Bailey the Whale

A while back I was trying to think of the perfect crochet gift for my new soon-to-be niece. When I was told that her nursery was going to be marine animal themed, I knew that I wanted to make her a whale plushie. 

I started looking online for patterns, but couldn't find anything that I liked. So I decided to fall back on one of my personal crochet mottos: if you can't find what you want, just make it yourself! 

I love the way this little whale turned out. Isn't she just adorable? I've decided to share some of the cuteness by making the pattern available to all of you! You can find this pattern for purchase as a PDF download either in my Etsy shop or on Ravelry. 

This pattern uses only basic stitches, but is recommended for those who have a bit of experience with crochet since it uses techniques like the magic circle and working in the round. (If you've never heard of the magic circle, check out this great tutorial from Planet June; it's one of my very favorite crochet tricks.) The pattern features step-by-step pictures to make it easy to follow and also includes a short tutorial on the invisible decrease to help make your stitches neater.

You can customize this whale with any color or weight of yarn that you'd like to use, since gauge doesn't matter as long as you're consistent. Just adjust your hook size as needed to make sure that your stitches are tight enough to keep the stuffing in.

 If you end up making one of these little guys, I would love to see a picture of how it turns out! You can reach me on Twitter, Facebook, Ravelry, or by email. Or, if you'd like to purchase a pre-made whale, take a look at my Etsy shop. And if you have any questions about the pattern, please let me know! This pattern has been tested (thanks to Mnemosyn, krissy7575, and Fierdre), so it should be error-free, but if you have any difficulties with it I'd be happy to help you out. 

***You're welcome to do whatever you'd like to with finished products made from this pattern but if you do sell them, I ask that you link back to my page. You may not copy this pattern, repost it anywhere (either altered or in its original form), or claim it as your own. You may not use any photos on this site for your own use. ***