If you want to buy an inexpensive, printable PDF of this free crochet Chip the Chinchilla pattern, you can get it HERE in my Etsy shop!
This crochet chinchilla was so fun to design for the amigurumi.com endangered animals crochet design contest. I’m so glad to share this design with all of you!
This post covers the second half of the pattern, so if you need the first half go check it out HERE.
Part 1 covers making the body, face, arms, and legs.
Part 2 covers making the ears, tail, and final sewn/embroidered details.
NOTE: If you are wanting to sell finished products you’re welcome to, just make sure you link back to my pattern here and credit me with the design. Thank you!
Ear (make 2)
The ears are worked flat.
Ch 7, turn
Row 1: starting in the 2nd ch from the hook, sc 6, ch 1, turn
Row 2: inc, sc 4, inc, ch 1, turn
Row 3: sc 8, ch 1, turn
Row 4: sc 8, ch 1, turn
Row 5: dec, sc 4, dec, ch 1, turn
Row 6: sc 6, ch 1, turn
Row 7: dec, sc 2, dec, ch 1, turn
Row 8: dec, dec
FO, leaving a small yarn tail.
To round out the ears you’ll need to crochet around the edges.
Begin by looking at the back side of the ear, as shown in the next picture.
Step 1: Create a slip knot with your yarn and pull it through the bottom right corner of the back of the ear (photo X). Then ch 2.
Step 2: Next make 1 sc into the edge space between the first and second rows of the ears (photos Y, Z green dot is where you crochet into). Then ch 1.
Step 3: Make 1 sc in the edge space two rows up from where you made the previous sc in step 2 (photo .A blue dot is where you crochet into). Then ch 1. Repeat this step two more times.
Step 4: You should now be at the top of the ear. Sc across the top of row 8 – this should be just 2 sc sts (photo .B blue dots are where you should crochet into). Then ch 1.
You’ll now work down the side of the ear in the same way we worked up the first side of the ear.
Step 5: Make 1 sc into the edge space between rows 7 and 8. Then ch 1.
Step 6: Make 1 sc in the edge space two rows down from where you made the previous sc in step 5. Then ch 1. Repeat this step 2 more times. (photo .C)
Step 7: Make 1 sc into the bottom corner of the ear. FO leaving a long tail for sewing the ear on (photo .D).
Weave in all of the tails except for the long one you left to sew the ear on.
You’ll notice while crocheting the edge that the ear curls a little. The side where the ear curls in will be referred to as the “front” of the ear, the other side is the “back”. And the left and right sides are referring to the ear as you’re looking from the front (See the photo below).
When looking at the front of the left ear, fold the right bottom corner in about 2 stitch widths. Fold the left bottom corner in about 1 stitch width. You’ll want to keep these edges pinched in as you pin the ears onto your chinchilla (photo .E).
Starting with the left ear, pin the right side down so that the right bottom corner of the ear is on row 7 of the body where you sewed the face onto the body. Pin the bottom left corner so that it ends on row 10 about 2-3 sts back from where the face meets the body. This makes the ears tilt slightly back and down. (photo .F)
When looking at the front of the right ear, fold the left bottom corner in about 2 stitch widths. Fold the right bottom corner in about 1 stitch width. You’ll want to keep these edges pinched in as you pin the ears onto your chinchilla (photo .G).
For the right ear, pin down the left bottom corner of the ear so that it’s on row 7 of the body where you sewed the face onto the body. Pin the bottom right corner so that it ends on row 10 about 2-3 sts back from where the face meets the body so that it has the same tilt as the left ear. (photo .H)
Tail
The secret to making this fluffy chinchilla tail is *drumroll please* POMPOMS!
Make 5 pompoms that are 2” wide each.
To make each pompom, start by cutting a length of yarn about 8 inches long and set it aside. Then wrap more yarn around 3 of your fingers 20 times (photos .I, .J). This number of wraps results in a pompom that’s not too full, allowing all the pompoms to blend together well into a nice, fluffy tail.
After wrapping, cut the yarn and carefully slide the wrapped yarn off your fingers (photo .K). Use the length of yarn you set aside to tie around the center of the loops (photos .L, .M).
Make sure you pull really tight and knot it (photo .M). Working your way around the pompom, cut all of the loops in the center so that they become free ends (photo .N). Fluff up your pompom and trim up any ends as necessary to make your pompom 1.5”-1.75” wide. You’ll want one side to be flat with the strings you tied hanging down, and the other rounded and fluffy (photos .O, .P).
Once you have made all five pompoms, you’ll use the long yarn ends on each pompom to stitch it onto the body (photos .Q, .R).
The first pompom to sew on is at the end of the tail. Stitch the center of the pompom onto rnd 17 about 2 inches back from where the face meets the body (photos .S, .T). Then tie a knot with the two tails and weave in the ends.
From here sewing on the pom poms doesn’t have to be as precise. You want a tail that curves around the body and down towards the base of the chinchilla’s back, until it reaches the bottom of the center of the back. Place your remaining 4 pompoms in line, creating that curved tail, to give you an idea of where they’ll be sewn on. If pinning them on helps, feel free to do so and sew each one on (photo .U).
As you sew each one on, ensure that the remaining pompoms will be close enough together that their ends blended together to make it look like one fluffy tail instead of multiple circular pompoms (photo .V).
After you sew each one on, knot it and weave in the ends.
Embroidered Face
Embroider the nose onto the face across the middle rnd 1, covering the whole round from left to right (photo .W). Make 10-12 stitches across until you get a rounded rectangle nose, then poke the needle out of the face between rnds 2 and 3 (photo .X).
To start the mouth, make one stitch up into the center of the magic ring underneath the nose stitches (photo .Y). Come out of the face one stitch to the right of where you started the mouth, and insert it into where you started (photo .Z). To finish off the mouth, exit the face one stitch to the left of where you started the mouth, and insert back into where you started the mouth (photo *A). Knot and weave in the ends, and your face should look like photo *B.
And now you’ve got an adorable little chinchilla buddy!
Thank you for following along with this pattern!
If you made a little sloth of your own I’d love to see how it turned out! Post a picture on social media with #lifewithbubbins or tag me on instagram @lifewithbubbins so I can see what you’ve made!
