Crochet Gira the Giraffe
Meet Crochet Gira the Giraffe, the adorable handcrafted companion that is bound to steal your heart with its charm! Created with love and meticulous attention to detail, this one-of-a-kind crochet giraffe is not just a toy but a cherished friend in the making. Its long, graceful neck and cute button eyes make it the perfect cuddle buddy for both kids and adults alike. Whether you're looking for a unique gift or a delightful addition to your collection, Crochet Gira is sure to bring joy and smiles wherever it goes. So, why wait? Embrace the cuteness and whimsy of Crochet Gira the Giraffe today!
Materials
To make Gira you will need:
– A Crochet hook, 2.5mm
– Yellow and Light brown DK yarn (you could use any colors you wanted to, though!)
– A tapestry needle and scissors
– Stuffing
– Safety eyes (I used 9mm)
– A stitch marker to help you keep track of the start of the round
Please note that you can make Gira using any size crochet hook and yarn weight for a smaller or bigger result. I like using DK as it’s most commonly available. If you make amigurumi, it is usually recommended to go down a bit from the recommended hook size for the yarn to allow for a no-hole look (we don’t want to see the stuffing show through in between stitches)! Using DK yarn and a 2.5mm crochet hook, Gira should stand about 24cm tall.
Stitches & Abbreviations
The pattern is written using US crochet terms in continuous spirals. You will need to know the following kinds of stitches to make her:
– Magic Ring (MR)
– Single crochet (sc)
– Decrease (dec); preferably using the invisible decrease method
– Increase (inc)
– Working into back loops only (BLO)
– Working into front loops only (FLO)
– Slip stitch (sl)
– Changing colors
And now, let’s get started!
Legs
Round 1: Starting with light brown yarn, 6 Sc in a Magic Ring
Round 2: (Sc, inc) around (9)
Round 3: Sc around in BLO, change to yellow on the last stitch (9)
Round 4-14 (11 rounds total): Sc around (9), then fasten off with a sl
Repeat this 3 more times, making 4 legs, BUT DO NOT FASTEN OFF THE FOURTH LEG! We will now join the legs together to make the
Body
Round 15: To join the legs together, simply continue crocheting single crochets into each of the stitches of one of the legs you’ve fastened off, and repeat with the other 2 legs. It will look like a chain of legs at first. You will have 4×9=36 stitches now. Don’t worry about the gaping hole in her belly, we will fix this later. Don’t forget to stuff her legs!
Rounds 16-22 (7 rounds total): Sc around (36).
We will now start decreasing to form her back. It’s important that you are decreasing over 2 legs equally, we don’t want her butt to be centered over one leg, do we? If for some reason your starting point is way different from mine and you feel like my instructions don’t let you decrease over 2 legs equally, feel free to add or remove some Scs from the beginning of the round (this would mainly be the case if you are using a different yarn/hook size from me)
Round 23: Sc 7, (sc, dec) x4, sc to end (32)
Round 24: Sc 7, (sc, dec) x3, sc to end (29)
Round 25: Sc 5, (sc, dec) x4, sc to end (25)
Round 26: (Sc 4, dec) around (21), start stuffing her body
Round 27: Sc 5, dec 3, sc 10 (18)
Round 28: (Sc 4, dec) around (15)
We are now starting to crochet the neck. Don’t forget to finish stuffing her body and neck!
Rounds 29-39 (11 rounds total): Sc around (15), we will now start working on the
Head
Round 40: Inc in every stitch in FLO (30)
Round 41: Sc around (30)
We will now give her a nose, so again, make sure when you start the increasing section of the next round, you’re close to the front of her face (if not, best case it will look like she’s looking sideways, worst case she will have twisted her head by 180°. Outch.)
Round 42: Sc 3, inc x9, sc to end (39)
Round 43: Sc 10, (sc, inc) x3, sc to end (42)
Round 44-48 (5 rounds total): Sc around (42)
Round 49: Sc 9, dec 8, sc to end (34)
Round 50: Sc 5, dec 8, sc to end (26)
Round 51-56 (6 rounds total): Sc around (26)
Add safety eyes between round 51 and 52, approx. 5 stitches apart
Round 57: Sc 11, dec, sc 11, dec (24), start stuffing the head
Round 58: (Sc 2, dec) around (18)
Round 59: (Sc, dec) around (12)
Round 60: Dec around (6), fasten off and close.
Congrats! The main part is done! Now we will close the belly and work on the other features that Gira is missing right now.
Closing the belly
To close the belly, insert your hook into any of the stitches on her belly, then sc approx. 10 stitches around her belly hole. The exact number does not matter, we just want to create some extra “fabric” to avoid a strong pull on the legs. Then, decrease over the stitches you’ve just made. Fasten off, and sew together.
Horns
Round 1: Using light brown yarn, 6 Sc into a Magic Ring
Round 2-4 (3 rounds total): Sc around (6), then lasten off.
Make two, and sew them onto the head.
Ears
Round 1: Using yellow, 6 sc into a Magic Ring
Round 2: (Sc, inc) around (9)
Round 3: (Sc 2, inc) around (12)
Round 4-7 (4 rounds total): Sc around (12)
Round 8: (Sc 2, dec) around (9)
Make two, then pinch the ends together and sew onto head.
Spots
Round 1: Using light brown yarn, 6 Sc into a Magic Ring
Round 2: Inc around (12), fasten off
I made 7, but you can make more or less. Sew them onto the body however you like!
Tail
Using yellow, chain 12, then sc 11 along the chain. For the hairs, cut a few strands of light brown yarn and knot them to the end of the tail. Then sew the tail to the butt.
Assembly
Assembly is very simple, you’ve already done the most difficult part of closing the belly! All you need to do now is sew on the ears, the horns, the tail and the spots wherever you’d like them.