Please note: This listing is for a downloadable PDF of the pattern instructions for making Ling-Ling …there is no hard copy of the pattern available, nor a finished item. The pattern is available only in English :)

Ling-Ling the Panda is the thirteenth of my patterns that makes use of the African Flower hexagon crochet motif and variations thereof, joined in a specific order to make a recognizable 3D item. I love this African Flower pattern and the creative possibilities of using it to make 3D items :) I have seen Chinese translations of Ling-Ling equating to a “sweet little girl”. Although I speak no Chinese and can’t say for certain if this is exact, I liked the idea of a sweet little Panda girl, so say “Hi!” to little Ling-Ling :)

So, let’s take a look at the important points and how you will start to make your own little panda :)

:: Steps to making your own Ling-Ling the Panda ::

1. NB: First read the whole pattern through properly, so you have a good overview.

2. Make sure you know how to crochet the African Flower hexagon crochet motif. I have included both written and charted instructions for the African Flower hexagon in this pattern. If you are a visual learner, you can see a step by step photo tutorial on my blog: http://heidibearscreative.blogspot.com/2010/05/african-fl...

3. Make sure you are able to crochet an African Flower pentagon, octagon, square and triangle… for clarity: the pentagon has five petals and five sides and the heptagon has seven petals and seven sides, the octagon has eight petals and eight sides and so on…. The difference is simply the number of “petal” repeats that you crochet…pentagons, octagons and heptagons etc are therefore equally easy to crochet. I have included written and charted instructions in this pattern on how to crochet an African Flower Pentagon (as well as all the other motifs). I have also posted a fully explained pentagon tutorial, on my blog, which can be found here:

http://heidibearscreative.blogspot.com/2011/09/african-fl...

1. Make sure you have gone through and practiced the join-as-you-go technique (JAYG). This has been explained and illustrated in the PDF named Appendix : Joining Tutorials. Since the joining method is really very important to the success of the project, I strongly suggest that you practice joining on scrap yarn motifs before starting the project. If you would prefer to sew your motifs together, you won’t need to practice the join-as-you-go technique, but will need to be confident in your neat sewing ability. I have not included instructions on how to sew stuff together…there are plenty resources available on the internet…

2. Either choose your yarn for this project or use the sock yarn that you have left over from other projects. Make all the required motifs for your panda bear BUT only up to Round 4 of the African Flower motif if you are doing a join-as-you-go method, or the full motif up to Round 5 if you are sewing up the motifs.

: : Materials Requirements : :

The panda bear that has been crocheted for this pattern, was made using sock weight/fingering/#1 weight yarn. Using this weight yarn will give you a panda measuring approximately 26cm tall when standing.

ALL THE CROCHET STITCHES USED IN THIS PATTERN ARE BASED ON AMERICAN CROCHET TERMS

Abbreviations : sc = single crochet , dc = double crochet, ch = chain

Sock weight / Fingering weight yarn/ #1 I used a dark chocolate colored yarn for the dark panda bits and an off-white colored yarn for the white panda bits. I used +/-120g of the dark yarn and +/- 75g of the off-white yarn. Add at least 10-15% extra yarn, just in case…you don’t want to run out near the end of your project!

The yardage for the sock yarn I used is around 320m/100g (350yds/100g). It is a superwash merino yarn, but you can use any alternative fingering weight yarn you like…I suggest that animal fibre yarns would be preferable, as they have more stretch, making the stuffing and shaping of the panda easier. Try to use a yarn with a similar yardage per 100g.

Crochet Hook 1.75mm
If you are planning to make your panda in a heavier weight yarn, adjust your hook size accordingly…however, use the smallest hook size possible for the weight of yarn that you can manage. Since the panda is stuffed, your stitch density will need to be tighter than usual to prevent the stuffing from popping out. Make a test motif in your chosen yarn and hook to see which would be the best size to use.

Polyester toy stuffing Four buttons (at least half the width of a square motif)

Scissors
Tapestry Needle used for sewing in ends
Sewing Pins
Sewing needle
Doll Making Needle or long tapestry needle

Eyes (plastic safety eyes or glass looped eyes). PLEASE NOTE THAT ATTACHED EYES ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR TOYS CREATED FOR CHILDREN! They can be a suffocation hazard. If you are making this toy for a child, rather embroider the eyes using embroidery thread! I would still suggest sculpting the eye sockets before embroidering the eyes…it adds a lovely realistic element :) I have used 12mm wire looped glass eyes. These can easily be sourced from sellers on eBay and Etsy.

: : Skills Requirements : :

Basic Crocheting Skills: Chain stitch (ch) , Single Crochet (sc), Double Crochet (dc), Slip Stitch (sl st), joining a chain to make a ring, joining in a new color

Join-as-you-go motif joining: This pattern will require that you join the crocheted motifs each stitch to each stitch. This is necessary to prevent the stuffing popping out of the panda. It is imperative that you are confident in your join-as-you-go ability. The method I use is explained in the Appendix pages found at the end of the pattern. These tutorials are illustrated by using motif chart illustrations with explanatory notes. This cuts down on printing :)
However, if you are scared witless by the thought of doing a join-as-you-go joining method, all is not lost…you can simply make all your motifs in full (including Round 5), then sew them together. The order of motif placement and the number of sides needing to be joined stays exactly the same whether you join-as-you-go or sew up.

Basic sewing skills Sewing the ears to the head, sewing the eye patches to the head, sewing the nose to the head.

I have tried very hard to avoid any errors in this pattern…however if you do find one, I would be grateful if you could send me a pm on Ravelry…thank you! :)

Happy crocheting folks!

xxx Heidi