Finding Free Crochet Patterns-Woodland Animals

Finding Free Crochet Patterns:Woodland Animals

Around forty years ago, a popular British woman’s magazine featured a wonderful crochet pattern for woodland animals. Two seventeen year old crocheters, using their first crochet pattern, made several sets of these animals because they were life-like, beautiful, and, once the girls interpreted the pattern correctly, easy to make. The set was quite extensive featuring a squirrel, badger, frog, owl, mouse and other animals, six, or possibly eight, altogether. Both crocheters eventually lost the pattern and have been searching for it ever since. For them and other crocheters looking for patterns for woodland animals here are some pointers to free on-line crochet patterns.

Good places to begin any on-line search free crochet patterns are the large crochet-pattern directory sites. Crochet Pattern Central (CPC) is a comprehensive easily navigable crochet-pattern-directory site. CPC has a good selection of links to free crochet patterns for woodland animals, including Boris, the European badger, a fox, two hedgehogs, several squirrels, bats, and foxes as well as woodland animals from the USA and Australia. You will find owl patterns in the birds section, and frogs and toads in their own section.

The red squirrel is Britain’s native squirrel, which, sadly, is now very rare in most of the British Isles, although numbers are increasing in some special areas, protected from the larger, introduced, grey North American squirrel. Crochet squirrel patterns seem as rare as red squirrels, but there is one at Crochetme.

The badger is an iconic British woodland animal. Humans rarely see these shy, nocturnal creatures, which live communally in large burrow systems called setts. Boris the Badger is easy to make and has his distinctive black and white face markings, although the pattern calls for a grey body colour, which is incorrect.

There is a little owl pattern at Coats and Clarks' web site. This is an Amigurumi pattern rather than a naturalistic pattern. It proved difficult to find a more lifelike pattern.

The frog in the original pattern was very cleverly constructed to look as though it were about to leap at you. Lion Brand yarn’ website has several Amigurumi frogs but no realistic looking frogs. Crochet Pattern Central have a selection of frogs and toads, but again it was difficult to find a naturalistic pattern.

There are mice crochet patterns all over the internet. Free amigurumi patterns blog has links and patterns for several mice patterns as well as patterns for many other woodland and other creatures. Navigation is easy just click on the list to the left.

There are a few fox links at CPC and various other free patterns on the internet. There is a nice pattern for a little fox at Falwyn’s site. One with a more natural fluffy brush was difficult to find.

Moles are indigenous to Britain and irritate many a lawn-proud gardener with their excavations. However, a free crochet pattern for a mole proved difficult, the only one is for Monty Mole, a character from a computer game.

Conversely, hedgehogs are the British gardener’s friend eating the slugs and snails that otherwise would spoil precious blooms and plants. There are some beautiful free crochet hedgehog patterns available. One man’s blog has a lovely hedgehog pattern.

Some web sites have some, but not all, of the woodland animals that you have been searching for all these years. Lion brand Yarns website has patterns for mice, an owl, frog, and reindeer. Craft Attic Resources have patterns for mice, fox, various frogs and an owl.

Ravelry is a large vibrant knitting and crochet community, membership of which gives access to free crochet patterns. Ravelry has patterns that you will find nowhere else and links to patterns all over the internet. Unfortunately, Ravelry does not put its woodland creatures in a separate section, but users can search for each separate item or browse through the animal section, fortunately, Ravelry’s thumbnail photographs make browsing that bit faster. The crocodile stitch owl is wonderful and has lifelike ‘feathers’ and the simple crochet hedgehogs are delightful. Ravelry has foxy foxes, owly owls, froggy frogs, badgers, mice, and four naturalistic mole patterns. The pocket fox is furry fluffy and charming. There are also some very realistic hedgehogs, frogs, toads and some squirrels with fluffy tails.

Britain’s woodland animals may not be as spectacular as those in some other countries are, but they are charming, especially when reproduced in crochet. There are some super free crochet patterns for woodland animals available on the internet, when you know where to look for them, you too can crochet gorgeous woodland animals to keep or to give as gifts. Woodland animals would make lovely additions to a woodland themed nursery or child’s bedroom.