Meet Kozy the Koala Bear! Kozy is just like her name suggests – cozy! And cuddly too! She loves eating eucalyptus leaves and taking naps. In fact, naptime is her favorite time of the day!
ABOUT OUR DESIGNER
I’m Holly and I started my little business, Storyland Amis in 2015! I’ve always loved designing things even before I knew how to crochet. I used to draw all the time or design knitted dishcloth patterns. Then my sister taught me how to crochet in 2012 and fell in love with it right away! I’ve been designing my own amigurumis almost since the beginning!
My passion is crocheting amigurumi, or ami for short, which is the Japanese art of crocheted or knitted stuffed animals. There are so many possibilities when you have a hook and some yarn! I never get tired of coming up with new designs and often lie awake at night dreaming up some new plushie.
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SUPPLIES
- Wander Worsted weight yarn (4 ply) in gray and black (U.K. equivalent is Aran & AUS/NZ is 8 ply.)
- G (4.00 mm) Furls Streamline Metal crochet hook
- 15mm black safety eyes
- Fiberfill (or your stuffing of choice)
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
- Stitch marker
PATTERN DETAILS
Finished size approximately: 6.5 in. (16.5 cm.) tall
Abbreviation key (US terms)
sc - single crochet, st/sts - stitch(es), Sl st – slip stitch, dec - decrease (sc the next 2 stitches together), inc - increase (2 single crochet in the next stitch), R1 - round 1, Rep – repeat, ** - repeat this group of instructions amount of times indicated
Notes
- All rounds are worked continuously (that is, vs. joined rounds.)
- For sewing the nose to the head, I would recommend you use the “seamless join” method for a cleaner look. You can find an excellent tutorial explaining it here
PART ONE
For this first week we will be making the head and nose of our koala.
Head (Using gray yarn)
R1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook (you can use the magic circle if you prefer as it won’t make a difference in the end.)
R2: *Inc* rep 6 times (12 sts)
R3: *Sc 1, inc* rep 6 times (18 sts)
R4: *Sc 2, inc* rep 6 times (24 sts)
R5: *Sc 3, inc* rep 6 times (30 sts)
R6: *Sc 4, inc* rep 6 times (36 sts)
R7: *Sc 5, inc* rep 6 times (42 sts)
R8: *Sc 6, inc* rep 6 times (48 sts)
R9: *Sc 7, inc* rep 6 times (54 sts)
R10: *Sc 8, inc* rep 6 times (60 sts)
R11-14: Sc in all 60 sts (4 rounds total—60 sts)
R15: *Sc 9, inc* rep 6 times (66 sts)
R16-18: Sc in all 66 sts (3 rounds total—66 sts)
R19: *Sc 10, inc* rep 6 times (72 sts)
R20-23: Sc in all 72 sts (4 rounds total—72 sts)
R24: *Sc 11, inc* rep 6 times (78 sts)
R25: *Sc 11, dec* rep 6 times (72 sts)
R26: *Sc 10, dec* rep 6 times (66 sts)
R27: *Sc 9, dec* rep 6 times (60 sts)
R28: *Sc 8, dec* rep 6 times (54 sts)
R29: *Sc 7, dec* rep 6 times (48 sts)
R30: *Sc 6, dec* rep 6 times (42 sts)
Insert the eyes between R23 & 24, 13 sts apart. (Hint: insert the 1st eye. Count 13 sts from the hole where you inserted the 1st eye and insert the 2nd eye.) (See pic. #1).
R31: *Sc 5, dec 1* rep 6 times (36 sts)
R32: *Sc 4, dec 1* rep 6 times (30 sts)
Stop and start to stuff the head, continuing as you work. The secret to keeping the head shape is to push the stuffing down and out. So, when you get to the widest part, the cheeks, push the stuffing out toward the sides to keep the shape and define the cheeks. Don’t worry if the bottom is slightly flat, since we want that “gumdrop” look.
R33: *Sc 3, dec 1* rep 6 times (24 sts)
R34: *Sc 2, dec 1* rep 6 times (18 sts)
R35: *Sc 1, dec 1* rep 6 times (12 sts)
R36: *Dec 1* rep 6 times (6 sts)
Finish off. Finish stuffing head firmly, and use the tail to sew up hole, then weave in your end.
Nose (Using black yarn)
R1: Ch 5, starting in 2nd ch from hook sc 3, inc 1, turn and in the front loops of the ch, inc 1, sc 3 (10 sts)
(See pic. #2.) This is called a foundation chain and is a great way to start a piece that you want to be more oval than round. After crocheting through the top loops of the chain, you turn your work around and crochet in the bottom loops of the chain. The first round is complete! Now you just continue as you normally would
R2: Inc 1, sc 2, inc 4, sc 2, inc 1 (16 sts)
R3: Sc 1, inc 1, sc 4, inc 1, sc 1, inc 3, sc 5 (21 sts)
R4: Sc in all 21 sts (21 sts)
Finish off leaving long tail for sewing. Finish off very neatly using this technique here.
Sew to the head directly between the eyes over R11-23 approx. Just before you finish sewing it down, stuff lightly. (See pics. #3, #4, & #5.)
When sewing on any body part I recommend that you use straight pins to arrange and secure each piece while sewing it on. This will ensure that everything goes on straight and things stay where you want them to be.
PART TWO
For this second week we will be making the ears and body of our koala.
Ears (Using gray yarn)
R1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook
R2: *Inc* rep 6 times (12 sts)
R3: *Sc 1, inc* rep 6 times (18 sts)
R4: *Sc 2, inc* rep 6 times (24 sts)
R5: *Sc 3, inc* rep 6 times (30 sts)
R6: *Sc 4, inc* rep 6 times (36 sts)
R7-8: Sc in all 36 sts (2 rounds total—36 sts)
R9: *Sc 4, dec* rep 6 times (30 sts)
R10: *Sc 3, dec* rep 6 times (24 sts)
Finish off leaving long tail for sewing. Do not stuff ears. Now we are going to make the ears fuzzy. Using a pet brush, vigourously brush each ear until it is fluffy and fuzzy. Keep brushing until you are satisfied with the fuzziness. (See pics. #6 & #7.)
Sew the open ends of the ears closed using our long tail. (See pic. #8.)
Sew the ears to either side of the head over R10-23. Make sure that the ears are curved when you sew them on. (See pics. #9, #10, & #11.)
Body (Using gray yarn)
R1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook
R2: *Inc* rep 6 times (12 sts)
R3: *Sc 1, inc* rep 6 times (18 sts)
R4: *Sc 2, inc* rep 6 times (24 sts)
R5: *Sc 3, inc* rep 6 times (30 sts)
R6: *Sc 4, inc* rep 6 times (36 sts)
R7: *Sc 5, inc* rep 6 times (42 sts)
R8-18: Sc in all 42 sts (11 rounds total—42 sts)
R19: *Sc 5, dec* rep 6 times (36 sts)
R20: Sc in all 36 sts (36 sts)
Finish off leaving long tail for sewing. Stuff firmly and sew to the head. (See pic. #12.)
PART THREE
For this third and final week, we will be finishing our koala up by making his arms and legs.
Arms (Using gray yarn)
R1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook
R2: *Sc 2, inc* rep 2 times (8 sts)
R3-7: Sc in all 8 sts (5 rounds total—8 sts)
R8: *Sc 3, inc* rep 2 times (10 sts)
R9-14: Sc in all 10 sts (6 rounds total—10 sts)
R15: *Sc 1, dec* rep 3 times, sc 1 (7 sts)
Finish off leaving long tail for sewing. ( See pic. #13.)
Stuff very lightly and sew the open ends closed. Sew the first arm to the front of the body, slightly to the left of the nose (from his perspective) just under the head over R17-20 of the body.(See pic. #14.)
It should be sewn on at a slight angle so that the bottom of the arm is extending out just a bit more than the top. Do the same for the second arm, except sew it to the backside of the body close enough to the first arm so that the tips of his paws touch. (See pics. #15, #16, & #17.)
Once you’ve sewn both arms on, take some extra gray yarn and sew the tips of his paws together. (See pics. #18 & #19.)
Once you’ve sewn them together securely, weave in all ends.
Legs (Using gray yarn)
R1: Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook
R2: *Inc* rep 6 times (12 sts)
R3: *Sc 1, inc* rep 6 times (18 sts)
R4-7: Sc in all 18 sts (4 rounds total—18 sts)
R8: *Dec* rep 6 times, sc 6 (12 sts)
R9: *Dec* rep 4 times, sc 4 (8 sts)
R10-12: Sc in all 8 sts (3 rounds total—8 sts)
R13: Sc 1, inc 2, sc 2, dec 1, sc 1 (9 sts)
R14: *Sc 1, inc* rep 2 times, sc 2, dec 1, sc 1 (10 sts)
R15: Sc in all 10 sts (10 sts)
R16: Sc 8, dec (9 sts)
R17: *Dec* rep 4 times, sl st 1 (5 sts)
Finish off leaving long tail for sewing. Flatten the leg. (See pic. #20.)
The round, larger section of the leg should be slightly indented on one side. That will be the inside of the leg, the side that we sew to the body so that the humpier side is facing out. Stuff R9-17 of the legs but leave the rest unstuffed. Sew the opening of the leg closed very neatly as it will be visible. Weave the existing tail to the back of the leg or take a new length of gray yarn and sew the first leg to the front of the body over R7-13 of body, slightly to the left of the arm (from his perspective). Do the same for the back side leg, sewing it close enough to the first leg so that the paws are almost touching. (See pics. #21-#26.)
Congratulations, now you’re done! I hope you enjoyed making this cutie and I would love to see pictures of your finished koala! You can share pictures on:
Instagram: @storyland_amis
Facebook: Storyland Amis
Or email me: hello@storylandamis.com
