FREE PATTERN: Small Hippo

Today I have a really cute pattern to share with you - this tiny hippo with his huge nose and stumpy little legs, small enough to sit on your palm.

It's a really quick and easy project you can complete in a couple of hours, although the small details like ears, legs and tail can be a bit fiddly to make.

Size

About 9,5 cm (3 3/4") long and 5,5 cm (2 1/5”) tall, when crocheted with with DK weight cotton and a 2,50 mm hook.

Skills required

• Magic ring
• Crocheting in spiral
• Chain stitch
• Single crochet stitch (double crochet stitch in UK and Australia)
• Increasing 
• Decreasing 
• Finishing an open piece
• Finishing a closed piece
• Sewing an open piece to a closed piece
• Sewing a flat piece to a closed piece

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You will need

• Yarn. I used Novita 'Tennessee', a DK weight 100% cotton yarn, 105m/50g (115yds/50g) / 8 ply / 11 wpi / 3: light. You will need about 22g or 50m of yarn.
• 2,25 - 2,75 mm crochet hook (US size 1/B - 2/C) or according to the yarn.
• Polyester fiberfill, wool, wadding etc. for stuffing.
• 6 mm (1/4") safety eyes or buttons, beads, felt etc.
• Pink cotton embroidery floss.
• Yarn needle, scissors, stitch marker.

Abbreviations

• mr, sc n = magic ring – crochet n single crochet stitches into the adjustable loop.
• ch = chain stitch.
• sl st = slip stitch.
• sc = single crochet stitch (double crochet stitch in UK and Australia). 
• sc n = crochet n single crochet stitches, one in each stitch. 
• inc = increase – crochet two single crochet stitches in the same stitch.
• dec = decrease – crochet two stitches together using the invisible decrease method. 
• (sc 4, inc) x n = repeat the pattern between parentheses n times. 
• [36] = number of stitches in a round after finishing round.

Notes

• Work in a continuous spiral, do not join rounds or turn your work, unless instructed otherwise in the pattern.
• Use a stitch marker or a piece of yarn to mark the end or the beginning of a round. Move the marker up after completing each round.
• All stitches are worked into both loops, unless instructed otherwise in the pattern.

 

Head

Round 1: mr, sc 6 = [6]
Round 2: inc x 6 = [12]
Round 3: (sc, inc) x 6 = [18]
Round 4: (inc, sc 2) x 6 = [24]
Rounds 5-8: sc in each stitch = [24]
Round 9: (sc 2, dec) x 5, sc 4 = [19]
Round 10: sc in each stitch = [19]
Round 11: sc 4, dec, sc 7, dec, sc 4 = [17]
Round 12: sc 5, dec, sc 3, dec, sc 5 = [15]
Rounds 13-14: sc in each stitch = [15]

Place safety toy eyes to the opposite side from the round end, between rows 12 and 13, leaving 5 stitches (count 4 holes) between them.

Stuff the nose firmly. Embroider the nostrils over round 5.

Round 15: (sc, dec) x 5 = [10]
Round 16: dec x 5 = [5]

Finish stuffing the head. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail, and fasten off. Pick up all the remaining stitches and close the opening.

 

Ears (make 2)

Round 1: mr, sc 5 = [5]
Round 2: sc in each stitch = [5]
Round 3: sc, dec, leave the rest of the stitches unworked = [4]

Sl st in next stitch. Cut the yarn, leaving a long yarn tail for sewing, and fasten off. Do not stuff the ears.

Flatten the ears and sew them to the head over round 15.

Body

Round 1: mr, sc 6 = [6]
Round 2: inc x 6 = [12]
Round 3: (sc, inc) x 6 = [18]
Round 4: (sc 3, inc) x 4, sc 2 = [22]
Rounds 5-12: sc in each stitch = [22]
Round 13: (sc 3, dec) x 4, sc 2 = [18]

Start stuffing the body.

Round 14: (sc, dec) x 6 = [12]
Round 15: dec x 6 = [6]

Finish stuffing the body. Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail, and fasten off. Pick up all the remaining stitches and close the opening.

Sew the head to the body, making tiny stitches below the head.

Legs (make 4)

Round 1: mr, sc 6 = [6]
Round 2: (sc, inc) x 3 = [9]
Rounds 3-4: sc in each stitch = [9]

Sl st in next stitch. Cut the yarn, leaving a yarn tail for sewing, and fasten off. Stuff the legs firmly.

Sew the legs to the body.

Tail

Start with a slip knot about 10 cm (4”) from the yarn end. Chain 5, cut the yarn, leaving a 5 cm (2”) tail, and fasten off. Cut another 10 cm (4”) strand of yarn and draw it through the last chain. Make a knot in the yarn tails and push it close to the tail. Cut off the extra yarn.

Sew the tail to the body.

 And done!

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me or leave a comment below, I am always happy to help.

I would love to see how your little hippos turn out, so do post a photo to my Facebook page or tag me in your social media posts, I'm @kristitullus on Instagram and Facebook.

Copyright 2012 TÜ Spire. All rights reserved.

Please do not post this pattern to your website or blog, instead post a link to https://kristitullus.com/blogs/blog/free-pattern-small-hippo. You MAY use this pattern as a teaching aid in any free class or e-course, or as part of a free crochet pattern, provided you credit me as the designer (Kristi Tullus, http://kristitullus.com).

Feel free to sell items made with this pattern.

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