Monday, 17 August 2015

Ballerina Mouse - Free Crochet / Amigurumi Pattern

Monday, August 17, 2015 | By

This post contains affiliate links.

This little ballerina mouse will dance her way into your heart! This is the first amigurumi pattern I ever designed and I am extremely proud of how she turned out. She stands at just over 7 inches tall (she is a mouse after all!) and would make a perfect pocket pal for your aspiring little ballerina!

I have used my favourite yarn, Wendy's Supreme Luxury DK (colours white and apple blossom) which is 100% cotton and the softest, loveliest yarn I have ever come across. It magically makes every stitch look extremely neat which is an absolute must in amigurumi. I can't recommend it enough. You also don't have to use the colours I have used,  feel free to make her your own. How about a brown mouse? Or a grey mouse? Keep in mind that if you use a different weight of yarn yours may come out larger than mine did - and she's a mouse, she's meant to be small!

Due to the use of fabric glue to construct some of my mouse and small parts (bow, shoes, ribbons, safety eyes, tail) I do NOT recommend making this item for babies, toddlers or someone that may put this item in their mouth. Please be diligent and sensible when making handmade toys for your children.

I am offering this pattern for free so if you do make your own little mouse perhaps you could thank me by following my blog in some way. If you do make a mouse please feel free to post pictures on my Facebook page, I would love to see.

Happy hooking!
Julie xxx






Copyright 2015 Julie Erskine, All Rights Reserved © 

Please note: This pattern is property of Heart & Sew. This pattern is not to be redistributed for           sale or for free. Text and images contained within this pattern are not authorised to be placed in           full or in part on any website, book, magazine, blog or forum.
  
This pattern is not to be translated or altered without expressed written consent. Currently I do not allow my patterns to be translated.

You may however: Post my pictures on your website, blog or forum with a link back to this post. You may not post the pattern or any parts of it.

You may however: Sell your own handmade items made from this pattern. The items must be individually handmade on a small scale by you and not mass produced in any way. Credit for the pattern in any online description (eg: "Created using a Heart & Sew Pattern") would be greatly appreciated. You may not claim, directly or indirectly, to be the original designer or author of the pattern. 

Please see my full disclosure for more details.


I have included the exact yarns and materials I have used via the links below. I do my shopping at LoveCrochet - Shipping to the USA is $4.95 and free when you spend over $60.00. You can check the exact shipping cost for your country here.


      Psst! Hold down CTRL and P to print the pattern!
      Print from page 3 onwards to skip printing the pictures.



      Difficulty: Moderate - Beginners may struggle attaching the skirt.

      Must know how to work in the round, increase, decrease, chain, change from working in rounds to rows & change colours.

      This pattern uses the following U.S stitches & abbreviations:
      • st = stitch
      • sc = single crochet (double crochet for UK)
      • dc = double crochet (treble crochet for UK)
      • ch= chain
      • sl st = slip stitch
      • 2tog = 2 stitches together (decrease) 

      Do not join rounds - work in a continuous spiral unless stated otherwise. It is a good idea to use a stitch marker to mark the end of each round (You can use a bent paper clip or hair grip!) My notes, tips and assembly instructions are in purple italics.



      Head: 


       Starting at the point of the nose and working to the back of the head. The head is crocheted a little oddly and does not use traditional amigurumi shaping (it was very hard to get a good mouse shape!) but don't worry just go with it!

       In white yarn:
      Round 1) Magic Circle with 6sc (6)
      Round 2)  2sc in each st (12)
      Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (18)
      Round 4-6) 1sc in each st; for 3 rounds total (18)
      Round 7) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (27)
      Round 8) 2sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (36)
      Round 9-10) 1sc in each st; for 2 rounds total (36)

      Embroider the nose: Using pink embroidery thread, embroider a nose over the magic circle (round 1) using a satin stitch. It is easier to stitch a "V" shape outline where you want the nose to go and fill it in.

      Round 11) 5sc then 2tog, repeat until second last st of the round, then 1sc in last remaining st (31)
      Round 12) 4sc then 2tog,  repeat until second last st of the round, then 1sc in last remaining st (26)

      Attach 6mm safety eyes between rounds 7 and 8 (mine are attached 3 stitches apart for your reference) Make sure the backs are "snapped" all the way down the stalk. If your mouse is for a child it would be safer to embroider eyes with black thread (using french knots) Safety eyes are NOT always safe - despite the name!

      Start stuffing the head. Do not over stuff the head or you will end up with a bulky ball shape instead of a pointed mouse shape. Stuff the front of the head lightly but stuff the back of the head more fully! Continue to add a little bit of stuffing after every round till you are happy with the firmness and shape of the head.

      Round 13) 3sc, then 2tog, repeat until second last st of the round, then 1sc in last remaining st (21)
      Round 14) 2sc then 2tog, repeat until second last st of the round, then 1sc in last remaining st (16)
      Round 15) 1sc, then 2tog, repeat until second last st of the round, then 1sc in last remaining st (11)
      Round 16) 2tog all the way around until second last st, ignore last remaining st of the round (6)

      Slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Weave yarn tail in and out the remaining stitches (using a blunt end yarn needle) and pull tight to close. Knot Yarn. Pull yarn out through the bottom of the head for sewing onto the body later on.

      Push the attached safety eyes down hard into the head to shape the face and make the eyes seem more inset.


      Ears (Make 2): 


      In white yarn:
      Round 1) Magic Circle with 6sc (6)
      Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
      Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (18)
      Round 4-7) 1sc in each stitch; for 4 rounds total (18)
      Round 8) 1sc then 2tog, repeat until end of round(12) 

      Slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Do not stuff ears.


      Body: 


      In pink yarn
      Round 1) Magic Circle with 6sc (6)
      Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
      Round 3) 1sc in each st (12)
      Round 4) 2sc in each st (24)
      Round 5-7) 1sc in each st; for 3 rounds total (24)
      Round 8) 3sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (30)
      Round 9) 4sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (36)
      Round 10-13) 1sc in each st; for 4 rounds total (36)
      Round 14) Back loop only: 1sc in each st (36) This is where you will attach the mouse's skirt later.

      Change to white yarn:
      Round 15) 1sc in each st (36)
      Round 16) 4sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (30)
      Round 17) 3sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (24)
      Round 18) 2sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (18)

      Start stuffing the body.

      Round 19) 1sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (12)
      Round 20) 2tog all the way round (6) 

      Slip stitch into the next stitch and fasten off. Stuff the rest of the body to a firmness you are happy with. Weave yarn tail in and out the remaining 6 st and pull tight to close. Knot the yarn and hide yarn tail inside the body.






      Skirt: 


      The skirt is attached to the visible front loops on Round 14 of the body as follows: 
      In pink yarn:
      Insert hook into one of the loops on the back of the body, draw pink yarn through loop and chain 1. 

      As you crochet make sure to crochet over the loose yarn tail or "straggler" until it is completely hidden and secured inside your work.

      Round 1-2) 1sc in each st; for 2 rounds total (36)
      Round 3) Ch 2, 3dc in each st (108)

      Join the end of round 3 to the start of round 3 using a slip stitch. Fasten off and weave in yarn tail.


      Arms (Make 2):


      In white yarn:
      Round 1) Magic Circle with 6sc (6)
      Round 2) 5sc, 2sc in last st (7)
      Round 3) 6sc, 2sc in last st (8)
      Round 4-5) 1sc in each st; for 2 rounds total (8)
      Round 6) 2sc then 2 tog; repeat until the end of the round (6)
      Round 7-13) 1sc in each st; for 7 rounds total (6)

      After last round: Slip stitch into the next st and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff hand, do not stuff the rest of the arm.


      Legs (Make 2): 


      In White Yarn:
      Round 1) Magic Circle with 6sc (6)
      Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
      Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of the round (18)
      Round 4-5) 1sc in each st; for 2 rounds total (18)
      Round 6) 1sc then 2tog, repeat until end of the round (12)
      Round 7) 4sc then 2tog; repeat until end of the round (10)
      Round 8-13) 1sc in each st; for 6 rounds total (10)

      After last round: Slip stitch into the next st and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff the end of the legs lightly and pinch the foot to make a "foot" shape. Do not over stuff the feet or you will end up with a round ball shape instead of a little foot shape. Stuff the leg parts more firmly.

      Slippers (Make 2): 



       In pink yarn:
      Round 1) Magic Circle with 6sc (6)
      Round 2) 2sc in each st (12)
      Round 3) 1sc, 2sc in next st, repeat until end of round (18)
      Round 4-5) 1sc in each st; for 2 rounds total (18)

       Change to working in rows:

      Row 1) ch 1, 1 sc in the next 10 sts (10)
      Row 2-3) ch 1, turn work, 1 sc in the next 10 sts; for 2 rows total (10)

      Slip the slippers onto the feet. If you like you can glue or sew them onto the feet at this point. Mine are glued on with Fabri-Tac.

      Attaching the ribbons: Take 1 strand of ribbon. Using Fabric-Tac, glue one end of  the ribbon onto the inside corner of the slipper where the rows end (circled in the photograph) Leave for a few minutes to dry. Wrap ribbon across the front and then around the foot. Glue the other end of the strand onto the other corner and leave aside to dry.  

      Tail: 


      In white yarn:
      1) Make a slip knot on your hook, leaving a long, starting straggler yarn tail. This tail will be used to help sew the tail to the body.

      2) Ch 20, skip 1 ch and sl st into next ch (into chain 19) Continue to sl st all the way down the row.

      Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. You should now have the yarn tail and the straggler from the beginning slip knot side by side - both of these tails will be used to sew the tail to the body.


        I know lots of people hate the sewing part of amigurumi. If you assemble your mouse in the following order you shouldn't have any problems.

        1. Sew the ears to the head.
        2. Sew the head to the body using a ladder stitch. This will pull the head tighter into the body. The start of the body should be pushed down FLAT before sewing the head on if you want your mouse to look like mine. The head should be sewn on directly above round 3 - once the head is sewn on you should be unable to see rounds 1 & 2.
        3. Sew the arms to the body, they go on round 4 of the body directly underneath the head at either side.
        4. Sew the legs to the bottom of the body, your mouse can either be standing or sitting.
        5. Using Fabri-Tac, glue the bow onto the head.
        6. Sew the tail to the back of the body, directly under the skirt. 

        Because the tail is so flimsy and delicate, it is important it is sewn on securely. The following is the best way I have found to sew and secure the tail to the body:

        1. Using a blunt end yarn needle draw the straggler through a stitch on the back on your mouse, directly under the skirt. Draw it through the same stitch again and pull through the loop created to form a knot. Don't hide the yarn tail in your work just yet.

        2. Repeat this same process with the other yarn tail left from where you fastened off the tail, in the next stitch over. Don't hide the yarn tail in your work just yet.

        3. Tie both remaining yarn tails together to form a knot. Use a blunt yarn needle to hide both yarn tails and the knot inside the body.

        ♥

        Now you have your own ballerina mouse to dance with! I would love to see pictures of your finished mouse, please send me them either on Facebook or by email.

        Don't miss the next FREE Heart & Sew pattern:

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        39 comments:

        1. Las Marinas17 August 2015 at 18:30

          Beautiful! I'm gonna try to do it this weekend

          ReplyDelete
        2. Addy Nieto18 August 2015 at 10:14

          Beautiful job, many thanks for share it.

          ReplyDelete
        3. erisim19 August 2015 at 03:09

          Super cute, thanks for sharing!

          ReplyDelete
        4. Caz19 August 2015 at 04:21

          You're extremely talented! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful pattern. I know one lil gal is going to adore her new friend. :)

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Julie Erskine19 August 2015 at 17:58

            Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy making your own little mouse :) xx

            Delete
        5. Gittepetit19 August 2015 at 21:46

          I love her! Just started doing amigurumi, but when I am a bit more experienced I will try to make her. Thank you for sharing this beautiful pattern.

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Julie Erskine27 August 2015 at 19:24

            You're welcome! Good luck with the pattern, if you get stuck or need any help feel free to send me an email - I'll try help as best I can! x

            Delete
        6. Unknown20 August 2015 at 12:37

          I've run into a problem in row 8 it seems to be off please let me know before I go on. Thanks Sharon

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Julie Erskine20 August 2015 at 13:29

            Hi! Round 8 of the head? What is wrong exactly, are you getting a different number of stitches than 36? If you can explain to me what is wrong I can whip up another mouse head and check it, though I tested the head twice myself so it should be correct x

            Delete
        7. Unknown20 August 2015 at 15:08

          Hi Julie it says 2 singles,then 2singles in next stitch then repeat around till 36 what am I repeating?

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Julie Erskine20 August 2015 at 17:42

            It means 1sc in the next 2 stitches, then 2sc in the next stitch (increase) repeat that until the end of the round. :)

            So 1sc, 1sc, Increase.

            Hope that makes sense. Let me know if I can help further. x

            Delete
          2. Unknown10 April 2016 at 03:02

            Thank you ! This is where I got mixed and ended up 4 times with wrong stitch counts

            Delete
          3. Unknown10 April 2016 at 03:02

            Thank you ! This is where I got mixed and ended up 4 times with wrong stitch counts

            Delete
        8. Unknown21 August 2015 at 06:13

          I got it now, sometimes I walk away from the project and start over and it makes sense and this is one of those it's clear to me now .Thanks for all the help Sharon

          ReplyDelete
        9. Unknown17 December 2015 at 15:23

          Thanks for the pattern! Excited to start it now!

          ReplyDelete
        10. Unknown15 February 2016 at 18:15

          sorry to say but i cant send to my email keeps saying invalid email when mine is not. would like to make these

          ReplyDelete
        11. Unknown16 March 2016 at 08:55

          Just finished Ballerina Mouse and given it as gift to a friend who is just as delighted as l am.Thank you so much for sharing your pattern.

          ReplyDelete
        12. Unknown2 April 2016 at 05:24

          I'm stuck on the skirt! For the life of me I can't get it as "rippled" as yours! For round 3 of the skirt (chain 2, 3dc) Should I be repeating the ch2, 3dc around or just 3dc around and the ch2 is just for the very first stitch?

          Also have you ever tried this pattern in a larger size? If so what was the turn out? I love love love this little ballerina mouse and am very curious as to how she would look just a little bigger!!

          Thanks so much!

          ReplyDelete
          Replies
          1. Julie Erskine3 April 2016 at 21:41

            Hi Alysha! Ch 2 (this gives you the height you need to start to double crochet) then 3dc in each st. You only chain at the start of the round.

            I've never tried this pattern in a larger size myself but I have seen some photographs of very big ballerina mice from my readers! If you'd like to make her a bit bigger try using 2 strands of yarn at the same time or switching to a thicker yarn and going up a hook size. I hope this helps :)

            Julie x

            Delete
        13. Karen Lippoldt8 May 2016 at 18:47

          I made a little boy mouse to match with overalls and bowtie. very sweet

          ReplyDelete
        14. juffrouw truus18 May 2016 at 10:49

          Our daughters are ballerinagirls, so this pattern comes in handy.

          ReplyDelete
        15. Unknown25 May 2016 at 05:43

          This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

          ReplyDelete
        16. Unknown26 May 2016 at 10:49

          This comment has been removed by the author.

          ReplyDelete
        17. Coni4 October 2016 at 18:30

          Hello!!! I'm doing this beautiful mouse... but I'm having problems with the size of the head... I'm working with a 3mm hook and with one kind of yarn. The problem is that the head is too small :(. The shape is good, the problem is the size...could you help me please???!!!

          ReplyDelete
        18. shasha14 October 2016 at 21:45

          Hi, i have problem sewing the head to the body.. how to sew it n look the same as yr but seem can't gdt it right😂

          ReplyDelete
        19. shasha14 October 2016 at 21:46

          Hi, i have problem sewing the head to the body.. how to sew it n look the same as yr but seem can't gdt it right😂

          ReplyDelete
        20. I-Sophi@3 January 2017 at 12:00

          Just finished mine. So damn cute. The pattern was extremely well explained. Thamk you Julie!

          ReplyDelete
        21. Tiva14 January 2017 at 22:15

          Cute

          ReplyDelete
        22. Unknown25 January 2017 at 05:26

          👏🏻👏🏻 I'll try to make it as soon as possible! 👏🏻👏🏻

          ReplyDelete
        23. Unknown13 April 2017 at 04:39

          thank you

          ReplyDelete
        24. Camellia Cards6 July 2017 at 01:27

          Looking forward to trying this out after I saw it on a crochet club site :-)

          ReplyDelete
        25. Filosofar Sem Rede16 October 2017 at 09:47

          This comment has been removed by the author.

          ReplyDelete
        26. Unknown11 August 2018 at 02:06

          This comment has been removed by the author.

          ReplyDelete
        27. Unknown7 September 2018 at 03:29

          Gracias por el patrón, ya voy por la segunda ratita,🐁🐁😍

          ReplyDelete
        28. Halina.Shin4 November 2018 at 06:05

          Thank You!

          ReplyDelete
        29. Unknown6 May 2019 at 08:43

          I'll knit this one for my niece and giving it as her birthday present.

          ReplyDelete
        30. Sarah9 August 2019 at 04:55

          On the off chance that you need to show signs of improvement at sewing, at that point you'll need to have the option to weave various sorts of things. Maybe you can't weave sacks, or have never had a go at sewing a cardigan. Why not perceive how utilizing an example might enable you to weave more?
          Knitting kits

          ReplyDelete
        31. Petter11 December 2020 at 00:14

          I wish for the great of success in all of our destiny endeavors
          Carhartt Men's Quilted Flannel Lined Duck Active Jacket

          ReplyDelete
        32. Lakha1 February 2021 at 00:24

          This mouse was the principal PC mouse planned with heat. The warmed PC mouse utilizes a carbon fiber and creates infrared warmth. Infrared warmth is profound mending. mk270 keyword reviews

          ReplyDelete

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        I'm a 27 year old pattern designer from Scotland! I love designing cute, crocheted toys. This blog documents my journey in pattern design, come follow me and pick up every new pattern I design for free along the way!

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