The Bitty Flamingo Buddy: A FREE Crochet Flamingo Pattern

Did you know that April 26th is International Flamingo Day? A day set aside specially to celebrate these pretty pink birds and encourage education and advocacy for them! What better way to share some flamingo love than with a free crochet flamingo pattern!?

This newest bitty buddy is almost no-sew – just the beak and the neck need a few sewn stitches. It is quick, simple and beginner-friendly! Add a rattle insert or crinkle paper for a sweet noise maker or pop on a wooden teething ring for a tiny teether! Bitty buddies make some adorable little gifts for any baby you love. Read on to find out how you can make your very own FREE crochet flamingo pattern.

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The Bitty Flamingo Buddy is a unique design in the Bitty Buddy Collection featuring the bobble stitch. Bitty buddies are a tiny-sized cross between a security blanket and favorite stuffed animal, making them the perfect little loveys. They are teeny and sweet and make great rattles, teether toys or binky buddies! The bobbled texture and soft body structure provide great sensory input while the cute animal designs make them fun for play! Check out the full collection!

If you prefer the ad-free printable version of the bitty flamingo, you can find it on Etsy or Ravelry.

Bitty Flamingo is the tiny counterpart to the Fabulous Flamingo Bobble Buddy! You can check out the Fabulous Flamingo pattern here on Etsy or Ravelry.

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As I’ve said before, these bitties are meant for babies, so I typically prefer cotton yarn like Hobby Lobby, I Love This Cotton yarn or Lion Brand, 24/7 cotton. Cotton yarn works up nicely and is great for teething babies to chew on. It doesn’t have loose strands of fiber shedding off, it is easy to wash and it just gets softer and softer over time. You can use other acrylic blends for these patterns, I just prefer the cotton. I know plush has become SO popular too, so if you are looking to use something bulky, I recommend Premier, Parfait Chunky or Joann’s Big Twist Baby Bear.

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MATERIALS:

Materials needed for this little free flamingo crochet pattern will vary based on the type of yarn you choose. If you choose a size 4 yarn as pictured, you will need smaller hooks and slightly less yardage of yarn whereas if you use a size 5 or 6 yarn, you will need larger hooks and slightly more yardage of yarn. A quick note about bulkier yarns – these patterns can work well with size 5 bulky yarn or with a very thin “size 6” yarn. I do not recommend using this pattern with Bernat Blanket Yarn as I feel that it just comes out far too bulky! See the bitty butterfly pattern in my shop if you’d like a body style that works well with super bulky!

HOOK(S): [My all-time favorite hooks are Clover Amour hooks]

• For Size 4 Cotton/Acrylic Yarn:
  2.75 mm • US size C // 4.0 mm • US size G
• For Bulkier Yarn (Parfait Chunky):
  4.0 mm • US size G // 5.0 mm • US size H

YARN: [I’ve used Hobby Lobby and Premier Parfait Chunky for this project]

• Weight : Worsted
  • Hobby Lobby, I Love This Cotton Yarn
    • Rosey II, ~ 100 yds
    • Black and White, scrap amount (for eyes/beak)

NOTIONS

• Darning Needle
• Embroidery Thread
• Measuring Tape
• Polyfil Stuffing
• Rattle Insert (if desired)
• Scissors
• Stitch Marker (if desired)
• Teething Ring (if desired)

GAUGE
Exact gauge is not necessary for this project

FINAL HEIGHT
~7 inches from top to bottom

OK, let’s get started!

If you prefer the ad-free printable version, you can find it on Etsy or Ravelry. Use code BITTY to save on any of the bitty buddy patterns!

Here’s a quick note! Most of my patterns use the bobble stitch. This is a unique stitch that creates bobbles which pop up off of the work to add to the texture and overall look of the project. For infants and children, this unique texture creates interest and great sensory input in their toy! I work my bobbles in the round by pushing them towards me rather than away from me so they end up on the outside of the work in the round. If you need help with this technique, see this stitch tutorial and check out this video which gives directions on how to work the bobble stitch in the round. The pattern featured in this video is the free pineapple plush, but the technique used is the same. On to the free crochet penguin pattern!

STITCH ABBREVIATIONS:

SPECIAL STITCHES:

BOBBLE STITCH (bobble): tutorial here

To make a bobble stitch you will work multiple double crochets into the same stitch.

(Yo, insert hook into st, draw up a loop, yo, pull through first two loops on hook) and repeat 3 more times. End with 5 loops on the hook – yo, pull through all 5 loops.

See this stitch tutorial for a step-by-step description with photos here.

You can choose to make the bobbles on the right or the wrong side of your project, just make sure they are on the outside of the body when finished.

DECREASE STITCHES (hdc2tog/sc2tog): To decrease stitches, you will hdc or sc 2 stitches together to decrease the stitch count. Pattern indicates which stitch to use for these decreases.

INCREASE STITCHES (inc): To increase stitches, you will sc or hdc 2 stitches into the same spot.

PATTERN:

MAKING THE WINGS: (Make Two)

Use a 2.75 mm hook for the wings. Make the wings in the main color. Stitch counts are included at the end of each round.

Round 1: To begin, make a magic circle. Place 6 sc in the magic circle.
Do not join. Continue to work in the round. [6]

Round 2: [sc inc, sc] x 3. [9]

Round 3: sc x 9 around. [9]

Round 4: [sc inc, sc x 2] x 3. [12]

Round 5: sc x 12 around. [12]

Round 6: [sc inc, sc x 3] x 3. [15]

Round 7: [sc inc, sc x 4] x 3. [18]

Round 8: [sc inc, sc x 5] x 3. [21]

Round 9: sc x 21 around. [21]

Round 10: [sc inc, sc x 6] x 3. [24]

Rounds 11-13: sc x 24 around. (3 rounds, 72 sts) [24]

Round 14: [sc2tog, sc x 2] x 6. [18]

Round 15: [sc2tog, sc] x 6. [12]

Round 16: Pinch the top of the wing together and place 6 sc across the top, making sure to go through stitches on each side in order to close off the wing. Cut yarn, tie off and weave in ends. Leave wings unstuffed. Make two wings and set aside for assembly. [6]

MAKING THE BEAK:

Use a 2.75 mm hook for the beak. Stitch counts are included at the end of each round. Use stitch markers as desired.

Round 1: Use black yarn to begin. Make a magic circle and place 4 sc around. Do not join. Continue to work in the round. [4]

Round 2: [sc inc, sc] x 2. [6]

Round 3: sc x 2, sc inc, sc x 3. [7]

Round 4: sc x 2, [sc inc] x 2, sc x 3. [9]

Round 5: sc x 4. This is a partial round. Switch to white on the last st. [4]

Round 6: In white, sc x 9 around. Sl st to the first st. This is the bottom of the beak. Leaving a tail to sew the beak to the face, cut yarn and tie off. Set aside for assembly. [9]

MAKING THE HEAD:

Use a 4.0 mm hook for the head. Make the head in the main color. Stitch counts are included at the end of each round.

Round 1: To begin, make a magic circle. Place 6 sc in the magic circle. Do not join. You will continue to work in the round. [6]

Round 2: [sc inc] in each st around. [12]

Round 3: [sc inc, sc] x 6. [18]

Round 4: [sc inc, sc x 2] x 6. [24]

Round 5: [sc inc, sc x 3] x 6. [30]

Rounds 6-10: sc x 30 around. (5 rounds, 150 sts) [30]

Round 11: [sc2tog, sc x 3] x 6. [24]
*Stop here and add safety eyes in round 8, if desired. Begin stuffing head firmly and continue as you work the rounds of the neck. Add rattle insert before closing head, if desired.

Round 12: [sc2tog, sc x 2] x 6. [18]

Round 13: [sc2tog, sc] x 6. [12]

Round 14: sc x 12 around. [12]

Round 15: [sc2tog, sc x 4] x 2. [10]

Rounds 16-18: sc x 10 around. (3 rounds, 30 sts) [10]

Round 19: Working in the BLO, [sc2tog] in each st around.
Leaving a bit of a tail, cut and tie off your yarn. Thread a needle and sew under the front loop of each remaining stitch. Cinch tightly together to close the neck of the head. Tie off and weave in your ends.

MAKING THE BODY:

Use a 4.0 mm hook for the head. Make the head in the main color. Stitch counts are included at the end of each round.

Round 1: To begin, make a magic circle. Place 6 hdc stitches in the magic circle. Do not join. You will continue to work in the round.[6]

Round 2: [hdc inc] x 6. [12]

Round 3: [hdc inc, hdc] x 6. [18]

Round 4: [sc x 2, bobble] x 6. [18, 6 bobbles]

Round 5: [hdc inc, hdc x 2] x 6. [24]

Round 6: sc x 2, bobble, [sc x 3, bobble] x 5, sc. [24, 6 bobbles]

Round 7: hdc x 24 around. [24]

Round 8: sc, [bobble, sc x 3] x 5, bobble, sc x 2. [24, 6 bobbles]

Round 9: hdc x 24 around. [24]

Round 10: [bobble, sc x 3] x 6. [24, 8 bobbles]

Round 11: [hdc x 2, hdc2tog] x 6. [18]

Round 12: [sc x 2, bobble] x 6. [18, 6 bobbles]

Round 13: [hdc x 4, hdc2tog] x 3. [15]

At this point, you will add the wings to your bird, to avoid having to sew them in later. Both wings should be closed with six stitches across. Wing should look as pictured below. Either side can be the “front” side.

Round 14: sc x 1. Now, place your wing on the outside of the body and sc x 6 through both the wing and the stitches of the body to attach.  sc x 2. Now, place your wing on the outside of the body and sc x 6 through both the wing and the stitches of the body to attach.  [15]

Round 15: [sc, sc2tog] x 5. [10]
Slip stitch to first stitch and then leaving a long tail to attach the head to the body, cut yarn and tie off.

ASSEMBLY OF YOUR FLAMINGO:

You should now have the body with two attached wings and the unattached head and beak of your bitty buddy.

First, attach the body to the head/neck. I highly recommend using pins to make sure that your head is sewn on straight and centered. Aim to sew the body in a circular fashion. There are ten stitches on both the neck and the opening of the body, so should be stitched 1:1. I prefer starting from the back of the body/head and moving around the front. Carefully stitch through both the body and head to attach.

Now, add the features to the face of your flamingo.

To add the beak, center the beak on the head with the top of the beak reaching to round 8 and the bottom reaching to round 11. Pins are helpful to hold the beak in place. Use the tail of the beak to sew to the face. Remember, the tail is on the bottom side of the beak.

Embroider the eyes on either side of and slightly higher than the beak. You can embroider simple eyes in an upside down “V” shape or more realistic eyes. Eyes pictured are sewn across rounds 7-9, 1-2 stitches wide and with 5 stitches between.

Check out this photo tutorial for more help.

Once you have finished the features and assembly, that’s it! Enjoy your new bitty buddy!

If you liked this free crochet flamingo pattern bitty buddy, you may also like the full-sized Fabulous Flamingo Bobble Buddy pattern!

If you make this bitty free crochet flamingo pattern, I’d love for you to share! On Instagram, use #bittybuddy and tag me @_stuckonyoucrochet_ OR share on Facebook! And if you’d prefer to keep a copy of the ad-free printable version, you can find it on Etsy or Ravelry. Use code BITTY to save on any of the bitty buddy patterns!

Thanks for checking out this free crochet flamingo pattern and stay tuned for more bitty buddy patterns to come!

Please Note!
This pattern and the pictures are the property of Allison Wasserman and may not be copied, shared, reproduced or sold in part or in whole. The pattern may not be altered or rewritten in any way for resale. You may not use any photos without consent. You are permitted to sell the finished product in small quantities, but please credit the designer by linking to the shop or pattern in your online description.