I’m excited to kick off the third annual Christmas in July Make Along with a crochet lovey pattern! The Bobblehead Gingerbread Lovey is a holiday-themed lovey that’s easy to crochet and is sure to comfort a child through all the excitement of the holidays.

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation (at no added cost to you) if you make a purchase using these links. Materials for the sample were generously provided by Clover, Fairfield World, Lion Brand, and WeCrochet.

The holidays can be overwhelming for kids, with travel, new faces, loud conversations, and upended schedules. When I was planning for this year’s Christmas in July Make Along, I knew I wanted to make a crochet lovey pattern for just this reason! Wouldn’t the holidays be a little easier if you had something special to cuddle? I think so!

The Bobblehead Gingerbread Lovey has a head of comic proportions and a traditional, one-piece granny square as the blanket.

This is a beginner-friendly project that more advanced crocheters can easily make while watching streaming tv or otherwise semi-distracted.

This pattern is part of the Christmas in July Make Along, with 31 days of free crochet, knitting, and sewing patterns and crafts tutorials by 27 bloggers, along with your chance to win a prize from one of our favorite companies — AndeanSun Yarns, Clover USA, Crosscut Sewing Co., Eucalan, Hooked for Life, Hummingbird Lane Fabrics, Knitter’s Pride, and Kraemer Yarns. Get all the Christmas in July Make Along details here and don’t forget to enter the giveaway by Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

Join the Christmas in July Make Along

• Sign up for the Underground Crafter newsletter to get updates with included patterns throughout the Make Along.
• You can join in by crocheting, knitting, sewing, or making the projects as you have time.
• Share your progress and post pictures of your finished projects. Tag your projects and posts #CIJMakeAlong2021 on all social media.
• If you’d like to chat with other crafters, join the Underground Crafters Facebook group
• By the end of the Make Along, you’ll have up to 31 awesome projects. Get ready for the handmade holiday season while having fun with us!
• Use this button below on your Ravelry project pages or elsewhere on social media. Right click (on desktop) or tap and hold (on mobile) to save.

If you make your own Bobblehead Gingerbread Lovey, I’d love to see it! Share your progress and questions by tagging me on Facebook as @Underground Crafter or Instagram as @ucrafter. You can also share a picture in the Underground Crafters Facebook group. Sign up for my weekly newsletter and get a coupon code for your choice of one of my premium patterns and private access to my vault of subscriber goodies. Plus, you’ll never miss one of my free patterns again!

Add the Bobblehead Gingerbread Lovey to your favorites or queue, or buy the ad-free PDF on Ravelry.

Bobblehead Gingerbread Lovey

Crochet Lovey Pattern by Underground Crafter

This lovey combines a gingerbread friend with the traditional granny square blanket for a winter-themed comfort blankie.

Finished Size

• Lovey: Approximately 20” (51 cm) square.

Materials

• Lion Brand Pound of Love yarn (100% acrylic, 16 oz/454 g, 1,020 yd/932 m) – 1 skein in 126 Umber (CA), or approximately 385 yd (352 m) in CA in any medium weight yarn.
• Lion Brand Basic Stitch Premium yarn (100% acrylic, 3.5 oz/100 g/219 yd/220 m) – 1 skein each in 113 Garnet (CB) and 172 Ivy (CC), or approximately 95 yd (87 m) in CB and 65 yd (59.5 m) in CC in any medium weight yarn.
• WeCrochet Bright US Size E-4/3.5 mm crochet hook, or any size needed to obtain correct gauge.
• WeCrochet Bright US Size H-8/5 mm crochet hook, or any size needed to obtain correct gauge.
• Fairfield Poly-Fil Premium Polyester Fiber Fill – 12 ounce bag.
• Clover Quick Locking Stitch Marker Set, or locking stitch markers.
• Clover Chibi bent-tip yarn needle.

Gauge

• With smaller hook, through Rnd 11 in pattern for Bobblehead = 4” (10 cm) diameter.
• With larger hook, 17 sts in pattern for Blanket (4 dc+ch-1 sp clusters + 1 st) = 4” (10 cm) across.
• Exact gauge is not critical for this project. Stitches for Bobblehead should be small so fiber filling doesn’t show.

Abbreviations Used in This Pattern

• BL – back loop only – Lion Brand has a helpful video tutorial for identifying the back loop here.
• CA – Color A
• CB – Color B
• CC – Color C
• ch – chain
• dc – double crochet
• invdec – invisible decrease – Insert hook in front loop only of each of next 2 sts, yo and draw up a loop, yo and draw through 2 loops. Planet June has a helpful invisible decrease tutorial here.
• rep – repeat
• Rnd(s) – Round(s)
• RS – right (front) side
• sc – single crochet
• sl st – slip stitch
• sp – space
• st(s) – stitch(es)
• yo – yarn over
• *Repeat instructions after asterisk as indicated.
• [] Repeat instructions between brackets as indicated.
• () Work stitches between parentheses into same stitch or space.

Pattern Notes

• Oombawka Design Crochet has a helpful magic ring tutorial here.
• The Bobblehead is crocheted in the round in unjoined spirals. Move the stitch marker in the last stitch up each round to mark position of last stitch unless otherwise noted.
• A helpful tutorial for seaming with the whipstitch is available here.
• A helpful video tutorial for embroidering the back stitch is available towards the end of this blog post.
• Ch 1 at beginning and sl st at end of rounds do not count as stitches.  
• Moogly has a helpful video tutorials for the standing double crochet here.
• Edie Eckman has a helpful video tutorial for the standing single crochet here.

Pattern Instructions

Icing Eyes (Make 2)

• With smaller hook and CC, start with magic adjustable ring (see Pattern Notes).
• Rnd 1: (RS) Ch 1, 6 sc in ring, pull yarn tail tightly to close ring, place stitch marker in last st (see Pattern Notes). (6 sts)
• Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sts)
• Rnd 3: *2 sc in next st, sc in next st; rep from * around. (18 sts)
• Fasten off with long yarn tail (approximately 12”/30.5 cm) for seaming.
• With yarn needle, weave in end from magic ring on wrong side of Icing Eyes.

Bobblehead Gingerbread

• With smaller hook and CA, start with magic adjustable ring (see Pattern Notes).
• Rnd 1: (RS) Ch 1, 6 sc in ring, pull yarn tail tightly to close ring, place stitch marker in last st (see Pattern Notes). (6 sts)
• Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sts)
• Rnd 3: *2 sc in next st, sc in next st; rep from * around. (18 sts)
• Rnd 4: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 2 sts; rep from * around. (24 sts)
• Rnd 5: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 3 sts; rep from * around. (30 sts)
• Rnd 6: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 4 sts; rep from * around. (36 sts)
• Rnd 7: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 5 sts; rep from * around. (42 sts)
• Rnd 8: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 6 sts; rep from * around. (48 sts)
• Rnd 9: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 7 sts; rep from * around. (54 sts)
• Rnd 10: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 8 sts; rep from * around. (60 sts)
• Rnd 11: *2 sc in next st, sc in next 9 sts; rep from * around. (66 sts)
• With yarn needle, weave in yarn tail from magic ring on inside of piece.
• Rnd 12: Sc in each st around.
• Rnds 13-29: Rep Rnd 12, 17 times.
• Rnd 30: *Invdec, sc in next 9 sts; rep from * around. (60 sts)
• Rnd 31: *Invdec, sc in next 8 sts; rep from * around (54 sts)
• Rnd 32: *Invdec, sc in next 7 sts; rep from * around. (48 sts)
• Rnd 33: *Invdec, sc in next 6 sts; rep from * around. (42 sts)
• Rnd 34: *Invdec, sc in next 5 sts; rep from * around. (36 sts)
• Rnd 35: *Invdec, sc in next 4 sts; rep from * around. (30 sts)
• Rnd 36: *Invdec, sc in next 3 sts; rep from * around. (24 sts)
• Rnd 37: *Invdec, sc in next 2 sts; rep from * around. (18 sts)
• Fasten off with long yarn tail (approximately 3 yd/3 m) for assembly.

Decorate Face

• Thread yarn needle with yarn tail in CC from end of Icing Eyes.

• With yarn needle, attach each Icing Eye with whipstitch join (see Pattern Notes) on RS towards top of flat side of face (Rnds 12-29). Weave in yarn tails from Icing Eyes on inside of Bobblehead.

• Thread yarn needle with approximately 18” (46 cm) in CB. Embroider mouth on RS using back stitch (see Pattern Notes) towards bottom of flat side of face (Rnds 12-29). Weave in yarn tails from mouth on inside of Bobblehead.

• Stuff Bobblehead firmly with fiber filling.

• Thread yarn needle with long yarn tail in CA from end of Bobblehead. Seam remaining stitches with whipstitch (see Pattern Notes). Remove yarn needle from thread.

• Insert larger hook underneath final whipstitch and join yarn with sl st.

• Ch 1, sc in same whipstitch.

• Sc under next 7 whipstitches. (8 sc)

• Turn, ch 1, scBL in first 8 sts, turn, scBL in same 8 sts from other side, sl st to join. (16 sts) Fasten off CA.

Lovey Blanket

• To begin Lovey section, hold Bobblehead upside down as shown in the photo below at right (with facial features facing you and face upside down). With larger hook, join CC with a slip stitch to any of the 16 sts in the last Rnd. (I joined CC near the center below the mouth to center the Bobblehead on the blanket.)

• Rnd 1: (RS) Ch 1, starting in same st [3 dc in next st, skip 3 sts, ch 2] 3 times, 3 dc in next st, ch 1, join with sc (counts as ch 1) to top of first dc. (4 dc groups + 4 ch-3 sp)
• Rnd 2: Ch 1, 3 dc in same ch-2 sp, ch 1, skip next 3 dc, *[(3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next ch-2 sp, ch 1, skip 3 dc] 3 times, 3 dc in first ch-2 sp, ch 1, join with sc (counts as ch 1) to top of first dc. Fasten off CA. (8 dc groups + 4 ch-1 sp + 4 ch-2 sp)
• Rnd 3: Join CA with standing double crochet (see Pattern Notes) on RS to any ch-2 sp, ch 1, 3 dc in same ch-2 sp, ch 1, skip next 3 dc, *[3 dc in next ch-1 sp, skip 3 dc, ch 1,** (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 1) in ch-2 sp] 3 times, rep from * to ** once, 3 dc in first ch-2 sp, ch 1, join with sc (counts as ch 1) to top of first dc. (adds 1 dc group + ch-1 sp to each side)
• Rnd 4: Ch 1, 3 dc in same ch-2 sp, ch 1, skip next 3 dc, *[3 dc in next ch-1 sp, skip 3 dc, ch 1] across to corner ch-2 sp,** (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 1) in ch-2 sp; rep from * around, ending last rep after **, 3 dc in first ch-2 sp, ch 1, join with sc (counts as ch 1) to top of first dc) (adds 1 dc group + ch-1 sp to each side)
• Rnds 5-12: Rep Rnd 4, 8 times. Fasten off CA.
• Rnd 13: Join CC with standing double crochet (see Pattern Notes) on RS to any ch-2 sp. Rep Rnd 4.
• Rnd 14: Rep Rnd 4 once, Fasten off CC.
• Rnd 15: Join CA with standing double crochet (see Pattern Notes) on RS to any ch-2 sp. Rep Rnd 4.
• Rnd 16: Rep Rnd 4 once, Fasten off CA.
• Rnd 17: Join CB with standing double crochet (see Pattern Notes) on RS to any ch-2 sp. Rep Rnd 4.
• Rnd 18: Rep Rnd 4 once, Fasten off CB.
• Rnd 19: Join CA with standing double crochet (see Pattern Notes) on RS to any ch-2 sp. Rep Rnd 4.
• Rnd 20: Rep Rnd 4 once, Fasten off CA.
• Rnd 21: Join CC with standing single crochet (see Pattern Notes) on RS to any ch-2 sp, sc in same ch-2 sp, *sc in first ch-1 sp, [sc in next 3 sts, sc in next ch-1 sp] across to corner ch-2 sp,** (2 sc, ch 3, 2 sc) in ch-3 sp; rep from * around, ending last rep after **, 2 sc in first corner ch-2 sp, ch 2, join with sc (counts as ch 1) to top of first sc. Fasten off CC.
• Rnd 22: Join CA with standing single crochet (see Pattern Notes) on RS to any ch-3 sp, sc in same ch-3 sp, *scBL in each st across to corner ch-3 sp,** (2 sc, ch 3, 2 sc) in ch-3 sp; rep from * around, ending last rep after **, 2 sc in first corner ch-3 sp, ch 2, join with sc (counts as ch 1) to top of first sc. Fasten off CA.
• Rnd 23: Join CB with standing single crochet (see Pattern Notes) on RS to any ch-3 sp, sc in same ch-3 sp, *scBL in each st across to corner ch-3 sp,** (2 sc, ch 3, 2 sc) in ch-3 sp; rep from * around, ending last rep after **, 2 sc in first corner ch-3 sp, ch 2, join with sc (counts as ch 1) to top of first sc. Fasten off CB.
• With yarn needle, weave in ends wrong side of blanket.

© 2021 by Marie Segares (Underground Crafter). This pattern is for personal use only. You may use the pattern to make unlimited items for yourself, for charity, or to give as gifts. You may sell items you personally make by hand from this pattern. Do not violate Marie’s copyright by distributing this pattern or the photos in any form, including but not limited to scanning, photocopying, emailing, or posting on a website or internet discussion group. If you want to share the pattern, point your friends to this link: https://undergroundcrafter.com/2021/07/01/crochet-lovey-pattern-bobblehead-gingerbread-lovey/ Thanks for supporting indie designers!