One of my little cousins recently told me that pandas were his favorite animal and since then, all I could think about it how cute a little crochet panda would be, especially with some kind of bamboo accessory! With Eid coming up, I was already thinking about gift ideas and I thought a little panda would be perfect, and fun for me to make as well. So, with some easy peasy shapes and black and white yarn that I always have in my stash, I came up with Pudge the Panda and I’m so happy with how he turned out! Keep reading for the free crochet panda pattern 🙂
Pudge the Panda is an easy crochet panda that uses a few color changes to get the look for the panda’s body. If you’re new to crocheting or need a little help with color changes, you can check out this little guide I have here that walks you through how to change colors.
Pudge used to get teased for being bigger than the other pandas when he was little, but it never got in the way of all the things he wanted to do. Pudge is an adventurer and he loves wandering through the bamboo forests around his home and exploring all the cool things around him. And if he can grab a snack while he’s at it, he’s a happy bear!
The full free pattern is written out below. For those who’d prefer to print the pattern and take it with you for on-the-go and to markup as you go, you can buy the inexpensive printable PDF from my Etsy and Ravelry shops. The PDF is formatted without ads or comments, so it’s easy to read.
Materials:
- 3.25mm crochet hook / D hook*
- #4 medium weight yarn – I used Yarn Bee Soft Secret in Blackand White
- small black pom pom
- stitch markers*
- tapestry needle*
- 8mm safety eyes*
- Polyfill stuffing*
*denotes affiliate link
Abbreviations:
- ch – chain
- SC – single crochet
- DC – double crochet
- HDC – half double crochet
- sl – slip stitch
Pattern Notes:
- Skill level: Beginner – some amigurumi experience is helpful but not necessary
- Sizing: 8″ tall
- Gauge: 6S X 5R per inch
Pudge the Panda: Free Crochet Panda Pattern
Eye Patches (Make 2):
Round 1: Create a magic loop with black yarn and work 6 SC into it.
Round 2: 2 HDCs into each of the next 2 stitches, slip st 4 stitches to the end of round. (8)
Round 3: 2 HDCs into each of the next 3 stitches. Slip stitch around the remaining stitches and BO, leaving a long tail for sewing onto the face.
Head:
Round 1: Create a magic loop and work 6 SC into in. Pull the loop closed and use a stitch marker to mark the first space. You’ll be working in continuous rounds for the entire pattern.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).
Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).
Round 5: *SC 3, inc* around (30).
Round 6: *SC 4, inc* around (36).
Round 7: *SC 5, inc* around (42).
Rounds 8-16: SC around for 9 rounds.
Place the eye patches on the face and for the next step you’ll insert the eyes through the beginning magic loop or the eye patch and the head. Insert the eyes on the 5th round from the last increase round and about 5 stitches apart. You can play around with the placement, but once you’re happy with it, secure the backings. Start to add in the stuffing now. You can leave the eye patches for now or go ahead and sew them down around the edged with the tail yarn to secure them.
Round 17: *SC 5, dec* around (36).
Round 18: *SC 4, dec* around (30).
Round 19: *SC 3, dec* around (24).
Round 20: *SC 2, dec* around (18). Finish adding stuffing.
Round 21: *SC, dec* around (12).
Round 22: Decrease around (6). Then cut the yarn and thread tail through a tapestry needle. Run the needle under the front loops of each stitch and secure yarn. Weave in the end.
Snout
Round 1: Use white yarn to create a magic loop and work 6 SC into in. Pull the loop closed and use a stitch marker to mark the first space.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Round 3: *SC 2, inc* around (16).
Rounds 4-7: SC around for 4 rounds. Add a small amount of stuffing and BO leaving a long tail for sewing the snout onto the face.
Ears (make 2)
Round 1: With black yarn, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into in. Pull the loop closed and use a stitch marker to mark the first space.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Rounds 3-5: SC around for 3 rounds. BO and leave a long tail to sew the ears onto the head.
Body
Round 1: With white yarn, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into in. Pull the loop closed and use a stitch marker to mark the first space.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).
Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).
Round 5: *SC 3, inc* around (30).
Round 6: *SC 4, inc* around (36).
Round 7: *SC 5, inc* around (42).
Rounds 8-16: SC around for 9 rounds. Start to add stuffing to the body now.
Round 19: Switch to black yarn and for this round, work TBL only. *SC 5, dec* around (36).
Round 20: SC around.
Round 21: *SC 4, dec* around (30).
Round 22: SC around.
Round 23: *SC 3, dec* around (24).
Round 24: SC around.
Round 25: *SC 2, dec* around (18).
Round 26: SC around. Finish stuffing. BO and leave a long tail for sewing the head onto the body.
Legs (Make 2)
Round 1: With black yarn. create a magic loop and work 6 SC into in. Pull the loop closed and use a stitch marker to mark the first space.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).
Round 4: *SC 2, inc* around (24).
Rounds 5-18: SC around for 14 rounds.
Round 19: *SC 2, dec* around (18).
Round 20: SC around for 1 round and BO leaving a long tail. Lightly stuff each leg with polyfill.
Arms (Make 2)
Round 1: With black yarn, create a magic loop and work 6 SC into in. Pull the loop closed and use a stitch marker to mark the first space.
Round 2: Inc in each space by working 2 SC into each (12).
Round 3: *SC, inc* around (18).
Rounds 4-17: SC around for 14 rounds. BO leaving a long tail. Lightly stuff each arm with polyfill.
Assembly
Now that all the pieces are made for this crochet panda pattern, let’s put it all together! First, go ahead and finish adding stuffing to all the pieces except the ears if you haven’t already.
Position the ears on the head, using pins to hold them in place if you need to. Then using the tail yarn and a tapestry needle, sew them onto the head. Position the snout onto the face, slightly below the eyes, and use the tail yarn to sew it into place as well.
Next, align the legs to the body and use the tails to sew them into place going through both layers of the leg and a corresponding space on the body. Then attach the arms the same ways as the legs. Make sure to align the arms to the black section of the upper body.
Then, use the tail yarn from the body to attach the head. It helps to pin it in place so it doesn’t move around. Simply go through each stitch on the body and a corresponding space on the head. Then secure the yarn and hide the tail inside the head. Finally, sew the tail onto the back of the body and secure the yarn. Trim the excess and weave in any loose ends.
If you haven’t already, use the tail ends of the eye patches to secure it around the edges and hide the ends inside the head. Finally, use a hot glue gun to attach a small black pom pom to the back of the body for a tail! It’s much easier to do it this way (although I forgot when I took these pictures) than to try to make a small enough tails.
And you’re done!
This crochet panda pattern was really fun to come up with and I love the way he turned out. I usually like to photograph each of the pieces separately, but for this guy, the little pieces of the eye patches and ears and even the snout were hard to get a clear picture of. Anything fully white or black would mess with the lighting too much so I hope the pictures of the pieces on the head are clear! I tried to show it from a few angles so you would get a good idea of how each part looks.
If you liked this pattern, don’t forget to check out my other plushies patterns! I have a ton of free crochet patterns for cute little critters and plushie toys that you’re going to LOVE! And if you want more like this delivered right to your inbox every week, please subscribe to the newsletter! It’s super simple; just fill out your name and email in the box below and you are good to go.
See you soon 🙂
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