FANCY RATS

a crochet pattern by Kati Gálusz

Items made using this pattern may be sold in your own shop, but please give me
credit for the design and add a link to my Ravelry or Etsy account. Mass production,
and sale and distribution of pattern pieces and instructions is expressly prohibited.
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Whether you want to crochet a tribute to a beloved pet, or a creepy-cute Halloween prop, these
realistic rats would be just perfect! The pattern starts with instructions for a solid color rat with
standard ears, followed by the modifications for dumbo and hooded rats. I also included a
simpler design for the front legs, in case you find the original version fiddly.

Yarn
You will need two yarn colors for a solid color rat:
 MC: any rat-appropriate coat color
 CC: skin color (pink, beige or grey) for the ears, feet and tail
The pattern was designed with DK yarn to make a life-sized rat with a body length of
approximately about 15cm/6”. But you can use other yarn thicknesses to get a smaller or bigger
amigurumi - just don’t forget to adjust hook and eye size accordingly. If using DK yarn, you will
need about 20g of the coat color and 6g of the skin color.

Other materials
 fiberfill stuffing
 7.5 mm safety eyes (black or transparent red)
 if using red eyes, two small squares of red felt, to make the eye color pop
 optionally, embroidery floss in pink or beige for the nose

Hook size and gauge

You want a tight gauge so the fiberfill won’t show between your stitches, use whatever hook size
allows you to achieve that - it will be smaller than suggested on the yarn label. I like to use 3mm
hook with DK yarn (in the US the closest sizes are C/2 or D/3).

Abbreviations
US UK/Aus
ch chain chain
st stitch or stitches stitch or stitches
sl st slip stitch slip stitch
sc single crochet double crochet
inc single crochet increase double crochet increase
(work 2 single crochet in the same st) (work 2 double crochet in the same st)
invdec invisible decrease invisible decrease
(if you prefer, you can use sc2tog instead) (if you prefer, you can use dc2tog instead)
hdc half double crochet half treble crochet
dc double crochet treble crochet
rnd round round

A pattern by Kati Galusz (http://www.ravelry.com/people/Luna1130, http://www.etsy.com/shop/LunasCrafts)

Feel free to contact me ( lunacollie@gmail.com , or via Ravelry or Etsy) if you have any problem following the pattern,
or notice a mistake, or just to show me your creation.
 3

Notes
The pattern is written with US terminology, see the table above for the UK/Australian
equivalents.
I start pieces with the magic ring method which gives the neatest finish, but if you prefer you can
substitute it with ‘ch 2 and work the first round’s stitches in the 2nd ch from hook’.
Most of the rat will be worked in continuous spiral without joining rounds. To keep track of your
work, insert a stitch marker or a piece of scrap yarn to the first stitch of the round, moving it up
when you start the next round.
To change colors, do not complete the stitch before the change but stop when you have the last
two loops on your hook. To finish the stitch, yarn over with the new color and pull it through the
loops on the hook. Cut the old color and tie the end together with the new color’s, leaving the
knot and yarn ends on the inside of the work, where they will be hidden.
If you find it hard to crochet 5-sc tubes for the rear feet and tail, you can change it to 6 sc – the
rat would still look cool with slightly thicker feet and tail.
For a hooded rat, you will need to embroider the back stripe with chain stitches; if you are not
familiar with it, here’s a nice video: https://youtu.be/KP3q3H5bnf8

Solid color rat

The  symbol is a reminder for special instructions when making a hooded rat – ignore it if you
are making a solid color rat.

Head and body

Rnd 1: with MC, 6 sc in a magic ring, pull ring tight (6)
Rnd 2: [sc, inc, sc] 2 times (8)
Rnd 3: [inc, sc 3] 2 times (10)
Rnd 4: [sc 2, inc, sc 2] 2 times (12)
Rnd 5: [inc, sc 5] 2 times (14)
Rnd 6: [sc 3, inc, sc 3] 2 times (16)
Rnd 7: sc in each st (16)

Insert a removable stitch marker or a piece of scrap yarn into the 4th st of the round you just
completed, this will help with the placement of the eyes.

Rnd 8: [inc, sc 7] 2 times (18)

Rnd 9: sc in each st (18)
Rnd 10: [sc 4, inc, sc 4] 2 times (20)
Rnd 11: sc 13, inc, sc 2, inc, sc 3 (22)
Rnd 12: sc 13, [inc, sc 2] 3 times (25)
Rnd 13: sc 4, invdec, sc 10, inc, sc 2, inc, sc 5 (26)
Rnd 14: sc 4, invdec, sc 9, inc, sc 3, inc, sc 6 (27)
Rnd 15: sc 4, invdec, sc 11, inc, sc 9 (27)

A pattern by Kati Galusz (http://www.ravelry.com/people/Luna1130, http://www.etsy.com/shop/LunasCrafts)

Feel free to contact me ( lunacollie@gmail.com , or via Ravelry or Etsy) if you have any problem following the pattern,
or notice a mistake, or just to show me your creation.
 4

Rnd 16-17: sc in each st (27)

Rnd 18: sc 4, inc, sc 22 (28)
Rnd 19: sc in each st (28)

If using red eyes, make a tiny hole in the red felt square, push the eye stem through, and cut off
the felt right around the eye. Repeat for the other eye. The layer of felt between the eye and the
crochet fabric will make the eye color much brighter.

Attach the eyes between rounds 7 and 8 (on either sides of the marker), about 6 st apart from
each other. Remove marker, and stuff the head.

Rnd 20: sc 4, inc, sc 2, inc, sc 20 (30) 

Rnd 21: sc in each st (30)
Rnd 22: sc 5, inc, sc 2, inc, sc 21 (32)
Rnd 23: sc in each st (32)
Rnd 24: sc 6, inc, sc 2, inc, sc 22 (34)
Rnd 25: sc in each st (34)
Rnd 26: sc 8, inc, sc 2, inc, sc 22 (36)
Rnd 27-30: sc in each st (36)
Rnd 31: sc 8, invdec, sc 3, invdec, sc 21 (34)
Rnd 32: sc in each st (34)
Rnd 33: sc 7, invdec, sc 3, invdec, sc 20 (32)
Rnd 34: sc in each st (32)
Rnd 35: [sc 3, invdec, sc 3] 4 times (28)
Rnd 36: sc in each st (28)
Rnd 37: [invdec, sc 5] 4 times (24)
Rnd 38: [sc 2, invdec, sc 2] 4 times (20)
Rnd 39: [invdec, sc 3] 4 times (16)

Start stuffing the rat, then add some filling after the next round.

Rnd 40: [sc, invdec, sc] 4 times (12)

Rnd 41: invdec 6 (6)

Change to CC. 

Rnd 42-43: sc in each st (6)

Rnd 44: invdec, sc 4 (5)

From here on, you will work even rounds until the tail tip. Using a stitch marker is fiddly in such
short rounds, so I advise to remove it now and just count the stitches continually. Or you can stop
counting at all and simply crochet around until the tail looks long enough.

45-69: sc in each st (5st x 25 rounds = 125 st altogether) 

Fasten off and use the yarn end to sew the tail tip closed.

A pattern by Kati Galusz (http://www.ravelry.com/people/Luna1130, http://www.etsy.com/shop/LunasCrafts)

Feel free to contact me ( lunacollie@gmail.com , or via Ravelry or Etsy) if you have any problem following the pattern,
or notice a mistake, or just to show me your creation.
 5

Front legs (make 2)

Rnd 1: with MC, leaving a long starting tail, ch 8. Make a sl st in the 1st ch to join in a ring. Sc in
next 7 ch (8) 
Rnd 2: sc 4, invdec, sc 2 (7)
Rnd 3: sc 4, invdec, sc (6)
Rnd 4: sc in each st (6)

Change to CC, tie the yarn ends together and push them inside the leg. Flatten the leg so that you can
work the next round through both layers. (Fig 1)

Rnd 5: through both layers, sc and hdc in next st (Fig 2), hdc and sc in next st (4)

Fasten off and weave in this yarn end. Stuff the legs. Sew the leg to the body using the long starting
tail. The paws should point forward, and the front of the legs should be at rnd 14 of the body. (Fig 3)

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Rear feet (make 2)

1: with CC, 5 sc in a magic ring, pull ring tight (5)
2-7: sc in each st (5)
Sl st to next st and fasten off leaving a long end for sewing. Do not stuff the feet.

Pin the foot to the body at ground level, the open end should be about 6 rnds in front of the tail.
Sew the open end to the body (closing the foot in the process). (Fig 4) Then make a few stitches
between body and foot about halfway forward, to anchor them in the right position.

Standard ears (make 2)

Row 1: with CC, ch 5, dc in the 4th ch from hook, ch 2 and sl st in the next ch. 

Fasten off leaving a long yarn end.

The 4th and 5th ch of the foundation chain make the ear base. Sew the ears to the top of the head,
3 rounds behind the eyes and 3-4 st apart. (Fig 5)

A pattern by Kati Galusz (http://www.ravelry.com/people/Luna1130, http://www.etsy.com/shop/LunasCrafts)

Feel free to contact me ( lunacollie@gmail.com , or via Ravelry or Etsy) if you have any problem following the pattern,
or notice a mistake, or just to show me your creation.
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Optional: nose
With embroidery floss and a sharp needle, make a horizontal stitch across the first round of the
head, then a shorter vertical stitch – the nose should have a T shape. (Fig 6)

Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6

Modifications:
Dumbo ears (make 2)
Rnd 1: with CC, sc, hdc, dc 4, hdc in a magic ring, pull ring tight (6) 

Fasten off leaving a long yarn end.

The last hdc you made is the bottom corner of the ear. Dumbo ears sit low on the head: they
should be attached 3 rounds behind the eyes and about 6 st apart. (Fig 7)

Alternative front legs (make 2)

These are easier to make than the original design – use whichever you prefer. :)
Rnd 1: with CC, 6 sc in a magic ring, pull ring tight (6)
Rnd 2: sc 3, change to MC, sc 3 (6) 
Rnd 3: sc 4, inc, sc (7)
Rnd 4: sc 5, inc, sc (8)
Rnd 5: sc 2, invdec, sc 2, inc, sc (8) 
Rnd 6: sc in each st (8)

Fasten off leaving a long yarn end.

The CC stitches in rnd 2 show the top of the paws. Stuff legs and sew them to the body – the front
edge should be at rnd 14. (Fig 8)
A pattern by Kati Galusz (http://www.ravelry.com/people/Luna1130, http://www.etsy.com/shop/LunasCrafts)
Feel free to contact me ( lunacollie@gmail.com , or via Ravelry or Etsy) if you have any problem following the pattern,
or notice a mistake, or just to show me your creation.
 7

Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9

Hooded rat
For a hooded rat, you will need four colors:
 MC: hood color – any non-white coat color
 CC: pink
 CC2: white
 CC3: brown or grey (optional – you may use CC/pink for all hairless areas)
Most of the rat is crocheted following the same instructions as for the solid color rat – the only
rounds that are different are marked with  in the main pattern.

Body & head:

 Rnd 20: sc 4, inc, sc 2, inc, sc 12, change to CC2, sc 8 (30)
 After rnd 41, change to CC3.
 Crochet rnds 45-52 (8 rounds/40 stitches) with CC3, then change to CC to crochet the
remaining 17 rounds /85 stitches.
 To complete the markings, embroider the back stripe using MC and chain stitches. Sew
two or three lines right next to each other, connecting the hood and the tail base. (Fig 9)
Front legs:
 Change to CC2 after rnd 1.
Alternative front legs:
 Rnd 2: sc 3, change to CC2, sc 3 (6)
 After rnd 5, change to MC.
Ears (standard or dumbo):
 Use CC3.

A pattern by Kati Galusz (http://www.ravelry.com/people/Luna1130, http://www.etsy.com/shop/LunasCrafts)

Feel free to contact me ( lunacollie@gmail.com , or via Ravelry or Etsy) if you have any problem following the pattern,
or notice a mistake, or just to show me your creation.