Hey there! Halloween is nearly here so it’s time for one last halloween-inspired pattern: pumpkin bears! I made the pumpkin bear some 2-3 years ago, I think, and decided that it’d be a good idea to make a panda version and publish the pattern for these cuties! So without many more words, here you go!
Pattern
Materials
To make the pumpkin bear you will need:
– A 2.5mm crochet hook
– Brown and green yarn for the pumpkin, yarn in your bear-color of choice, plus small amounts of pink and black for facial features
– A tapestry needle and scissors
– Stuffing
– Safety eyes
– A stitch marker to help you keep track of the start of the round
– Optional: Felting supplies for the panda
Please note that you can make the pumpkin bear using any size crochet hook and yarn weight for a smaller or bigger result. I like using DK as it’s most commonly available. If you make amigurumi, it is usually recommended to go down a bit from the recommended hook size for the yarn to allow for a no-hole look (we don’t want to see the stuffing show through in between stitches)! Using DK yarn and a 2.5mm crochet hook, the pumpkin bear should be about 10cm tall.
Stitches & Abbreviations
The pattern is written using US crochet terms in continuous spirals. You will need to know the following kinds of stitches to make him:
– Magic Ring (MR)
– Chaining
– Single crochet (sc)
– Decrease (dec); preferably using the invisible decrease method
– Increase (inc)
– Slip stitch (sl)
And now, let’s get started!
Pumpkin (in orange)
Round 1: In a MR, sc 6
Round 2: Inc around (12)
Round 3: (Sc, inc) around (18)
Round 4: (Sc 2, inc) around (24)
Round 5: (Sc 3, inc) around (30)
Round 6: (Sc 4, inc) around (36)
Round 7-12 (6 rounds): Sc around (36)
Round 13: (Sc 4, dec) around (30)
Round 14: (Sc 3, dec) around (24)
Round 15: (Sc 2, dec) around (18), stuff
Round 16: (Sc, dec) around (12)
Round 17: Dec around (6), fasten off leaving a long tail and sew closed
Head
Round 1: In a MR, sc 6
Round 2: Inc around (12)
Round 3: (Sc, inc) around (18)
Round 4: (Sc 2, inc) around (24)
Round 5-8 (4 rounds): Sc around (24)
Round 9: (Sc 2, dec) around (18), stuff, insert safety eyes approx. between rounds 5 and 6 or 6 and 7, approx. 3-4 stitches apart
Round 10: (Sc, dec) around (12)
Round 11: Dec around (6), fasten off and sew closed
Ears (make 2)
Round 1: In a MR, sc 6
Round 2: Sc around (6)
Round 3: (Sc 2, inc) around (8), fasten off
Arms (make 2)
Round 1: In a MR, sc 6
Round 2: (Sc 2, inc) around (8)
Round 3: Sc around (8), fasten off
Snout
Round 1: In a MR, sc 6
Round 2: Sc around (6), fasten off
Pumpkin top (in orange)
Round 1: In a MR, sc 6
Round 2: Inc around (12)
Round 3: (Sc, inc) around x4, sl, fasten off
Stem and vine (in green)
Round 1: In a MR, sc 6
Round 2-5 (4 rounds): Sc around (6), then chain however long you’d like your vine to be (I did about 10 for the bear and 16 for the panda), then sc across and fasten off
Assembly
First, let’s turn that ball into a pumpkin. Take your long tail and bring it up to the top of the ball on one side, insert your needle into the top and exit back at the bottom. Then tug on the tail a bit to make an indent in your pumpkin. Repeat this process around, creating however many segments you’d like, I opted for 7 both times. Once you’ve made all segments, secure your tail and hide or cut off the end. Take your stem and vine and sew the stem to the pumpkin top, then sew the vine into any position you like (a twirl looks nice!). Then sew the pumpkin top to the head. Once you’ve done that, sew on the ears and the nose. Add facial features if you’d like now. If you’re making a panda, I recommend felting the eye patches around the already inserted eyes (I found it nearly impossible to insert the safety eyes once the felt had already been applied). Once you’re happy, sew the head to the pumpkin (preferably to the bottom part, not the MR part). Lastly, sew on the arms (upper half to the head, lower half to the pumpkin, if that makes sense).
And that’s it! Enjoy your new little friend! You may post pictures of your pumpkin bear online as well as sell amigurumi made from this pattern, but I ask that you credit me as the creator of this pattern. Please do not redistribute the pattern.
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Rina Mogryna Art 