Black Sheep

Free Amigurumi Sheep Pattern April 24, 2016 emma.crook Amigurumi, Free Pattern

Hello fellow Happy Crocheters! Here comes my new free amigurumi pattern for a sad looking black sheep. I’ve been busy crocheting lots of lovely things lately, but today I will tell you about my free Ewe Gene the Sheep crochet pattern being published in a Crochet Magazine called Amigurumi which is a fantastic German crochet magazine focusing solely on Amigurumi Animals!

I mainly crochet amigurumi, however every year I tend to make a blanket or some pillows and soon regret how time-consuming crocheting bigger items take compared to making dolls or animals. This year I have been working on the Sophie’s Universe CAL blanket, but adapting it to be a pouffe / footstool cover, I haven’t finished it yet but will do a post once done.

While berating myself for starting such a large crochet project with no end in sight, although I must say that you do learn a lot of new stitches and techniques with the Sophie’s Universe CAL, I was contacted by the lovely Julie from Amigurumi Magazine asking if I would like to contribute in their issue 12 of the mag which was published in March. I was over the moon and was happy that my Ewe Gene the Sheep pattern was suitable for the publication. Anyway after confirming that they could translate the pattern over to German for me away I went! I wish I knew German as the rest of the free patterns in the magazine are super cute! I might try my hand at reading the patterns to see if I can follow them. I have published the free pattern below in English. Here is Ewe Gene being a proper couch potato on my sofa, he is by far my most popular pattern to date. I think it’s the sad grumpy look on his face that make people want to cuddle him, it does seem funny that my saddest looking crochet creation is a favourite.

Here is the free amigurumi pattern: Ewe-Gene the Black Lamb Notes about this pattern:

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Crochet in a continuous spiral; do not join rounds with slip stitch or turn unless stated otherwise.

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Crochet through both loops.

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Use a stitch marker or a piece of yarn to mark the end of the round. Move the stitch marker after finishing each round.

Skills you will need: Magic ring, crocheting in rounds, chain stitch, slip stitch, single crochet stitch, double loop stitch, decreasing and increasing.

Materials and tools you will need: 

Black DK yarn (100g) = approx. 200 yards (182m)

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Light Grey DK yarn (50g) = approx. 100 yards (90m)

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White DK yarn (5g) = approx. 10 yards (9m)

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Fibrefill (or stuffing of your choice)

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Crochet hook 4mm

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Stitch marker, scissors, some sewing pins and a yarn needle

Abbreviations: Pattern is written using standard US crocheting terms. Rnd – Round ch – Chain stitch slst – Slip stitch sc – Single crochet (change to Double Crochet for UK terminology) dlc – Double loop crochet (see images 2-5 below) inc – Increase (make 2 single crochet stitches into indicated stitch) dec – Decrease (crochet next 2 stitches together into 1 stitch by picking up the front loops of two sts and crocheting one sc into both loops) dlinc – Double loop increase (make 2 double loop stitches into indicated stitch) dldec – Double loop decrease (do a double loop stitch into first loop, before completing it with the single crochet stitch (see images below), hook into next stitch and complete the single crochet to join both indicated stitches into one complete double loop stitch)

(#) – Number of stitches after finishing the round […] x# – Repeat instructions described in brackets # times in that round

Lamb Body: With black yarn. *We begin by using single crochet stitches to create a flat bottom for the lamb to sit on, see image 1 below. Rnd 1 – Magic ring with 6sc and tighten loop (6) Rnd 2 – [inc] x6 (12) Rnd 3 – [inc, sc] x6 (18) Rnd 4 – [inc, 2sc] x6 (24) Rnd 5 – [inc, 3sc] x6 (30) Rnd 6 – [inc, 4sc] x6 (36) Rnd 7 – [inc, 5sc] x6 (42) Rnd 8 – [inc, 6sc] x6 (48) Rnd 9 – [inc, 7sc] x6 (54) *Now the stitches will be Double Loop Crochet (dlc) see images 2-6. Rnd 10 – Rnd 24 – dlc in each st (54) 15 rows Rnd 25 – [dldec, 7dlc] x6 (48) Rnd 26 – [dldec, 6dlc] x6 (42) Rnd 27 – [dldec, 5dlc] x6 (36) Rnd 28 – [dldec, 4dlc] x6 (30) Rnd 29 – dlc in each st (30) Fasten off, leave approx. 15cm of yarn to use to sew onto the head later. Stuff very firmly.

Lamb Hair: With black yarn Rnd 1 – ch31, slst into first chain to create a loop (30) Rnd 2 – Rnd 5 – dlc in each st (30) 5 rows Rnd 6 – [dldec, 3dlc] x6 (24) Rnd 7 – [dldec, 2dlc] x6 18) Rnd 8 – [dldec, dlc] x6 (12) Rnd 9 – [dldec] x6 (6) Rnd 10 – [dec] x 3 (3) Fasten off, leave approx. 15cm of yarn to use to sew onto the head later. Lamb Head: With light grey yarn Rnd 1 – Magic ring with 6sc and tighten loop (6) Rnd 2 – [inc] x6 (12) Rnd 3 – [inc, sc] x6 (18) Rnd 4 – [inc, 2sc] x6 (24)

Rnd 5 – [inc, 3sc] x6 (30) Rnd 6 – [inc, 4sc] x6 (36) Rnd 7 – [inc, 5sc] x6 (42) Rnd 8 – [inc, 6sc] x6 (48) Rnd 9 – Rnd 11 – sc in each st (48) 3 rows Rnd 12 – [inc, 7sc] x6 (54) Rnd 13 – Rnd 14 – sc in each st (54) 2 rows Rnd 15 – [inc, 8sc] x6 (60) Rnd 16 – sc in each st (60) Rnd 17 – [dec, 8sc] x6 (54) Rnd 18 – sc in each st (54) Rnd 19 – [dec, 7sc] x6 (48) Rnd 20 – sc in each st (48) Rnd 21 – [dec, 6sc] x6 (42) Rnd 22 – sc in each st (42) Rnd 23 – [dec, 5sc] x6 (36) Rnd 24 – Rnd 28 – sc in each st (36) 5 rows Rnd 29 – [dec, 4sc] x6 (30) Fasten off and hide yarn inside of the head. Stuff the head firmly and leave until later.

Lamb legs (make 2): With light grey yarn Rnd 1 – Magic ring with 6sc and tighten loop (6) Rnd 2 – [inc] x6 (12) Rnd 3 – [inc, sc] x6 (18) Rnd 4 – [inc, 2sc] x6 (24) Rnd 5 – Rnd 7 – sc in each st (24) 3 rows Rnd 8 – [inc, 3sc] x6 (30) Rnd 9 – Rnd 10 – sc in each st (30) 2 rows Rnd 11 – [dec, 3sc] x6 (24) Rnd 12 – sc in each st (24) Rnd 13 – [dec, 2sc] x6 (18) Rnd 14 – Rnd 28 – sc in each st (18) 15 rows Fasten off, leave approx. 15cm of yarn to use to sew onto the body later. Stuff firmly.

Lamb arms (make 2): With light grey yarn Rnd 1 – Magic ring with 6sc and tighten loop (6) Rnd 2 – [inc] x6 (12) Rnd 3 – [inc, sc] x6 (18) Rnd 4 – [inc, 2sc] x6 (24) Rnd 5 – Rnd 7 – sc in each st (24) 3 rows Rnd 8 – [dec, 2sc] x6 (18)

Rnd 9 – Rnd 18 – sc in each st (18) 10 rows Fasten off, leave approx. 15cm of yarn to use to sew onto the body later. Stuff firmly.

Lamb ears (make 2): With light grey yarn Rnd 1 – Magic ring with 6sc and tighten loop (6) Rnd 2 – sc in each st (6) Rnd 3 – [inc] x6 (12) Rnd 4 – sc in each st (12) Rnd 5 – [inc, sc] x6 (18) Rnd 6 – Rnd 7 – sc in each st (18) 2 rows Rnd 8 – [inc, 2sc] x6 (24) Rnd 9 – [inc, 3sc] x6 (30) Rnd 10 – [dec, 3sc] x6 (24) Rnd 11 – sc in each st (24) Rnd 12 – [dec, sc2] x6 (18) Rnd 13 – Rnd 14 – sc in each st (18) 2 rows Rnd 15 – [dec, sc1] x6 (12) Rnd 16 – sc in each st (12) Fasten off, leave approx. 15cm of yarn to use to sew onto the body later. Stuff firmly.

Lamb White Eyes (make 2): With white yarn Rnd 1 – Magic ring with 6sc and tighten loop (6) Rnd 2 – [inc] x6 (12) Rnd 3 – Rnd 5 – sc in each st (12) 3 rows Fasten off and hide yarn inside of the eye.

Lamb Grey Eye Lids (make 2): With light grey yarn Rnd 1 – Magic ring with 6sc and tighten loop (6) Rnd 2 – [inc] x6 (12) Rnd 3 – [inc, sc] x6 (18) Rnd 4 – Rnd 6 – sc in each st (18) 3 rows Fasten off, leave approx. 15cm of yarn to use to sew the eyes together and then onto the head later.

Lamb Black Iris (make 2): With black yarn Rnd 1 – Magic ring with 6sc and tighten loop (6) SLST and fasten off, leave approx. 15cm of yarn to use to sew onto the eye whites.

If you look at the images, sew the eyes together securely before attaching them to the head. Sew the black iris so it just rests at the top of the eye and then stitch the grey lid over the top of the iris and the white of the eye.

1. Showing Rnd 9 of the lamb body

2. Wrap the yarn around your index finger twice. It will look like you have 3 loops on your finger.

3. Once you have inserted your hook through the indicated stitch, insert your hook through all 3 loops on your finger.

4. Pull or draw all 3 loops through the stitch. Now you will have 4 loops on your hook

5. Yarn over the working strand of yarn (this is the last strand on your finger) and pull through all the loops on your hook.

6. The double loop stitch is now complete.

7. Attach the legs using pins to put in place.

8. If the legs are placed onto the dlc part of the body it allows the lamb to sit comfortably on a shelf and his legs can dangle.

9. Using the yarn left over from each leg sew them securely onto the body of the lamb.

10. Do the same with the arms, placing them a few rows below the lamb’s neck.

11. Stuff the head firmly.

12. Pin the hair in place and use the left over black yarn to sew onto the opening of the head.

13. The head should be placed lengthways across the body opening.

14. Pin securely so all the body opening is pinned to the head.

15. Using black yarn sew the head onto the body so there are no openings. Do not fasten off yet.

16. With the left over yarn, position the needle at the back of his head and push through to where one eye will be.

17. Then make a small stitch and push through to the back of the head tightly make an indent, repeat for the other eye and fasten off.

18. Pin the ears at the side of the head and sew into place.

19. Each eye uses three crocheted sections, the grey eye lid, the eye white and the black iris.

20. Sew the black iris onto the white and then cup the eye lid over the white and iris and sew together.

21. Pin the completed eyes onto the face where the indents were made and sew on securely.

22. Using black yarn start embroiding the nose 4 rows above the magic loop.

23. Then sew through the magic loop and through the fourth row from the left.

24. Then pull the yarn across to the right and fasten off.

Hopefully your lamb should be looking like Ewe Gene now:

I hope you’ve enjoyed this free amigurumi lamb pattern. Until next time, Happy Crocheting.