Everyone needs a good teddy bear in their life. Do you remember your childhood teddy? Soft and cuddly, this snuggly teddy bear is the perfect buddy to give and receive hugs and love. This bear will never say no to a good snuggle session!
Continue below to complete Snuggles, or you can purchase an ad-free PDF on Ravelry or Etsy.
Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
U.S. Terminology
Materials
Hook: 4 mm
Yarn: Bulky (5) Weight: Approx. 200-220 yards. I used Red Heart Hygge for the fur, and Loops and Threads Charisma for the bow *See Other Notes for comments on yarn choice and sizing*
12 mm Safety Eyes, Buttons or Embroidered Eyes
Small amount of black embroidery thread or yarn for the nose
Polyfill
Needle
Optional: Stitch Markers and Pins
Other Notes
Magic Ring Alternative- If you do not feel comfortable doing a magic ring, you can also chain 2 and work the indicated number of stitches into the first chain.
Continuous Rounds– This pattern is worked in continuous rounds unless otherwise indicated.
Facial Sculpting– This pattern utilizes minor facial sculpting to help shape the eye sockets, but this is a totally optional step. If you do decide to sculpt the eye sockets, make sure that there is adequate stuffing in the head of your bear before beginning. You will need to sew through some of this stuffing to help sculpt the face. The more stuffing there is, the easier it will be to define the sockets.
Arms– This pattern calls for attaching the arms to the body as you make the body. If you wish to complete the pattern as written, it is very important to make the arms first, as indicated in the pattern. If you want to sew your arms on afterwards, you can make them after the body if you wish. After attaching the arms, I crocheted over the ends as I continued the pattern to secure them in place, or you can weave in the ends.
Sizing: There can be quite a variance in yarn thickness for ‘bulky’ yarns, so depending on the yarn you use, you may find you need more or less yarn, and that your bear may be larger or smaller than the one pictured. Using the suggested yarn yielded a bear that was about 8 inches tall, whereas a thicker yarn such as Loops and Thread Charisma with the same hook led to a bear just over 9 inches tall. You can take a look at the bears tested with different yarns here!
Pattern
Muzzle:
To construct the muzzle, you will be creating a chain, working firstly into the top of the chain, then turning it and working around the bottom of it, creating an oval shape.
In brown colour yarn:
R1: CH 7, starting with 2nd CH from hook, 5 SC, 3 SC in last CH. Turn, and working across the bottom of the CH, 4 SC, INC SC (14 st)
R2: INC, 4 SC, 3 INC SC, 4 SC, 2 INC SC (20 st)
R3-4: SC around (20 st)
SL ST to the first st of the previous row and FO. Leave a long tail for sewing on later.
To make a nose, with a needle and black yarn/ embroidery thread, pull through the centre, between R 1 & 2, and back through between R3 & 4 several times in the shape of a triangle. Then, pass the needle and yarn across the top twice. Bring your needle out again through the centre of the muzzle between R1 & 2, and pass it through R3, opposite to where you made the nose. You can add a bit of shaping here by pulling the yarn a bit tight before knotting off the end inside the muzzle. Set aside for later.
Head:
In brown colour yarn:
R1: 6 SC into MR (6 st)
R2: INC SC around (12 st)
R3: (SC, INC SC) x6 (18 st)
R4: (2 SC, INC SC) x6 (24 st)
R5: (3 SC, INC SC) x6 (30 st)
R6: (4 SC, INC SC) x6 (36 st)
R7: (5 SC, INC SC) x6 (42 st)
R8: (6 SC, INC SC) x6 (48 st)
R9-16 SC around (48 st)
R 17: (6 SC, INV DEC) x6 (42 st)
R 18: (5 SC, INV DEC) x6 (36 st)
R 19: (4 SC, INV DEC) x6 (30 st)
R 20: (3 SC, INV DEC) x 6 (24 st)
Do not FO yet!
Start to stuff the head here. Stuff enough that it is firm, but not so firm that you cannot place the safety eye backings on later. Once you have a defined shape, pin the muzzle in place, between R15 and R19, stuffing lightly. With a needle and the muzzle yarn tail, sew in and out between the stitches of the last row of the muzzle and weave in the ends.
Now, take your safety eyes and place them in a position that you like. The model bear’s eyes are placed between R 13 and 14, 8 st apart. If you do not want to sculpt the eye sockets, attach the backs to the safety eyes and skip the next steps.
Facial Sculpting: Mark a row above and below where you placed each safety eye with pins and remove the eyes (see photo). Take a long piece of yarn and needle, and sew from the inside of the head, through some of the stuffing and out where you marked with one safety pin, leaving several inch-long yarn tail in the head. Now, with your needle and yarn, come back through into the head where you marked with the safety pin, working through some stuffing. This will leave a horizontal line over where the eye will go. Sew back through more stuffing and out through where one of the pins was used to mark the second eye. Do not pull your yarn tight, but allow the yarn between the two eyes to remain loose, leaving a long loop of yarn. Finally, sew through where the final pin is placed, and through more of the stuffing.
You should have 2 vertical lines of yarn on the face of your bear, and three pieces of yarn coming through your stuffing in the bear head (2 end pieces and one loop- see photo). Take these three pieces and pull tight on all of them. This will pull in the eye sockets of the face. Add more or less tension to the different strings to make the sockets evenly shaped, then knot them together tightly.
Place the safety eyes back on the face and carefully attach the backs of the eyes, making sure to not dislodge the stuffing between each eye. Add more stuffing to help shape the face.
R 21: (2SC, INV DEC) x6 (18 st)
R 22: (SC, INV DEC) x6 (12 st)
FO, and weave in the ends. Add any additional stuffing as needed.
Ears: (make 2)
In brown colour yarn:
R1: 6 SC into MR (6 st)
R2: INC SC around (12 st)
R3: (SC, INC SC) x6 (18 st)
R4: (2 SC, INC SC) x6 (24 st)
R5-9: SC around (24 st)
FO, and leave a long tail for sewing. Pinch the ears in half and pin to the head, starting around R4 on either side. The ears will naturally curve. When they are in a position you want, sew to the head. Weave in the ends.
Arms: (make 2)
In brown colour yarn:
R1: 6 SC into MR (6 st)
R2: INC SC around (12 st)
R3: (3 SC, INC SC) x 3 (15 st)
R4-R7: SC around (15 st)
R8: (3 SC, INV DEC) x3 (12 st)
R9-R11: SC around (12 st)
R12: (4 SC, INV DEC) x2 (10 st)
R 13-15: SC around (10 st)
Stuff the bottom half of the arms, firmly at the tips, and less firmly as you work your way up.
To close, pinch the sides closed and 5 SC across through top of stitches of both sides. FO, and either weave in the ends, or leave a tail that can be crocheted over when attaching the arms to the body.
Body:
In brown colour yarn:
R1: 6 SC into MR (6 st)
R2: INC SC around (12 st)
R3: (SC, INC SC) x6 (18 st)
R4: (2 SC, INC SC) x6 (24 st)
R5: (3 SC, INC SC) x6 (30 st)
R6: (4 SC, INC SC) x6 (36 st)
R7: (5 SC, INC SC) x6 (42 st)
R8: (6 SC, INC SC) x6 (48 st)
R9-14: SC around (48 st)
R15: (6 SC, INV DEC) x6 (42 st)
R16: SC around (42 st)
R17: (5 SC, INV DEC) x6 (36 st)
R18: SC around (36 st)
R19: (4 SC, INV DEC) x6 (30 st)
R20: SC around (30 st)
R21: (3 SC, INV DEC) x6 (24 st)
R22: Place one arm in front of the body, so the 5 SC at the top of the arm line up with the first 5 SC of the round. 5 SC through both the arm and body. 7 SC. Place second arm in front of the body, so the 5 SC at the top of the arm line up with the next 5 SC of the round. 5 SC through both the arm and the body. 7 SC. (24 st)
If you have opted to attach your arms separately, SC around for R22.
R23: (2 SC, INV SC) x6 (18 st)
R24: SC around (18 st)
FO, leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff the body to your preferred firmness, making sure to include enough stuffing in the neck so the head is well supported. Pin the head to the neck, and with a needle and the yarn tail from the body, sew into place, weaving in the ends.
If you opted to attach the bear arms separately, sew them on to either side of the body, around R22.
Legs: (Make 2)
To construct the legs, you will be creating a chain, working firstly into the top of the chain, then turning it and working around the bottom of it, creating an oval shape which forms the base of each foot.
In brown colour yarn:
R1: CH 7, starting with 2nd CH from hook, 5 SC, 3 SC in last CH. Turn, and working across the bottom of the CH, 4 SC, INC SC (14 st)
R2: INC SC, 4 SC, 3 INC SC, 4 SC, 2 INC SC (20 st)
R3: SC, INC SC, 5 SC, INC SC, 3 SC, INC SC, 5 SC, INC SC, 2 SC (24 st)
R4: 2 SC, INC SC, (5 SC, INC SC) x3, 3 SC (28 st)
R5: in BLO, SC around (28 st)
R6-7: SC around (28 st)
R8: 8 SC, (INV DEC) x6, 8 SC (22 st)
R9: 8 SC, INV DEC, 2 SC, INV DEC, 8 SC (20 st)
R10: 8 SC, 2 INV DEC, 8 SC (18 st)
R11-13: SC around (18 st)
R14: (5 SC, INC SC) x3 (21 st)
R15: SC around (21 st)
SL ST to the first st of the previous row and FO, leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff legs firmly. Pin the legs to the front of the body so they face out on an angle, between R 6-11. Sew in and out between each stitch of the last round of the legs until they are secure. Weave in the ends.
Tail:
In brown colour yarn:
R1: 6 SC into MR (6 st)
R2: INC SC around (12 st)
R3: (SC, INC SC) x6 (18 st)
R4-5: SC around (18 st)
R6: (SC, INV DEC) x6 (12 st)
SL ST to first st of the previous row and FO, leaving a long yarn tail. Stuff the tail and pin to the back of the body, between R 5 and 9. Using a needle and the yarn tail, sew in place and weave in the ends.
Bow:
In red colour yarn:
R1: CH 21, starting with 2nd CH from hook, 20 SC (20 st)
R2-4: CH 1, turn. 20 SC (20 st)
FO, leaving a long tail for completing the bow. Use this tail and a needle to sew the two ends of the rectangle you just made together to make a ring. Pinch the ring together, and wrap the yarn tail around the centre tightly several times, forming a bow. Sew back and forth through the back of the wrapped yarn to help secure it. Then, sew it in place, either as a bow tie, or ear bow. Sew back and forth several times through where you are attaching it to the bear, and the bow itself. Weave in the ends.
Thank you so much for making this pattern! If you run into any problems or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me through Facebook or Instagram! Please remember to tag me @thecozychipmunk #thecozychipmunk so I can see your completed creation! You can also add this project to Ravelry here.
