Lurvkin Bunny... Just in time for Easter!

March 01, 2019

Lurvkin Bunny... Just in time for Easter!

And he's so tiny that it works, he can almost hide IN an egg...

or, you know... actually IN a bigger one!

NOTES:

Using a smaller yarn will necessitate using a smaller hook, and a larger yarn will use a larger hook. The dolls pictured above are different sizes. The mini is the one with instructions below. The rainbow and black and white dolls are made with DK weight yarn and a 4.5mm crochet hook and are half again bigger than the mini. For worsted/aran weight dolls I would use a 4.5 or 5mm hook and the doll would be double the size of the mini.
To make the cute guy you can see wearing a bunny hat follow the pattern and instructions here for the regular Lurvkin doll posted a couple of years ago on this blog. And the hat pattern is available here. Remember to follow the change in hook size instructions in the patterns at this link. Ears were made with the same pattern for ears found below using a larger hook to match the hat because the yarn was bigger, so I went up 1/2 a hook size to a 5.
Carrot top hat was made using the slouchy hat pattern on the the post here and then stitching black lines into the sides and adding curly green tops.
This pattern is worked in rounds... the head and body are one piece and each ear, leg and arm are one piece.
Because they're so little I only stuffed the hands and feet and left the arms and legs loose and floppy
I like my eyes to be alien-ish, or kawaii and big... so I used 10mm eyes on the mini and go up to 18mm eyes with the bigger yarn dolls. You can use any size eye you like. I also place mine very far apart, again because I like the sort of alien or kawaii look to it, you can bring them closer together for a more naturally cute and relateable face.

KITS OF THIS PATTERN ARE AVAILABLE IN MY ETSY SHOP, if you don't see one available message me and we'll get you one made! (link to shop in the sidebar)

What you will need:
3.5mm crochet hook - or larger for larger yarn
sock weight yarn - photos below show Party Party by AstraeaMeris on Etsy.
darning needle
scissors
2 8-10mm safety eyes
stitch marker or piece of contrasting yarn
polyfill doll stuffing

Abbreviations:
MR = magic ring
SC = single crochet
INC = increase (2 single crochet in the same space)
DEC = decrease (work 2 stitches as one single crochet)
BLO = back loop only (this is used to make a flat surface)
FO = finish off
(#) = number of stitches in the round

Lurvkin Bunny - PDF Pattern HERE
Ear (make 2)
Round 1: 6 SC in MR - pull tight and sew in end after Round 2 - leave the yarn end as stuffing (6)
Round 2: INC in each stitch around (12)
Round 3: SC then INC and repeat around (18)
Rounds 4+5: SC in each around (18)
Round 6: 4 SC then DEC and repeat 2 more times (15)
Rounds 7+8: SC in each stitch around (15)
Round 9: 3 SC then DEC and repeat 2 more times (12)
Rounds 10+11: SC in each stitch around (12)
Round 12: 2 SC then DEC and repeat 2 more times (9)
Rounds 13-15: SC in each stitch around (9)
Round 16: SC then DEC and repeat 2 more times (6)
Rounds 17-20: SC in each stitch around (6)
Squish Ear flat and stitch through both sides to "seal" and leave a tail for assembly (2)

Tail
Round 1: 6 SC in MR - pull tight and sew in end after Round 2 - leave the yarn end as stuffing
Round 2: IND in each stitch around (12)
Rounds 3+4: SC in each stitch around (12)
Round 5: DEC in each stitch around (6)
Add a little bit of stuffing so that tail holds shape, but isn't stretched open.
Close the tail by stitching through the tops of all 6 stitches and pulling closed. Use the tail for attaching to body later.

Arm (make 2)
Round 1: 6 SC in MR - pull tight and sew in end after Round 2 - leave the yarn end as stuffing (6)
Round 2: SC then INC and repeat around (9)
Rounds 3+4: SC in each stitch around (9)
Round 5: SC then DEC and repeat around (6)
Round 6: SC in each stitch around (6)
Stuff down into the little hand just a tiny bit, just enough to make it round.
Rounds 7-17: SC in each stitch around (6)
Squish Arm flat and stitch through both sides to "seal" and leave a tail for assembly (2)

Leg (make 2)
Round 1: 6 SC in MR - pull tight and tie off end after round 3 leave the yarn end as stuffing (6)
Round 2: INC in each around (12)
Round 3: SC then INC and repeat around (18)
Round 4: BLO SC in each stitch around (18)
Round 5: SC in each stitch around (18)
Round 6: 4 SC then DEC and repeat 2 more times (15)
Round 7: 3 SC then DEC and repeat 2 more times (12)
Round 8: 2 SC then DEC and repeat 2 more times (9)
Round 9: SC in each stitch around (9)
Stuff the little foot lightly, making sure it's round and slowly rises to the leg.
Rounds 10-20: SC in each stitch around (9)
Squish leg flat and stitch through both sides to "seal" and leave tail for assembly (4)

Head and Body
Round 1: 6 SC in MR - pull tight and tie off end after round 2 leave the yarn end as stuffing (6)
Round 2: INC in each around (12)
Round 3: SC then INC and repeat around (18)
Round 4: 2 SC then INC and repeat around (24)
Round 5: 3 SC then INC and repeat around (30)
Round 6: 4 SC then INC and repeat around (36)
Rounds 7-11: SC in each around (36)
Round 12: 4 SC then DEC and repeat around (30)
Round 13-14: SC in each around (30)
Round 15: 3 SC then DEC and repeat around (24)
**Stuff head as well as you can here
**Add safety eyes (I did this between rows 10 and 11 with 9 stitches showing between them)
Round 16: 2 SC then DEC and repeat around (18)
Round 17: SC then DEC and repeat around (12)
add that little bit more stuffing that always seems to be needed, it's very hard to do it later
Round 18: DEC around (6)
Round 19: INC around (12)
Round 20: SC in each around (12)
Round 21: SC then INC and repeat around (18)
Rounds 22-23: SC in each around (18)
Round 24: 2 SC then INC and repeat around (24)
Rounds 25-26: SC in each around (24)
Round 27: 3 SC then INC and repeat around (30)
Rounds 28-32: SC in each around (30)
Round 33: 3 SC then DEC and repeat around (24)
Round 34: BLO SC in each around (24)
**Stuff a little up into neck and head area to give stability and then stuff body, kinda full... he's cuter chubby
Round 35: 2 SC then DEC and repeat around (18)
Round 36: SC then DEC and repeat around (12)
**Add that last little bit of stuffing, remember you want his little bum to be more flat so he sits
Round 37: DEC around FO and leave a tail for sewing closed (6)
**Sew through the remaining 6 stitches and draw closed, sew in end and "hide" in body.

Assembly:

I attached the legs at the front side of the body in Round 31 (on top of it, between 32 and 33) with a whip stitch and tied off and lost the end into the doll. I sort of line them up with the safety eyes visually, you can add them where you'd like them. :D I leave two open stitches between them.

I attached the arms on the sides (it's easy to find this if you used safety eyes) between Rounds 20 and 21 with a whip stitch and tied off and lost the end into the doll

The tail attaches between the legs on the opposite side of the body in the back. I actually attach mine so that it adds stability when he's sitting, with the bottom of the tail even with Round 34.

The Ears attach on the top of the head at a slight angle, with the center 2 rings between them. (See photo) Because they are long and floppy I wanted them to lay along the sides of the face and not impede the eyes.