Snuggles the Lazy Bear is my newest amigurumi teddy bear free crochet pattern!
Read on to learn more about my design process and inspiration, or scroll to the end to get the free pattern. If you’re in a hurry and need to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here.
Table of Contents
The cutest low-sew lazy teddy bear with endless sweater options!
I’m in love with teddy bears, but especially low-sew teddy bears! After creating my Donut Teddy pattern, I was obsessed with the way I designed the ears to be worked in the round as part of the head. With Snuggles the Lazy Bear, I also worked the tail into the body as an adorable puff stitch.
I created this bear because I’ve been dreaming about making a cute teddy bear in a lying down posture, and this was the result! It took a while to get the perfect egg-shaped body that I wanted, but I loved how perfectly rotund it looked in the end.
I also wanted this teddy bear to be wearing a cute sweater, which I worked into the body as a series of simple color changes. (If this is new to you, scroll down for a video tutorial!)
I came up with a basic striped sweater, as well as a festive Christmas sweater variation! I love that it’s so easy to use this pattern as a blank canvas to create your own sweater. One of my testers came up with three different variations in just a few days!
The main pattern instructs you how to make the brown bear with the striped sweater, but if you want to make the Polar Bear in a Christmas Sweater variant, just follow the main pattern with a few adjustments here.
Tips for working this pattern!
This is a great pattern for advanced beginners because it’s a simple and short pattern, but the low-sew techniques you’ll learn are a great addition to your amigurumi toolbox.
One of the biggest techniques used in this pattern is changing colors, because you’ll need to do so multiple times to create either of the sweater variants. (If you dislike color changes or just don’t feel ready yet, you can always just omit the sweater and continue onwards in the main color!)
Here’s a quick video tutorial as well as a great blog post here all about changing color and my personal favorite method.
More blog posts for amigurumi beginners:
- My Foolproof Guide to Crocheting Amigurumi for Beginners
- What’s the best stuffing for amigurumi? (+ how to stuff!)
- How to Sew Amigurumi Parts Together (easy photo tutorial!)
Technical Notes
- If you want to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here!
Description
Snuggles the Lazy Bear is a sweet low-sew amigurumi project of a teddy bear lying down. It uses clever no- sew techniques to form the ears and tail, so you only have to do a minimal amount of seaming at the end. You can customize the color change sweater to any design or color scheme you like! The Polar Bear with Christmas Sweater variation is included in this pattern for inspiration.
Yarn
Confused about materials? For all my personal recommendations of my most-used tools, yarns, and supplies, check out my favorites in this complete guide!
- Hobbii Amigo (sport)
- (<1 skein) Dark Beige (brown)
- (<1 skein) White
- (<1 skein) Dusty Green (green)
- (scrap) Sand (beige)
For Polar Bear variation, use only Hobbii Amigo White and Christmas Red.
Notions
- Size D 3.25mm Clover Amour hook
- 4.0mm safety eyes
- brown embroidery thread
- embroidery needle
- fiberfill stuffing
- tapestry needle
- stitch markers
Abbreviations
- BLO: back loop only
- ch: chain
- CC: contrast color
- dec: decrease
- hdc: half double crochet
- inc: increase (work two single crochets in one stitch)
- MC: main color
- MR: magic ring
- rnd: round
- RS: right side
- sc: single crochet
- sk: skip
- x sc: work x number of single crochets
- sl st: slip stitch
- st(s): stitch(es)
- WS: wrong side
- (x sts): total number of stitches for the round
- (…) x: work all steps within parentheses x number of times
- *x,y*: work x and y stitches between asterisks all in the same stitch
Technical Notes
- Crochet in continuous spiral rounds, unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker or piece of yarn to keep track of the last stitch in each round.
- When filling with polyester stuffing, pull apart each large chunk into many smaller chunks. This ensures an even distribution of firmness within the amigurumi.
- To avoid large holes in the crochet fabric, increase tension until the holes cannot be seen, or choose a crochet hook a size down. For help with how to stuff or getting rid of holes, click here!
- Use sewing pins to secure parts of the amigurumi before you sew them.
Special Stitches
- Invisible finish off: click here for tutorial.
Final Size
4″ x 3″
The Pattern
BODY (in beige. See Special Stitches for … abbreviation.)
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
- Rnd 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
- Rnd 4: sc around (18 sts)
- Switch to brown.
- Rnd 5: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
- Rnd 6: sc around (24 sts)
- Rnd 7: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
- Rnd 8: (4 sc, inc) x6 (36 sts)
- Rnd 9-12 (4 rnds): sc around (36 sts)
- Rnd 13: Begin by working 4 sc. Next, start working on the ear below.
- Ear: Working in the FLO, work dc, tr in the same st. In the next st, work 2 tr in the same st. In the next st, work tr, dc in the same st.
- Resume working through both the front and back loops. Work 5 scs.
- Work a second ear in the same method as before.
- Resume working in both the front and back loops. Work 21 remaining scs. After finishing this round, there should be unworked back loops behind the two ears (see fig. 2). There should be 42 total sts in this rnd, as well as 6 unworked back loops.
- Rnd 14: Sc around.
- When you reach the ears, work into the back loops left unworked from the previous rnd. There should be 3 unworked back loops per ear.
- After working into the unworked back loops of the ears, insert the hook into both loops of the first st after the ear and work 13 more scs in the round.
- At this point you should be at the bottom of the head, opposite the ears. This is the new beginning of round (see fig. 3). (36 sts)
- Insert two 4.0mm safety eyes between rnds 5-6, with 5 sts between the two eyes (see fig. 3). Using brown embroidery thread and an embroidery needle, embroider a T shaped nose. The top of the T should be between rnds 2-3, extending 3 sts across (fig. 4). See Special Stitches for a tutorial.
- Rnd 15: (5 sc, inc) x6 (42 sts)
- (For the Polar Bear variation, skip down to “POLAR BEAR” here for rnds 16-24, then come back here to finish the body.)
- For the main pattern, switch to white.
- Rnd 16: (6 sc, inc) x6 (48 sts)
- Switch to green.
- Rnd 17: sc around (48 sts)
- Switch to white.
- Rnd 18: (7 sc, inc) x6 (54 sts)
- Switch to green.
- Rnd 19: sc around (54 sts)
- Switch to white.
- Rnd 20: sc around (54 sts)
- Switch to green.
- Rnd 21: sc around (54 sts)
- Switch to white.
- Rnd 22: sc around (54 sts)
- Switch to green.
- Rnd 23: sc around (54 sts)
- Switch to white.
- Rnd 24: sc around (54 sts)
- Switch to brown.
- Rnd 25-28 (4 rnds): sc around (54 sts)
- Rnd 29: (7 sc, dec) x6 (48 sts)
- Rnd 30: (6 sc, dec) x6 (42 sts)
- Rnd 31: (5 sc, dec) x6 (36 sts)
- Rnd 32: (4 sc, dec) x6 (30 sts)
- Rnd 33: work 15 single crochets. Work one puff stitch (see Special Stitches for a tutorial). See fig. 5. Then, work the remaining 14 single crochet stitches. (30 sts)
- Rnd 34: (3 sc, dec) x6 (24 sts)
- Rnd 35: (2 sc, dec) x6 (18 sts)
- Stuff.
- Rnd 36: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 37: dec x6 (6 sts)
- Finish off in the round. Your work should look like fig. 6 and 7.
ARMS (in brown, make two)
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts) Rnd 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
- Rnd 4: sc around (18 sts)
- Rnd 5: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
- Switch to white.
- Rnd 6: sc around (12 sts)
- Switch to green.
- Rnd 7: sc around (12 sts)
- Switch to white.
- Rnd 8: sc around (12 sts)
- Stuff lightly. Fold the arm flat and insert the hook through both sides of the opening (fig. 8). Slip stitch 6 sts across to seam the arm shut. Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Your arm should now look like figure 8. Make another identically.
LEGS (in brown, make two)
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
- Rnd 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
- Rnd 4: sc around (18 sts)
- Rnd 5: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 6-8 (3 rnds): sc around (12 sts)
- Stuff lightly. Fold the leg flat and slip stitch 6 sts across to seam shut, in the same way as the arms. Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Make another identically. You should now have 2 arms and 2 legs (fig. 10).
ASSEMBLY
Sew the two arms to the body at round 16. The arms should be sewn vertically to the body, with the top of each arm about 4 stitches below the left and right ears. See figures 10 and 11 for placement.
Sew the two legs to the body between rnds 26-27. The legs should be sewn vertically to the body, with the top of each leg roughly aligned with the arm. See figures 10 and 11 for placement.
Polar Bear with Christmas Sweater Variation
To make the polar bear version of this pattern, follow the main pattern using the alterations below:
HEAD: Make head using white yarn only, do not color change for the muzzle.
BODY (continue in white, see fig. 14 for colorwork chart)
- After rnd 15, switch to red.
- Rnd 16: (6 sc, inc) x6 (48 sts)
- Switch to white.
Rnd 17: sc around (48 sts) - Switch to red.
Rnd 18: (7 sc, inc) x6 (54 sts) - Switch to white.
- Rnd 19: sc around (54 sts)
- Switch to red.
- Rnd 20-22 (3 rnds): sc around (54 sts)
- Switch to white.
- Rnd 23: sc around (54 sts)
- Switch to red.
- Rnd 24: sc around (54 sts)
- Switch to white. Continue with the remainder of the pattern.
- After finishing the body, use white yarn to embroider 6 point stars (you can follow this embroidery tutorial). The stars should be about 2 stitches wide with 3 stitches between each star.
ARMS (in white)
- Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
- Rnd 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
- Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
- Rnd 4: sc around (18 sts)
- Rnd 5: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
- Switch to red.
- Rnd 6-8 (3 rnds): sc around
- Stuff lightly. Fold the arm flat and slip stitch 6 sts across to seam the arms shut.
LEGS: Make legs using white yarn.
See fig. 15 for finished project.
This bear is so cute, and I think the ears are very clever. I am making the Christmas variation. I notice in the picture the red sweater seems to have white stars embroidered on it. Are there instructions for these stars or is it just a free hand embellishment?
Hi Nancy, I’m so glad you like the bear and sorry for the delay in responding! Thanks for noticing that I forgot to add the instructions for embroidery. I just updated the pattern, but here are the instructions again: “After finishing the body, use white yarn to embroider 6 point stars (you can follow this embroidery tutorial). The stars should be about 2 stitches wide with 3 stitches between each star.”
Can I sell products from this patterns?
Yes! Go ahead 🙂