“It’s snowing still,” said Eeyore gloomily. “So it is.” “And freezing.” “Is it?” “Yes,” said Eeyore, “however,” he said brightening, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.”
-A.A. Milne
What would the Winnie the Pooh stories be without the melancholy and irony of Eeyore? Despite his gloomy outlook, his loyalty and kindness have won over thousands of hearts throughout the years. Who wouldn’t want him as a companion?
Well, now you can have your own Eeyore with the free Eeyore crochet pattern from aphid777 and Skestes on DeviantArt. There are plenty of pictures from aphid777 if you want to figure it out yourself, but Skestes took up the challenge and figured out a pattern that the rest of us can follow.
Before you begin you’ll need to collect a few materials: yarn (in blue, black, and tan), eyes (buttons could also be used), felt (purple, pink), faux fur (black), black embroidery thread, a tapestry needle, and scissors. The pink felt is for the insides of the ears, and the purple felt goes on Eeyore’s tummy. Of course, the felt is optional and does not need to be added. You could also use pink or purple yarn to create the same effect. Also, Eeyore’s tail and mane do not have to be made with faux fur, they can be made with black yarn. And you can keep or lose the button that joins Eeyore’s tail to his body, as well as the bow that adorns it (whether you crochet the bow or use a ribbon is up to you).
If you’ve never done amigurumi before, it can be a bit fussy and tedious. There are several parts crocheted separately and then they will be joined together. If this intimidates you, sometimes watching tutorials online can help when you see the pieces coming together, or starting on something smaller before you attempt a bigger project can ease you into it.
The trick with amigurumi is to go slowly, concentrating on one piece at a time. It’s easier to focus on one part than to look at the whole. It’s easy to get overwhelmed but the payoff is well worth it if you can stick it out. Once you’ve done something small it gets easier and you can go onto more complicated things (like dragons!).
You’ll also need to be familiar with the following stitches: the magic ring (if you haven’t done a magic ring before, there are several video tutorials available on YouTube that can help get you started), single crochet (sc), increase (inc), decrease (dec), and turn work (TW).
If you’re not sure how to increase or decrease, it’s worth your time to look up some photo or video tutorials because these are common enough stitches that they will be in dozens of patterns that you may want to try out after learning these techniques (Also remember to turn your work and keep track of which side is which).
If this project intrigues you and you want to work on bringing your own Eeyore to life, you can find the inspiration photos at aphid777’s DeviantArt page, and you can find the fully written, free pattern on Skestes‘ DeviantArt account.
