish sewing it on.

Back Legs (make 2)

Rnd 1: ch 2, work 6 sc into the first ch
Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
Rnd 3: (inc, 3 sc) x 3 (15)
Rnds 4-11: 15 sc
Rnd 12: (dec, 3 sc) x 3 (12)
Stuff the leg.
Rnd 13: 6 dec = 6 sc

Front Legs (make 2)

Rnd 1: ch 2, work 6 sc into the first ch
Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
Rnd 3: (inc, 3 sc) x 3 (15)
Rnds 4-13: 15 sc
Rnd 14: (dec, 3 sc) x 3 (12)
Stuff the leg.
Rnd 15: 6 dec = 6 sc

Finish stuffing, cut the yarn, and close the opening. Sew the front legs, which are the longer ones, from the black band at the middle of the body, forward and slightly downward so they tuck a little under the head. Sew them to the head as well. The bear should end up lying on its legs.

Sew the back legs at the middle of the body, slightly lower, about 6 rounds down and back from the black band. Make sure they do not point upward or hang in the air. Sew each leg on roughly to its middle so the legs angle slightly toward each other at the bottom.

Ears (make 2)

Rnd 1: ch 2, work 6 sc into the first ch
Rnd 2: 6 inc (12)
Rnd 3: (inc, 1 sc) x 6 (18)
Rnds 4-5: 18 sc

Make a sl st, cut the yarn, and fasten off. Do not stuff the ears; fold them in half. They will curve slightly, so sew them on with that curve. Sew them on flat, but attach each side separately.

Nose

Embroider the nose with the same plush yarn used for the toy. Cut a strand about 80 cm long. Mark the edges of the nose. Place the marks 1 round away from the head, using the inside edges of the eyes as a guide, and 2 rounds lower in the center.

The yarn does not go through a needle easily, so embroider with a 2.5-3 mm crochet hook. Pull the yarn through somewhere around the center of the nose and tie a knot to secure it. Hide the short end inside the head; you will not need it. Bring the long end of the yarn out at the lower mark.

Here and below: pull the yarn out a little with the crochet hook, then carefully pull it the rest of the way with your hands. Remove any fuzz that comes off the yarn and any fiberfill strands that get pulled out right away after each stitch. Do not pull out the fiberfill; try to tuck it carefully back inside instead (blunt scissors work well) or simply trim it.

Insert the hook from the lower mark up to one of the upper marks, catch the yarn, and pull it down. As you pull the yarn through, hold the nose stitch that is forming so you do not pull it too tight. Tighten it later, after the strand has been pulled all the way through.

Next, catch the yarn from the other marked corner. The edges of the triangular nose are now outlined.

Now simply fill it in with stitches. Each time, insert the hook from the bottom point upward into different spots until the stitches sit densely with no gaps. When it looks full enough, bring the yarn out at one of the upper corners with the last stitch. Make one stitch to the other upper corner to even out the top edge of the nose. Hide the remaining yarn tail inside the head. Embroider the mouth with regular stitches using any black yarn.