I already shared my love for the Scheepjes Softfun colour packs, and if you follow me on Instagram (please do if you don’t, I share a bit more often there), you’ll have seen my progress pics already.
There are five different Softfun colour packs to choose from including Pastel (which I have), Jewel, Rich, Rainbow and Cloud. There are a full list of stockists on the Scheepjes website, but you can also find the packs at your favourite LYS or online retailer including: Wool Warehouse* (global) Caro’s Atelier* (NL and Europe) Black Sheep Wools* (UK) Dot’s Yarn Den (US) Belle Mae Yarns (AU)
You’ll need one colour pack in the colours you like best, plus 6 balls of Softfun in a complementary colourway. I chose 2622 Latte.
I’m working the YUDC stitch that I used in my Reti Koala pattern, so these two projects together might almost be called a collection!
Scheepjes Cahlista is an aran weight yarn, made with 100% cotton. I’m using two balls of colour 074 Mercury, and you will also need a single ball of the complementary colour. Have a look at the Scheepjes Website for colour inspiration and stockists, there are more than 100 colours to choose from!
You can order the yarn online from my local yarn store Caro’s Atelier*.
Note: this version of the pattern uses UK terms. If you would like to access US terms or printable PDFs in both UK and US terms, you can purchase the patterns from either Ravelry or Lovecrafts.com for a small fee.
Please share your projects using #KoalaLovey in the socials and tag me everywhere!
Let’s go!
Materials
MC: Scheepjes Cahlista in 074 Mercury – 2 balls (100% cotton, aran weight, 50g, 85m) CC: Scheepjes Cahlista in your choice – 1 ball (100% cotton, aran weight, 50g, 85m) Scrap black, preferably Scheepjes Cahlista – about 2 metres I used 385 Chrystalline and 256 Cornelia Rose in my samples. 4mm hook (amigurumi parts) 6mm hook (mini-blanket) 5mm hook (border of mini-blanket) Toy filling (or you can stuff the head with scrap yarn or anything you have at home that will be a bit squishy)
Tension
Mini-blanket: 16 rows and 17sts over 10 cm in YUdc
Head: not important, but stitches should be tight, so use at least a hook size down from what the yarn recommends.
Measurements
Mini-blanket – 30 x 30cm blocked
Abbreviations
(UK terms) Ch chain MR magic ring Ss slip stitch St(s) stitch(es) Ch chain Dc double crochet DcInc double crochet increase (2 sts increased in 1 st) Dec double crochet decrease (1 st worked decreased over 2 sts) HtrInc half treble crochet increase (2 sts increased in 1 st) Tr treble crochet YUdc yarn under double crochet MC main colour CC contrast colour. Rep repeat Pm place marker Rm remove marker Flo front loop only Blo back loop only
Pattern Notes
This pattern is worked both amigurumi style in continuous rounds (with no joining) and sewn together to make the koala’s head, and also back and forth in rows using the yarn under colourwork technique to make the mini-blanket.
Work instructions inside parentheses (…) the indicated number of times.
Special Abbreviation
YUdc (yarn under double crochet) is a colourwork technique using two strands of working yarn. To work the stitch insert hook with mc, yoh, pull up a loop, with cc yoh from front to back (keeping cc in front of mc), with mc yoh, pull through 3 loops.
Round 1 6dc in MR (mark first st and move marker up each round to keep track of starting point) (6) Round 2 6dcinc (12) Round 3 (inc, dc) six times (18) Round 4 (inc, 2dc) six times (24) Round 5 (inc, 3dc) six times (30) Round 6 (inc, 4dc) six times (36) Round 7-17 36dc (36) Round 18 dec twice, pm second dec, 14dc, dec twice, pm second dec, 13dc, dec, rm. (32) Round 19 dec, pm, 12dc, dec twice, rm, pm second dec, 11dc, dec, ss. (28)
Cut yarn, leave tail long enough to sew top shut when assembling.
Ear
(make 2) Working in rounds, with MC and 4mm hook
Round 1 6dc in MR (6) Round 2 6dcinc (12) Round 3 (inc, dc) six times (18) Round 4 inc, pm in second st of inc, 8dc, inc, pm in second st of inc, 9dc (20) (starting point is moved by 1st ) Round 5 20dc Round 6 inc, pm in second st of inc, 9dc, inc, pm in second st of inc, 10dc (22) (starting point is moved by 1 st) Round 7-10 22dc. Ss (22)
Cut yarn and leave tail to sew to head when assembling.
Nose
Working in rounds, with black and 4mm hook
Round 1 6dc in MR (6) Round 2 6dcinc (12) Round 3 (3htrinc, 3dc) twice, ss to join (18)
Cut yarn, leave long tail to sew to head and make eyes.
Mini Blanket
Working back and forth in rows using both MC and CC, 6mm hook
Row 1 MC, ch42 Row 2 YUdc in third loop and each ch across to end (40) Row 3 ch1 (does not count as a st), YUDC to end (40) Row 4-42 rep row 3 (40)
Cut MC and continue working the border in CC.
Border
Working in rounds 5 and 6mm hooks
Round 1 turn, with 6mm hook, work 40ss loosely across to corner, ch1, 40ss across the rows (note, there are two more rows than border sts, so you will need to “lose” two sts). Continue around to end and ch1 and ss to 1st st of the round. Round 2 change to 5mm hook, ch2, working into the ss, [tr to corner ch (tr, ch1 tr) in flo of corner ch], rep around to end, ss to join. Cut yarn. Round 3 flip your work so the back is facing you, ss to join at a corner, ch2, tr in the back of the ss from round 1, rep round 2. Round 4 now we’ll join the two rounds. Ch1, dc in the flo of round 3 sts and the corresponding blo from round 2 sts to join the two rounds together. Rep to corner, 3dc in the corner ch, then rep all the way round to end. Ss to join, cut yarn, weave in ends and block.
Assembly
Position nose 7 rounds below opening at mid-point between markers, sew to head. Make eyes 1 st to the side of the nose, 3 sts wide and slightly angled (1 round) upwards at the outer side. Fasten the eye loop on row below to fix it in place.
Stuff the head with toy filling and sew shut. Attach ears to side of head on an angle, 3 sts in from the sides of the sewn shut head.
Sew the head to the middle of the blanket, either using the leftover yarn tails, or a new length of yarn, using round 3 of the head as your guide.
Scheepjes Cahlista is an aran weight yarn, made with 100% cotton. I’m using two balls of colour 074 Mercury, and you will also need a single ball of the complementary colour. Have a look at the Scheepjes Website for colour inspiration and stockists, there are more than 100 colours to choose from!
You can order the yarn online from my local yarn store Caro’s Atelier*.
As I mentioned in my previous posts, I’ve used Scheepjes Cahlista for this design, and it’s really the perfect yarn for baby things. The brushed cotton is soft and because it’s an aran weight it works up fast!
I’ve loved creating this smooshy little lovey. I mean, a sleepy koala, who’d have thought? They only sleep about 20 hours per day!
I came across the technique to create the two colour blanket on Instagram, and it’s called “yarn under.” In my pattern (which will go live soon) I’ve abbreviated the stich to YUDC, or yarn under (UK terms) double crochet.
The pattern is almost ready, the colours look amazing. I can’t wait to share it with you!
MissNeriss 