Crocheted Customizable Minecraft Plushie

Hello fellow crochet and geek enthusiasts! I'm finally doing something I said I'd do awhile ago: put my plushie pattern somewhere for free, since I never did bother to release it for real (it's always been a beta copy).

Random history: I started watching Mindcrack Youtube playthroughs of Minecraft a few years back. I was inspired to try making a plushie for one of my besties, the very first VintageBeef. And of course, what is Beef without his best friend, PauseUnpause? Thus the first two plushies came to be!

My PauseUnpause attended MineCon 2013 and has a little cape signed by all the MindCrackers present, plus some bonuses. I then created and sent BlameTheController his own plushie to open on one of his fanmail videos. And then at a PAX East panel the next year, it came up that BTC's favorite fanmail had been his 'giant knitted me' (who was I to correct him?) and that Pause had been a little jealous he hadn't gotten to keep the plushie him he'd signed at Minecon the year before.

It didn't stop there! I discovered the Mindcrack subreddit and many of the Mindcrackers at the time found out I was making cuddly versions of themselves, which was quite entertaining. And PauseUnpauses' significant other even bought one for Alex for his birthday, thus he is sad no more.

All that to say: I have experience, crazy stories, and a whole lot of fangirl love for these projects!

This is a CROCHET pattern with a whole lot of sewing! Are you ready to see what you can do given enough time and pictures? Let's go!

Materials:

‐ Internet connection

- The username of the person who's Minecraft skin you're making.

‐ Color printer and paper

‐ Ruler and pencil/colored writing utensil

‐ Worsted weight yarn in all desired colors

‐ G‐hook (4.0mm—check carefully; Boye G‐hooks are 4.25mm)

‐ Yarn needle (I prefer the kind with a sharp end instead of a blunt, rounded end)

‐ Scissors

‐ Fiberfill or polyfil

- Patience for fiddly things!

• http://www.pixelpapercraft.com/print/minecraft-character-steve

You can double-check the appearance (and layers) with other sites:

• http://mcskinsearch.com/

• http://minecraft.novaskin.me/

I include this step because occasionally some bits such as hands can show as backwards, so double-check.

Input the Minecraft username of the character you wish to make. For this pattern, I’ll use my player skin.

Please note: This pattern flattens any headgear in the skin. I have found this to be best, especially with skins where the headgear is non‐symmetrical or uses lots of transparency.

Each of the dotted gray lines (normally a fold line) now indicates a panel. (Image 1)

• Each body part will be 6 panels. The total pattern has 36 panels.
• Using your color printer, print out your papercraft pattern.
• Optional: With your ruler and pencil, turn the pattern into a chart for easy reading. (Image 2)

Determine how detailed your pattern will be (this largely depends on how many colors you will use) and build a palette. You can choose to label each pixel with the corresponding letter so you can be consistent. (Images 3 & 4)

Purchase your yarn accordingly. For this pattern, as I would be using navy for both the pants and the hat, I would use one of the large, super saver skeins. Most other detail would only need one skein. (Please note: If using sport yarn or other type of thin yarn, buy 2 skeins and crochet with 2 strands.)

Decide which side of the panels will have foundation rows. (Image 1)

• Helpful tip: You can crochet the pattern beginning at either the top or bottom of a panel. Be consistent! Always start them all from the same direction or your rows will not line up when you sew the seams.
• Panel 1 and Panel 6, since they are the top and bottom of the head can have their foundation row at either the top or bottom.
  • It is easiest to chain a foundation row of a single color, so I put Panel 6’s foundation row at the top, where it is all brown.
• Panels 2‐5 will all start at the bottom, for sake of illustration.
  • Please note: It would be better, for my skin, to start these panels at the top and make the foundations all navy. This is purely for illustration.

Crochet a wide panel as follows: (Wide panels are the head and chest front, back, top, and bottom.)

• Row 0: Chain 25.
• Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook; sc all the way to end. (24)
• Row 2‐3: Ch 1 and turn. Repeat row 1.
  
  • You have now completed the first row of pixels in your pattern. Note that the foundation row does not count as a row within the pixel set of 3; it’s just extra.
• Refer to your pattern. If color continues unchanged, continue with your next set of 3 rows (your 2nd row of pixels).

The other images above indicate how to change colors cleanly between pixels.

Finish the panel according to your papercraft pattern. Cut your working yarn with a 2‐3” tail and tie the panel off.

• Please note: The wrong side of your panels will be a network of cut ends and crossovers. That is totally fine! Take care to keep your yarn as untangled as possible when turning the panel; always cut off the colors you are not using to simplify things.
• Turn the panel over to the wrong side. Knot up all of your loose ends with neighboring loose ends, or split a standalone end and knot it around a nearby stitch. (Image 4)

Optional: Changing Colors in the Foundation Row

Remember that the starting loop on your hook is where an sc will go; it counts as the first ch.

Referring to my Panel 3, I began on the left with the dark brown. (Images 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9)

As you progress through the pattern, you should end up with:

Panel Dimensions: (3 stitches x 3 rows per pixel)

• Head Panels (x6) 24 stitches wide, 24 rows tall
• Chest Panels (Front & Back) 24 stitches wide, 36 rows tall
• Chest Panels (Top & Bottom) 24 stitches wide, 12 rows tall
• Chest Panels (Sides x2) 12 stitches wide, 36 rows tall
• Limb Panels (Sides x16) 12 stitches wide, 36 rows tall
• Limb Panels (Top & Bottom x4) 12 stitches wide, 12 rows tall

Following your papercraft pattern, press wrong sides of panels together and stitch with coordinating colors.

• For panels where the colors are different at the seams (such as a coat, apron, etc.) use the dominant color or the color of the “top layer” of clothing/hair.

Sew all seams except the rear bottom seam of the different body parts.

• This is personal preference; some may find it easier to make the final seam the one that will also be sewn to the chest.

Turn the body parts right side out and begin to stuff. Press all the corners out fully so that the piece maintains as square a shape as possible.

• Stuff firmly with fiberfill or polyfill. (I buy the 5 lb. box from the brand Morning Glory.)
• I try to fold/arrange the stuffing into a square shape before I stuff it into the body parts (particularly the arms and legs) to ensure that the edges don’t dimple or look lumpy.

• Be firm with your stuffing. It tends to compress over time, so do not be afraid to almost‐but‐not‐quite overstuff.

Once stuffed, sew up the final seam and tie off.

Attach the legs. (Make sure you know the right from the left before you sew!) (Image 2)

• Cut an 18 inch piece of coordinating yarn for each leg.
• Sew from the outer edge of the chest to the middle of the chest, along the bottom front edge only. Leave a long tail (4‐6 inches) at the beginning; you will knot it off later. (This will allow the plushie to sit without stretching the bottom panel of the chest.)

• Your stitches should be deliberately loose, so that you will have room to work with your yarn needle.

• At the end of the leg, go back and tighten all the stitches by pulling gently (like lacing up sneakers).

• Knot both ends of your yarn and weave ends in. (When weaving the ends in, I weave them all the way back to the opposite end of the seam, and knot them again for the most strength.)

Attach the arms. (Image 2)

• Cut an 18 inch piece of coordinating yarn for each arm.
• Sew from the back of the chest to the front along the top side edges. Repeat the leg instructions.

Attach the head. (Image 3)

• Sew the middle of the head (about a 2‐row width) to the middle of the top of the chest. Leave a 6‐8 inch tail at the beginning.
  • This allows the head to look down or up. For a head that does not move, tack or sew the corners of the chest to where it meets the head. I've also used bobby pins/hairpins to keep the head in place so the plushie can be posed later.
• At the end, go back and tighten all the stitches, as with the arms and legs.
• Knot both ends of your yarn and weave them in.

Hooray!

I hope you enjoyed this instructable; if so, leave me a vote!

Here follows required legal stuffies, since Minecraft is a licensed product:

Legalese: Yay plushies! Sell your plushies to the world! If you could, please mention where you got this pattern in your online listings.

In accordance with request made by Mojang and the Minecraft brand, this pattern is not official or approved as official Minecraft name brand merchandise. You are paying only for the techniques laid out in this pattern, not for specific instructions on how to make Minecraft‐licensed characters.