Teddy Bear Pocket Shawl Free Crochet Pattern

This Teddy Bear Pocket Shawl is my newest fall-themed 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.

The most effortless ribbed shawl!

If you’re like me and don’t make wearables a lot, this shawl is going to be a real treat! It’s got beautifully textured ribbing created with a simple back loop only technique (nothing complicated, I promise!).

This also means that it’s completely possible to make your shawl as long as you want it!

The finishing touch to this project is a beautiful border (that I have a video tutorial for) that will make the edges smooth and even, and the cutest teddy bear pocket that you can adapt to any animal you like!

Tips for success with this pattern!

This pattern is relatively straight forward, but there are few things that you should pay attention to.

The first thing is to pay attention to the gauge. If you’re mostly an amigurumi maker, this might be a new concept. The basic gist of it is that you should pre-make a small square to the specified dimensions in the yarn and hook that you’ll be using so that you can make sure that your tension matches up with mine and your shawl won’t be dramatically longer or shorter.

If you make your gauge swatch and it ends up being larger or smaller, simply size up or down your hook until you match the size that I’ve given.

The second important thing you should pay attention to is working the border around the shawl and the pocket! I’ve got photo and video tutorials for you, but just make sure that you’re working an extra chain in each corner so that it lies flat and even.

More blog posts for amigurumi beginners:

The Pattern

  • If you want to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here!

Description

This luxurious pocket shawl is whimsical without sacrificing its trendy look. This shawl is long enough to loop around your neck to create a cowl, and can also be worn long for warmer days. The adorable bear face on the pocket adds a sweet touch on a classic shawl!

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!

  • Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick (super bulky)
    • (4 skeins) Peanut (light brown)
    • (<1 skein) Fisherman (white)
  • Lion Brand DIYarn (worsted)
    • (1 skein) Brown

Notions

  • Size M 9.0mm Clover Amour Hook
  • Size G 4.0mm Clover Amour Hook
  • tapestry needle
  • stitch markers

Abbreviations

  • BLO: back loop only
  • ch: chain
  • CC: contrast color
  • dec: decrease
  • FHDC: foundation half double crochet (tutorial here)
  • inc: increase (work two single crochets in one stitch)
  • MC: main color
  • MR: magic ring
  • rnd: round
  • RS: right side
  • sc: single crochet
  • 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

Technical Notes

  1. Crochet in turned rows, unless specified otherwise. If you have trouble remembering which stitch is the first in the row, then place a stitch marker at the end of the row on both sides to help you keep track.
  2. When crocheting in continuous rounds, use a stitch marker or piece of yarn to keep track of the last stitch in each round.

Color Coding

For this pattern, MC is Peanut, CC1 is Fisherman, and CC2 is Brown.

Gauge

  • 5 HDC BLO x 7 rows = 4″ x 4″
  • To create a gauge swatch, work 7 rows of HDCs BLO using a 9mm hook. Measure the square you’ve created. If it’s bigger than 4″ x 4″, try a new swatch with a smaller hook size until it’s approximately correct, and vice versa if it’s too small. By adjusting the hook size until the gauge swatch measures correctly, you’ll be able to adjust for any differences in yarn thickness or tension idiosyncrasies.

Final Size

7 and 3/4 feet long, 7.5 inches wide

SHAWL (in MC, working in turned rows. See Abbreviations section for Foundation HDC. Video tutorial for working a border around hdc rows is here.)

  • Begin: Foundation hdc 134 or until 7 feet long (134 sts)
  • Row 1: Beginning in the 2nd chain from the hook, hdc BLO across, chain and turn (134 sts)
  • Row 2-12 (11 rows): Chain 1, working BLO, hdc across. Chain and turn. Repeat this row until the scarf measures 7″ wide. (134 sts)
  • Your work should be a long rectangle with ridges from working in the BLO.
  • Border: Crochet a border by working hdcs down the side of the rectangle, with 3 hdcs or every 2 rows. Click here for a tutorial on how to work an hdc border. Whenever you reach a corner, chain 1 and then continue working hdcs. At the final corner, chain 1 and slip stitch into the first stitch. Finish off, leaving a long tail for seaming.

POCKET (in MC, working in turned rows. Video tutorial for working a border around hdc rows is here. For “…” notation, see Abbreviations.)

  • Row 1: Foundation hdc 13, chain and turn (13 sts)
  • Row 2-9 (8 rnds): chain, hdc across, chain and turn (13 sts)
  • Row 10: chain, slst 3, dc 5, slst 5, dc 5, slst 3 (2 ears and 11 slsts)
  • Working off the side of the last row, chain 1 (fig. 1). Work hdcs down the side of the pocket, with 3 hdcs for every 2 rows. Click here for a tutorial on how to work the border. Whenever you reach a corner, chain 1 and then continue working hdcs. At the final corner, chain 1 and slip stitch into the first stitch. Finish off, leaving a long tail for seaming. Make another identically.

Follow the photo tutorial below for working a border around the pocket!

Chain 1 after the end of row 1 and work 3 hdcs every 2 rows.
At the end of each side, chain 1 at the corner and continue working hdcs.

MUZZLE (in CC1. Click here for a video tutorial on how to embroider the nose.)

  • Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
  • Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
  • Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
  • Invisible finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Sew to the front of each pocket between rows 3-6 (counting from the bottom). Using CC2, embroider a triangular nose on the muzzle. Click here for a video tutorial on how to embroider the nose (use method 2).
  • Using CC2 and a 4mm hook, work 6 sc into an MR and invisible finish off, to create an eye. Make another and sew them in row 6 on top of the muzzle.
Placement of muzzle and eyes.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Using the tail end from the pockets, seam them to the bottom of each side of the shawl using a running stitch, leaving 2 rows below them and evenly spaced sides.
  2. Begin seaming on one side, work downwards, and then up the other side, leaving the side with the ears unseamed to form pockets.
  3. Finish off and weave in end.
  4. All done!
To seam using a running stitch, insert your tapestry needle threaded with MC yarn through both layers of pocket and shawl close to the border.
Pull it through the other side and then poke it up a centimeter or so away from where the needle was first inserted. Continue in this fashion until you have secured the pocket to the shawl on the bottom three sides.

I hope you enjoyed making this Teddy Bear Crochet Shawl! If you run into any problems feel free to ask me a question in the comments section below or through email at littleworldofwhimsy@gmail.com.

Related projects: