Free Crochet Pattern "Bear Puppet" | A Knitting Pattern to Enjoy in Any Season

Crochet puppets you'll want to use with your kids

I made a crocheted puppet that you can put your hands in and play with.
It's a small bear puppet with a round face.
The thumb side is separated, so you can make the baby open and close its mouth and gobble down the pretend food!
If you knit some side dishes for your lunch box, you can have fun with lunch.

This piece is made using extra thick yarn and knitted entirely with knit stitches.
The mesh is tightly woven and large enough for an adult's hand to fit inside, so it can also be used as a potholder for adults.

If you are making potholders, using thin yarn will result in a thin knitted fabric, so try to choose a thick, sturdy yarn and a material that is heat resistant.
If you want to make potholders for a child's size, instead of using thinner thread, you can reduce the number of stitches to make the finished size smaller.
*Please make and use at your own risk.

If you change the coloring or ear shape, it could turn into any other animal.
It might be fun to knit small ones with thin yarn and make mittens for children.

Yarn and crochet hook size and materials used for the bear puppet

Extra thick wool yarn: dark brown: 45g, beige: 3g
5.0 mm (JP 8/0)
Thread for embroidering eyes: a small amount

Finished size of the bear puppet

15cm long x 12cm wide

Bear Puppet Knitting Pattern

Bear Puppet Knitting Pattern (PDF)

How to make a bear puppet

Please refer to the crochet pattern along with these instructions.

①Start knitting by casting on a loop from the tip of the bear's nose.
From the cast-on to the fourth row, knit using beige yarn.
Knit the second and third rows by increasing the number of stitches, and knit the fourth row without increasing or decreasing the number of stitches.
When you do the slip stitch at the end of the fourth row, switch to the dark brown yarn and slip it through.

② Rows 5 to 24 will be knitted with dark brown yarn.
Increasing the number of stitches in each row from 5 to 7, then knit the same number of stitches from 8 to 18.

③In the 19th row, after you have knitted the first knit stitch, knit 12 chain stitches.
This chain point is where the mouth and chin will be attached.

④On the 20th row, when knitting the chain part of the previous row, pick up one strand on the other side of the chain and the back of the chain and knit together.
Knit rows 20 to 24 without increasing or decreasing the number of stitches.
Cut the yarn after you finish knitting the 24th row.

⑤ Attach dark brown yarn to the chain made in step ③ and knit the mouth and chin.
As shown in the knitting pattern, knit two quarter stitches at a time on both sides to avoid creating holes in the knitted fabric.
Knit rows 2 to 7 without increasing or decreasing the number of stitches, and rows 8 to 10 while decreasing the number of stitches on both sides.
After you finish knitting the 10th row, cut the yarn, leaving a slightly longer end.
Thread the remaining end of the thread onto the sewing needle and sew together the opposing stitches in the 10th row with an overlock stitch.

⑥For the ears, knit two identical pieces using dark brown yarn.
Start by casting on a loop, increase the number of stitches in the second row, and knit the same number of stitches in the third and fourth rows.
For both ears, leave the yarn a little long at the end and cut it. Sew the ears to the face and body in the position shown in the "Bear Face and Body Knitting Pattern".

⑦ Embroider the nose and eyes with black thread and you're done.

Pattern release: February 27, 2022