Buttons the Bunny Crochet Along – Part One

Welcome to the Buttons the Bunny Crochet Along! Buttons the Bunny is a sweet little amigurumi bunny that my daughter named Buttons. Ironically, Buttons doesn’t have any actual buttons in his pattern but since this was the first thing she hasn’t named Booba or Mister Happy Face, I didn’t have the heart to change his name.

I hope you will join along with us for the crochet along. If you do, you can join The Loopy Lamb Crochet Community Group on Facebook where we’ll be chatting and sharing our progress. There’s also a giveaway sponsored by Clover USA for participants of the CAL so keep reading to learn more.

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The free crochet pattern for Buttons the Bunny has been split into three parts to make creating him a little more manageable and so you can crochet along with us. Please reference the posts below for each part of the CAL and instructions.

• Part One: Ears, Head and Face Embroidery
• Part Two: Body and Arms
• Part Three: Legs, Tail and Sweater

***Join the Buttons the Bunny Crochet Along Here! Add this design to your Ravelry queue HERE!

You can purchase an inexpensive ad-free PDF version of this pattern with all three parts together in one convenient file in my Ravelry and Etsy shops.

Live Wednesdays

For those of you that will be tuning in to the live discussions on Wednesdays during the CAL they will be happening at 7:30PM EST on January 15th, 22nd and 29th.

Giveaway

Clover USA has generously offered to sponsor a giveaway for the participants of the CAL! One lucky participant will win a Clover Squad Box full of Clover tools and goodies!

During the crochet along, share your pictures of your progress and finished bunny, tagging me (@theloopylamb) and Clover USA (@cloverusa on IG and @cloverneedlecraft on FB), using #theloopylambCAL. Each photo shared (must be different pictures) will be an entry into the giveaway. Don’t forget to tag us so we can make sure we see them. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Must be 18 years or older to win. This giveaway is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. Giveaway will close Friday February 7th at midnight EST. A winner will be announced Monday, February 10th.

Disclaimer:

Feel free to sell the item created by this pattern but please provide pattern credit back to me when posting online, and please provide a link to my Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/ca/shop/theloopylamb.  Please do not resell, distribute, duplicate, or share this pattern in any printed or digital form, claiming this pattern as your own original design.  Please do not use my photos when selling your finished items.  Utilizing or purchasing this pattern does not grant permission for mass production.

Skill Level:

• Intermediate

Add this to your Ravelry Queue

Supplies:

• 3.5mm hook
  
  
• 4.0mm hook
  
  
• 62 yds/56m (1.2 oz/33g) Bernat Premium in Café au Lait
  
  
• 11 yds /10 meters (0.2 oz/6g) Bernat Premium in White
  
  
• 22 yds/20 m (0.5oz/12g) Bernat Premium in Burgundy
  
  
• 2 – 15” long pieces of yarn in two different colours for eye indentation
  
  
• 2 – 10mm Safety eyes
  
  
• Pink Embroidery Thread
  
  
• Tapestry Needle
  
  
• Stitch Marker
  
  
• Scissors
  
  
• Polyester Stuffing
  
  
• Optional: Craft pipe cleaner

Abbreviations:

• CH – Chain
  
  
• ST – Stitch
  
  
• MC – Magic Circle
  
  
• SL ST – Slip Stitch
  
  
• SC – Single Crochet
  
  
• SCINC – Single Crochet Increase
  
  
• SCDEC – Single Crochet Decrease
  
  
• HDC – Half Double Crochet
  
  
• FLO – Front Loops Only
  
  
• FO – Finish Off

Finished Size:

• Approximately 12 inches tall from tips of ears to bottoms of legs

Gauge:

• Bunny: 9.5 sts across x 9 rows = 2” square
  
  
• Sweater: 7 sts across x 5.5 rows = 2” square

NOTES:

• All parts of the bunny are worked in continuous rounds.  Do not join at the end of the row, unless indicated.  A stitch marker is used to keep track of the beginning of the round.
  
  
• For a cleaner SCDEC, do your SCDEC under the front loops only of the stitch rather than under both loops.    This is often referred to as an invisible decrease. Check out my invisible decrease tutorial.
  
  
• The CH 2 at the beginning of every row in the sweater and in the CH spaces do not count as a stitches.
  
  
• The sweater is worked in a raglan, top-down method.  The piece is worked flat to create the neckline, armholes are created and then the body of the sweater.  Yarn is rejoined at the armholes to create the sleeves.

Pattern:

Head:

Row 1: Using Café au Lait and a 3.5mm hook, make a MC and SC 6 into the MC (6)

Row 2: (SCINC) X 6 (12)

Row 3: (SC1, SCINC) X 6 (18)

Row 4: SC 1, SCINC, (SC2, SCINC) X 5, SC1 (24)

Row 5: (SC3, SCINC) X 6 (30)

Rows 6 – 7: SC around (30)

Row 8: SC2, SCINC (SC 4, SCINC) X5, SC2 (36)

Row 9: SC around (36)

Row 10: (SC5, SCINC) X 6 (42)

Row 11: SC3, SCINC (SC6, SCINC) X 5, SC3 (48) – **Place safety eyes in stitches 27 and 44 of Row 11

To define the face, we will be using a technique called eye indentation. After inserting the safety eyes (don’t attach the washers yet), use your two long strands of yarn in different colours to tie knots around the post of each safety eye. Place the washers on the safety eyes. The long ends of your yarn should point downwards towards the back of the head and through the opening.

Just before closing the head, we’ll pull these strings so that that the eyes will be pulled back, creating an indent in the face.  As you add stuffing to the head, make sure these pieces don’t get pushed in with the stuffing.

Rows 12 – 16: SC around (48)

Row 17: (SC7, SCINC) X 6 (54) – Start stuffing, adding a bit more each row.

Row 18: SC around (54)

Row 19: (SC7, SCDEC) X 6 (48)

Row 20: SC around (48)

Row 21: SC3, SCDEC (SC6, SCDEC) X 5, SC3 (42)

Row 22: (SC5, SCDEC) X 6 (36)

Row 23: SC2, SCDEC (SC 4, SCDEC) X5, SC2 (30)

Now we’re going to indent the face.  Using two differently coloured strands helps make this step a little easier so you know which yarn is tied to which eye.  Take the yarn attached to the right eye post and cross it over top of the yarn attached to the left yarn post (creating an x with the yarn).  Pull the yarn taught gently until you get the indentation in the face that you like. 

You’ll want to make sure you have the amount of stuffing you want in the face when you do this step because if you have too much, you can pull your stitches or if you have too little, you can have too much of an indent.  Once you’re satisfied, knot the two strands of yarn together.  It is helpful if you have someone to hold the cross in the yarn while you make the knot so you don’t lose tension.  Make sure the knot is secure.  Tuck your ends into the head with the rest of the stuffing.

Row 24: (SC3, SCDEC) X 6 (24) – Continue to add stuffing with each row.

Row 25: SC 1, SCDEC, (SC2, SCDEC) X 5, SC1 (18)

Row 26: (SC 1, SCDEC) x 6 (12)

Row 27: (SCDEC) x 6 (6)
FO and weave in ends.

Embroidering the Nose

Using the pink embroidery thread and a tapestry needle, embroider the nose onto the face starting in the stitch directly below the MC.  Put your needle through 1 stitch above and to the either side of the MC to create a V shape.  Continue embroidering through these three stitches until you are satisfied with your nose.  FO and hide your ends inside the head.

Ears (make 2)

Row 1: Using Café au Lait and a 3.5mm hook, make a MC and SC 6 into the MC (6)

Row 2: (SC2, SCINC) x 2 (8)

Row 3: SC around (8)

Row 4: (SCINC, SC3) x 2 (10)

Row 5: SC around (10)

Row 6: (SCINC, SC1) x 5 (15)

Row 7: SC around (15)

Row 8: (SC2, SCINC) x 5 (20)

Rows 9 – 16: SC around (20)

Row 17: (SC2, SCDEC) x 5 (15)

Row 18: SC around (15)

Row 19: (SC1, SCDEC) x 5 (10)

Row 20: SC around (10)

FO leaving an extra-long tail to sew onto head. Do Not Stuff. When sewing the ears on, pull the yarn taught to help the ears stand upright.  After I complete one pass through, I go back and stitch them again to give them a firm foundation.  You can add pipe cleaners to the ears if you’d prefer to help them stand up but I do not recommend giving it to children if they are used.

If you would like to join the Buttons the Bunny Crochet Along, please join our Facebook group!  You can post your yarn and yarn color selections, work-in-progress photos, and let us all know how your bunnies are coming along. I can’t wait to see all of your finished bunnies!

Disclaimer:

Feel free to sell the item created by this pattern but please provide pattern credit back to me when posting online, and please provide a link to my Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/ca/shop/theloopylamb.  Please do not resell, distribute, duplicate, or share this pattern in any printed or digital form, claiming this pattern as your own original design.  Please do not use my photos when selling your finished items.  Utilizing or purchasing this pattern does not grant permission for mass production.

I’d love to see your finished items!  Please share your finished makes by tagging the pattern on Ravelry, sharing it to our Facebook page or Instagram.  Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest 
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