Ollie is a round, cuddly sea otter with a brown head and body, a cream face, little ears and flipper feet. His short arms hold a flat pink shell, and a flat tail peeks out behind him.
Make Ollie in spiral rounds with sport cotton and a 2.5 mm hook. Sew the pieces together to pose him sitting, then swap the shell for a red heart if you like.
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Ollie the Sea Otter Free Crochet Pattern
What You’ll Need
- Sport / fine (size 2) cotton yarn: brown, cream, dark brown and pink sport cotton yarn, plus a little black for embroidered eyes; 2.5 mm hook and stuffing
- 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 Head
The body and head are worked as stuffed spheres, with extra straight rounds giving the body its longer shape.
Body (brown, 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)
- R7-13: sc around (36)
- R14: (4 sc, dec) ×6 (30)
- R15: (3 sc, dec) ×6 (24)
- R16: (2 sc, dec) ×6 (18)
- R17: (1 sc, dec) ×6 (12)
- R18: dec ×6 (6)
- Stuff firmly as you shape the long, rounded body. Fasten off and leave a tail for sewing the head.
Head (brown, 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: (5 sc, inc) ×6 (42)
- R8: (6 sc, inc) ×6 (48)
- R9-14: sc around (48)
- Place embroidered eyes on the front, about 7 stitches apart. Keep them above the middle of the head.
- R15: (6 sc, dec) ×6 (42)
- R16: (5 sc, dec) ×6 (36)
- R17: (4 sc, dec) ×6 (30)
- R18: (3 sc, dec) ×6 (24)
- Stuff the head firmly and keep adding stuffing as you close.
- R19: (2 sc, dec) ×6 (18)
- R20: (1 sc, dec) ×6 (12)
- R21: dec ×6 (6)
- Fasten off and pull the opening closed.
Face and Otter Pieces
Face patch (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: sc around (24)
- Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Keep flat; this patch sits on the lower front of the head beneath the eyes.
Nose (dark brown, make 1)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- Fasten off and leave a tail. Sew to the upper middle of the cream face patch.
Ears (brown, make 2)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2: inc ×6 (12)
- R3-4: sc around (12)
- R5: dec ×6 (6)
- Fasten off, leaving a tail. Do not stuff; flatten each tiny cup and sew to the upper sides of the head.
Arms (brown, make 2)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2-6: sc around (6)
- Stuff the rounded ends very lightly. Flatten the open ends.
- Close: 3 sc through both layers (3)
- Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing. Attach the arms at the front of the body so they angle toward the shell.
Flipper feet (brown, make 2)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2: inc ×6 (12)
- R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
- R4-5: sc around (18)
- R6: (1 sc, dec) ×6 (12)
- R7: dec ×6 (6)
- Stuff lightly, then fasten off and close. Sew to the lower front of the body, angled outward for a sitting pose.
Tail (brown, make 1)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2: inc ×6 (12)
- R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
- R4-5: sc around (18)
- Fasten off without stuffing. Flatten the circle into a soft oval and leave a tail for sewing to the lower back of the body.
Shell and Assembly
Pink shell (pink, make 1)
- R1: 6 sc in a magic ring (6)
- R2: inc ×6 (12)
- R3: (1 sc, inc) ×6 (18)
- R4: sc around (18)
- Fasten off without stuffing. Add a curved shell spiral with a short length of cream yarn if desired.
- Sew the cream face patch to the lower front of the head, leaving room above it for the eyes. Sew the dark nose to the patch and embroider a short mouth beneath it.
- Sew the small flattened ears to the upper sides of the head.
- Sew the head to the narrow end of the stuffed body, keeping the face pointed forward.
- Sew the flipper feet to the lower front of the body so Ollie sits with his feet turned slightly outward. Sew the flat tail to the lower back.
- Sew the arms to the front of the body, angled inward. Place the flat pink shell between the arms and tack the arms lightly over its edges.
Make a Ollie with a red heart Version
Make the flat piece in red instead of pink and embroider a small cream heart detail in the center.
FAQ
Can I embroider the eyes?
Yes. Embroidered eyes are a good option for a toy that will be handled by a young child.
Can I make the shell a different colour?
Yes. Use any colour you like for the flat shell, or make the red-heart variation.
How do I keep the otter sitting?
Place the flipper feet low on the front of the body and angle them outward. Adjust the stuffing so the body rests comfortably against the surface.
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