The puppet that started it all
The Unicorn Hand Puppet
The Unicorn Hand Puppet was my first design featured on The Hook Nook blog! This is the design that spurred on many fun and creative ideas, and the pattern that I first saw popping up on Instagram, as other makers enjoyed it and tagged me in their photos! Nothing gives me greater joy than seeing others enjoying my designs! Well, almost nothing. I think the only thing that might top that, is seeing the joy on a child’s face, enjoying the finished toy. That is what I live for, why I do what I do, and that is why ekayg exists – to inspire creativity and imaginative joy in children. That journey began long before the Unicorn Hand Puppet, and hopefully, will continue long after!
This pattern was originally published on The Hook Nook blog, and is now featured here on EkayG! You can see the whole collection here, or purchase the whole pattern set from my Ravelry or Etsy shops! Or continue below for the free pattern!
If you’re interested in a printer-friendly PDF of the unicorn hand puppet pattern, you can find the design in my Ravelry or Etsy shops! You can also purchase the pattern bundle with all The Hook Nook yarn needed for this project, plus the PDF, HERE from The Hook Nook! And FYI, you get enough yarn in that bundle to make BOTH the unicorn hand puppet AND the unicorn lovey puppet! If you prefer to use the free blog copy below, I still appreciate you being here! And another great way to support my blog is simply by sharing! Thank you for supporting my business!
Notes: This pattern is worked from the top down, in the rnd, with no joining. The arms, snout, ears, and hair are made separately and sewn on. The eyes and nostrils are embroidered on with black worsted weight yarn. Pictures below can give more details into the process. The horn can be made in the same color as the body, or changed. The Glamour yarn, used for this horn, is a fine weight (2), so you need to work two strands together for this pattern.
***This pattern was originally written using Vanna’s Choice yarns, but as many of them have become discontinued, I have edited to add the choice of The Hook Nook Yarns, which created a very cute and very soft unicorn puppet! Any worsted weight, or even a thinner bulky weight yarn (such as THN Yummy) will work for this pattern, as I have tested several out! Other compatible yarn options are listed below!
Size: This is one size, fitting child through adult, but if you wish to make it smaller for a smaller child to play with, simply tighten gauge or go down a hook size.
Gauge: 7 sts across and 8 rnds down = approximately 2 inches
Materials:
Option 1:
The Hook Nook Main Squeeze, Mustard Yellow – approximately 5 yds
The Hook Nook Yummy, Like a Dove – approximately 74 yds
The Hook Nook Yummy, Latte Foam – approximately 12 yds
The Hook Nook Yummy, Cherry Blossom – approximately 2 yds
The Hook Nook Small Stuff, Green Thumb – approximately 2 yds
The Hook Nook Main Squeeze, Rose Gold – approximately 4 yds
The Hook Nook Main Squeeze, Pinot Noir – approximately 4 yds
The Hook Nook Main Squeeze, Peacock Feathers – approximately 4 yds
Option 2:
Lion Brand Vanna’s Glamour, Gold – approximately 10 yds
Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice, White – approximately 83 yds
Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice, Pink – approximately 15 yds
Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice, Dusty Purple – approximately 5 yds
Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice, Dusty Blue – approximately 5 yds
Small amount of any green, for optional leaves.
Small amount of worsted weight black yarn for the eyes and nostrils.
Tapestry needle
***NOTE: I originally wrote this pattern with Lion Brand’s Vanna’s Choice in mind, but that yarn has been discontinued. Here are some other comparable yarn suggestions!
- Caron One Pound: it feels a little thicker in my hands, but is still a medium worsted weight yarn, and they have a great color selection!
- Red Heart with Love: again, feels a bit thicker than Vanna’s Choice, but softer than the Red Heart Super Saver, and offers a wide variety of colors!
- Any worsted weight yarn would work!
- Lion Brand Bonbons Celebrate or Party: for the horn, if you don’t want to use an ordinary yellow worsted, but can’t find the Vanna’s Glamour, these sparkly yarns come with some great colors, including gold!
Terms and abbreviations to know:
Magic ring
Rnd, rnds – round, rounds
St, sts – stitch, stitches
Sl st – slip stitch
Sc – single crochet
Hdc – half double crochet
Dc – double crochet
Inc – increase, 2 sts in same st
BLO – back loop only
Invsc2tog – invisible single crochet 2 together; this is essentially a decrease, but done in such a way as to make the continuous stitching smoother, and the decrease not as noticeable.
- Insert hook into front loop only of next stitch, DO NOT yarn over.
- Insert hook into front loop of second stitch.
- Yarn over. Pull through 2 loops.
- Yarn over and pull through last 2 loops.
Unicorn Hand Puppet Pattern
Body
beginning with horn, in Gold
If you are using the recommended Vanna’s Glamour Gold (or Lion Brand Bonbons), crochet with 2 strands together. Cut approximately 5 yds of your Gold. Then grab second strand from your skein. If you are using regular worsted weight yarn, just continue with one strand.
Holding the strands together, begin with a magic ring.
Rnd 1: 4 sc in magic ring; 4 sts
Rnd 2: BLO (inc, sc in next st)2x; 6 sts
Rnd 3: BLO sc in each st around; 6 sts
Rnd 4: BLO (inc, sc in next 2 sts)2x; 8 sts
Rnd 5: BLO sc in each st around; 8 sts
Rnd 6: BLO (inc, sc in next 3 sts)2x; 10 sts
Rnd 7: BLO sc in each st around; 10 sts
Rnd 8: BLO (inc, sc in next 4 sts)2x; 12 sts
Rnd 9: BLO sc in each st around; 12 sts
Pull White through to complete last st of rnd 9. Fasten off Gold, and complete body in White.
Rnd 10: BLO inc in each st around; 24 sts
Working through both loops now throughout the rest of the pattern.
Rnd 11: (inc, sc in next 3 sts)6x; 30 sts
Rnds 12-13: sc in each st around; 30 sts
Rnd 14: (inc, sc in next 4 sts)6x; 36 sts
Rnds 15-20: sc in each st around; 36 sts
Rnd 21: (invsc2tog, sc in next st)12x; 24 sts
Rnd 22: sc in each st around; 24 sts
Rnd 23: (inc, sc in next 3 sts)6x; 30 sts
Rnd 24: sc in each st around; 30 sts
Rnd 25: sc in next 4 sts, inc in next st, ch 4, sk next 4 sts, inc in next st, (sc in next 4 sts, inc) 2x, ch 4, sk next 4 sts, inc in next st, sc in next 4 sts, inc in last st; 36 sts, counting the chs
Rnd 26: sc in next 6 sts, sc into each of the 4 chs (using the back loop under the chs will create a neater look in the sts for sewing on the arms later), sc in next 14 sts, sc into each of the 4 chs, sc in next 8 sts; 36 sts
Rnds 27-42: sc in each st around; 36 sts
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Arms
Make 2
Begin with Pink and a magic ring.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in magic ring; 6 sts
Rnd 2: inc in each st around; 12 sts
Rnd 3: BLO sc in each st around; 12 sts
Pull White through to complete the last st of rnd 3, and fasten off Pink
Continue in White
Rnds 4-13: sc in each st around; 12 sts
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew onto the arm holes in the body.
Ears
Make 2
The ears are each made in two parts; a back, and a front. The back is made in all white. The front begins with pink for the center. Make the back first. Then, make the front, and attach it to the back as instructed.
Back, in White
Ch 4
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, and in each ch across; 3 sts
Row 2: ch 1 and turn, sk first st, sc in next 2 sts; 2 sts
Row 3: ch 1 and turn, sk first st, sc in last st; 1 st
Do not turn, sc 2 down the side of the ear, sc 2 in the bottom corner, sc 1 across the bottom, sc 2 in the corner, sc 2 up the opposite side of the ear, sc into the top st of the ear, sl st to join, and fasten off; 10 sts around
Front, begin in Pink
Ch 4
Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook, and in each ch across; 3 sts
Row 2: ch 1 and turn, sk first st, sc in next 2 sts; 2 sts
Row 3: ch 1 and turn, sk first st, sc in last st; 1 st
Pull White through to complete final sts of row 3, and fasten off Pink
Do not turn, sc 2 down the side of the ear, sc 2 in the bottom corner, sc 1 across the bottom, sc 2 in the corner, sc 2 up the opposite side of the ear, sc into the top st of the ear, sl st to join, but do NOT fasten off; 10 sts around
Place front of ear on top of your back ear, and sc around, through both the front and back, to join, in each st around. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew ears on top of the head, to the sides of the horn.
Snout in Pink
The snout is worked in the rnd, but around a base ch to elongate and create an oval.
Ch 8
Rnd 1: turn and inc in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next 5 chs, 3 sc in last ch, turn work to crochet on the bottom side of the ch, sc in next 5 chs along the bottom, sc in last ch, do not join; 16 sts
Rnd 2: inc in next 2 sts, sc in next 5 sts, inc in next 3 sts, sc in next 5 sts, inc in last st; 22 sts
Rnd 3: (inc, sc in next st)2x, sc in next 5 sts, (inc, sc in next st)3x, sc in next 5 sts, inc in next st, sc in last st; 28 sts
Sl st to beginning st of rnd 3, and fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Sew nostrils onto the snout with black yarn. Then sew the snout onto the center of the face.
Eyes in Black
Place eyes between rnds 17 and 18, centered on the face above the snout. See the pictures for guidance. I began in the far corner, leaving a tail there to use later for the bottom lash. To get the curve of the eye to stay up, place your yarn there, and pin it to itself by pulling your black yarn back through the head AND through the the top of the curve, then back into the head.
*optional* Leaves (make 2, any green in worsted weight yarn)
I think the floral crown looks great either way! If you decide to make the leaves, make them and sew them on BEFORE the flowers, so the flowers are layered over top. These are made in a rnd, around a base chain.
Ch 5
Rnd 1: turn and sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, sc in next ch, in last ch (sl st, ch 1, sl st), and turn to work on the other side of the ch, sc in next ch on the opposite side, hdc in next ch, sc in last ch, fasten off leaving long tail for sewing.
Flowers (make 3, 1 in each color, Pink, Dusty Purple, and Dusty Blue)
Ch 13
Row 1: turn and work (sc, hdc, dc) in 2nd ch from hook, (dc, hdc, sc) in next ch [(sc, hdc, dc) in next ch, (dc, hdc, sc) in next ch] 5 more times; 36 sts
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Spiral this row together into your flower. Sew the spiral together in the shape of the flower. Sew the flowers on AFTER sewing on your leaves, putting the pink one in the middle to give it space from the pink in the ears.
Enjoy your unicorn hand puppet!
Want to add to your puppet collection? Watch your child’s imagination come to life with the whole Fairy Tale Puppet Collection! You can find all the printer-friendly PDF for these patterns in my Etsy shop, or follow the links below!
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