Monday, 1 August 2016

Happy Hippo - Free Crochet / Amigurumi Pattern

Monday, August 01, 2016 | By


This post contains affiliate links.

Is a hippopotamus really a hippopotamus or just a very cool opotamus? Crochet your very own cool, cuddly pal complete with bobble fingers and toes!

This guy is the biggest amigurumi I've designed so far at over 16 inches tall and I'm thrilled with how he turned out. If you'd like to make him even bigger for an absolutely giant hippo use a thicker, heavier weight yarn and a 4mm hook. Thank you to everyone for your patience and support whilst waiting for this pattern.  As always, if you make your own hippo please do send me your photos (or post them on my Facebook page) I love to see them.

If you do use my pattern and would like to thank me I'd love it if you followed my blog in some way, or liked my Facebook page?

Happy crocheting! Peace, love and yarn.

Julie x





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 included the exact yarns and materials I have used via the links below. I do my shopping at LoveCrochet - Shipping to the USA is $4.95 and free when you spend over $60.00. You can check the exact shipping cost for your country here.




Psst! Hold down CTRL and P to print the pattern!

Difficulty: Moderate difficulty - Beginners may struggle with crocheting around a chain, the bobble toes and the large size of this amigurumi.

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

This pattern uses the following U.S stitches & abbreviations:
  • st = stitch
  • sc = single crochet (double crochet for UK)
  • dc = double crochet (treble crochet for UK)
  • ch = chain
  • sl st = slip stitch
  • 2tog = 2 stitches together (decrease) 
  • bobble stitch (also known as the popcorn stitch or double crochet cluster - explained below)

 How To: Bobble Stitch

The bobble stitch is used to create the hippo's toes in this pattern. Also known as the popcorn stitch or double crochet cluster! When the pattern says "bobble" you do one of these special stitches.

1. Wrap yarn around hook
2. Insert hook into stitch
3. Yarn over, pull through
4. Yarn over, pull through first 2 loops on your hook.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 another four times until you have 6 loops on your hook.
6. Yarn over, pull through all 6 loops to create a little bobble!

The bobble will probably puff towards the inside of your work as opposed to outside. Simply finish the entire round then go back and use the blunt end of your hook or a pen to push the bobbles the right way out.



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.

Head:



Crocheting around a chain can be daunting at first, but it's great for making an oval shaped piece instead of a typical, perfectly round amigurumi. To avoid holes in the front of your work I recommend working into the "back bumps" of your chain instead of the top (back) loop as you would usually do. Check out this link (courtesy of My Hobby Is Crochet) for a great tutorial about working in the back bumps of a chain.

Starting from end of the snout and working to the back of the head:

Round 1) Ch 6
                Skip first chain

Put a stitch marker in the first sc you make. This will make sure you will work into the correct first stitch of the next round and do not try to work into the skipped chain.

                1sc in the next 4 chs
                3sc in last ch

Now turn your work and start crocheting in the other side of the chain. For this side, you will see you now have both loops of the chain to work in like a normal stitch! Start working in the stitch left from the slip knot.

               1sc in the next 3 sts
               2sc in last st. (12)

Put a stitch marker in the last stitch you just did. You should now have 12 sts around. Now we start crocheting in the round as normal. Make sure you don't try to crochet into the skipped first chain of round 1! Skip that entirely.

Round 2) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (18)
Round 3) 2sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (24)
Round 4) 3sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (30)
Round 5) 4sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (36)
Round 6) 5sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (42)
Round 7) 6sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (48)
Round 8-16) 1sc in each st; for 9 rows total (48)
Round 17) 6sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (42)
Round 18) 5sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (36)
Round 19) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (54)
Round 20) 8sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (60)
Round 21) 9sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (66)
Round 22-30) 1sc in each st; for 9 rows total (66)

Attach 10mm black safety eyes to your piece. Mine are attached between rounds 19 and 20 and roughly 5 stitches apart for your reference. Make sure the starting oval at the end of your snout is positioned horizontally when you attach the eyes otherwise your snout will look oddly shaped! Make sure the backs of your safety eyes are "snapped" all the way down to the bottom of the stock. If your hippo is for a small child it may be safer to embroider your eyes using black embroidery thread - safety eyes are not always safe, despite the name!

Round 31) 9sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (60)
Round 32) 8sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (54)
Round 33) 7sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (48)
Round 34) 6sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (42)
Round 35) 5sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (36)
Round 36) 4sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (30)

 Start stuffing the head. 

Round 37) 3sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (24)
Round 38) 2sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (18)
Round 39) 1sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (12)

Add in any more stuffing you need at this point - now we close our head piece!

Round 40) 2tog all the way around (6)

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

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 the end of the round (18)
Round 4-9) 1sc in each st; for 6 rounds total (18)

 Slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Do not stuff ears. Push both corners of the open end of the ear together to form a cute little hippo ear and sew to the head in this position.

Nostrils (Make 2):



 Each nostril is just 2 magic circles (that have not been fully closed) sewn together. 

 1. Simply make 2 separate magic circles with 6sc but do not pull the circle tightly closed. Leave a hole in the middle so our hippo can breathe!

 2. Fasten each off leaving a long tail for sewing and sew them one on top of the other.

 Sew the nostrils to the head. My nostrils are sewn roughly between rounds 8 and 9 of the head for your reference.

Body:



 Round 1) Magic Circle with 6sc (6)
Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (18)
Round 4) 2sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (24)
Round 5) 3sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (30)
Round 6) 4sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (36)
Round 7) 5sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (42)
Round 8) 6sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (48)
Round 9) 7sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (54)
Round 10) 8sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (60)
Round 11) 9sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (66)
Round 12) 10sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (72)
Round 13-27) 1sc in each st; for 15 rounds total (72)
Round 28) 10sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (66)
Round 29) 1sc in each st (66)
Round 30) 9sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (60)
Round 31) 1sc in each st (60)
Round 32) 8sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (54)
Round 33) 1sc in each st (54)
Round 34) 7sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (48)
Round 35) 1sc in each st (48)
Round 36) 6sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (42)
Round 37) 1sc in each st (42)
Round 38) 5sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (36)
Round 39) 1sc in each st (36)
Round 40) 4sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (30)
Round 41-42) 1sc in each st; for 2 rounds total (30)

 Slip stitch into the next st and fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff the body firmly but please don't over stuff!




Leg (Make 2):
Starting from the sole of the foot and working to the top of the leg:

 Round 1) Magic Circle with 6sc (6)
Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (18)
Round 4) 2sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (24)
Round 5) 3sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (30)
Round 6) 4sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (36)

 Important please read: Round 7 is where we make the hippos cute little toes using the bobble stitch! There are instructions on how to do the bobble stitch at the beginning of the pattern. This entire round is back loop only except for the first sc after each bobble stitch. Each bobble needs an sc after it to "pull" it down and make it puff out - this sc should be done through both loops. If you don't go through both loops you may end up with a horrid looking hole where one loop has too much stress on it. Every bobble should be done in the back loop only.

 Round 7) Back loop only: 1sc in the next 13 sts
               1 bobble in the next st
               1sc in the next 2 stitches (first sc should be both loops, second should be back loop only!)
               1 bobble in the next st,
               1sc in the next st, (both loops)
               1 bobble in the next st
               1sc in the next 2 stitches (first sc should be both loops, second should be back loop only!)
               1 bobble in the next st
               1sc in the next st, (both loops)
               Back loop only: 1sc in each of the remaining 13 sts (36)

 The bobbles will probably puff towards the inside of your work as opposed to outside. Simply finish the entire round then go back and use the blunt end of your hook or a pen to push the bobbles the right way out.

 Back to working in both loops now!

 Round 8-10) 1sc in each st; for 3 rounds total (36)
Round 11) 4sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (30)
Round 12) 1sc in each st (30)
Round 13) 3sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (24)
Round 14-28) 1sc in each st; for 15 rounds total (24)

 Slip stitch into the next st and fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff the leg making sure not to overstuff so the palm of the hippo stays flat.

Arms (Make 2):



 Starting from the sole of the hand and working to the top of the arm:             
Round 1) Magic Circle with 6sc (6)
Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (18)
Round 4) 2sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (24)
Round 5) 3sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until the end of the round (30)

 Important please read: Round 6 is where the bobbles come in again! This round is nearly the exact same as the bobble round on the feet. There are instructions on how to do the bobble stitch at the beginning of the pattern. This entire round is back loop only except for the first sc after each bobble stitch. Each bobble needs an sc after it to "pull" it down and make it puff out - this sc should be done through both loops. If you don't go through both loops you may end up with a horrid looking hole where one loop has too much stress on it. Every bobble should be done in the back loop only.

 Round 6) Back loop only: 1sc in the next 10 sts
               1 bobble in the next st
               1sc in the next 2 stitches (first sc should be both loops, second should be back loop only!)
               1 bobble in the next st,
               1sc in the next st, (both loops)
               1 bobble in the next st
               1sc in the next 2 stitches (first sc should be both loops, second should be back loop only!)
               1 bobble in the next st
               1sc in the next st, (both loops)
               Back loop only: 1sc in each of the remaining 10 sts (30)

 The bobbles will probably puff towards the inside of your work as opposed to outside. Simply finish the entire round then go back and use the blunt end of your hook or a pen to push the bobbles the right way out.

 Back to working in both loops now!

 Round 7-9) 1sc in each st; for 3 rounds total (30)
Round 10) 3sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (24)
Round 11) 1sc in each st (24)
Round 12) 2sc then 2tog, repeat until the end of the round (18)
Round 13-30) 1sc in each st; for 18 rounds total (18)

 Slip stitch into the next st and fasten off leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff the arm making sure not to overstuff so the palm of the hippo stays flat. 

I know most people hate the sewing part of amigurumi. The following is the easiest order I have found for assembling your hippo:

1. Sew the nostrils to the head (if you haven't already)
2. Sew the ears to the head
3. Sew the head to the body.
4. Sew the arms to the body, they go directly under the head at either side.
5. Sew the legs to the body.
             

And that concludes another Heart & Sew pattern! If you do make your own hippo I would love to see your pictures on my Facebook page (or in my email inbox!)

♥ 
 Julie xxx 





31 comments:

  1. Ofuniowo Handmade1 August 2016 at 09:53

    Thank you very much for your pattern :) I can't wait to do my hippo using this pattern :) xxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown1 August 2016 at 10:33

    Thank you so much for sharing your sweet hippo pattern with us. I love it! Can't wait to make one for a friend who is having a little girl in September.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fenneke2 August 2016 at 01:32

    Thank you very much for the lovely pattern.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown5 August 2016 at 14:30

    He is lovely! I'm so excited to give him a go!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Genevieve Peters6 August 2016 at 10:22

    I loved this pattern! It was so fun to make this Hippo! I've posted a pictur of the finished Hippo on my Instagram @gen_peters, and of course I was sure to credit you as the designer!.😄

    ReplyDelete
  6. Blanca6 August 2016 at 13:12

    Muy bonito, gracias.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mooncatxx7 August 2016 at 15:16






    Thank you so much for this fabulous Pattern its top of my projects list for when I finish my current project :) thank you again for your kind generosity

    ReplyDelete
  8. Unknown12 August 2016 at 11:24

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown12 August 2016 at 11:25

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  9. Unknown12 August 2016 at 11:27

    Thank you for the pattern. This will be great for my grand nieces.

    ReplyDelete
  10. lar15 August 2016 at 06:44

    Thank you Julie for sharing this hippo pattern. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Abbz1121 August 2016 at 20:49

    I was wondering on round 3 of the snout, where it says "2sc, 2sc in next st. repeat until end of round (24)" but if you have 18 stitches around and you put 2sc in every single one, you are going to have 36 stitches instead of 24. So what am I doing wrong?
    Thanks in advance!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie Erskine22 August 2016 at 04:06

      Hi there! This is a common mistake people make when reading amigurumi patterns. That part of the pattern means: 1sc in the next 2 stitches, 2sc in the next stitch (this is where you increase)

      Next round would be: 1sc in the next THREE stitches, 2sc in next stitch (increase)

      It is written this way to make the pattern shorter and less wordy.

      Hope this makes sense, let me know if I can clarify further.

      Julie x

      Delete
  12. Unknown18 November 2016 at 09:06

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  13. bluebird23 November 2016 at 05:07

    what a lovely pattern thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  14. Unknown26 December 2016 at 18:38

    Thanks so much for sharing. I finished my pink hippo tonight for one of my nieces. The pattern was easy to follow and was just adorable.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Unknown8 January 2017 at 23:37

    are the ears suppose to curl inwards? You mentioned folding the corners together, yet they are round. Wait till U see the finished guy! Only have to make arms and legs. It's for my granddaughter who sings the hippopotamus song!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Unknown9 January 2017 at 18:12

    Ok, I figured it out. The ears are a cylinder & then the open ends are folded together. YAY! now I can finish it. ,

    ReplyDelete
  17. Unknown14 January 2017 at 10:51

    Dear friends,it is very easy pattern! Very easy for understanding! For example the crochet scheme in Russia:
    4. (2, inc)*6 (24)
    5. (3,inc)*6 (30)...
    That means: 1sc in the next 2 stitches, 2sc in the next stitch, repeat 6 times...... For me it is a little bored to read such pattern as this. But! It's the best pattern for beginner. Thank you,Julie,for your work��

    ReplyDelete
  18. Unknown31 January 2017 at 05:39

    Hi I've made your hippo and I'm very pleased with it. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Unknown14 February 2017 at 12:06

    Thank you so much for your pattern! I love the bobble stitch for the toes--so cute. Instead of making magic circles for the nostrils, I did two bobble stitches instead, which turned out great! (Plus that was two fewer pieces to sew on!)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Unknown16 February 2017 at 00:35

    Whew! Finally finished my granddaughter's Hippo. Great pattern! I know she will love it. She loves to sing the hippopotamus song. I used regular yarn & a larger hook, so he is biggg! About 20 inches lol.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Unknown16 April 2017 at 19:05

    thank you for the free pattern.I will enjoy doing it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Emelie24 April 2017 at 08:28

    Thank you for the pattern! You can see my result in my blog!
    http://emleie.blogg.se

    ReplyDelete
  23. Unknown3 July 2017 at 19:07

    Will it turnout proportioned if I just use a thicker yarn and bigger hook. A friend collects hippos and wanted to make her a bigger one, using Caron pounder and a 4.00 hook
    thank you

    ReplyDelete
  24. Suzy & John5 September 2017 at 18:32

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  25. rocky21 March 2018 at 16:36

    Thank you so much! Im loving this!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Lisa Jones30 December 2020 at 21:26

    nice... price crash furniture

    ReplyDelete
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