Panda (Free Pattern)

Following my post last week, and the mention of there being thousands of owl patterns in the crochet world, Kim from KreepyKim’s Freak Boutique and I started discussing other animals we wanted to see rendered in yarn. I decided I wanted to see a realistic baby panda. There are some adorably cute cartoony panda patterns out there (special shout out to Pandapple by AmiguruMEI). There are a couple of realistic panda patterns I found too, but nothing that looked quite right to me. All a little old. I wanted these aged pandas:

How cute is silly panda?!

I’m not quite sure I managed to really babyficate my panda, but here’s the result (Yarndango 46):

I was going for sorta slumped forward (because baby panda are apparently made from the same kind of fluid as cats). He’s not quite as slumpy as I’d intended, but he hit the cuteness factor I was looking for. Maybe he’s a teenager panda rather than a toddler panda?

Anyway, click through the jump for the free pattern.

Panda! Away!

The Essentials:

Hook: 3.5mm

Wool: white and black.

Also needed: Small bit of black felt, three 6mm safety eyes (or two eyes and a nose), black embroidery thread.

Finished Size: approx 4″ tall

Terms:

CH = Chain

Sc = Single Crochet

Dc = Double Crochet

INC = Increase

DEC = Decrease

Head and Body

Panda is worked bottom to head.

Magic ring in white.

Round 1: 6sc into the centre of the ring
Round 2: INC around [12]
Round 3: {1sc, INC} around [18]
Round 4:{2sc, INC} around [24]
Round 5:{3sc, INC} around [30]
Round 6:{4sc, INC} around [36]
Round 7: (5sc, INC) around  [42]
Round 8-12: Sc around [42]
Round 13: {sc, DEC} six times, 24sc [36]
Round 14: Sc around [36]
Round 15: {sc, DEC} six times, 18sc [30]

Change to black in the last stitch of round 15 (I changed after round 16, but I suggest changing here to make the leg to black line join look cleaner).

Round 16: {sc, DEC} five times, 6sc, DEC, 7sc [24]
Round 17: {sc, INC} five times, 6sc, INC, 7sc [30]
Round 18: Sc around [30]

Change to white in the last stitch of round 18

Round 19: {4sc, INC} around [36]
Round 20: (5sc, INC) around  [42]
Round 21-23: Sc around [42]
Round 24: {5sc, DEC} repeat around [36]
Round 25: {4sc, DEC} repeat around [30]
Round 26: {3sc, DEC} repeat around [24]
Round 27: {2sc, DEC} repeat around [18]
Round 28: {1sc, DEC} repeat around [12]
STUFF
Round 29: DEC around [6]

Finish off and weave in the tail.

You should have something that looks nothing like a panda:

Add eyes like I have – a squashed circle (oval I suppose) or black felt, and a safety eye through the middle. They want to be about a third of the way down the head, and not quite on the outside, through the round of 30 (round 5 counting out from the centre).

Looks very flat there. You’ll be needing a

Nose

Magic ring in white.

Round 1: 6sc into the centre of the ring
Round 2: INC around [12]
Round 3-5: {Sc, Dc, Dc, Sc} three times [12]
Round 6: {INC, Dc, Dc, INC} three times [18] (with the INC as single crochets not double crochets)

Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing. The single crochet and double crochet combinations at the end will have given you a vaguely triangular shape and slight downward slope to your snout.

If there’s no slope don’t worry, if there is it needs to be sloping down as shown.

Pop a safety eye (or safety nose if you’re posh enough to have one) through above the 6sc round (between round 1 and 2), and embroider the mouth as shown:

Sew your nose on the middle of your face, adding a little bit of stuffing for shape.

Hey look! That photo has

Ears (x2)

Magic ring in black.

Round 1: 6sc into the centre of the ring
Round 2: {Sc, INC} around [9]

Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew in place two rounds forward from the black section in line with the eyes.

The brunt of the work is done so far – time for the legs now. I suggest you make all four before sewing anything in place.

Back Legs (x2)

Magic ring in black.

Round 1: 6sc into the centre of the ring
Round 2: {Sc, INC} around [9]
Round 3: {2Sc, INC} around [12]
Round 4-8: Sc around [12]
Row 9: 6sc STOP. Ch1 and turn [6]
Row 10: 6sc STOP. Ch1 and turn [6]
Row 11: DEC three times [3]

Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff. You should end up with a thick tube and a flap at the end. Which I totally forgot to photograph in my ‘almost finished’ excitement.

Sorry.

Front Legs (x2)

Magic ring in black.

Round 1: 6sc into the centre of the ring
Round 2: {Sc, INC} around [9]
Round 3-10: Sc around [9]
Row 11: 4sc STOP. Ch1 and turn [6]
Row 12: 6sc STOP [6]

Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff. You should end up with a thin tube and a flap at the end. Which, once more, I totally forgot to photograph in my ‘almost finished’ excitement.

Sorry. Again.

Anyway, you can line them up and sew them on now. I took it in two halves – pin (not sew yet) a front leg in place so the flap at the top forms a diagonal line down from the eye, then pin the back leg on the same side in place so your panda is held up in a sitting position. Then repeat on the other side. Check your panda sits nicely, front paws tucked between the back ones. Adjust as necessary then sew in place.

I hope this front view helps that very convoluted explanation.

Your panda is so nearly done! He just needs his

Tail

Yes! Pandas have tails! Just a small bump on their butt.

Magic ring in white.

Round 1: 6sc into the centre of the ring
Round 2: INC around [12]
Round 3: Sc around [12]

Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing and flatten the piece. Sew in place.

One finished panda!