Pair of otters

Difficulty:

Easy - medium

You will need:

• A 2.5mm crochet hook
• A 2mm crochet hook
• dk yarn in dark brown and tan
• 4ply yarn in light blue, lilac, and black
• A scrap of white and black embroidery thread
• Toy stuffing
• A darning needle
• An embroidery needle
• A reel of colourless plasticy thread (you should be able to buy this from craft shops)

For the otters (make one large and one small):

Use a 2.5mm hook and brown dk yarn unless otherwise specified

For the body:

With a 2.5mm hook and brown dk yarn ch5

Round 1: sc int eh 2nd chain st from hook, then sc in each of the next 2 chain sts. Make 3sc in the next chain st (the first one you made), then sc into the back of the previous 2 chain sts you crocheted into in turn. Finally make 2sc into the back of the first chain st you crocheted into (10sc)

Round 2: make 2sc int eh first st, sc2, make 2sc in each of the next 3sts, sc2, then make 2sc into each of the last 2sts (16sc)

Round 3: sc, make 2sc in the next st, sc2, (sc, make 2sc in the following st) 3 times, sc2, (sc, make 2sc in the next st) twice (22sc)

Round 4: sc2, make 2sc in the next st, sc2, (sc2, make 2sc in the following st) 3 times, sc2, (sc2, make 2sc in the next st) twice (28sc)

Rounds 5 - 20: (16 rounds) sc in each st

Note: for the larger otter you should add 4 more rounds here
Round 21: Sc5, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog, sc6, make 2sc in the next st, sc2, make 2sc in the following st, sc2, make 2sc in the next st, sc2 (28sc)
Round 22: Sc2, sc2tog, sc5, sc2tog, sc7, make 2sc in the next st, sc4, make 2sc in the following st, sc4 (28sc)
Round 23: Sc2, sc2tog, sc2, sc2tog, sc2, sc2tog, sc16 (25sc)
Round 24: Sc2, sc2tog, sc2, sc2tog, sc17 (23sc)
Round 25: Sc2, sc2tog, sc, sc2tog, sc16 (21sc)
Round 26: Sc in each st
Round 27: Slip6, sc4, hdc7, sc4
Round 28: Sc, slip6, sc4, hdc7, sc3
Rounds 29 - 30: (2 rounds) Slip8, sc3, hdc7, sc3
Round 31: Slip8, sc3tog, hdc7, sc3tog (17sc)
Round 32: (More than one round) Slip8, sc2tog, hdc6, sc2tog
Rounds 33 - 34: (2 rounds) Sc in each st
Round 35: Sc2tog, sc5, sc2tog, sc, hdc6 (15sc)
Round 36: (slightly less than 1 round) Sc3, sc2tog, sc3, sc2tog 3 times (11sc)

Stuff firmly
Round 37: Sc2tog 5 times (6sc)
Round 38: Sc in each st
Fasten off

For the tail:
Ch12

Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in every following chain st to make a loop (12sc)

Round 2: sc in each st
Round 3: Sc2tog, sc10 (11sc)
Round 4: Sc in each st
Round 5: Sc4, sc2tog, sc5 (10sc)
Rounds 6 - 8: (3 rounds) Sc in each st
Round 9: Sc4, sc2tog, sc4 (9sc)
Rounds 10 - 11: (2 rounds) Sc in each st
Round 12: Sc2tog, sc7 (8sc)
Rounds 13 - 14: (2 rounds) sc in each st
Round 15: Sc2tog, sc6 (7sc)
Round 16: Sc in each st
Round 17: Sc2tog, sc5 (6sc)
Round 18: Sc2, sc2tog, sc2 (5sc)
Rounds 19 - 20: (2 rounds) sc in each st
Round 21: Sc2tog, sc3 (4sc)
Round 22: Hdc, dc
Fasten off
Stuff firmly and sew to the body

For the legs (make 2):
Make a magic loop with 6sc
Round 1: make 2sc in each st (12sc)
Rounds 2 - 5: (4 rounds) sc in each st
Round 6: Sc2tog 4 times, sc4 (8sc)
Fasten off
Press flat

For the feet (make 2):

Make a magic loop with 6sc 

Round 1 - 2: (2 rounds) sc in each st

Round 3: make 2sc in the first st, sc2, make 2sc in the next st, sc2 (8sc)

change to a 2mm hook

Round 4: sc3, ch1

Round 5: sc in each of these 4 sts (including the chain st)

Fasten off

Rejoin yarn to the next st of round 3.

Round 4: sc in this st, ch1, skip3, sc, ch1 (4sts)

Round 5: sc in each of these last 4sts you made (including chain sts)

Fasten off

Rejoin yarn to the next st of round 3

Round 4: Sc in this st and the next 2 sts. ch1

Round 5: sc in each of these last 4sts

Fasten off

Sew these to the bottoms of the legs, then sew the legs to the side of the otter.

For the ears (make 2):
Make a magic loop with 6sc

Round 1: sc in each st

Fasten off

Sew these to the sides of the head

For the front section:

with a 2.5mm hook and tan dk yarn ch3

Row 1: sc in the 2nd chain sts from hook, then sc in the following chain st. ch1, turn (2sc)

Row 2: make 2sc in each st. ch1, turn (4sc)

Row 3: make 2sc in the first st, sc3. ch1, turn (5sc)

Row 4: make 2sc in the first st, sc4. ch1, turn (6sc)

Row 5: sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 6: sc5, make 2sc in the next st. ch1, turn (7sc)

Rows 7 - 11: (5 rows) sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 12: sc3, sc2tog, sc2. ch1, turn (6sc)

Rows 13 - 22: (10 rows) sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 23: sc2tog, sc2, sc2tog. ch1, turn (4sc)

Row 24: sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 25: sc2tog twice. ch1, turn (2sc)

Row 26: sc in each st

Fasten off

Sew this to the front of your otter

For the arms:

With brown yarn make a magic loop with 6sc

Rounds 1 - 7: (7 rounds) sc in each st

change to a 2mm hook

Row 8: sc in the first st. ch1, turn

Row 9: sc in this st, ch1, turn

Row 10: sc in this st

Fasten off

Rejoin yarn to the next st of round 7

Row 8: sc in the next st of round 7 and the previous st before the last finger you made simultaneously. ch1, turn

Note: if you are unsure of what I mean, just crochet into the next st of round 7, and then sew the hand closed once you've finished with the fingers (this goes for the next finger you will make as well)

Row 9: sc in this st. ch1, turn

Row 10: sc in this st

Fasten off

Rejoin yarn to the next st of round 7

Row 8: sc in the next st of round 7 and the previous st before the last finger you made simultaneously. ch1, turn

Row 9: sc in this st. ch1, turn

Row 10: sc in this st

Fasten off

Rejoin yarn to the next st of round 7

Row 8: sc in the next st of round 7 (if you have been crocheting through both sts simultaneously this will be the only stitch left of this round)

Row 9: sc in this st. ch1, turn

Row 10: sc in this st

Fasten off

Flatten these slightly and sew to the sides of the otter

For the facial features:

Embroider the arms in place with black yarn, then add highlights using white embroidery thread.

Embroider the nose using black yarn, then add the mouth using black embroidery thread.

Finally sew the whiskers in place either side of the nose using the plasticy thread. For each whisker you will need to secure the thread using a few small stitches, then trim it to a length of 1-2cm (alternatively you can make 2 whiskers at the same time if you leave a loose end free and trim it to the same length as te end)

For the tie:

With a 2mm crochet hook and blue 4ply yarn make a magic loop with 1sc. ch1, turn

Row 2: make 3sc in this st. ch1, turn (3sc)

Row 3: make 2sc in the first st, sc, make 2sc in the last st. ch1, turn (5sc)

Row 4: make 2sc in the first st, sc3, make 2sc in the last st. ch1, turn (7sc)

Row 5: make 2sc in the first st, sc5, make 2sc in the last st. ch1, turn (9sc)

Row 6: sc3, sc2tog, sc4 ch1, turn (8sc)

Row 7: sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 8: sc3, sc2tog, sc3. ch1, turn (7sc)

Row 9: sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 10: sc2, sc2tog, sc3. ch1, turn (6sc)

Row 11: sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 12: sc2, sc2tog, sc2. ch1, turn (5sc)

Row 13: sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 14: sc, sc2tog, sc2. ch1, turn (4sc)

Row 15: sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 16: sc, sc2tog, sc. ch1, turn (3sc)

Row 17: sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 19: sc2tog, sc. ch1, turn

Rows 20 - 62: (43 rows) sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 63: Sc in each st

Fasten off

Wind this around the larger otter's neck, wrapping the shorter end around the longer end twice so that it resembles a tie. Sew this in  place.

For the bow:

With a 2mm hook and lilac 4ply yarn make a magic loop with 1sc. ch1, turn

Row 1: make 3sc in this st. ch1, turn (3sc)

Row 2: sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 3: sc3tog. ch1, turn (1sc)

Rows 4 - 5: (2 rows) sc in each st. ch1, turn

Row 6: make 3sc in this st. ch1, turn (3sc)

Row 7: sc in each st

Row 8: sc3tog

Fasten off

Sew the ends of this section together, then sew these to the centre of the bow, flattening it into place

For the ribbons: 

Make a magic loop with 1sc. ch1, turn

Rows 1 - 8: (8 rows) sc in this st. ch1, turn

Row 9: sc in this st

Fasten off

Wrap this section around the middle of the bow, so that they hang down slightly below, then sew in place.

Sew the bow to the ear of the smaller otter.

That's all from this pattern - I hope you have enjoyed it! If you have any questions about this or any of my other patterns please don't hesitate to contact me, either by leaving a comment below, or via my Ravelry or Instagram

pages. My Instagram page is also a good place to follow to find out about the projects are working on and be alerted as to when I post a new pattern.

You are 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!!!

Trans bear

This pattern is designed to fit any of the animals from my little animals collection. It was made as part of a series of designs I made to celebrate pride month. You can find all the other patterns I have so far published in this series by clicking on the "LGBTQ+" label on the right-hand side of this post

Difficulty:

Easy - medium

You will need:

• A little bear (or other little animal), the pattern for which can be found here
• A 2mm crochet hook
• 4ply yarn in light blue, light pink, white, and grey
• 0.5mm craft wire
• Pliers
• wire cutters
• A darning needle

Note:

• This pattern includes the back-to-front single crochet stitch (bfsc). A video to show you how to do this can be found here. It's pretty simple but if you can't work it out you can just use a regular single crochet stitch, but this will give it a slightly different look.
• '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.

 

For the shorts:

With blue 4ply yarn ch25
Round 1: sc in the first chain st you made, then sc in every other stitch around. This should form a loop (25sc)
Round 2: sc in each st. ch1, turn
Row 3: bfsc in the following 22sts. ch1, turn.

Fasten off

Rejoin with pink
Row 4: sc in each of the first 22sts (22sc)
Round 5: ch4, sc in the stitch across from the gap (the first stitch you crocheted in the previous row, sc in the next 21 sts (26sts)
Round 6: sc in each of the next 4 chain sts and following 22 sts (26sc)

Fasten off neatly

Rejoin with white yarn to the 5th st before the 'new' st you made when fastening off neatly
Rounds 7 - 8: (2 rounds) sc in each st (26sc)

Fasten off neatly

Rejoin with pink yarn to the 6th st after the 'new' st you made when fastening off neatly
Round 9: sc in this same st, ch3, skip13 from base of chain, sc in each of the next 12sts. These last 16 sts form a new round (16sts)

Round 10: sc in each st

Fasten off

Rejoin with blue yarn
Rounds 11 - 13: (3 rounds)sc in each of these last 16sts you crocheted (16sc)
Fasten off
Rejoin pink yarn to round 8 in the stitch after the stitch before you made the chain 3 (hopefully the diagram below will clear things up if you're confused about where I'm talking about). Sc in this st and the next 12 sts. ch3, then make a slip stitch in the first stitch of this round (where you fastened on)
Round 10: sc in this st, the next 12 sts and the following 3 chain sts. This forms a new round (16sc)

Fasten off neatly

Rejoin with blue yarn
Rounds 11 - 13: (3 rounds) sc in each of the next 16 sts (16sc)

Fasten off

For the braces:
With grey yarn make a magic loop with 1sc. ch1, turn

Rows 1 - 10: sc in this st. ch1, turn

Row 11: sc in this st
Fasten off

With grey yarn make a magic loop with 1sc. ch1, turn

Rows 1 - 10: sc in this st. ch1, turn

Row 11: sc in this st. ch1, turn

Row 12: Sc in this st and the st of the other section you just made. ch1, turn (2sc)
Row 13: Sc2tog. ch1, turn

Row 14: sc in this st. ch1, turn

Row 15: sc in this st
Fasten off

For the fastenings: 

Get a section of wire and fold the end over by 8mm, then 4mm, then 8mm to get a rectangular section, as shown below 

Measure 8mm from the last bend in the wire, then bend it 90 degrees, measure another 8mm along, and bend it 90 degrees again, as shown below

Measure 4mm from the previous turn, then bend the wire downwards, as shown below

Fold the wire back on itself around the bottom edge of the fastening. Use wire cutters to cut the wire at the top edge of the fastening, as shown below

Thread this onto the braces, then sew the braces to the shorts

For the hat:
With grey yarn 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. Ch1, turn (18sc)
Row 3: (Bfsc2, make 2bfsc in the next st) 3 times. Ch1, turn (12sc)
Row 4: Sc in each of these 12sts. ch1, turn
Row 5: Bfsc in each st. ch1, turn
Row 6: Sc in each st. ch1, turn
Row 7: Bfsc in each st
Fasten off

Rejoin to round 3 in the 2nd st after the one you last crocheted into

Round 4: Ch2, hdc in this st, sc, slip4, sc, hdc. Ch2, turn (8sts)
Round 5: hdc, bfsc in the same st, slip6, bcsc, hdc in the same st. Ch2, turn (10sts)
Round 5: Hdc, sc in the same st, slip8, sc, hdc in the same st. Ch2, turn (12sts)
Round 6: Hdc, bfsc in the same st, slip10, bfsc, hdc in the same st, bfsc in each st of row 7 of the other section of the hat (as shown below), slip the first st of this round
Fasten off

For the cap:
With grey make a magic loop with 5sc. Ch1, turn
Row 1: make 2bfsc in each st. ch1, turn (10sc)
Rows 2: (sc, make 2sc in the next st) 5 times. ch1, turn (15sc)
Row 3: Bfsc2, make 2bfsc in the next st, slip9, make 2bfsc in the next st, bfsc2. ch1, turn (17sts)
Row 4: make 2sc in the first st, sc2, slip11, sc2, make 2sc in the last st

Fasten off

Sew the cap to the front of the hat

To finish:
If desired, use blue embroidery thread to embroider top surgery scars onto the chest, as shown below.

I hope you have enjoyed this pattern. If you have any questions about this or any of my other patterns please don't hesitate to contact me, either by leaving a comment below, or via my Ravelry or Instagram pages. My Instagram page is also a good place to follow to find out about the projects are working on and be alerted as to when I post a new pattern.

You are 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!!!