SAILOR ELEPHANT – Free crochet pattern

The summer of 2025 has arrived and the thought of the big sun and vacation is obsessing us all. A little elephant sailor can be a nice gift for ourselves, not only for children and loved ones.

The printable PDF pattern by Clotilde Octopus can be purchased here

MATERIALS

• Acrylic yarn: gray, white, blue, red.
• Hook 2 mm
• 8 mm safety eyes
• Fiberfill for stuffing
• Tapestry needle
• Pins, scissors, red pencil

ABBREVIATIONS here

LEGS AND BODY

Gray color yarn

• 1. 6sc in MR
• 2. 6inc = 12
• 3. BLO: 12sc
• 4. (4sc, dec) x 2 = 10
• 5. 10sc
• 6. (2sc, inc) x 3, 1sc = 13

Make two legs and at the second do not cut the thread but continue to crochet the body.

• 7. 7sc (on the second), (12sc, 1inc) – on the first, 6sc (on the second) = 27
• 8. 27sc
• 9. (3sc, inc) x 6, 2sc, inc = 34
• 10. 34sc

Change to white:

• 11-12. 34sc (2 rds)

Stuff the legs. Change to blue:

• 13. 34sc
• 14. (3sc, dec) x 6, 4sc = 28

Change to white:

• 15-16. 28sc (2 rds)

Change to blue:

• 17. 28sc
• 18. (2sc, dec) x 7 = 21

Start to stuff the body. Change to white:

• 19. 9sc, dec, 8sc, dec = 19
• 20. 19sc. FO. Leave a long tail for sewing!

HEAD

Gray color yarn:

• 1. 6sc in MR
• 2. 6inc = 12
• 3. (1sc, inc) x 6 = 18
• 4. (2sc, inc) x6 = 24
• 5. 24sc
• 6. (3sc, inc) x 6 = 30
• 7. 30sc
• 8. (4sc, inc) x 6 = 36
• 9. 36sc
• 10. (5sc, inc) x 6 = 42
• 11-15. 42sc (5 rds)

Insert safety eyes between round 12 and 13, with 8 stitches between them.

• 16. (5sc, dec) x 6 = 36
• 17. (4sc, dec) x 6 = 30
• 18. (3sc, dec) x 6 = 24
• 19. (2sc, dec) x 6 = 18
• Stuff firmly.
• 20. (sc, dec) x 6 = 12
• 21. 6dec = 6

ARMS x 2

Gray color yarn:

• 1. 5sc in MR
• 2. 5inc = 10
• 3. BLO: 10sc
• 4. (3sc, dec) x 2 = 8
• 5. 8sc
• 6. 3sc, dec, 3sc = 7

Change to white:

• 7-8. 7sc

Change to blue:

• 9-10. 7sc. Don’t stuff.
• 11. Fold: 3sc. FO. Leave a tail for sewing!

TRUNK

Gray color yarn:

• 1. 4sc in MR
• 2. 4inc = 8
• 3-5. 8sc (3 rds)
• 6. 6sc, dec = 7
• 7. (1sc, inc) x 3, inc = 11
• 8. 1sc, inc, 9sc = 12
• 9. (2sc, inc) x 4 = 16
• 10. 16sc. FO. Leave a tail for sewing!

EARS

Gray color yarn:

Ear n° 1

• 1. 6sc in MR
• 2. 6inc = 12
• 3. 2inc, 8sc, 2inc = 16
• 4. 2sc, 2inc3sc, 3sc, 2inc, 3sc, 2inc3sc, 2sc = 26
• 5. 3sc, inc4sc, inc3sc, 7sc, 2inc, 7sc, inc3sc, inc4sc, 3sc = 38
• 6. 7sc, 3inc-hdc, 8sc, 2inc, 8sc, 3inc-hdc, 7sc = 46
• 7. 8sc, 4inc-hdc, 3hdc, 5sc, inc, 1sc, 2slst (make the slst loose), 1sc, inc, 5sc, 3hdc, 4inc-hdc, 8sc = 56
• 8. 12sc, 5inc, 8sc, inc, 4slst (make the slst loose), inc, 8sc, 5inc, 12sc = 68
• 9. Fold in two: 39sc  (crochet both edges together). FO. Leave a tail for sewing!

It’s normal that it’s a bit wavy, it gives movement to the elephant ears.

Ear n° 2

• 1. 6sc in MR
• 2. 6inc = 12
• 3. 2inc, 8sc, 2inc = 16
• 4. 2sc, 2inc3sc, 3sc, 2inc, 3sc, 2inc3sc, 2sc = 26
• 5. 3sc, inc4sc, inc3sc, 7sc, 2inc, 7sc, inc3sc, inc4sc, 3sc = 38
• 6. 7sc, 3inc-hdc, 8sc, 2inc, 8sc, 3inc-hdc, 7sc = 46
• 7. 8sc, 4inc-hdc, 3hdc, 5sc, inc, 1sc, 2slst (make the slst loose), 1sc, inc, 5sc, 3hdc, 4inc-hdc, 8sc = 56
• 8. 12sc, 5inc, 8sc, inc, 4slst (make the slst loose), inc, 8sc, 5inc, 12sc = 68. FO.

Leave a 2.4 meters tail. Fold the ear in two, and pull the yarn tail inside the fold to make it exit on the other side. Don’t pull too much.

Hold the ear upside down, and insert your hook through both edges so that the yarn tail exit the ear behind your hook (the yarn tail should be stuck between the fold and your hook). Make single crochet both edges together from the bottom to the top of the ear.

This way, the nice single crochets border will face the same side to make the ears symmetrical. Fasten off and you should have a long enough tail for sewing.

LIFEBUOY

Start with red color yarn:

Alternate 6 rounds in red, 4 rounds in white.

Stuff while you crochet.

• 1. 6sc in MR
• 2-40. 6sc (19 rds) FO. Sew to the first round!

BERET

Start with white color yarn:

• 1. 6 sc in MR
• 2. 6 inc = 12
• 3. (sc, inc) x 6 = 18
• 4. (2sc, inc) x 6 = 24
• 5. BLO: (2sc, dec) x 6 = 18

Change to blue:

• 6. 1sc, (1sc, dec) x 5, 2sc = 13
• 7. FLO: 13sc. FO. Leave a long tail for sewing!

Make a pompom e sew it to the beret.

TAIL

With grey yarn, make a slip knot, keeping a 15cm tail before the knot (to attach the tail to the body later), then make 4ch. Fasten off, leaving again about 15cm.

Cut 2 pieces of grey yarn of 20cm each and sew them through the last chain. Then grab all the tails on the same side and holding the tails together, make one big knot. Pull it super tight and cut the tails short.

ASSEMBLY

1) Sew the trunk to the head.

2) Put the lifebuoy

3) Sew the head to the body.

4) Sew the ears to the head

5) Sew the arms to the body between rounds 18 and 19 (so that the blue stripes match).

6) Sew the beret to the head.

7) Embroider the eyebrow

8) With white yarn, embroider the nails on the legs and arms.

9) Sew the tail to the back just below the first white round.

10) Color the cheeks with red pencil

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