Red panda

Difficulty:

Easy-medium

You will need:

• A 2.5mm crochet hook
• Dk yarn in white, black, and orange
• Polyester toy stuffing
• A darning needle
• A scrap of white embroidery thread and an embroidery needle

Note:

• 'fasten off neatly' refers to a special way of fastening off which is neater and makes it easier to see where you should be crocheting on the next round (also known as invisible fastening off). This involves pulling up your yarn through your stitch, threading the yarn underneath the second stitch from where you pulled your yarn up, then threading your yarn back through the top of this stitch and down through the back of the work. There is a very helpful site that explains it clearly found here. Just make sure when you do this that you thread your needle through the SECOND stitch after the last stitch you made, otherwise you will end up with an extra stitch which may mean that all of the following rounds are out of line with each other. The false stitch that you create is referred to in this pattern as the 'new' st.

For the head:
Ch8
Round1: sc in teh 2nd chain st from hook and the next 5 chain sts. Make 3sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in teh back of the previous 5 chain sts you crocheted into. Make 2sc in the back of the first chain st you crocheted into (16sc)
Round 2: Make 2sc in the first st, sc5, make 2sc in each of the next 3sts, sc5, make 2sc in each of the last 2sts (22sc)
Round 3: Sc, make 2sc in the next st, sc5, (sc, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times, sc5, (sc, make 2sc in the next st) twice (28sc)
Round 4: Sc2, make 2sc in the next st, sc5, (sc2, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times, sc5, (sc2, make 2sc in the next st) twice (34sc)
Round 5: Sc3, make 2sc in the next st, sc5, (sc3, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times, sc5, (sc3, make 2sc in the next st) twice (40sc)
Round 6: Sc4, make 2sc in the next st, sc5, (sc4, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times, sc5, (sc4, make 2sc in the next st) twice (46sc)
Rounds 7 - 15: (9 rounds) Sc in each st
Round 16: ***(Over 1 round) sc, sc4, sc2tog, sc5, (sc4, sc2tog) 3 rounds, sc5, (sc4, sc2tog) twice (40sc)
Round 17: sc4, sc2tog, sc5, (sc4, sc2tog) 3 times, sc5, (sc4, sc2tog) twice (34sc)
Round 18: sc3, sc2tog, sc5, (sc3, sc2tog) 3 times, sc5, (sc3, sc2tog) twice (28sc)
Round 19:  sc2, sc2tog, sc5, (sc2, sc2tog) 3 times, sc5, (sc2, sc2tog) twice (22sc)
Round 20:  sc, sc2tog, sc5, (sc, sc2tog) 3 times, sc5, (sc, sc2tog) twice (16sc)
Round 21: Sc2tog, sc4, sc5tog, sc4, sc2tog (10sc)

Stuff
Round 22: Sc2tog 5 times (5sc)
Fasten off

For the ears:
Make a magic loop with 3sc
Round 1: make 2sc in each st
Round 2: (sc, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times (9sc)
Round 3: (sc2, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times (12sc)
Round 4: (sc3, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times (15sc)
Round 5: (sc4, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times (18sc)
Rounds 6 - 7: (2 rounds) Sc in each st
Fasten off

Sew to the top of the head

For the muzzle:
Make a magic loop with 6sc
Round 1: make 2sc in each st (12sc)
Round 2: (sc3, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times (15sc)
Rounds 3 - 4: (2 rounds) sc in each st
Fasten off

For the eyes:
With black yarn make a magic loop with 6sc

Slip to secure

Fasten off

Sew to the face and use white embroidery thread to add highlights

For the eyebrows:
Ch3
Row 1: Sc in the 2nd chain st from hook and the next chain st
Fasten off

Sew these to the face

For the sideburns:
Ch3
Row 1: make 2sc in the 2nd chain st from hook and the next chain st. ch1, turn (4sc)
Row 2: make 2sc in the first st, sc2, make 2sc in the last st (6sc)
Fasten off

For the body:
Make a magic loop with 6sc
Round 1: make 2sc in each st (12sc)
Round 2: (sc, make 2sc in the next st) 6 times (18sc)
Round 3: (sc2, make 2sc in the next st) 6 times (24sc)
Round 4: (sc3, make 2sc in the next st) 6 times (30sc)
Rounds 5 - 10: (6 rounds) Sc in each st
Rounds 11 - 13: (3 rounds) Slip6, sc9, hc6, sc9
Rounds 14 - 15: (2 rounds) slip8, sc3, sc2tog, sc2, hdc8, sc2, sc2tog, sc3 (28sts)
Round 16: Sc11, sc2tog, sc, hdc8, sc, sc2tog, sc3 (26sts)
Round 17: Sc10, sc2tog, sc9, sc2tog, sc3 (24sts)
Round 18: Sc19, sc2tog, sc10, sc2tog, sc (22sts)
Round 19: (Note that this is slightly more than 1 round) Sc8, sc2tog, sc11, sc2tog
Fasten off

For the front legs:
Ch4
Round 1: sc in the 2nd chain st from hook and the next chain st. Make 3sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in the back of the previous chain st you crcoheted into. Make 2sc in the back of the first chain st you crocheted into (8sc)
Round 2: make 2sc in the first st, sc, make 2sc in each of the next 3 sts, sc, make 2sc in each of the last 2sts (14sc)
Rounds 3 - 8: (6 rounds) sc in each st
Rounds 9 - 10: (2 rounds) Sc, hdc3, sc4, slip3, sc3
Rounds 11 - 12: (2 rounds) Sc in each st
Fasten off neatly
Rejoin yarn to the st after the new st you created when fastening off neatly
Round 13: Sc in this st and the next 13sts
Round 14: Sc2tog, sc5, sc2tog, sc5 (12sc)
Round 15: Sc2tog, sc4, sc2tog, sc4 (10sc)
Round 16: Sc in each st
Fasten off

For the tail:
Make a magic loop with 6sc
Round 1: (sc, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times (9sc)
Round 2: (sc2, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times (12sc)
Round 3: (sc3, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times (15sc)
Round 4: (sc4, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times (18sc)
Rounds 5 - 6: (2 rounds) sc in each st
Fasten off neatly and rejoin with black yarn
Rounds 7 - 9: (3 rounds) sc in each st

Fasten off neatly and rejoin with orange yarn
Rounds 10 - 12: (3 rounds) sc in each st

Fasten off neatly and rejoin with black yarn

Rounds 13 - 15: (3 rounds) sc in each st
Fasten off neatly and rejoin with orange yarn

Rounds 16 - 17: (2 rounds) sc in each st
Round 18: Slip4, sc5, hdc4, sc5
Fasten off neatly and rejoin with black yarn to the st before the 'new' st you made when fastening off neatly
Round 19: sc in this st and the next 6sts, hdc6, sc3
Round 20: Sc2, slip4, sc2, sc2tog, sc, hdc4, sc, sc2tog (16sts)
Round 21: Sc10, hdc4, sc2
Fasten off neatly and rejoin with orange yarn to the st before the 'new' st
Round 22: Sc in this st and the next 2sts, slip4, sc4, hdc4, sc
Round 23: Sc2tog, sc6, sc2tog, sc, hdc4, sc (14sts)
Round 24: Sc3, slip4, sc3, hdc4
Fasten off neatly and rejoin with black yarn to the st before the 'new' st
Round 25: Hdc in this st, sc3, slip4, sc3, hdc3
Rounds 26 - 28: (3 rounds) hdc2, sc3, slip4, sc3, hdc2
Fasten off

For the back legs:
Make a magic loop with 6sc
Round 1: make 2sc in each st (12sc)
Round 2: (sc, make 2sc in the next st) 6 times (18sc)
Round 3: (sc5, make 2sc in the next st) 3 times (21sc)
Rounds 4 - 5: (2 rounds) Sc in each st
Round 6: (sc5, sc2tog) 3 times (18sc)
Round 7: (Sc, sc2tog) 3 times, sc9 (15sc)
Round 6: Sc2tog 3 times, sc9 (12sc)
Round 8: Sc2, ch3, sc in the 2nd chain st from hook and the next chain st, sc in the same st as the one you crocheted into before the chain sts, sc10
Round 9: Sc2, sc in the back of the first chain st, make 2sc in the back of the next chain st, make 2sc in the next st, sc12 (19sc)
Round 10: Sc in each st
Round 11: Sc14, sc2tog, sc3 (18sc)
Stuff lightly
Round 12: Sc3, sc5tog, sc4, sc5tog, sc (10sc)
Round 13: Sc2, sc4tog, sc2 (7sc)
Fasten off

That's all from this pattern - I hope you have enjoyed it! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me - The best way is by emailing lhodginscrochet@gmail.com.

You're very welcome to sell finished products but I do ask that you don't re-post this pattern or claim it as your own. Thank you!