Bears are definitely a must for little ones- and this little crochet bear is perfect for little ones to take along!

Did you know that bears don’t just come in black and brown?

It’s true!

Black bears can range from black or brown to blue or white and brown bears can be anything from dark brown to blonde (source).

Crazy, huh?

So I guess you can make this bear all sorts of colors and it would still be possible for it to be a realistic color!

When I think of bears, I tend to think of brown bears or grizzly bears. They’re larger than black bears, but I would be way more likely to see a black bear than a brown bear where I live (in the Southern U.S.- source).

But since I tend to think of brown bears, and I would wager many other people would think of brown bears first, too, that’s what I went with for this cutie pie that C named Mikey!

And yes, I do still find bears to be quite cute, even if they can look kind of mean. Although they aren’t all as aggressive as we may think. 

(I mean, still don’t mess around with approaching them if you see one- they are still wild animals).

So now that you know a little bit more about bears, let’s make one!

Mikey the Bear is the fourth pattern in the Woodland Animal crochet series.

This little bear works up pretty quickly and uses less than one skein of yarn- which is awesome!

He’s just the right size for little hands and fits easily into a diaper bag or purse for easy transportation!

Mikey the Bear Crochet Pattern

Some of the links in this article are “affiliate links”, a link with a special tracking code. This means if you click on an affiliate link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. The price of the item is the same whether it is an affiliate link or not. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will add value to you. I hope these links are as helpful as possible for you!

Yarn and Hook

For this bear, I used about 40 yards of I Love This Yarn in Brown. 

I do enjoy this yarn because it is a little bit softer, but it does tend to make the project a little bit smaller than something like Red Heart Super Saver does. Plus, Red Heart tends to become softer as it’s handled, so it’s not something that makes a difference for long.

Whatever brown yarn you happen to have on hand would work great as well.

I also used less than a yard of black embroidery floss (like this Coats and Clark embroidery floss) for the nose.

I used two different crochet hooks: a 4.5 mm crochet hook for the main parts (legs/body/head, arms, ears, muzzle, tail) and a 2.0 mm crochet hook for the nose.

Other Notions

Some other things that you will need will be:

• Tapestry needle
• Stitch marker
• Scissors
• Fiber fill
• Eye solution of choice: safety eyes (6 mm or 8 mm) or embroidered or crocheted eye

I used 6 mm safety eyes on mine, so this is NOT a safe toy for a baby- use one of the eyes mentioned in the post above for a baby safe version.

Measurements

When finished, Mikey measures 5.75 inches tall, 3.5 inches wide and 2.5 inches back to front. Gauge is not super important for this amigurumi bunny, but my gauge measures 4 stitches and 4 rows in 1 inch.

Abbreviations

ch        chain

dec        decrease

inc         increase

Rd        round

rep        repeat

sc        single crochet

Additional pattern notes:

 [] denote a group of stitches that repeats as many times as directed

Pattern Instructions

Mikey is worked in the spiral round. First you will work his two legs, but DO NOT fasten off the second leg! You will join the first leg and continue to work the body without fastening off (which means less sewing!). The body will then go to the head, also without seaming. This is your first major piece.

Legs/Body/Head

Using your worsted weight yarn, you will start with a magic ring and chain 1, then single crochet 6.

Continue working in a spiral as follows, being sure to mark your first stitch of each new round with your stitch marker:

Rd 2: inc 6 (12)

Rds 3-6: sc 12 (12)

At this point, fasten off the first leg and weave in ends. Repeat Rds 1-6 for the second leg, but DO NOT fasten off the second leg.

Weave in starting end for both legs. The ending end of the first leg can either be woven in or crocheted over in the next round.

Continue as follows:

Rd 7: sc 6 on first leg, beginning in first stitch of the last round of the first leg, sc 12, sc 6 on second leg (24)

Rds 8-10: sc 24 (24)

Rd 11: [sc 2, dec], rep [] five more times (18)

Rds 12-13: sc 18 (18)

At this point, you will need to stuff your legs with fiber fill, being sure to stuff them firmly, but not over stuff to where the stitches are pulled too tightly and the fiber fill is spilling out.

Rd 14: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12)

Rd 15: sc 12 (12)

Now is the time to stuff the rest of the body with fiber fill

Rd 16: dec 6 (6)

Rd 17: sc 6 (6)

Rd 18: inc 6 (12)

Rd 19: [sc, inc], rep [] five more times (18)

Rd 20: [sc 2, inc], rep [] five more times (24)

Rd 21: [sc 3, inc], rep [] five more times (30)

Rds 22-23: sc 30 (30)

If you will be using safety eyes, add them in row 23 in stitches 15 and 18.

Rd 24: [sc 3, dec], rep [] five more times (24)

Rds 25-26: sc 24 (24)

Rd 27: [sc 2, dec], rep [] five more times (18)

Rd 28: [sc, dec], rep [] five more times (12)

Stuff the head with fiber fill, making sure to add some extra fiber fill and stuff it firmly into the neck space. I often use the end of my crochet hook, but a stuffing tool or the eraser end of a pencil would also work here.

Rd 29: dec 6 (6)

Fasten off and leave a 6 inch tail. Sew the tail through the front loop on all 6 scs and pull tight. Weave in the remaining end.

Arms

The next pieces to work are the arms. Be sure to make 2!

Still using your worsted weight yarn, you will start again with a magic ring and chain 1, then single crochet 6.

Continue working in a spiral as follows, being sure to mark your first stitch of each new round with your stitch marker:

Rd 2: inc 6 (12)

Rd 3: sc 12 (12)

Rd 4: [sc 2, dec], rep [] twice more (9)

Rds 5-6: sc 9 (9)

Fasten off and leave a 6 inch tail to sew onto the body. Stuff each arm firmly with fiber fill.

Muzzle

Still using your worsted weight yarn, you will start again with a magic ring and chain 1, then single crochet 5. Please note that this is different from how most other pieces start!!

Continue working in a spiral and work an increase into each single crochet from round 1 for a total of 10 in round 2.

Fasten off and leave a 6 inch tail to sew onto the body.

Ears (make 2)

Still using your worsted weight yarn, you will start again with a magic ring and chain 1, then single crochet 6.

Pull tight on your magic ring. I often put a small knot in here (in the starting end, NOT the ending end) to keep the magic ring from loosening up.

Fasten off, weave in beginning end as much as possible and leave a 6 inch tail to sew onto head. 

Tip: If it’s impossible for you to weave in the starting end, you can weave it through the last stitch all the way out and weave it in on the head.

Tail

Still using your worsted weight yarn, you will start again with a magic ring and chain 1, then single crochet 6.

Continue working in a spiral as follows, being sure to mark your first stitch of each new round with your stitch marker:

Rd 2: [sc, inc], rep [] two more times (9)

Rd 3: [sc, dec], rep [] two more times (6)

Fasten off and leave a 6-8 inch tail for sewing onto the body and weaving in the end. Weave in your starting end.

Nose

Using a black embroidery thread, you will now make the nose to go onto the muzzle.

Start with a magic ring, and chain 3, then double crochet 3.

Fasten off and pull the magic ring as tight as possible, putting a knot in the thread to keep it tight. Leave a 6 inch tail to sew onto the muzzle.

Eyes

If you are using safety eyes, be sure you insert them where noted in the Legs/Body/Head section above. If you need another eye solution, check out my Crochet Eyes for Amigurumi post!

Assembly

Sew the arms onto the body from row 11 to row 14, straight on the side of the body.

Sew the ears onto the head. I start in the second row from the end and work my way down the head, keeping the ears running to the sides.

Stuff the muzzle with a small amount of fiber fill and sew onto the head, in the middle of the face from row 18 to row 22 (if you used safety eyes, center the muzzle between them, then sew from rows indicated).

If applicable, sew eyes onto the head, from row 22 to row 24, centered around the muzzle with two stitches between the eyes when eyes are sewn on.

Sew the nose onto the muzzle with the bottom tip of the nose in the center of the magic ring of the muzzle.

Stuff the tail with a small amount of fiber fill and sew onto the body, centered on the back from row 8 to row 11.

Now Mikey is ready to go foraging with your little one. Who knows what they will find?

Pin it for later: