Ollie the Giraffe – Free Crochet Pattern in One Continuous Piece

A giraffe in mustard cotton, worked head, neck and body as one continuous spiral. There is no seam where the neck meets the body: the round count simply carries on, widening from a 20-stitch neck to a 66-stitch body. Only the legs, arms, muzzle, ears, horns, tail and mane are separate.

Two details give the pattern its character. The first is the join at the top of the head: fifteen stitches are left open, a chain of five bridges the gap, and the work continues in a spiral from the other side — that is how a giraffe gets a snout that sits forward of the skull without any sewing. The second is the hooves: every limb changes colour on a row of back post slip stitches, worked from the wrong side, which produces a crisp line around the leg instead of the stepped edge a normal colour change gives.

Every round is written out below.

What you need

• Yarn: sport weight cotton, 4-ply — mustard for the body, brown for the spots, horns, hooves and tail, milky for the muzzle, mane and hooves, turquoise for the scarf. All the same weight
• Hook: 2.0 mm
• Notions: black yarn or embroidery floss for the eyes, mouth and nose, fibre fill, yarn needle, stitch marker

Abbreviations

sc single crochet, MR magic ring, ch chain, dec decrease, inc increase, sl st slip stitch, BPslst back post slip stitch, 3 sc inc three sc in one stitch. US terms; the count at the end of each round is in brackets.

The head

Mustard.

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR [6]
• Rnd 2: 6 inc [12]
• Rnd 3: (1 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [18]
• Rnd 4: (2 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [24]
• Rnd 5: (3 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [30]
• Rnd 6: (4 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [36]
• Rnd 7: (5 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [42]
• Rnd 8: (6 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [48]
• Rnd 9: 48 sc [48]
• Rnd 10: (7 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [54]
• Rnd 11: 54 sc [54]
• Rnd 12: (8 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [60]
• Rnd 13: 60 sc [60]
• Rnd 14: 28 sc, (1 dec, 8 sc) ×3, 2 sc [57]
• Rnd 15: 57 sc [57]

Now the gap for the neck: chain 5, skip 15 sc, and start the next round from the following stitch.

• Rnd 16: 6 sc, 1 dec, 10 sc, 1 dec, 14 sc, 1 dec, 6 sc, 5 sc on the chain [44]
• Rnd 17: 44 sc [44]
• Rnd 18: 41 sc, 1 dec, 1 sc [43]
• Rnd 19: 43 sc [43]
• Rnd 20: 2 sc, 1 dec, 15 sc, 1 dec, 14 sc, 1 dec, 6 sc [40]
• Rnd 21–22: 40 sc [40]
• Rnd 23: (6 sc, 1 dec) ×5 [35]
• Rnd 24–25: 35 sc [35]
• Rnd 26: (5 sc, 1 dec) ×5 [30]
• Rnd 27: 30 sc [30]
• Rnd 28: (3 sc, 1 dec) ×6 [24]
• Rnd 29: (2 sc, 1 dec) ×6 [18]
• Rnd 30: (1 sc, 1 dec) ×6 [12]
• Rnd 31: 6 dec [6]

Stuff the head tightly, close the hole and fasten off.

The neck

Work the neck back into the opening left in the head.

• Rnd 1: 15 sc, 5 sc on the chain [20]
• Rnd 2: 17 sc, 1 dec, 1 sc [19]
• Rnd 3–4: 19 sc [19]
• Rnd 5: 17 sc, 1 inc, 1 sc [20]
• Rnd 6–9: 20 sc [20] — 4 rounds
• Rnd 10: 18 sc, 1 inc, 1 sc [21]
• Rnd 11–13: 21 sc [21] — 3 rounds
• Rnd 14: 1 sc, 1 inc, 15 sc, 1 inc, 3 sc [23]
• Rnd 15–17: 23 sc [23] — 3 rounds
• Rnd 18: 3 sc, 1 inc, 14 sc, 1 inc, 3 sc, 1 inc [26]
• Rnd 19–21: 26 sc [26] — 3 rounds
• Rnd 22: 5 sc, 1 inc, 13 sc, 1 inc, 5 sc, 1 inc [29]
• Rnd 23–24: 29 sc [29]
• Rnd 25: 4 sc, 1 inc, 18 sc, 1 inc, 4 sc, 1 inc [32]
• Rnd 26–27: 32 sc [32]
• Rnd 28: 1 inc, 2 sc, 1 inc, 22 sc, 1 inc, 2 sc, 1 inc, 2 sc [36]
• Rnd 29–30: 36 sc [36]
• Rnd 31: 1 sc, 1 inc, 30 sc, 1 inc, 3 sc [38]
• Rnd 32–33: 38 sc [38]
• Rnd 34: (1 sc, 1 inc) ×3, 26 sc, (1 sc, 1 inc) ×3 [44]
• Rnd 35: 44 sc [44]

Stuff the neck as you go, tightly and gradually. Do not cut the yarn: the body follows straight on.

The body

• Rnd 36: 13 sc, (1 inc, 3 sc) ×4, 15 sc [48]
• Rnd 37: (2 sc, 1 inc) ×3, 30 sc, (2 sc, 1 inc) ×3 [54]
• Rnd 38: 54 sc [54]
• Rnd 39: (8 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [60]
• Rnd 40: 60 sc [60]
• Rnd 41: (3 sc, 1 inc) ×3, 36 sc, (3 sc, 1 inc) ×3 [66]
• Rnd 42–46: 66 sc [66] — 5 rounds
• Rnd 47: (20 sc, 1 dec) ×3 [63]
• Rnd 48–49: 63 sc [63]
• Rnd 50: (19 sc, 1 dec) ×3 [60]
• Rnd 51: 60 sc [60]
• Rnd 52: (13 sc, 1 dec) ×4 [56]
• Rnd 53: 56 sc [56]
• Rnd 54: (6 sc, 1 dec) ×7 [49]
• Rnd 55: (5 sc, 1 dec) ×7 [42]
• Rnd 56: (4 sc, 1 dec) ×7 [35]
• Rnd 57: (3 sc, 1 dec) ×7 [28]
• Rnd 58: (2 sc, 1 dec) ×7 [21]
• Rnd 59: (1 sc, 1 dec) ×7 [14]
• Rnd 60: 7 dec [7]

Stuff the body tightly and gradually, close the hole, fasten off.

The muzzle

Milky.

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR [6]
• Rnd 2: 6 inc [12]
• Rnd 3: (1 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [18]
• Rnd 4: (2 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [24]
• Rnd 5: (3 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [30]
• Rnd 6: (9 sc, 1 inc) ×3 [33]
• Rnd 7: 4 sc, (1 inc, 10 sc) ×2, 1 inc, 6 sc [36]
• Rnd 8: 36 sc [36]
• Rnd 9: (8 sc, 1 inc) ×4 [40]
• Rnd 10: 40 sc [40], slip stitch, cut leaving a long tail

The ears (make 2)

Mustard.

• Rnd 1: 5 sc in MR [5]
• Rnd 2: 5 inc [10]
• Rnd 3: 10 sc [10]
• Rnd 4: (1 sc, 1 inc) ×5 [15]
• Rnd 5–6: 15 sc [15]
• Rnd 7: (2 sc, 1 inc) ×5 [20]
• Rnd 8–9: 20 sc [20]
• Rnd 10: (3 sc, 1 inc) ×5 [25]
• Rnd 11: 25 sc [25]
• Rnd 12: (3 sc, 1 dec) ×5 [20]
• Rnd 13: 10 dec [10]

Fasten off with a slip stitch, leaving a long tail. Fold the ear in half and take a few stitches to hold the fold.

The horns (make 2)

Brown.

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR [6]
• Rnd 2: 6 inc [12]
• Rnd 3: (1 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [18]
• Rnd 4–5: 18 sc [18]
• Rnd 6: 9 dec [9]

Change to mustard.

• Rnd 7–11: 9 sc [9] — 5 rounds

Fasten off with a slip stitch, leaving a long tail.

The spots

Brown; five of each size.

• Small: 7 sc in MR [7], 7 inc [14], slip stitch, cut leaving a long tail
• Medium: 7 sc in MR [7], 7 inc [14], (1 sc, 1 inc) ×7 [21], slip stitch
• Large: 7 sc in MR [7], 7 inc [14], (1 sc, 1 inc) ×7 [21], (2 sc, 1 inc) ×7 [28], slip stitch

The legs (make 2)

Start in milky.

• Rnd 1: 7 sc in MR [7]
• Rnd 2: 7 inc [14]
• Rnd 3: (1 sc, 1 inc) ×7 [21]
• Rnd 4: (2 sc, 1 inc) ×7 [28]

Change to brown.

• Rnd 5: 28 BPslst, worked from the wrong side [28]
• Rnd 6: 28 sc, worked through the slip stitches of the previous round [28]
• Rnd 7: (2 sc, 1 dec) ×7 [21]
• Rnd 8–10: 21 sc [21]
• Rnd 11: (1 sc, 1 dec) ×7 [14]

Change to mustard.

• Rnd 12–18: 14 sc [14] — 7 rounds
• Rnd 19: (5 sc, 1 dec) ×2 [12]
• Rnd 20: (1 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [18]
• Rnd 21: (2 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [24]
• Rnd 22–23: 24 sc [24]
• Rnd 24: (2 sc, 1 dec) ×6 [18]
• Rnd 25: (1 sc, 1 dec) ×6 [12]
• Rnd 26: (5 sc, 1 inc) ×2 [14]
• Rnd 27–33: 14 sc [14] — 7 rounds
• Rnd 34: (2 sc, 1 inc) ×4, 2 sc [18]
• Rnd 35: (2 sc, 1 inc) ×6 [24]
• Rnd 36–37: 24 sc [24]
• Rnd 38: (2 sc, 1 dec) ×6 [18]
• Rnd 39: 18 sc [18]
• Rnd 40: (1 sc, 1 dec) ×6 [12]
• Rnd 41: 6 dec [6], slip stitch, cut, close the hole

Stuff tightly around the hoof and the knee, lightly along the rest so the leg stays flexible.

The arms (make 2)

Milky.

• Rnd 1: 7 sc in MR [7]
• Rnd 2: 7 inc [14]
• Rnd 3: (1 sc, 1 inc) ×7 [21]

Brown.

• Rnd 4: 21 BPslst from the wrong side [21]
• Rnd 5: 21 sc through the slip stitches [21]
• Rnd 6: 21 sc [21]
• Rnd 7: (5 sc, 1 dec) ×3 [18]
• Rnd 8: 18 sc [18]
• Rnd 9: (1 sc, 1 dec) ×6 [12]

Mustard.

• Rnd 10: (4 sc, 1 dec) ×2 [10]
• Rnd 11–20: 10 sc [10] — 10 rounds
• Rnd 21: (1 sc, 1 inc) ×5 [15]
• Rnd 22: (2 sc, 1 inc) ×5 [20]
• Rnd 23: 20 sc [20]
• Rnd 24: (2 sc, 1 dec) ×5 [15]
• Rnd 25: (1 sc, 1 dec) ×5 [10]
• Rnd 26–36: 10 sc [10] — 11 rounds

Stuff tightly around the hoof, lightly along the arm, then work 5 sc through both sides to close the opening.

The mane and the tail

Mane: start in mustard, ch 31. Row 1: 30 sc from the second chain, ch 1, turn [30]. Change to milky. Row 2: (3 sc inc) ×30, ch 1, turn [90]. Change to mustard. Row 3: 90 sc [90], cut leaving a long tail.

Tail: in mustard, ch 17 leaving a 10 cm end, then from the second chain 1 inc, 15 sc. In brown, make the brush: in a magic ring, (1 sc, ch 15) ×10, pull the ring closed, cut leaving a long tail, and sew the brush to the base of the tail.

Assembly

1. Put the muzzle on the bottom of the head and sew around its edge, then embroider the nostrils and the mouth in black.
2. Place the horns on the crown between rounds 5 and 8, symmetrical about the magic ring, and sew the ears 3 sc below the horns.
3. Sew the mane through the first round from the crown, between the horns, and down the middle of the neck.
4. Embroider the eyes, or fit safety eyes.
5. Sew the spots over the body — large at the bottom and in the middle first, then medium, then small — and avoid the places where the legs will go.
6. Sew the arms at the level of round 25 of the neck, in front, 3 sc apart.
7. Sew the legs between rounds 48 and 54 of the body, in a circle around the inner thigh, so they stay still. Button joints or cotter pins will let them turn.
8. Sew the tail between rounds 44 and 45, at the middle of the back.

Notes

The back post slip stitch row is the trick worth learning here. Worked from the wrong side, it produces a raised line exactly where the colour changes, and the following round is worked into those slip stitches rather than into the stitches below — which is why the hoof stays crisp and the leg does not flare at the join.

The round 16 join (chain 5 over 15 skipped stitches) is the only fiddly moment. Move the marker onto the last sc of the chain as the pattern says, or the whole head will lean to one side.

More tall toys: Dino Family is the 30 cm plush one, Lily Bunny is the 35 cm rabbit and Anglerfish SAM is the wired fish. Everything is on the patterns page.

Pattern source: Ollie the Giraffe.