Heather is a chubby little Highland cow with a ginger coat, a fluffy loop-stitch fringe, a cream muzzle and curved horns. Her small legs end in dark hooves, and she sits sweetly on her rounded body.
Make Heather with sport cotton and a 2.5 mm hook, working the main pieces in spiral rounds of single crochet. The pieces are stuffed and sewn together, with a cream-coloured version for a simple variation.
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Heather the Highland Cow Free Crochet Pattern
What You’ll Need
- Sport / fine (size 2) cotton yarn: ginger, cream and dark brown sport cotton, plus a little black yarn for the nostrils
- 2.5 mm crochet hook (a hook smaller than the yarn label suggests keeps the stitches tight)
- 8 to 10 mm safety eyes (or black yarn to embroider them)
- Fiberfill stuffing
- Tapestry needle, sewing pins and a stitch marker
The finished size depends on your yarn and hook: thicker yarn and a bigger hook make a bigger piece.
Abbreviations (US terms)
- MR magic ring
- sc single crochet
- inc increase: 2 sc in the same stitch
- dec decrease (an invisible decrease gives the smoothest finish)
- ch chain
- sl st slip stitch
- R round; Row row worked flat; the number in brackets is the stitch count at the end
Body and Legs
Make the rounded body first, then add the short hooved legs at the front so Heather can sit.
Body (ginger, make 1)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2: inc ×6 (12)
- R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
- R4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
- R5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
- R6: (4 sc, inc) ×6 (36)
- R7-11: sc around (36)
- R12: (4 sc, dec) ×6 (30)
- R13: (3 sc, dec) ×6 (24)
- R14: (2 sc, dec) ×6 (18)
- R15: (1 sc, dec) ×6 (12)
- Stuff the body firmly and keep stuffing as you close.
- R16: dec ×6 (6)
- Fasten off and pull the small opening closed. Set the body down with the closed end underneath.
Legs (dark brown, then ginger, make 2)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2-3: sc around (6)
- Change to ginger.
- R4-7: sc around (6)
- Stuff the hoof lightly and leave the upper part unstuffed.
- Close: 3 sc through both layers (3)
- Fasten off, leaving a tail to sew. Sew the flattened top to the lower front of the body so Heather sits with her hooves pointing forward.
Head and Muzzle
Head (ginger, make 1)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2: inc ×6 (12)
- R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
- R4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
- R5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
- R6: (4 sc, inc) ×6 (36)
- R7-11: sc around (36)
- Place safety eyes on the front, between Rounds 10 and 11, about 8 stitches apart. Embroider the eyes instead for a baby-safe toy.
- R12: (4 sc, dec) ×6 (30)
- R13: (3 sc, dec) ×6 (24)
- R14: (2 sc, dec) ×6 (18)
- R15: (1 sc, dec) ×6 (12)
- Stuff the head firmly and keep stuffing as you close.
- R16: dec ×6 (6)
- Fasten off and pull the opening closed, leaving a long tail to sew the head to the body.
Muzzle (cream, make 1)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2: inc ×6 (12)
- R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
- R4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
- R5-6: sc around (24)
- Stuff lightly so the muzzle stays soft and oval. Fasten off, leaving a long tail to sew.
- Sew the open edge to the lower front of the face. Embroider two small dark nostrils on the muzzle.
Arms, Ears, Horns and Fringe
Arms (ginger, make 2)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2-6: sc around (6)
- Stuff the lower half lightly. Leave the top unstuffed.
- Close: 3 sc through both layers (3)
- Fasten off, leaving a tail to sew the flattened top to the sides of the body.
Ears (ginger, make 2)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2: inc ×6 (12)
- R3-4: sc around (12)
- Flatten the piece. Fasten off, leaving a tail to sew each ear to the sides of the head.
- Close: 6 sc through both layers (6)
Horns (cream, make 2)
- Ch 11. Row 1: 3 sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across (30)
- Fasten off, leaving tails at both ends. Sew each curved horn to the top of the head, just above an ear.
Fringe (ginger, make 1)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2: inc ×6 (12)
- R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
- R4: (2 sc, inc) ×6 (24)
- R5: (3 sc, inc) ×6 (30)
- R6: (4 sc, inc) ×6 (36)
- R7-8: sc around (36)
- On the front half of the last two rounds, work loop stitches for the fluffy fringe. Fasten off, leaving a long tail to sew the cap over the forehead and top of the head.
- Sew the head to the top of the body, angling it slightly forward.
- Sew the cream muzzle to the lower front of the face and embroider two small nostrils.
- Sew the ears to the sides of the head and place the curved horns just above them.
- Sew the loop-stitch fringe over the forehead, just above the eyes.
- Sew the arms to the sides of the body and position the legs at the lower front so Heather sits securely.
For more face ideas, see how to embroider faces on amigurumi.
Make a Cream Heather Version
Use cream yarn instead of ginger for the head, body, legs, arms, ears and fringe; keep the muzzle and horns cream and the hooves dark brown.
FAQ
Can I make Heather in another colour?
Yes. Use cream for the main pieces for the cream cow variation, while keeping the hooves dark.
How do I make the fringe fluffy?
Work loop stitches across the front half of the fringe cap, then sew the cap over the forehead.
Can I embroider the eyes?
Yes. Embroidered eyes are a good option if you prefer not to use safety eyes.
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