Growing up with two younger brothers and babysitting two nephews helped me a lot in keeping up with my son Eion today. Aside from the exhausting rough play that I learned to embrace through the years, I also anticipated the multiplying toy cars and trucks in our house, train tracks looping on the floor, and all the crazy, risky, and hilarious adventures that they can get you to do with them like jumping off from the backyard fence to collecting bugs and keeping a baby turtle for a pet! Oh yes, we love turtles! We often find one or two lurking around Mama’s garden especially during rainy days. We allow them to sit in an empty aquarium, feed them and we let them outside when it’s safer.
It’s always nice to look back and remember all these moments and hopefully, someday I will be able to share the same memories with my son. But for now, I’ll just let him play with this new turtle buddy plush toy that I designed and crocheted for him. I can’t believe this is already our fourth amigurumi published on the blog and a perfect addition to our growing crochet animal collection. It has an enlarged head which somehow reminds me of Toto the newly hatched turtle in Dr. Panda & Toto’s Treehouse game application that Eion really enjoys watching in Youtube.
I chose the summer tones of green and yellow because my little boy loves bright colors but you can recreate this with any color that you like. You will also notice I made the mouth opened. This way we can feed the turtle during pretend play. Well, the original plan is to make the inside of the mouth with black yarn like the other puppet characters we see but Eion said the gums should be pink because ours are pink. Toddlers! Haha..Good thing I still have some pink left over yarn in my stash. We named the finished baby turtle “Pogo” because it sounds so cute and playful. In a way, it also reminds me of “Pong Pagong”, the turtle character I grew up watching in Batibot (a Philippine television children’s show).
The project may look a bit overwhelming but I tell you it’s not as complicated as it seems. You only need basic crochet and sewing skills and a lot of patience because we have to put several parts together. It’s a long pattern but please don’t be tempted to skip steps or take short cuts. You will finish it! I guess this is one of the lessons I learned while doing the project. I came to realize that I should always pay attention to every detail in each project that I make which in a deeper sense means, I should always take each phase in my life “slowly and steadily”. To trust in the process and stay in the moment, just like what turtles do.
So are you ready to move forward? Here we go…
MATERIALS:
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Hook: 3.5mm crochet hook (US E-4 / UK 9)
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Yarn – Approxately 140 metres of Red Heart shade 00087/13B (light yellowish brown), 105 metres of shade 00067/16D (light green), 35 metres of shade 00008/16E (light mustard), 50 metres of shade 00057/17C (dark green), some light pink for the mouth and some white for the eyes
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Yarn needle
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Stitch marker (recommended)
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18mm safety eyes
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Fiber fill/toy stuffing
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Felt Cloth (optional to stiffen the inside of the turtle’s mouth)
ABBREVIATIONS/STITCHES:
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Magic ring
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sc – single crochet (US) / dc – double crochet (UK)
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dc – double crochet (US) / tr – treble (UK)
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st(s) – stitch(es)
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sl st – slip stitch
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inc – increase = two single crochet stitches in the same stitch
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dec – decrease = crochet two stitches together using the invisible decrease method
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[sc, inc] n times – repeat the pattern between parentheses n times.
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(N sts) – number of stitches in a round after finishing round.
If you need guide with the stitches, you can always check my post about Basic Crochet Techniques HERE.
NOTES:
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Finished turtle measures approximately 11 inches tall. Any variations to hook size and yarn weight will result in a different sized turtle.
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This project was made by crocheting in continuous spirals unless otherwise stated.
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Use stitch marker and continue to move to every beginning of a round.
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The pattern involves switching yarn colors. In my Crochet Easter Eggster Bunny, I have already shared the steps on how to switch yarn colors joglessly. You may click HERE to see that post again.
PATTERN
MOUTH (two piece sewn together):
Using yarn color pink, chain 3 in a magic ring (considered as first dc stitch)
Row 1: dc 6, ch 3, turn (7 sts)
Row 2: dc in first st, 2dc in each of the next 5 sts, 2dc in 3rd ch of beginning ch below, ch 3, turn (14 sts)
Row 3: dc in first st, dc in next 2 sts, [2dc, dc 2] 3 times, 2dc in next st, 2dc in 3rd ch of beginning ch below. Fasten off. (20 sts)
Make a second piece using the same pattern above, this time leaving a long tail after fastening off.
Thread in yarn needle. With the right side of both piece on top of each other, sew the straight edges together using whip stitch method. Fasten off.
Switch to yarn color light yellowish brown.
Note: If you want to stiffen the inside of the mouth more, you may cut out two pieces of felt cloth following the size of a half circle then paste them using some fabric glue before doing the steps below.
Single crochet stitch in each of the 20 sts of the first piece and in the next 20 sts of the second piece. Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing (40 sts)
EYES (make 2):
Using yarn color white, begin with a magic ring.
Round 1: sc 6
Round 2: inc 6 times (12 sts)
Round 3: [sc, inc] 6 times (18 sts)
Round 4: *[inc, sc] 2 times, inc, sc 4. Rep from * around (24 sts)
Switch to yarn color light yellowish brown.
Round 5: *[inc, sc] 3 times, inc, sc 5. Rep from * around (32 sts)
Round 6: sc in each of the next 12 sts front loops only, sl st in next st, turn (13 sts)
Round 7: skip the sl st, sc in the next 3 sts [skip next st, sc in next st] 3 times, sc in next 2 sts, sl st in the next st, turn (9 sts)
Round 8: skip the sl st, sc in each of the next 7 sts, sl st in the next st, turn (8 sts)
Round 9: skip the sl st, sc in each of the next 7 sts, sl st 2 times going to the side (7 sts)
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Attach a safety eye onto the center of each eye patch.
HEAD to BODY:
Using yarn color light yellowish brown, begin with a magic ring.
Round 1: sc 6
Round 2: inc 6 times (12 sts)
Round 3: [sc, inc] 6 times (18 sts)
Round 4: [sc 2, inc] 6 times (24 sts)
Round 5: [sc 3, inc] 6 times (30 sts)
Round 6: [sc 4, inc] 6 times (36 sts)
Round 7: [sc 5, inc] 6 times (42 sts)
Round 8: [sc 6, inc] 6 times (48 sts)
Round 9-10: sc around
Round 11: [sc 7, inc] 6 times (54 sts)
Round 12-13: sc around
Round 14: [sc 8, inc] 6 times (60 sts)
Round 15-16: sc around
Round 17: [sc 9, inc] 6 times (66 sts)
Round 18: [sc 10, inc] 6 times (72 sts)
Round 19: sc around
Round 20: [sc 11, inc] 6 times (78 sts)
Round 21-25: sc around
Round 26: sc 12, ch 20, skip 20 sts, sc in each of the next 46 sts (58 sc sts, 20 chains)
Round 27: sc 12, sc in each of the next 20 chains, sc in each of the next 46 sts (78 sts)
Round 28: sc around
Round 29: [sc 11, dec] 6 times (72 sts)
Round 30: sc around
Round 31: [sc 10, dec] 6 times (66 sts)
Round 32: sc around
At this point sew the mouth to the inside loops only of each of the 40 stitches around the opening between Round 25 & 26.
Attach the eyes as well by inserting the tip of the safety eyes onto the head between Round 14 and Round 15 (14 stitches apart). When you are sure that both eyes are in the right position secure the safety eyes then sew the eye edges using running stitch method.
Start stuffing the head firmly with fiber fill. Do not overstuff the part around the mouth.
Round 33: [sc 9, dec] 6 times (60 sts)
Round 34: [sc 8, dec] 6 times (54 sts)
Round 35: [sc 7, dec] 6 times (48 sts)
Round 36: sc around
Round 37: [sc 6, dec] 6 times (42 sts)
Round 38: [sc 5, dec] 6 times (36 sts)
Round 39: [sc 4, dec] 6 times (30 sts)
Round 40-45: sc around
Switch to yarn color light green.
Round 46: sc around in back loops only
Round 47: [sc 4, inc] 6 times (36 sts)
Round 48: [sc 5, inc] 6 times (42 sts)
Round 49: [sc 6, inc] 6 times (48 sts)
Round 50-51: sc around
Stuff the neck and body with fiber fill, adding more as necessary before closing.
Round 52: [sc 7, inc] 6 times (54 sts)
Round 53: [sc 8, inc] 6 times (60 sts)
Round 54: [sc 9, inc] 6 times (66 sts)
Round 55-62: sc around
Round 63: [sc 9, dec] 6 times (60 sts)
Round 64: [sc 8, dec] 6 times (54 sts)
Round 65: sc around
Round 66: [sc 7, dec] 6 times (48 sts)
Round 67: [sc 6, dec] 6 times (42 sts)
Round 68: sc around
Round 69: [sc 5, dec] 6 times (36 sts)
Round 70: [sc 4, dec] 6 times (30 sts)
Round 71: [sc 3, dec] 6 times (24 sts)
Round 72: [sc 2, dec] 6 times (18 sts)
Round 73: [sc, dec] 6 times (12 sts)
Round 74: dec 6 times
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Thread yarn in a yarn needle. Insert yarn needle into the center and whip stitch through the front loop stitches only of last round. Pull the yarn tail tightly to close the hole. Finish off.
COLLAR:
Go back to Round 46 where you worked the stitches in back loops only.
Round 1: Using the same yarn color as the body, turn the body upside down then chain 1 in the first front loop stitch, sc in the same stitch, sc in each of the next 29 front loop stitches. (30 sts)
Round 2: inc 30 times (60 sts)
Round 3: [sc, dec] 20 times (40 sts)
Round 4: sl st in each around
Fasten off and hide excess tail.
SHELL:
This part is made by joining 7 separate pieces together (1 hexagon and 6 pentagons). Work on each piece first following the patterns below:
Hexagon:
Using yarn color dark green, begin with a magic ring.
Round 1: sc 6
Round 2: inc 6 times (12 sts)
Round 3: [sc, inc] 6 times (18 sts)
Round 4: [sc 2, inc] 6 times (24 sts)
Switch to yarn color light green.
Round 5: [sc 3, inc] 6 times (30 sts)
Round 6: [sc 4, inc] 6 times (36 sts)
Switch to yarn color light mustard.
Round 7: [sc 5, inc] 6 times (42 sts)
Fasten off and leave a tail about 2 feet long for sewing.
Pentagon (make 6):
Using yarn color dark green, begin with a magic ring.
Round 1: sc 5
Round 2: inc 5 times (10 sts)
Round 3: [sc, inc] 5 times (15 sts)
Round 4: [sc 2, inc] 5 times (20 sts)
Switch to yarn color light green.
Round 5: [sc 3, inc] 5 times (25 sts)
Round 6: [sc 4, inc] 5 times (30 sts)
Switch to yarn color light mustard.
Round 7: [sc 5, inc] 5 times (35 sts)
Fasten off and leave a tail about 6 inches long for sewing.
Assembly:
See below illustration on how you should be joining the pieces together: With the hexagon piece in the middle, align the pentagon pieces in each of its side, the yarn tails should be facing outside.
Joining the Pentagons to the Hexagon:
Using the hexagon yarn tail, thread in yarn needle to sew one pentagon to the hexagon. Starting in the 14th sc stitch of a pentagon’s last round, whip stitch in the inside loop only of the pentagon, whip stitch in the next 6 inside loop stitches of both piece going to the left. Fasten off and cut excess yarn. Do the same steps with the remaining 5 pentagon pieces.
Joining the Sides of Pentagons:
Thread in yarn needle into the yarn tail of 1st pentagon piece. Starting in the 21st sc stitch of a 2nd pentagon’s last round, whip stitch in the inside loop only of the pentagon, whip stitch in the next 6 inside loop stitches of both pentagon piece going down. Fasten off and cut excess yarn. Do the same steps with the remaining 5 pentagon pieces.
Shell Border/Edging:
Once done sewing all the pieces together, insert your crochet hook in the 14th sc stitch of any pentagon. Using yarn color dark green, chain 1.
Round 1: sc in the same stitch, sc in the next 13 sts, sc in the joining stitch in the middle of two pentagon, [sc 14, sc in joining st] 5 times, sl st in the first sc made (90 sts)
Round 2: ch 1, sc around in front loops only, sl st in the first sc made (90 sts) Note: We will use the back loops on this round later to start the bottom cover of the shell.
Round 3: ch 1, TURN, sc around (90 sts)
Round 4: slip stitch in each of the 90 sts around
Fasten off and hide excess yarn.
Shell Bottom Cover:
Still using your yarn color dark green, turn the shell upside down. Chain 1 in any back loop stitch from Round 2 of the shell border/edging.
Round 1: sc in the same stitch, sc in the next 90 back loop sts (90 sts)
Round 2: inc 90 times (180 sts)
Round 3: dec 90 times (90 sts)
Switch to yarn color light green.
Round 4: [sc, dec] 30 times (60 sts)
Round 5-6: sc around
Round 7: [sc, dec] 20 times (40 sts)
Round 8-10: sc around
Stuff the shell firmly with fiberfill. Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Position the shell at the back of the body with the yarn tail at the center just below the collar, this is where you will start sewing it onto the body using mattress or whip stitch method. Honestly, this was the most challenging part for me, but as long as you hold the shell to keep it at the center and carefully do the stitches everything will work out smoothly. If you want to learn how to sew an open piece to a closed piece, click HERE to see the helpful tutorial from Kristi Tullus.
TAIL:
Using yarn color light yellowish brown, begin with a magic ring.
Round 1: sc 4
Round 2: inc 4 times (8 sts)
Round 3: sc around
Round 4: [sc, inc] 4 times (12 sts)
Round 5: sc around
Round 6: [sc 2, inc] 4 times (16 sts)
Round 7: sc around
Round 8: [sc 3, inc] 4 times (20 sts)
Round 9-10: sc around
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff it with a bit of fiber fill, do not over stuff.
LEGS (make 4):
Still using yarn color light yellowish brown, begin with a magic ring.
Round 1: sc 6
Round 2: inc 6 times (12 sts)
Round 3: [sc, inc] 6 times (18 sts)
Round 4: [sc 2, inc] 6 times (24 sts)
Round 5: [sc 3, inc] 6 times (30 sts)
Round 6: sc around in back loops only
Round 7: sc around
Round 8: [sc 3, dec] 2 times, sc 20 (28 sts)
Round 9: sc around
Round 10: [sc 3, dec] 2 times, sc 18 (26 sts)
Round 11: sc around
Round 12: [sc 3, dec] 2 times, sc 16 (24 sts)
Round 13: sc around
Round 14: [sc 2, dec] 6 times (18 sts)
Round 15-17: sc around
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing. Stuff each leg firmly. Pin two legs onto the upper portion of the body just below the collar (12 stitches apart). Sew them on and fasten off.
Sew the tail at this point as well. Pin it just below the shell, skip one round after the shell so you’ll have enough space to sew the top portion of the tail.
Pin the other two legs onto the lower front portion of the body at the level of Round 60 to Round 64 (8 stitches apart). Sew them on and fasten off.
Now you’re done! If you do end up making this from my pattern, I’d love to see the result. Take a picture and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #iheartgantsilyo and tag @iheartgantsilyo. I would love to see it!