Height: 14" standing Skill level: Intermediate Ravelry:Harriet the Hippo Harriet is a bit bashful and awkward, which only adds to her charm! Her floppy limbs and adorable buck teeth warm the hearts of everyone she encounters.
*sc x* – repeat the instructions between asterisks(*) the indicated number of times. If the pattern doesn't tell you how many times to repeat, then repeat the sequence until you reach the end of the round.
General Instructions
Work all stitches in both loops unless the pattern instructs otherwise.
This pattern is worked in one continuous spiral. Do not join rounds unless the pattern indicates otherwise (in other words, do not slip stitch and chain to start a new round).
Use a stitch marker to keep track of where one round ends and the next begins. I prefer to place my stitch marker in the last stitch of the round.
Recommended SequenceHere are the steps to create your hippo, in order:
Crochet & stuff Head (open end of head attaches to open end of body)
Crochet the Ears
Crochet the Inner Ears
Sew Inner Ears onto Ears
Crochet & stuff Snout
Crochet the Teeth
Crochet & stuff Body
Crochet the Belly
Crochet & stuff Arms
Crochet & stuff Legs
Crochet the Tail
Attach Snout on front of Head
Insert & indent the Eyes
Attach open end of Head to open end of Body
Sew on the Teeth (stuff teeth when mostly sewn on, then finish sewing)
Attaching with thread vs. yarn tail
For a cleaner look, I opted to cut a short tail, weave it in, and attach a few of the pieces with matching thread. I did this with the inner ears, snout, and belly. However, it's totally up to you and will look cute either way!How to Indent the Eyes
Note: This video shows a unicorn, but the technique is the same for all of my patterns.Cut a strand of yarn approximately 18" long. Tie a large, secure knot in one end and thread the other end through your yarn needle.Insert your needle through the back opening of the head and sew between the two spots where you'll be placing your safety eyes (marked with strands of yarn).Pull your strand of yarn taut, which will create indents. Fasten off with a knot and hide your yarn tail inside the head.
How to Crochet the Tail Tuft
Note: I'm in the process of updating the tail style for all of my patterns, but haven't had a chance to take new hippo photos yet. I recommend using the new style as shown in the video.With dark teal yarn, create a slip knot on your hook. slst into the first stitch, chain 6, then slst into the same stitch.Repeat this process in the 2 remaining stitches across: slst into the next stitch, chain 6, then slst into the same stitch.Fasten off and hide the yarn tails inside the work with a yarn needle.
Stuff head ¾ full. Decide on placement of eyes, sew between the two spots to sculpt the head. Insert eyes and secure backings.
26. *sc 3, dec* [24]
Finish stuffing, fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Ears (make 2)
With medium teal yarn:
01. start 6 sc into a magic ring [6]
02. *sc, inc* [9]
03. sc, inc, *sc 2, inc* 2 times, sc [12]
04. *sc 3, inc* [15]
05. sc 2, inc, *sc 4, inc* 2 times, sc 2 [18]
06. *sc 5, inc* [21]
07. sc in each st around [21]
08. *sc 5, dec* [18]
09. sc 2, dec, *sc 4, dec* 2 times, sc 2 [15]
10. *sc 3, dec* [12]
11 - 12. sc in each st around [12]
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Fold the top opening in half and slip stitch closed.
Inner Ears (make 2)
With light pink yarn:
01. Chain 7 start: ch7, inc in 2nd ch from hook, sc 4, 5sc in the last ch. Continue on the other side of the chain base, sc 4, 3sc in the last ch [18]
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Snout
With light teal yarn:
01. Chain 5 start: ch5, inc in 2nd ch from hook, sc 2, 5sc in the last ch. Continue on the other side of the chain base, sc 2, 3sc in the last ch [14]
02. inc, sc 4, *inc* 3 times, sc 4, *inc* 2 times [20]
03. inc, sc 6, *inc* 2 times, sc, inc, sc 6, *inc* 2 times, sc [26]
04. inc, sc 8, *inc, sc* 2 times, inc, sc 8, *inc, sc* 2 times [32]
05. inc, sc 10, inc, sc 2, inc, sc, inc, sc 10, inc, sc 2, inc, sc [38]
06. inc, sc 12, *inc, sc 2* 2 times, inc, sc 12, *inc, sc 2* 2 times [44]
07. inc, sc 14, inc, sc 3, inc, sc 2, inc, sc 14, inc, sc 3, inc, sc 2 [50]
08. inc, sc 16, inc, sc 3, inc, sc 3, inc, sc 16, inc, sc 3, inc, sc 3 [56]
09. *sc 26, dec* [54]
10. sc in each st around [54]
11. *sc 7, dec* [48]
12. sc 3, dec, *sc 6, dec* 5 times, sc 3 [42]
13. sc in each st around [42]
14. *sc 5, dec* [36]
15. sc in each st around [36]
16. sc 2, dec, *sc 4, dec* 5 times, sc 2 [30]
17. sc in each st around [30]
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff firmly with fiber fill.
Teeth (make 2)
With white yarn:01. start 6 sc into a magic ring [6]02. inc in each st around [12]03. BLO: sc in each st around [12]04. sc in each st around [12] Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Body
With medium teal yarn:
01. start 6 sc into a magic ring [6]
02. inc in each st around [12]
03. *sc, inc* [18]
04. sc, inc, *sc 2, inc* 5 times, sc [24]
05. *sc 3, inc* [30]
06. sc 2, inc, *sc 4, inc* 5 times, sc 2 [36]
07. *sc 5, inc* [42]
08. sc 3, inc, *sc 6, inc* 5 times, sc 3 [48]
09. *sc 7, inc* [54]
10. sc 4, inc, *sc 8, inc* 5 times, sc 4 [60]
11 - 17. sc in each st around [60]
18. sc 4, dec, *sc 8, dec* 5 times, sc 4 [54]
19. sc in each st around [54]
20. *sc 7, dec* [48]
21. sc in each st around [48]
22. sc 3, dec, *sc 6, dec* 5 times, sc 3 [42]
23 - 24. sc in each st around [42]
25. *sc 5, dec* [36]
26 - 27. sc in each st around [36]
28. sc 2, dec, *sc 4, dec* 5 times, sc 2 [30]
29 - 30. sc in each st around [30]
31. *sc 3, dec* [24]
Fasten off. Stuff firmly with fiber fill.
Belly
With light teal yarn:
01. Chain 5 start: ch5, inc in 2nd ch from hook, sc 2, 5sc in the last ch. Continue on the other side of the chain base, sc 2, 3sc in the last ch [14]
02. inc, sc 4, *inc* 3 times, sc 4, *inc* 2 times [20]
03. inc, sc 6, *inc* 2 times, sc, inc, sc 6, *inc* 2 times, sc [26]
04. inc, sc 8, *inc, sc* 2 times, inc, sc 8, *inc, sc* 2 times [32]
05. inc, sc 10, inc, sc 2, inc, sc, inc, sc 10, inc, sc 2, inc, sc [38]
06. inc, sc 12, *inc, sc 2* 2 times, inc, sc 12, *inc, sc 2* 2 times [44]
07. inc, sc 14, inc, sc 3, inc, sc 2, inc, sc 14, inc, sc 3, inc, sc 2 [50]
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Arms (make 2)
Tip: Follow my Perfect Arm Base tutorial for seamless color transitions. With light teal yarn:01. start 6 sc into a magic ring [6]02. inc in each st around [12]03. *sc, inc* [18] Switch to medium teal yarn:04. BLO: slst in each st around [18]05. BLO: sc, inc, *sc 2, inc* 5 times, sc [24]06. BLO: sc in each st around [24]07 - 09. sc in each st around [24]10. sc 11, dec, sc 11 [23]11. sc in each st around [23]12. sc 21, dec [22]13. sc in each st around [22]14. sc 10, dec, sc 10 [21]15. sc in each st around [21]16. sc 19, dec [20]17. sc in each st around [20]18. sc 9, dec, sc 9 [19]19. sc in each st around [19]20. sc 17, dec [18]21. sc in each st around [18]22. sc 8, dec, sc 8 [17]23. sc in each st around [17]24. sc 15, dec [16]25 - 26. sc in each st around [16]27. *sc 2, dec* [12] Fasten off and leave a 24" tail for sewing. Stuff with fiber fill, then fold the top opening in half and slip stitch closed.
Legs (make 2)
Tip:Follow my Perfect Leg Base tutorial for seamless color transitions. With light teal yarn:01. start 6 sc into a magic ring [6]02. inc in each st around [12]03. *sc, inc* [18]04. sc, inc, *sc 2, inc* 5 times, sc [24] Switch to medium teal yarn:05. BLO: slst in each st around [24]06. BLO: *sc 3, inc* [30]07. BLO: sc in each st around [30]08 - 10. sc in each st around [30]11. sc 14, dec, sc 14 [29]12. sc 27, dec [28]13. sc 13, dec, sc 13 [27]14. sc 25, dec [26]15. sc 12, dec, sc 12 [25]16. sc 23, dec [24]17. sc 11, dec, sc 11 [23]18. sc 21, dec [22]19. sc 10, dec, sc 10 [21]20. sc 19, dec [20]21. sc 9, dec, sc 9 [19]22. sc 17, dec [18]23. *sc 7, dec* [16]24. *sc 2, dec* [12] Fasten off and leave a 24" tail for sewing. Stuff with fiber fill, then fold the top opening in half and slip stitch closed.
Tail
With medium teal yarn:01. start 6 sc into a magic ring [6]02 - 08. sc around [6] Fasten off and leave a 18" for sewing. Fold the top opening in half and slip stitch closed. Thread the yarn tail into the work and out the magic ring with a yarn needle (use it to sew the tail to the body at a later step). You are now going to add a tuft of fur to the slip-stitched end of the tail. With dark teal yarn, create a sip knot on your hook. 01. *slst, ch 6, slst into the same st* See "How to Crochet the Tail Tuft" in the Notes section for more details and a video tutorial.