The Friendly Crochet Elephant- Part 2

 Welcome to Part Two! It has been so fun to see all those legs and bodies being crocheted… This week, let’s top it with a head shall we? This week our crochet elephant is getting a trunk, head and ears! Make sure you have some embroidery thread handy to make some cute eyelashes or brows. I love the character it adds to the face. If you want more tips about that read this post!

Are you new to The Friendly Elephant? This is Part Two! Make sure you read:

Part One 
and then
Part Three
And if you are DYING to get the whole thing early you can purchase the printable PDF on Etsy or Ravelry!
Okay, I know you are excited to get started! Let me give you a few tips first!
Trunk
You start at the trunk when you make the head. Make sure that you don’t over stuff it. I personally like to under stuff it a little and then shape it by pinching the end and curving up slightly. That is what I did with the Girly Elephant. For the Boy Elephant, I sewed a few stitches at the end to keep it flat. Both are cute, so it is mainly a personal preference! 

Eyes

If you are new to safety eyes, this post is great to teach you the basics! Also, with the larger eyes like I am using for this project, I recommend using your hook (or your stuffing stick if you have one!) to widen the stitches a little bit more before you insert the eyes. Be sure to add eye lashes before you attach the back. It can be done either way, but it is a lot easier without them!
Sewing on the Head
My biggest advice for sewing things like heads and limbs is: take your time. It doesn’t take too long, but if you rush it you may not love the results. My second piece of advice? Use pins! It helps so much to have it in place, exactly how you like it, before you permanently attach it and realize that the head is off center. This will be helpful for the ears and the head! (you can see the pictures below!)
Ready to finally get crocheting?? Let’s get started!

Head
Starting at the nose
Round 1: 6 SC in a magic circle.
Round 2: INC in each around. (12)
Round 3: SC in the first, SC INC in the next. (18)
Rounds 4-18: SC in each around. (18)
(To get the “tilt” at the end of the nose, you can just manually pinch it or with a piece of the same color of yarn, sew a few stitches at the end to keep the top flat. I just pinched mine and it stays remarkable well. Do not over stuff the nose!! In fact, understuff a little. The head you want to stuff very well, but not the nose!)
Round 19: SC in the first 2, SC INC in the next. Repeat around. (24)
Round 20: SC in first 3, SC INC in next. Repeat around. (30)
Round 21: SC in first 4, SC INC in the next. Repeat around. (36)
Round 22: SC in first 5, SC INC in next. Repeat around. (42)
Round 23: SC in first 6, SC INC in next. Repeat around. (48)
Round 24: SC in first 7, SC INC in next. Repeat around. (54)
Round 25: SC in first 8, SC INC in next. Repeat around. (60)
Rounds 26-35: SC in each around. (60)
Place the eyes between rows 24 and 25, 8 stitches apart. The eyes should be on each side of the trunk. The larger size eye may be hard to insert if you have a very tight stitch. Stretching the stitch out with you hook or another utensil may help! Add the eyelashes or eyebrow now, before you attach the backs.
Round 36: SC in the first 8, INV DEC in the next. Repeat around. (54)
Round 37: SC in first 7, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (48)
Round 38: SC in first 6, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (42)
Round 39: SC in first 5, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (36)
Round 40: SC in first 4, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (30)
Round 41: SC in first 3, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (24)
Round 42: SC in first 2, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (18)
Round 43: SC in the first, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (12)
Round 44: INV DEC in each around. (6)
Fasten off and leave a tail. Weave in the ends to close the remaining gap and secure the ends. When you attach the head it will be angled down so that the trunk is closer to the body. Make sure that the eyes are level and everything centered then pin it to the body so it stays put while you are sewing. I go around multiple times, then make a connected “star” shape and I pass through the bottom of the head multiple times. Weave in ends.

Ears (make 2)
This is a circle that widens and then decreases into a pancake.
With white:
Round 1: 6 SC in a magic circle.
Round 2: INC in each around. (12)
Round 3: SC in the first, SC INC in the next. (18)
Round 4: SC in the first 2, SC INC in the next. Repeat around. (24)
Round 5: SC in first 3, SC INC in next. Repeat around. (30)
Round 6: SC in first 4, SC INC in the next. Repeat around. (36)
Round 7: SC in first 5, SC INC in next. Repeat around. (42)
Change to gray.
Round 8: SC in first 6, SC INC in next. Repeat around. (48)
Round 9-10 : SC in each around. (48)
Round 11: SC in first 6, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (42)
Round 12: SC in first 5, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (36)
Round 13: SC in first 4, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (30)
Round 14: SC in first 3, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (24)
Round 15: SC in first 2, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (18)
Round 16: SC in the first, INV DEC in next. Repeat around. (12)
Round 17: INV DEC in each around. (6)
Fasten off and leave a long tail to sew on. Sew the small gap closed then weave the tail to the edge of the ear. It will have a little bit of a hexagonal shape. Choose a corner and pull it out there. Pin the ears to the head so they are matching. I made them slightly downward. Sew them on.

Now you can add the cute little hair fuzz! I cut about 6 pieces of yarn about 6 inches long. Using your hook pull the yarn through. Pull the ends through the loop made when you pulled through. Pull tight! I attached them about 7 rows from the back. Center them however you think is best!

There! Cute as can be! Get ready for next week as we finish up the Elephant (you are so close!!) Remember to share your WIP pics in The Friendly Crochet Club!

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