Thursday, 1 October 2015

The Three Bears - Free Crochet / Amigurumi Pattern

Thursday, October 01, 2015 | By
What could be more fitting than 3 bears made with Three Bears Yarn? Meet Baby Bear, Little Bear & Mama Bear! This lovely little family share the exact same pattern (believe it or not!) and are a perfect example of how experimenting with various yarn weights and hook sizes can produce very different amigurumi!

I started designing the bears back in July, when Three Bears Yarn got in touch and asked me to design their company mascots. They asked for "real bears with a cute twist" as opposed to teddy bears which was a real challenge for me as a new designer (there were a few hair tearing moments!) It was all very much worth it though - Three Bears loved them!


Three Bears have offered an exclusive discount to Heart & Sew readers. Use the code H&S183 at the checkout, but be quick as this offer is only active for a limited time! 

Soon I'll be packaging this little family up and sending them off to Blackburn Yarn Dyers in Lancashire where they will be well loved by Three Bears Yarn director Anthony's daughter. I will be sad to see them go (especially Baby Bear - he's my favourite!) but I'm glad they are going to be cuddled and played with!


As always I am offering this pattern for free, so if you do use my pattern perhaps you could thank me by following my blog in some way, or liking my Facebook page.

Happy hooking!
Julie xxx

Copyright 2015 Julie Erskine, All Rights Reserved © 

Please note: This pattern is property of Heart & Sew. This pattern is not to be redistributed for           sale or for free. Text and images contained within this pattern are not authorised to be placed in           full or in part on any website, book, magazine, blog or forum.
  
This pattern is not to be translated or altered without expressed written consent. Currently I do not allow my patterns to be translated.

You may however: Post my pictures on your website, blog or forum with a link back to this post. You may not post the pattern or any parts of it.

You may however: Sell your own handmade items made from this pattern. The items must be individually handmade on a small scale by you and not mass produced in any way. Credit for the pattern in any online description (eg: "Created using a Heart & Sew Pattern") would be greatly appreciated. You may not claim, directly or indirectly, to be the original designer or author of the pattern. 

Please see my full disclosure for more details.




I have used the Three Bears Yarn cotton "Affection" range (Read my review of this yarn here) 

For Baby Bear:
  • 1 Ball 50g Blue Cotton DK Yarn 
  • White Cotton DK Yarn (For the feet)
  • 3mm Crochet Hook
  • Blunt End Yarn Needle
  • 6mm Safety Eyes
  • Polyester Toy Stuffing
  • Black Embroidery Floss
  • Scissors

For Little Bear:
  • 2x 50g Balls of Pink Cotton DK Yarn 
  • Blue Cotton DK Yarn (For the feet)
  • 4mm Crochet Hook
  • Blunt End Yarn Needle
  • 10mm Safety Eyes
  • Polyester Toy Stuffing
  • Black Embroidery Floss
  • Scissors

For Mama Bear:
  • 2x Balls 50g White Cotton DK Yarn 
  • 3x Balls 50g White Cotton Aran Yarn 
  • Pink Cotton DK Yarn (For the feet)
  • 5mm Crochet Hook
  • Blunt End Yarn Needle
  • 12mm Safety Eyes
  • Polyester Toy Stuffing
  • Black Embroidery Floss
  • Scissors


Psst! Hold down CTRL and P to print the pattern!
Print from page 5 onwards to skip printing the pictures.

Difficulty: Moderate Difficulty - Beginners may struggle attaching the legs.

Must know how to work in the round, increase, invisible decrease & change colours.


This pattern uses the following U.S stitches & abbreviations:
  • st = stitch
  • sc = single crochet (double crochet for UK)
  • sl st = slip stitch
  • 2tog = 2 stitches together (decrease) 

Do not join rounds - work in a continuous spiral unless stated otherwise. It is a good idea to use a stitch marker to mark the end of each round (You can use a bent paper clip or hair grip!) My notes, tips and further instructions are in purple italics.

Important: This pattern is 3 patterns in 1!  
If you would like to make Baby Bear:
Use 1 ball of cotton DK with a 3mm hook. 
If you would like to make Little Bear:
Use 2 balls of cotton DK, working 2 strands/balls of yarn at the same time with a 4mm hook. 
If you would like to make Mama Bear:
Use 1 ball of cotton DK and 1 ball of cotton aran, working 2 strands/balls of yarn at the same time with a 5mm hook.

**If you have never worked 2 strands/balls of yarn at the same time before (don't worry - it's easy!) I recommend watching this video tutorial. **




Head:

Working from the front of the face to the back of the head.

Round 1) Magic circle with 6sc (6)
Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (18)
Round 4) 2sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (24)
Round 5) 3sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (30)
Round 6) 4sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (36)
Round 7) 5sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (42)
Round 8-14) 1sc in each st; for 7 rounds total (42)

Attach safety eyes between rounds 7 & 8. Mine are attached roughly 6 stitches apart for your reference. Start stuffing the head, add a little bit of stuffing after each round as you go.

Round 15) 5sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (36)
Round 16) 4sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (30)
Round 17) 3sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (24)
Round 18) 2sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (18)
Round 19) 1sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (12)
Round 20) 2tog all the way around (6)

After last round: Slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail. Weave yarn tail in and out the front loops of the 6 remaining stitches and pull tight to close the hole. Knot yarn and hide yarn tail inside the head.

To shape the head: Take a length of yarn. Using a blunt end yarn needle take the yarn in directly beside one eye, through the head and out directly beside the other eye. Take the yarn back in on the next stitch over, and out through the stitch right next to where you first went in, beside the first eye. Pull yarn tight till the face is your desired shape. Tie the 2 yarn tails together and knot them tightly. Hide exposed yarn tails inside the head.

Snout/muzzle:

Round 1) Magic circle with 6sc (6)
Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (18)
Round 4) 1sc in each st (18)
Round 5) 2sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (24)
Round 6) 1sc in each st (24)
Round 7) 3sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (30)
Round 8-9) 1sc in each st; for 2 rounds total (30)

After last round: Slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing. 

Stuff the snout fully and firmly and sew to the face using a whip stitch (snout should be placed over the starting magic circle) If you are having trouble stuffing the snout try sewing it in place first but before you sew all the way around completely, stop so you have a small open gap to stuff through. Stuff to a firmness you are happy with then continue sewing to close the hole.



Ears (Make 2):

Round 1) Magic circle with 6sc (6)
Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (18)
Round 4) 1sc in each st (18)
Round 5) 1sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (12)
Round 6) 1sc in each st (12)

After last round: Slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing. IF you are using the Three Bears Yarn pack: There is enough yarn included to make all 3 bears - Do not leave excessively long tails for sewing or you may run out of yarn! Do not stuff ears.

Body:

Round 1) Magic circle with 6sc (6)
Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (18)
Round 4) 2sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (24)
Round 5) 3sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (30)
Round 6) 4sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (36)
Round 7) 5sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (42)
Round 8) 6sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (48)
Round 9) 7sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (54)
Round 10) 8sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (60)
Round 11-12) 1sc in each st; for 2 rounds total (60)
Round 13) 8sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (54) 
Round 14) 1sc in each st (54)
Round 15) 7sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (48)
Round 16-18) 1sc in each st; for 3 rounds total (48)
Round 19) 6sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (42)
Round 20) 1sc in each st (42)
Round 21) 5sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (36)
Round 22-24) 1sc in each st; for 3 rounds total (36)
Round 25) 4sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (30)
Round 26) 1sc in each st (30)
Round 27) 3sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (24)
Round 28) 1sc in each st (24)
Round 29) 2sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (18)
Round 30) 1sc in each st (18)

After last round: Slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing. IF you are using the Three Bears Yarn pack: There is enough yarn included to make all 3 bears - Do not leave excessively long tails for sewing or you may run out of yarn! Stuff the body firmly, making sure your bear has a big round bottom to sit on.

Arms (Make 2):

Round 1) Magic circle with 6sc (6)
Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (18)
Round 4-7) 1sc in each st; for 4 rounds total (18)
Round 8) 1sc then 2 tog; repeat until end of the round (12)
Round 9) 4sc then 2 tog; repeat until end of the round (10)
Round 10-13) 1sc in each st; for 4 rounds total (10)

Start stuffing the paw. Stuff the paw firmly, stuff the arm lightly.

Round 14) 3sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (8)
Round 15-22) 1sc in each st; for 8 rounds total (8)

After last round: Slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing. IF you are using the Three Bears Yarn pack: There is enough yarn included to make all 3 bears - Do not leave excessively long tails for sewing or you may run out of yarn!

Legs (Make 2):

In white for Baby Bear, in blue for Little Bear, or in pink for Mama Bear: (Remember to use 2 strands at once for Little Bear & Mama Bear!)

Round 1) Magic circle with 6sc (6)
Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (18)
Round 4) 2sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (24)

Change to blue for Baby Bear, pink for Little Bear, or white for Mama Bear:

Round 5-7) 1sc in each st; for 3 rounds total (24)
Round 8) 2sc then 2 tog, repeat until end of the round (18)
Round 9) 1sc then 2 tog, repeat until end of the round (12)
Round 10-12) 1sc in each st; for 3 rounds total (12)
Round 13) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (18)
Round 14) 1sc in each st (18)
Round 15) 2sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (24)
Round 16) 1sc in each st (24)
Round 17) 3sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (30)
Round 18-22) 1sc in each st; for 5 rounds total (30)

Stuff the ends of the feet firmly and pinch them to make a little "foot" shape. Do not overstuff the feet or you will end up with a bulky, ball shape instead of a little foot. Stuff the thigh, very lightly so that you can fold it almost flat. Stuffing the thighs correctly is very important - if you over stuff you will not have realistic looking "drum stick" bear legs. You want barely any stuffing in the thigh so it can be sewn flat against the body.

Round 23) 3sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (24)
Round 24) 2sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (18)
Round 25) 1sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (12)
Round 26) 2tog all the way around (6)

After last round: Slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing. Weave yarn tail in and out the front loops of the 6 remaining stitches and pull tight to close the hole. Knot yarn and draw yarn tail out through the "knee" of the leg, leaving a long tail for sewing. 


I know lots of people hate the sewing part of amigurumi. If you assemble your bear in the following order you shouldn't have any problems.


1. Sew the muzzle/snout to the face (if you haven't already)
2. Sew the ears to the head.
3. Embroider a nose and mouth using black embroidery floss.
4. Sew the head to the body at a slight angle with the nose pointing downward.
5. Sew the legs to the body. Line the back of the leg up with the ears. Hold the leg flat and tight to the side of the body and sew in place using a ladder stitch all the way around the thigh. The ladder stitch will "pull" the leg tight into the body. 
6. Sew the arms to the body using a whip stitch. They go directly under the head at either side.

♥

And that's it! Now you have your own little bear family to love. If you do make your own bear, Three Bears Yarn & myself would love it if you sent in your pictures - either by email or on social media!
Don't miss the next FREE Heart & Sew pattern!

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13 comments:

  1. Tatianamh1 October 2015 at 22:38

    Thank you, i love these bears 😍😍

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown2 October 2015 at 10:03

    So excited to make these bears, thank you so so much

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hayleymg2 October 2015 at 12:48

    Thank you for sharing this awesome pattern! Can't wait to start making these cute bears.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown4 October 2015 at 11:31

    THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS LOVELY PATTERN,CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE A GO AT MAKING THESE CUTE BEARS.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Unknown9 October 2015 at 22:44

    I love these bears! Thank you so much for your generous heart in sharing with your fellow crocheters.

    ReplyDelete
  6. craftypeg28 October 2015 at 20:19

    Thank you for sharing this awsome pattern. I am a newbie at this type of crochet and really want to learn how to do this. It looks so neat and easy. The question I have for you is this...I would like to buy this yarn to do them with but was wondering if I could use worsted weight yarn to practice one of the bears with?? and what size needles would you suggest?? Please don't delete me for asking.I am a nervous newbie.Thanks in advance,
    Peggy S

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie Erskine29 October 2015 at 14:46

      Hi craftypeg! I welcome all questions and hope to help as best I can! It's great that you want to learn amigurumi, it's a wonderful and addictive hobby. You can use any type of yarn weight to make these bears, but obviously if you use a heavier yarn your bears may come out bigger than mine. I would try worsted yarn with a 4mm crochet hook and you will probably get the pink bears size roughy. Hope this helps x

      Delete
  7. Bev214 November 2015 at 05:24

    Thank you for this adorable pattern. It will be my first ever amigurumi (I can barely even say the word!)
    You mentioned that you were going to post a video tutorial on how to attach the legs - is this available yet please? I think I need all the help I can get!
    Many Thanks
    Bev

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rhonda Tenderholt4 March 2016 at 17:02

    Really cute bears. Thank you for the pattern. Is there a way for me to copy it to put this in a document instead of printing? I like to have the pattern in my files too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Unknown29 October 2018 at 08:23

    I think these teddy bears are really adorable and I would love to make some

    ReplyDelete
  10. whodo20 July 2020 at 16:55

    I'm looking for a shirt or dress pattern for the small bear.

    ReplyDelete
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  12. Crochet Mum24 June 2023 at 08:45

    I made medium bear using rainbow yarn (at my daughter's request) he's adorable - but she's convinced it's a monkey 😅
    Thanks so much for the free and very simple to understand pattern

    ReplyDelete

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I'm a 27 year old pattern designer from Scotland! I love designing cute, crocheted toys. This blog documents my journey in pattern design, come follow me and pick up every new pattern I design for free along the way!

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