August Bear of the Month: Back to School Bear

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It is the 1st of another month, which means time for another Bear of the Month. For August I have chosen to make a Back to School Bear. I know there is some variation in when kids go back to school across the United States, not to mention in other countries, but my kids head back this month and from what I have seen August seems to be the most common month for kids across the country. 

When I first decided to do this year long crochet along I had a list of ideas for each month, and as it has come time to make the bear for each month some have stuck with the first idea, some months I had multiple ideas and chose one of them, and others have changed to something completely different that was not originally on the list. The last was the case last month when I had planned something completely different right up until I started working on it and then change direction completely. This month is the opposite. A back to school bear was my first idea for August and it is what I ultimately ended up making.

Where I did change my mind a few times was in deciding exactly how I was going to make a back to school bear. What accessories would make it look like a little bear that heading back to school? A backpack seemed obvious, but I wanted it to be holding something in its arms too. I debated between several different options, books, notebooks, a pencil, an apple, a lunchbox, a first day of school sign? There were lots of possibilities to choose between and I ended up picking a book and a lunchbox to go with the backpack. 

The bear is the same pattern that I use for all or the bears. I have tried to use several different colors, mostly shades of brown for the bears, and this time I used a dark brown shade, Loops & Threads Soft Classic in Dark Taupe. The bear is put together normally, then the accessories are added.

All of the accessories could be made in any color you want. I chose colors that were a little brighter, because that is what I thought of when I thought of kids heading back to school, but you can choose any colors you like. The backpack was made very similar to the backpack that June's Hiking Bear is wearing, minus the bedroll and with a few other small changes. I used the color Jade for my backpack. I used Loops & Threads Soft Classic in Butter to make a little yellow lunchbox. You will see in the pictures 2 different colors for the books because I originally planned to have the bear hold a stack of 2 books, but when I got it all put together that was too many and I only used one. The one that I made used Red Heart Super Save in white for the pages, and Flamingo for the cover.

August means that we are 8 months down, with only 4 more to go, two-thirds of the way through the year. Come back September 1st for the next Bear in the series. 

How to Crochet a Back to School Bear

Finished Size: about 6" tall sitting

You will need:

• medium weight yarn in desired colors for the bear, and accessories (sample made in Loops & Threads Soft Classic in Dark Taupe and Butter, and Red Heart Super Saver in Jade, White, and Flamingo)
• G crochet hook (4/4.25 mm)
• 2- 8 mm safety eyes
• 1- 11 mm safety nose
• Polyfil fiberfill
• yarn needle
• stitch markers 
• scissors

Instructions:

The body and head are made in one piece, the other pieces are made separately and sewn on. Some pieces are made beginning with a magic ring (mr), others begin with a chain, the beginning of each piece will indicate which it starts with. 

Body/Head

Make 1 with bear color yarn, beginning with a magic ring

Round 1: in mr, ch 1, 6 sc (6 sc)

Round 2: 2 sc in each st (12 sc)

Round 3: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next st] repeat around (18 sc)

Round 4: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 2 sts] repeat around (24 sc)

Round 5: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 3 sts] repeat around (30 sc)

Rounds 6-12: 1 sc in each st (30 sc)

Round 13:  [sc2tog, 1 sc in next 3 sts] repeat around (24 sc)

Rounds 14-15: 1 sc in each st (24 sc)

Round 16: sc2tog, repeat around (12 sc)

Begin stuffing body, next round begins the head portion 

Round 17: 2 sc in each st (24 sc)

Round 18: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 3 sts] repeat around (30 sc)

Round 19: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 4 sts] repeat around (36 sc)

Rounds 20-25: 1 sc in each st (36 sc)

Round 26: [sc2tog, 1 sc in next 4 sts] repeat around (30 sc)

Insert eyes between rounds 23 and 24, about 5-6 stitches apart, begin stuffing head and continue to stuff as needed as you finish closing up the head

Round 27: [sc2tog, 1 sc in next 3 sts] repeat around (24 sc)

Round 28: [sc2tog, 1 sc in next 2 sts] repeat around (18 sc)

Round 29: [sc2tog, 1 sc in next st] repeat around (12 sc)

Round 30: sc2tog, repeat around (6 sc)

Finish off and cut yarn, use tail to weave around opening to close, weave in end

Muzzle

Make 1 with bear color yarn, beginning with magic ring

Round 1: in mr, ch 1, 6 sc (6 sc)

Round 2: [3 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 2] repeat (10 sc)

Round 3: [2 sc in each of the next 3 sts, 1 sc in next 2 sts] repeat (16 sc)

Round 4: 1 sc in first 2 sts, 2 sc in each of next 2 sts, 1 sc in next 6 sts, 2 sc in each of next 2 sts, 1 sc in next 4 sts (20 sc)

Round 5: 1 sc in each st (20 sc)

Finish off and cut yarn leaving long tail for sewing

Add safety nose to the muzzle, and you can at this point use embroidery floss to embroider a mouth if desired but I chose not to, if you do just make a line coming down from the nose and then branching off to each side.

Sew the muzzle to the face just below the eyes, adding stuffing behind it 

Ears

Make 2 with bear color yarn, beginning with magic ring

Round 1: in mr, ch 1, 6 sc (6 sc)
Round 2: 2 sc in each st (12 sc)

Round 3: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 3] repeat around (15 sc)
Round 4: 1 sc in each st (15 sc)

Finish off and cut yarn leaving long tail for sewing

Set aside to sew on after adding the hat

Arms

Make 2 with bear color yarn, beginning with magic ring

Round 1: in mr, ch 1, 6 sc (6 sc)
Round 2: 2 sc in each st (12 sc)
Round 3: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 3 sts] repeat around (15 sc)
Round 4: 1 sc in each st (15 sc)
Round 5: 1 sc in each st (15 sc)
Round 6: [sc2tog, 1 sc in next 3] repeat around (12 sc)

Rounds 7-11: 1 sc in each st (12 sc)

Finish off and cut yarn leaving a long tail for sewing

Add a little bit of stuffing to the end (hand area) of the arm

Sew the arms to the sides of the body

Legs

Make 2 with bear color yarn, beginning with magic ring

Round 1: in mr, ch 1, 6 sc (6 sc)
Round 2: 2 sc in each st (12 sc)

Round 3: [2 sc in first st, 1 sc in next st] repeat around (18 sc)
Round 4: 1 sc in each st (18 sc)
Round 5: 1 sc in each st (18 sc)
Round 6: [sc2tog, 1 sc in next 4 sts] repeat around (15 sc)
Rounds 7-11: 1 sc in each st (15 sc)

Finish off and cut yarn leaving a long tail for sewing

Add a little bit of stuffing to the end (foot area) of the leg

Sew the legs to the bottom of the body in a sitting position

Backpack

Backpack

Make 1 with desired color, beginning with chain and then working in rounds

ch 8

Round 1: in second ch from hook work 1 sc, 1 sc in next 5 ch, 3 sc in last ch turning your work so you are going back around the unworked side of the ch, 1 sc in next 5 ch, 2 sc in same st as first sc of the round (16 sc)

Round 2: 3 sc in first st, 1 sc in next 5 sts, 3 sc in next st, 1 sc in next st, 3 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 5 sts, 3  sc in next st, 1 sc in next st (24 sc)

Round 3: 1 sc in blo of each st (24 sc)

Rounds 4-11: 1 sc in each st (24 sc)

Begin stuffing and continue stuffing as you work

Round 12: [sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts] repeat around (18 sc)

Round 13: [sc2tog, sc in next st] repeat around (12 sc)

Round 14: sc2tog around (6 sc)

Finish off, weave in ends

Front Pockets

Make 1  with desired color, beginning with chain

ch 7

Row 1: sc in second ch from hook and each ch to the end (6 sc)

Rows 2-3: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in each st (6 sc)

Finish off and cut yarn leaving long tail for sewing

Stitch the pocket to the front of the backpack, towards the bottom

Straps

Make 2 with with desired color, beginning with chain

ch 21

Row 1: hdc in second ch from hook and each ch to the end (20 hdc)

Finish off and cut yarn, leaving long tail for sewing 

Sew one end of each strap to the top of the backpack close together and the other end of each to the bottom with a space between them

Book

Make 2 pages with white, and 1 cover in any color, beginning with chain and then working in rows, beginning ch does not count as a stitch

Pages (make 2)

ch 7

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch to the end (6 sc)

Rows 2-7: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in each st (6 sc)

Finish off and weave in ends

Cover (make 1)

ch 17

Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch to the end (16 sc)

Rows 2-8: ch 1, turn, 1 sc in each st (16 sc)

Finish off and cut yarn leaving long tail for sewing

Stack the pages and fold the cover in half around the pages

Sew the book together by stitching through all the layers slightly in from the folded edge 

Sew the book to the bears hand

Lunchbox

Lunchbox

Make 1 with desired color, beginning with chain and then working in rounds

ch 8

Round 1: in second ch from hook work 1 sc, 1 sc in next 5 ch, 3 sc in last ch turning your work so you are going back around the unworked side of the ch, 1 sc in next 5 ch, 2 sc in same st as first sc of the round (16 sc)

Round 2: 1 sc in blo of each st (16 sc)

Rounds 3-6: 1 sc in each st (16 sc)

Begin stuffing and continue stuffing as you work

Round 7: [sc2tog, sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog] repeat (12 sc)

Finish off, stitch opening closed, weave in ends

Handle

Make 1 with with desired color, beginning with chain

ch 6

Row 1: sl st in first ch from hook and each ch to the end (6 sl st)

Finish off and cut yarn, leaving long tail for sewing 

Sew the handle to the top of the lunchbox and stitch to bears hand