Meet Onigiri the Panda Bean – he’s fallen over and can’t get up because of his bean-shaped body and tiny limbs, help!

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Yarn I Used

Onigiri is meant to be worked with Bernat Baby Velvet Yarn, but I used Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran for the photos in this pattern so that it’s easier for the camera to pick up the stitches. Velvet yarn is super soft, but it’s a little tricky to work with for beginners, so you can use any yarn you want. Just make sure to adjust your hook size accordingly.

For the panda bean made with Paintbox Yarns, I used about 10 g of Bubblegum Pink, 15g of Candy Floss Pink, and a little bit of Raspberry Pink for the cheeks. The amount of yarn you will need will vary based on your tension and the type of stitch you use. Each skein is 50g. 

Gauge

5 Round Circle = 1.5” (Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran) with a 3.25mm (D) hook or 2” (Bernat Baby Velvet Yarn) with a 3.5mm (E) hook for both.

Note: I am working with the x-stitch (yarn under single crochet). If you are working a standard sc, go down a hook size.

Gauge isn’t super important for amigurumi, but I included it just in case you want to check your gauge. Being a little off should not affect the final product too much. You can learn more about how to measure gauge for amigurumi here! 

Free Onigiri the Panda Bean Stuffed Animal Amigurumi Crochet Plushie Pattern

The difficulty level of this pattern is Confident Beginner and this pattern is written in US crochet terminology.

This pattern contains methods that could be considered more Intermediate/Advanced, but there are loads of photos in this pattern to use as guides. You can also reach out to me for help. I will respond quickest through DMs on Instagram, but you can also just fill out a contact form here.

The finished toy measures to be about  3.5” (8 cm) tall when you use Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran and 4” (10.5 cm) tall when you use Bernat Baby Velvet Yarn.

I have included instructions for my preferred colour change method when working with stripes, but since the colour change happens in the back, you are more than welcome to just use your preferred method. However, this pattern is written with using my method in mind, so the final stitch before each colour change round is a sl st.

Please do not reprint, sell or claim the pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to the free pattern on the blog. Please do not copy and post the pattern onto your site. 

TERMINOLOGY

st(s): stitch(es)
ch: chain
sl st: slip stitch
sc: single crochet
inc: two single crochet in one stitch
dec: invisible decrease- single crochet two stitches together through the front loops only
(…) x #: repeat anything in the parenthesis however many times the number indicates
[#]: total number of stitches for that row
#sc/inc: one sc/inc in the following # stitches

THINGS YOU NEED

• Bernat Baby Velvet Yarn or Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran

Bernat Baby Velvet Yarn Colours – Snowy White and Vapour Gray
Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran Colours – 10 g of Bubblegum Pink, 15g of Candy Floss Pink, and a little bit of Raspberry Pink for the cheeks  (Pink Panda) or Granite Grey, Champagne White, and a little bit of Bubblegum Pink for the cheeks (Grey and White Panda)

• Embroidery Floss (I used Black, White, and 335 Rose DMC Perle Cotton No. 5)
• 3.5mm (E) or 3.25mm (D) Crochet Hook (Go down a hook size if you are working the regular single crochet stitch, see gauge above to determine what hook size you should use)
• Scissors
• Darning Needle
• Locking Stitch Markers
• Pins
• Polyfil Stuffing
• Felt that matches the darker yarn colour
• Cardstock and Pen to create stencil for Eyes
• Marker in a similar colour to your felt to trace the stencil shape onto the felt. Be careful if using washable markers, the colours might bleed onto your work.
• Fabric Scissors
• Glue that dries clear

Notes & Guides

Seamless Join in the Round – Cut the yarn tail, fasten off, and thread the yarn tail onto a darning needle. Locate the 2^nd st of the round, insert the needle under that stitch and pull through. Insert the needle into the centre of the final st of the round and out the back. This creates a false stitch and makes the edge look more seamless. Weave the tail into the back of the work.

Closing the Hole – To close the hole, fasten off and thread the yarn tail onto a darning needle. Insert the needle under the front loop of the next stitch and pull through. Repeat with the rest of the stitches, then pull on the tail to close up the hole. Weave the tail into the centre of the hole to weave the tail in.

Attaching the Limbs and Tail – To attach the Arms, Feet, and Tail, insert your hook back into the loop of the Limb/Tail piece. Line the next few stitches of the Arm/Foot/Tail to the stitches you marked on the Body. Work 3 sl st through both the Body and the Arm/Foot/Tail. Fasten off and weave the tails in.

This pattern is worked in continuous rounds unless otherwise stated – Mark the first stitch of the round with a stitch marker to help keep track of where the beginning of the round is.

Better Stripes with Amigurumi – To create better stripes for amigurumi, change the final stitch of the round before your colour change into a slip stitch. Fasten off and work a seamless join in the round.

With a slip knot of the new colour on your hook, pick up a standing single crochet stitch in the false stitch (highlighted in green in the photo below) created by the Seamless Join in the Round. Work the rest of the round as you normally would and repeat these steps when you have to change colours again.

Sewing Amigurumi Parts Together – Pin the loose part (the Ear in the photo example below, which I will be calling A) onto the base part (Head, B).

Thread the yarn tail from A onto a darning needle. *Insert the needle into B, immediately beneath the yarn tail and out the next space on B immediately below the next stitch of A. Pull through, then insert the needle through both loops of the next stitch of A. Repeat the steps starting from the *, going all the way around A. Thread the tail through B to hide the yarn tail.

Arms

with Bubblegum Pink yarn

Make 2

1          6sc in magic circle [6]
2-3       sc in all sts [6]

Do not fasten off. Instead, remove your hook from the loop and place a stitch marker into the loop to keep the loop from slipping. You will need this to crochet the Arms to the Body. Cut the working end of the yarn, leaving a tail that is about 6” long.

Feet & Tail

with Bubblegum Pink yarn

Make 3

1          6sc in magic circle [6]
2          sc in all sts [6]

Do not fasten off. Instead, remove your hook from the loop and place a stitch marker into the loop to keep the loop from slipping. You will need this to crochet the Feet/Tail to the Body. Cut the working end of the yarn, leaving a tail that is about 6” long.

Ears

with Bubblegum Pink yarn

Make 2

1          6sc in magic circle [6]
2          (sc, inc) x 3 [9]
3          (sc, dec) x 3 [6]

Fasten off and leave a tail that is about 8-10” long for sewing.

Body

starting with Candy Floss Pink yarn

1          6sc in magic circle [6]
2          6inc [12]
3          (sc, inc) x 6 [18]
4          sc, inc, (2sc, inc) x 5, sc [24]
5          (3sc, inc) x 6 [30]
6          sc in all sts [30]
7          2sc, inc, (4sc, inc) x 5, 2sc [36]
8-10     sc in all sts [36]
11        4sc, inc, 8sc, dec, 6sc, dec, 8sc, inc, 4sc [36]
12        35sc, sl st [36] *mark the 15^th, 17^th, 22^nd, and 24^th st of this round

switch to Bubblegum Pink yarn (see Colour Change notes above)

Attach the Arms to the 15^th-17^th & 22^nd-24^th sts of round 12 (see Notes & Guides).

13        14sc, 3sc in the sts from the arm that are unworked (see highlighted sts in the photo on the right), 4sc, 3sc in the sts from the arm that are unworked, 12sc [36]
14-15   sc in all sts [36]
16        4sc, dec, 10sc, inc, 5sc, inc, 10sc, dec, sl st [36]

switch to Candy Floss Pink yarn

17        sc in all sts [36]
18        4sc, dec, 10sc, inc, 5sc, inc, 10sc, dec, sc [36] *mark the 15^th, 17^th, 24^th, and 26^th st of this round

Attach the Legs to the 15^th-17^th & 24^th-26^th sts of round 18.

19        14sc, 3sc in the sts from the foot that are unworked, 6sc, 3sc in the sts from the foot that are unworked, 10sc [36] *mark the 2nd & 4th st of this round

Attach the Tail to the 2^nd-4^th sts of round 19.

20        sc, 3sc in the sts from the tail that are unworked, 32sc [36]
21        2sc, dec, (4sc, dec) x 5, 2sc [30]
22        (3sc, dec) x 6 [24]
23        sc, dec, (2sc, dec) x 5, sc [18]
24        (sc, dec) x 6 [12]

Stuff fully, fasten off, close hole, and weave the tails in.

Assembly

• Fold the Ears in half and pin them to the top of the Head, with the inner corner of the ear starting from round 4 or 5. Sew both the inner and outer side of the Ear to the Head.

• Measure roughly how wide 3 sts & 4 rounds are on your panda and use those measurements to draw out a rectangle on your cardstock. Round out the corners to create an oval shape and cut out the oval.
• Line the cardstock stencil up to the face with the top of the oval pointing inwards, to determine if you like the shape. If not, draw and cut out a new piece until you are happy with the shape and size.

• Once you are happy with the stencil shape and size, trace the stencil onto a piece of felt with the marker. Then take fabric scissors and cut the oval out. You will need two of these felt ovals for the eyes.
• To make sure the pieces are as identical as possible, stack them on top of each other and trim off bits that are sticking out too much.

• Line the felt pieces over the face to determine where you want the embroidery of the eyes to go. I kept the embroidery on the top 2/3 of the oval.
• With white embroidery thread, embroider the eyes in. Feel free to play around with the expression of your Panda Bean. I chose to embroider in eyes that look like arrows pointing inwards because Onigiri is struggling to get up. To get the embroidery on the eyes to match as much as possible, you have to keep lining both pieces up to the face to check to see if your embroidery is symmetrical.
• When the eyes are ready to go, pin them onto the face. Leave roughly 5-6 sts between the bottom of the ovals, and roughly 2-3 sts where the eyes are closest to each other.
• With the cheek colour yarn, sew a line through the outer edge of the bottom of the felt piece and the cheek to create blush.

• To secure the eyes, saturate the back of the felt eyes with glue. Making sure that the position is correct, gently smooth it over the face without pushing down too hard. If you push the felt down too hard, the glue will seep through and cloud up. Allow the glue to dry completely before proceeding with the next step. Once you glue the pieces on, you will not be able to make any changes to the eyes.

• With embroidery thread in your choice of colour, embroider a thick line between the eyes to create Onigiri’s nose, right below where his eyes are closest together.
• With the same thread colour, embroider an upside-down “v” that is roughly 1-2 rounds tall for his mouth.

You have just created your very own Panda Bean!

Please leave me a comment down below (or contact me) if you have any questions about this pattern. I would also love to see your creation so don’t forget to tag me (@olliehollycrochet) on Instagram or use the #olliehollycrochet! Follow me on Instagram to get updates on new patterns and to see what I’m up to on a daily. 

If you find any mistakes in the pattern, please contact me and let me know! My testers and I do my best to catch my mistakes, but we will still miss things here and there. Also, I will sometimes make mistakes while formatting the blog post.

You may sell products made from this pattern in small quantities but please clearly credit the design to me, Abby Sy of Ollie + Holly and provide a link to my blog www.OllieHolly.com.  Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind.  Thank you for being respectful and for your understanding!

Please do not reprint, sell or claim the pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to the shop or the free blog post. Please do not copy and post the pattern onto your site.

Onigiri the Panda Bean Amigurumi Crochet (Pattern Only)

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