How to Crochet a Panda Plushie

Begin the head with your white yarn. Make a magic ring and work 8 single crochet stitches into it, then pull the tail to cinch the ring closed. That gives you a tidy little disc with no hole in the middle.

This ring is the top of the panda's head. Everything after it spirals outward from here, so take your time and keep the stitches snug against the chunky yarn.

Now build up the sphere. Round 2 is 8 increases to get you to 16 stitches, and you keep increasing evenly around each following round until the head reaches its widest point.

A spiral has no clear seam, so slide a stitch marker into the first stitch of every round. When you come back around to it, you know the round is done and you can start counting again.

Once the ball is as wide as you want it, switch to decrease rounds to curve the top of the head back inward. Round 11 works 3 single crochet then 1 decrease, repeated around, and the rounds after keep pulling it closed.

Stuff the head with polyester fiberfill while the opening is still wide enough to reach into. Pack it firm so the panda holds a round shape and the eyes have something solid to grip.

Push a black safety eye through the fabric between rounds 9 and 10, leaving about 5 stitches between the two eyes so they sit at a friendly distance. Line the second eye up the same number of stitches across.

Slide the plastic washer onto each post from the inside and press it down until it locks. These eyes do not come back off once the washer is on, so double check the spacing before you commit.

Join your black yarn to build the panda's dark patches. Where the pattern calls for it, on rounds 14 and 17, you work black popcorn stitches instead of plain single crochet. A popcorn is a cluster of stitches gathered into one, so it bulges out from the surface.

Those raised black bumps form the arms and the ring around the belly. Carry the white yarn along inside while you work the black, and pick it back up when the marking is done.

The ears and arms are small pieces you make separately in black yarn. Each round ear is a quick cluster worked with chain 1, 2 half double crochet, chain 1, and a slip stitch to join.

Mark the ear spots first so they sit level. Pin them on round 4 with about 9 stitches between the two pins, then sew each ear on with your yarn needle. Stitch the little arms onto the sides the same way.

Time to give the panda its expression. Thread your yarn needle with black yarn and stitch a small nose and a curved mouth just below and between the eyes. Keep the stitches short so the face stays sweet, not scary.

Add a soft blush with a bit of pink or peach yarn on each cheek. Weave in every loose end, snip the tails, and your chunky panda is ready to sit on a shelf or go to a friend.