ChemKnits: Bumble Bee Buddy Crochet Pattern

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Bumble Bee Buddy Crochet Pattern

Since I recently started crocheting amigrumi, it should come as no surprise that I would start to adapt some of my more popular knitting amigurumi patterns to crochet. (Which is acutally much easier than it sounds.) I wanted my first ever crochet design to be my iconic Bumble Bee Buddy!

The crochet bumble bee (left) and knit bumble bee (right) amigurumi.

Materials

Crochet Hook: Size B (2.25 mm)

Yarn: Remnants of Fingering Weight KnitPicks Palette Yarn in Black (2.5 g, ~12 yards), White (~1g, 5 yards) and Hand Dyed Yellow (~1 g, 5 yards)

Gauge: Not critcal for this project, but you want the stitches to be tight enough so you do not see the stuffing.
Misc: Pollyfill stuffing, yarn needle, open stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round.
Finished Size: 3.25" nose to stinger, 1.75" wingspan.

Bumble Bee Body Crochet Construction:
(Starting at the tip of the head. This project is crochet in the round as a sprial, don't join at the end of each round.)
1. With Black (MC), create magic ring with 6 sts. (6 sts)
2. Inc around (12 sts)
3. SC around
4. Inc around (24 sts)
5. SC around
6. SC around
7. *SC 6, sc2tog* repeat 3 times (21 sts)
8. SC around
9. SC2, sc2tog, SC5, SC2tog, SC5, sc2tog, SC3 (18 sts)
10. SC around
11. *SC 1, sc2tog* around (12 sts)
12. SC around
Now starting the body of the fly.
13. Switch to Yellow: Inc around (24 sts)
14. SC around
15. SC 1, Inc, SC 8, Inc, SC 2, Inc, SC 8, Inc, SC 1 (28 sts)
16. SC around
17. Switch to Black: SC 1, Inc, SC 10, Inc, SC 2, Inc, SC 10, Inc, SC 1 (32 sts)
Rows 18-20: SC around
21. Switch to Yellow: SC 1, sc2tog, SC 10, sc2tog, SC 2, sc2tog, SC 10, sc2tog, SC 1 (28 sts)
22. SC around
23. SC 1, sc2tog, SC 8, sc2tog, SC 2, sc2tog, SC 8, sc2tog, SC 1 (24 sts)
24. SC around
25. Switch to Black: *SC 2, sc2tog* around (18 sts)
26. SC around
27. *SC 1, sc2tog* around (12 sts)
Stuff the head and body with polyester stuffing.
28. sc2tog around (6 sts)
29. sc2tog around (3 sts)
30. sc2tog (to make the stinger), break yarn and pull yarn through remaining stitches and weave in loose ends

For an alternate striping pattern (no pictured): If you would like to try a yellow head and 5 stripes on the body, try Rows 1-12 Yellow, 13-15 Black, 16-18 yellow, 19-21 Black, 22-24 Yellow, 25-30 black.

Wings (make 1):
With white yarn, CH 35. SC in 2nd chain from the hook and in each ch uto the end. SL st to form a "ring. Twist the ring into a figure 8 and fasten in the middle. Block if it is twisted to open up the wings. Secure at the neck of the bumble bee using the loose ends from the wing.

This is the first crochet pattern I have ever written. I am still fairly new to crochet termanology, so please leave a comment and let me know if anything needs clarification!

The crochet bumble bee (top) and knit bumble bee (bottom) amigurumi.

I knew that crochet stitches required more yarn that knit stitches and that they are sturdier. I did not expect the bee to end up so much bigger, but I am very happy that the proportions are still the same. This is an important thing to consider if you are converting knitting patterns to crochet and vice versa (especially if you are dealing with something that is NOT a toy!)

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Abbreviations Used in this pattern:
MC - Main Color
ch - Chain
SC - Sincle crochet
Sl st - slip stitch
sc2tog - work 2 sc together, decreasing 1 stitch.
inc - work 2 SC's in one stitch
sts - stitches