Giana The Giraffe Crochet Pattern (FREE!) -

Bring the safari to your home with this realistic amigurumi crochet giraffe pattern! Giana the Giraffe is a stuffed animal that is both adorable and lifelike. I’m so excited to share the free pattern with you today!

Scroll down for the free pattern, or purchase a print-optimized PDF pattern

Giraffes are such a unique animal, don’t you think? I’ve always been in awe of them.

Did you know that no 2 giraffes have the same spots? They are all different!

They also stand up pretty much all the time, and they don’t need much sleep either. But I’d better not go down too much of a rabbit hole on giraffe fun facts. 😉

When I thought through this design, I wanted to create a crochet giraffe that had a classic cartoony look, while still being somewhat lifelike.

For that reason, I made sure Giana could stand up on her own and had lots of spots!

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How do you crochet a stuffed giraffe?

This crochet giraffe is made in the amigurumi style. We will make a few different body parts, stuff them with poly-fil, and then sew them together at the end.

Now the unique and cool thing about this giraffe is that there actually is minimal sewing.

In order to make sure the giraffe could stand up, I started by making the legs, then joining them all together and continuing with the body and neck (no sewing needed—it’s all done through crocheting).

We’ll get more into that later! I’ve tried to make sure the pattern is easy to follow, so I included detailed instructions and photos to guide you through the whole process.

Join the Amigurumi Challenge

This pattern is apart of the Amigurumi Challenge, a month-long crochet-along in May 2023 where we are making animals together in a supportive community!

Make sure to come join the CAL here (you can join with a free or VIP ticket—the VIP ticket includes PDFs of 12 animal crochet patterns, plus exclusive video tutorials!)

And while you’re at it, check out my other amigurumi crochet patterns, Felicity the Frog, Douglas the Dog, Chloe the Cat, Levi the Lion, Hannah the Hippo, Dolly the Deer, Paige the Panda, Walter the Whale, Elsie the Elephant, Kaley the Koala, and Piper the Penguin!

Giana the Free Crochet Giraffe Pattern

Without further ado, let’s start making this cute amigurumi giraffe for your stuffed animal collection!

Explanation: Meet Giana the Giraffe! Tall and proud, Giana is made from a unique crochet construction so she can stand up on her own. You’ll just need some DK or worsted weight yarn to get started!

Materials:

DK weight yarn: approx. 100 grams in yellow, and 25 grams in brown
3.5mm crochet hook
You can also try using worsted weight yarn & a 4 or 4.5mm hook, but the plushie size will vary depending on your tension.
8-mm black safety eyes (or embroider the eyes for children under 3)
Fiber filling
Yarn needle & stitch marker

Gauge and Tension:

Exact gauge is not critical for this pattern. Keep tension normal—do not work with a loose tension. You can always adjust your hook size if need be. For example, if you crochet loosely and you find the amigurumi is looking holey, go down a hook size.

Notes:

All body parts are crocheted separately and then sewn together according to the finishing instructions.
All parts are made in continuous rounds. Do not join at the end of each round unless otherwise specified.
Turning chain does not count as a stitch.
Place a stitch marker at the end of each round and move it up as you go.
When a number is placed after a stitch it means that you should single crochet in each of the next number of stitches. (i.e. sc 7 means single crochet in each of next 7 sts)
You will need to know how to change colors in amigurumi to make this pattern (in just one small spot). Learn the different color change methods here. You can use whichever method you like best.

Measurements/Sizing:

Height: 10-11”

Abbreviations/Stitches Used (U.S.)

Chain – ch

Slip stitch – sl st

Single crochet – sc

Repeat – rep

Stitch(es) – st(s)

Single crochet increase – inc

Invisible decrease – inv dec

Back loop single crochet – blsc

Round – rnd

Yellow – Y

Brown – B

Special Stitches:

Invisible single crochet decrease (inv dec): video tutorial here

Insert hook into front loop of first stitch, insert hook into front loop of the next stitch, yarn over, pull through both sts (2 loops on hook), yarn over and pull through all loops on hook to complete stitch.

Single Crochet Increase (inc):

Make 2 sc in indicated stitch.

Purchase & Print this Crochet Pattern Right Here!

Amigurumi Giraffe Crochet Instructions

Legs – Make 4 in brown & yellow

Make a magic ring.

Rnd 1: With B, 6 sc into magic ring. (6)

Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)

Chart for the first 2 rnds of the leg

Rnd 3: Blsc in each st around. (12)

Rnds 4-5: Sc in each st around. (12)

Change to color Y.

Rnd 6: Sl st in each st around. (12)

After first 6 rnds:

Rnds 7-11: Sc in each st around. (12)

Rnd 12: Sl st in each st around. (12)

Fasten off and fill with stuffing. Do not sew the opening closed.

Finished legs:

Joining Legs

Chart to follow:

Step 1: Attach the Y yarn with a sl st to the last rnd of the leg.

Step 2: Ch 6. Insert the hook into a st from the 2nd leg. (see below)

Step 3: Make 12 sc around the 2nd leg. Sc 6 across the chs.

Step 4: Make 12 sc around the 1st leg. Sc 6 across the other side of the chs. Fasten off.

After sc row around legs and both sides of the chs

Follow the same steps to join the other two legs together.

Joining Both Sets of Legs

Chart to follow:

Attach the Y yarn with a sl st in the 4th st of the 12 sts around the leg (see the chart/photo.)

Row 1: Ch 1. Sc 14, ch 1 and TURN. (14)

Row 2. Sc 14, ch 1 and TURN. (14)

Row 3: Hold both parts together and make 14 sc through both layers. (14)

Do not fasten off, but continue to make the body.

Joining two parts together with sc:

After join, there will be 50 sc sts for the first body rnd.

Body – in yellow

Rnds 1-2: Sc in each st around the body. (50)

Rnd 3: (Sc 1, inv dec) x2. Sc 35. (Sc 1, inv dec) x3. (45)

Rnd 4: (Sc 1, inv dec) x3. Sc 25. (Inv dec, sc 1) x3. Sc in last 2 sts. (39)

Rnd 5: Sc in each st around. (39)

Fill the legs with stuffing.

Rnd 6: (Inv dec) x3. Sc 25, (inv dec) x3. Sc in last 2 sts. (33)

Body so far:

Rnd 7: (Inv dec) x4. Sc 15, (inv dec) x5. (24)

Rnd 8: (Sc 4, inv dec) x4. (20)

Rnd 9: (Sc 3, inv dec) x4. (16)

Rnds 10-15: Sc in each st around. (16)

Begin filling the body with stuffing here.

Rnd 16: (Sc 6, inv dec) x2. (14)

Rnds 17-20: Sc in each st around. (14)

Rnd 21: (Sc 5, inv dec) x2. (12)

Rnds 22-23: Sc in each st around. (12)

Fasten off. Fill the rest of the body with stuffing.

Finished Body

Horns – Make 2 using brown & yellow

With B, make a magic ring.

Rnd 1: Sc 6 into ring. (6)

Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)

Rnds 3-4: Sc in each st around. (12)

Rnd 5: (Inv dec) x6. (6)

Change to Y color.

Rnds 6-8: Sc in each st around.(6)

Fasten off and fill with stuffing.

Ears – Make 2 in yellow

Make a magic ring.

Rnd 1: 8 sc into ring. (8)

Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (16)

Rnd 3: (Sc 1, inc) x8. (24)

Rnd 4: (Sc 2, inc) x8. (32)

Ch 1 and fasten off without sl st.

Head – in yellow

Make a magic ring.

Rnd 1: 6 sc into ring. (6)

Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)

Rnd 3: (Sc 1, inc) x6. (18)

Rnd 4: (Sc 2, inc) x6. (24)

Rnd 5: (Sc 3, inc) x6. (30)

Rnds 6-15: Sc in each st around. (30)

Attach eyes between rnd 12 and 13, with 11 sts in between.

Rnd 16: (Sc 3, inv dec) x6. (24)

Rnd 17: (Sc 2, inv dec) x6. (18)

Rnd 18: (Sc 1, inv dec) x6. (12)

Fill with stuffing.

Rnd 19: (Inv dec) x6. (6)

Fasten off and sew the opening closed.

Spots – in brown

Make a magic ring.

Small – make 2

Rnd 1: 6 sc into ring. (6)

Medium – make 4

Rnd 1: Rep small rnd 1.

Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12)

Large – make 2

Rnds 1-2: Rep medium rnds 1-2.

Rnd 3: (Sc 1, inc) x6. (18)

Tail – in both colors

Make a magic ring.

Rnd 1: With Y, 6 sc into ring. (6)

Rnds 2-6: Sc in each st around. (6)

Attach some pieces of B yarn on the end of the tail like fringe.

Finished tail:

Finishing:

Attach ears next to eyes, between rnd 14 and 15. Attach horns between rnd 15 and 17, next to ears. Embroider mouth between rnd 7 and 8.
Attach spots and tail on the body according to pictures (or to your liking).
Sew head and body together.

Conclusion

Giana the Giraffe is both fun to make and perfect for cuddling. She even stands up on her own! I hope you will start your safari adventure today with this amazing crochet giraffe pattern!

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Happy Crocheting!

Giana The Giraffe Crochet Pattern (FREE!)