Amigurumi Pig - Free Crochet Pattern!

I had a dream... well, I had an imagine... of which I drew a sketch... then I waved my hook wand and look at what appeared!

This is Peninnah Pig. Her dress comes off, but don't worry she's a modest pig with her petticoat!

Oops, a Marilyn moment...

The dress does up with a button:

Ever since this little piggy appeared I have been writing, testing, changing and writing some more.

Finally, she is ready! (Here is the Ravelry link to the pattern.)

ETA: the pattern is now available as a pdf download on my "Beautiful Crochet" page - see the link below the blog header.

Penninah Pig 
You can use wool or acrylic for this pattern. Whichever you choose, use that type of yarn throughout.
DK weight cream/white yarn for petticoat: 5 grams (8 meters/8.7 yards)
DK weight pink yarn for body parts: 10 grams (20 meters/21.9 yards)
DK weight of any colour yarn you like for dress: 5 grams (10 meters/11 yards)
Small amounts of black and dark pink for embroidering facial details.
3.5mm crochet hook (next hook down from recommended hook size of 4mm)
Tapestry needle for sewing in the ends
Polyfill stuffing
Small button




Pattern uses US terminology.  
Stitches used: chain (ch), slip stitch (slst), single crochet (sc), single crochet decrease (sc-dec), double crochet (dc).


Special stitches:
--small picot: (slst, ch1, slst) in same st. 
--large picot: (sc, ch2, sc) in same st.
--mini puff: yarn over hook (yo), insert hook into indicated st, yo, draw yarn through st, yo, draw yarn through 2 loops on hook [half closed dc, 2 loops remain on hook]. Yo. insert hook in same st, yo, draw yarn through st, yo, draw yarn through 2 loops on hook, yo, draw yarn through last three loops left on hook. 

Special Techniques:
--magic loop video (here are some written instructions)

Notes: 'St' stands for Stitch, 'sk' means Skip, 'blo' means Back loop only. Make sure you read the additional notes where I have added them for the dress and body. **Except for the dress, all the pieces for the pig are worked in a spiral round (i.e. the rounds are NOT joined with a slst).

INSTRUCTIONS
 
Head:
Make magic ring, 
Row1: 6 sc in magic ring
Row2: 2sc in each st around (12sc)
Row3: *sc in next st, 2sc in next st, rep from* (18sc)
Row4: *sc in next 2st, 2sc in next st, rep from* (24sc)
Row5: *sc in next 3st, 2sc in next st, rep from* (30sc)
Row6: *sc in next 4st, 2sc in next st, rep from* (36sc)  
Rows7-12: sc in each st (36sc)

Row13: *sc in next 4st, sc-dec over next 2st, rep from* (30sc)
Row14: *sc in next 3st, sc-dec over next 2st, rep from* (24sc)
Row15: *sc in next 2st, sc-dec over next 2st, rep from* (18sc)
Row16: *sc in next st, sc-dec over next 2st, rep from* (12sc)
Row17: sc in each st around (12sc), slst in next st and fasten off yarn by cutting it and drawing it through the stitch. Leave 20 to 30cm for sewing to body.


Body:
Note: if you do not want a frill, omit rows 4 and 5 and do an extra round of 18sc.

Make magic ring, 
Row1: 6 sc in magic ring
Row2: 2sc in each st around (12sc)
Row3: *sc in next st, 2sc in next st, rep from* (18sc)
Row4: sc in blo of each st (18sc), ch1, turn whole thing upside down.
Row5: make a small picot (see Special Stitches) in the front loop (now the back loop as you are holding it upside down) of the st you just did a sc in, *sk 1 st, make small picot in next st, rep from *. At the end of the round, slst into the the first st that was worked into at the start of the round. Turn right side up.
Row6: sc in each st from row4 (18sc). (Before starting, count the st from row4 so you know which one is the first st. It might be difficult to get the hook into the first st. If it is too hard, just insert the hook through the backloop.)
Row7: Sc in each st (18sc)
Row8: *sc in next st, sc-dec over next 2st, rep from* (12sc)

Rows9-14: sc in each st around (12sc), slst in next st and fasten off yarn by cutting it and drawing it through the stitch. Leave 20 to 30cm for sewing to body.


Arms (make 2):
Make magic ring, 6 sc in magic ring, sc in each st, continue until arm measures 3cm (1 1/8") - around 8 rows total.

Legs (make 2):
Make magic ring, 6 sc in magic ring, sc in each st, continue until leg measures 5cm (2") - around 12 rows total. 


Ears (make 2):
Make magic ring, 
Row1: 6 sc in magic ring
Row2: sc in each st (6sc)
Row3: 2sc in each st (12sc)
Row4 and 5: sc in each st (12sc)
Fasten off yarn. Thread yarn onto tapestry needle. Squish ear together so it is flat and sew the bottom together.



Snout:
Make magic ring, 6 sc in magic ring, 2sc in each st around (12sc). Finish by cutting thread (leaving a tail long enough to sew it to the head) and pulling through st to finish off. Thread tail onto a tapestry needle, take thread under the first sc, and back into the centre of the last sc of the round to finish off the circle without a bump.


Dress: 
Note: leave 15 to 20cm before the starting chain for sewing on a button later. Once the dress is joined and you are working in rounds, always do the first dc of a row in the same st as the slst and ch1 that start the row.
Chain 17
Row1: dc in 6th ch from hook (loop thus created is a button hole), dc in each st to end (12 dc), ch2, turn.
Row2: dc in first st and the next st, ch2, sk 2 st, dc in next st, do a mini puff in each of the next 2 st, dc in next st, ch2, sk 2 st, dc in next 2 st, join to start of row with a slst (now dress will be joined in a circle. Try it on the pig. If you can't get it over the pigs bottom, try adding a ch before the slst. Sk over the ch in the next round so it does not change the st count. Alternatively, go up a hook size.) DO NOT TURN FROM NOW ON.
Row3: ch1, dc in same st, *2dc in next st, dc in next st, rep from *, 2dc in last st (18dc), join round with slst.
Row4: ch1, dc in each st (18dc), join round with slst.
Row5: Repeat row3 (27dc)
Row6: ch1, dc in first st, *2dc in next st, dc in next st, rep from * (40dc), join with sl st.
Row7: ch1, make a large picot (see Special Stitches) in next st, *sk 1 st, make large picot in next st, rep from *, cut thread (leaving a tail long enough to sew in), pull through st to finish off. Thread tail onto a tapestry needle, take thread under the ch1 from start of row, and back into the centre of the last sc of the round to finish off the dress invisibly.
Sew the button onto the dress, making sure it will fit through the button hole. Sew in ends.


Assembly:
1: Sew snout and ears to head. Embroider head with eyes, nostrils and mouth.
2: Sew legs to base of body. Sew arms to body, positioning them between the third and fourth row down from the top of the body.
3: Stuff body and head, sew together (remember that there is an even number of stitches around the head and body openings. I sew them together by matching the stitches).
4: Put the dress on and do up the button!
5: Gaze at the pig until she tells you her name. (Seriously, I try to name them, but they always end up picking their own! Weird, but true.)



Please, if you have any questions, let me know! 

The copyright of this pattern remains with myself. It is provided free for personal use only. The pattern may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. If you want to sell products you have made from this pattern, you are free to do so (please refer to my FAQ page).

Penninah Pig by Katherine Crombie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.