My toddler desperately wanted a soft school bus that she could cuddle and I couldn’t find one to buy, so I opted to make one myself. I found my notes for it recently, so decided to share.

This is the first “pattern” I ever wrote. I didn’t know how to read, much less write, patterns at the time, but needed to be able to make the two side panels match, so made it up as I went.

I’ve rewritten the pattern into proper terms so that I can share it with others, as well as including my original notes. It’s certainly flawed in many ways, but the bus still gives my daughter joy and that’s what matters most to me.

I wanted to share this as a free pattern, just for fun, but also as a reminder that we all start somewhere. If you have an idea, don’t be afraid to try! It probably won’t be perfect the first time, but you can’t discover what you can do, if you never start. So enjoy my little bus, then go out there and try whatever it is that you’ve been too afraid to do because you might fail. It’s worth the risk.

It would bring me great joy to see what you make using this little pattern, including any improvements or inspiration you took from it. You can tag me on instagram @gingerkittencrochet if you post there.