The Little Caterpillar

My very first blog post! Yay! It's been a little over two months since I launched aidie & jellybean.com and I have been wanting to write this blog for such a long time, I am so happy to have finally done it!

If you follow me on instagram you might have already seen this little guy. Not too long ago I shared this caterpillar pattern and I received such a great response from everyone. For my first post I wanted to share this pattern with you here so everyone can see the pattern at anytime ( also it makes it a little bit easier than having to scroll back in my instagram feed to find it ). 

This caterpillar pattern is very easy (great for beginners) with a very simple and versatile stitch -  the single crochet! The single crochet is the only stitch you will need to know how to do to make this caterpillar. If you know how to do the single crochet and you want to practice working in the round (or in a spiral) then this is the perfect pattern for you :) You can use any weight yarn with the appropriate hook size to create a different texture, colour and size caterpillar so feel free to experiment! I have used a 4 ply cotton yarn to make mine.

Now, a little bit about the pattern. The inspiration behind this little wiggler was my three year old son who was hooked on "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". Instead of buying a ready-made toy, I thought it would be fun to create a version of my own and that is how this pattern came to be. The actual caterpillar I made for him is the green one you'll see at the bottom of this pattern. The colourful one at the top is one I made for our baby girl and I turned this one into a rattle by adding a rattle disc in the head piece. You can also add a squeaker or any noise making part to create a very cute baby toy :) 

I hope you will enjoy making this little caterpillar. I would love to see everyone's creations too so please do tag me @aidieandjellybean on instagram if you ever post your little caterpillar there. I plan to share more free patterns in my blog posts in the future so please stay tuned. For now here is the Little Caterpillar! 

Click here for Printable PDF version 

The Little Caterpillar - a free pattern

Size:
The caterpillar measures 22cm long (8.7 inches), 12.5cm tall (5 inches)

Difficulty level:

Easy - Beginner friendly

Materials & Tools:

Below are list of materials used to make the caterpillar in the photo.
  • 4 ply cotton yarn in cream, pink, ice green and yellow
  • Strand of pale pink yarn for the cheeks
  • Lace yarn (for the eyes)
  • 2.5mm crochet hook
  • 1.00mm crochet hook
  • Toy stuffing
  • Yarn needle, sewing needle
Abbreviations:
st(s) = stitch(es)
ch = chain
sc = single crochet
inc = increase (2 sc in one stitch)
dec = decrease (2 sc together)
(…) = repeat the instructions in the brackets the given number of times
[…] = total number of stitches

Body:
 
With CREAM yarn
Round 1: 6 sc in magic ring [6]
Round 2: (inc) repeat 6 times [12]
Round 3: (sc in next st, inc) repeat 6 times [18]
Round 4: (inc, sc in next 2 sts) repeat 6 times [24]
Round 5: (sc in next 3 sts, inc) repeat 6 times [30]
Round 6: sc in next 2 sts, inc, (sc in next 4 sts, inc)
repeat 5 times, sc in next 2 sts [36]
Round 7-12: sc in all 36 sts [36]
Round 13: (dec, sc in next 4 sts) repeat 6 times [30]
Round 14: (dec, sc in next 3 sts) repeat 6 times [24]
Round 15: (dec, sc in next 2 sts) repeat 6 times [18]
*fasten off CREAM *stuff with fibrefill as you go

Change to PINK yarn:
Round 16: (inc, sc in next 2 sts) repeat 6 times [24]
Round 17: (sc in next 3 sts, inc) repeat 6 times [30]
Round 18: (inc, sc in next 4 sts) repeat 6 times [36]
Round 19-24: sc in all 36 sts [36]
Round 25: (dec, sc in next 4 sts) repeat 6 times [30]
Round 26: (dec, sc in next 3 sts) repeat 6 times [24]
Round 27: (dec, sc in next 2 sts) repeat 6 times [18]
*fasten off PINK

Repeat rows 16-27 for YELLOW & ICE GREEN

Once you’ve finished all 4 colours, 
go back to CREAM and continue with the repeat of rows 16-27
and finish with the following:
(dec, sc in next sts) repeat 6 times [12]
(dec) repeat 6 times [6]
Fasten off colour 1.  Sew opening closed and weave in yarn tail.

       

 
Head:
With PINK yarn
Round 1: 6 sc in magic ring [6]
Round 2: (inc) repeat 6 times [12]
Round 3: (sc in next st, inc) repeat 6 times [18]
Round 4: (inc, sc in next 2 sts) repeat 6 times [24]
Round 5: (sc in next 3 sts, inc) repeat 6 times [30]
Round 6: sc in next 2 sts, inc, (sc in next 4 sts, inc)
repeat 5 times, sc in next 2 sts [36]
Round 7: (inc, sc in next 5 sts) repeat 6 times [42]
Round 8-14: sc in all 42 sts [42]
Round 15: (dec, sc in next 5 sts) [36]
Round 16: (dec, sc in next 4 sts) repeat 6 times [30]
Round 17: (dec, sc in next 3 sts) repeat 6 times [24]
Round 18: (dec, sc in next 2 sts) repeat 6 times [18]
Leave a long tail for sewing and fasten off. *stuff with fibrefill 


Antenna:
(make 2)
With colour 2
Round 1: 5 sc in magic ring [5]
Round 2: (inc) repeat 5 times [10]
Round 3-4: sc in all 10 sts [10]
Round 5: (dec) repeat 5 times [5]
Round 6-8: sc in all 5 sts [5]
Leave a long tail for sewing and fasten off. *no stuffing required

Legs:
(make 12) * no stuffing required
With any colour(s)
Round 1: 5 sc in magic ring [5]
Round 2: (inc) repeat 5 times [10]
Round 3-4: sc in all 10 sts [10]
Leave a long tail for sewing and fasten off.

Eyes:
(make 2)
With black lace yarn and 1.00mm hook
Round 1: 6 sc in magic ring [6]
Leave a long tail for sewing and fasten off.

     

 
Putting the caterpillar together:

Step 1: With the yarn needle, sew the antennas to the head piece.
Weave in ends and hide the yarn tails.

Step 2: With the sewing needle, sew the eyes on to the head piece.
Weave in ends and hide the yarn tails. Stitch cheeks under the eyes with a strand of pale pink yarn.

Step 3: With the yarn needle, sew the legs on to the body. Sew 2 legs per colour. The front body will have an additional 2 legs at the front. Weave in ends and hide yarn tail.

Step 4: With the yarn needle, sew the head to the body. Weave in ends and hide yarn tail.

 

37 comments

  • So adorable. Can’t wait to make them. Thank you for the great instructions

    Kay Fletcher
  • Those are too cute!! Thanks for sharing. I’m a beginner this pattern it’s not intimidating for like myself..

    S porter
  • Muchas gracias por el patrón lo hice me quedo muy bonito Dios los bendiga

    Ana hernandez
  • Muchas gracias por el patrón, se me hizo muy fácil realizarlo, lo hice para mi hija, !le encantó!

    Natalia Muñoz
  • Thank you Chie. Wonderful, simple and easy to follow instructions. Like Penny though, i had trouble with the antennas. My solution: i gave it hat! It’s now got attitude! And my grandchildren love it. I am at my 3rd caterpillar!

    Dominique

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