"Tilly the Piglet" - Free Crochet Pattern For Toys in Paintbox Yarns Simply DK - 010

Tilly the Piglet: Free Intermediate Crochet Toy Pattern by Lucy Collins for Paintbox Yarns

Tilly the Piglet is a free, downloadable crochet pattern designed by Lucy Collins and published by Paintbox Yarns as part of their toy and accessories collection (reference DK-Cro-Toy-010). The finished piglet stands approximately 18 cm (7 inches) tall, making her a perfectly huggable amigurumi-style stuffed animal suitable as a handmade gift, nursery decoration, or keepsake toy.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a soft, three-dimensional stuffed piglet named Tilly. She is a fully constructed toy with individual components — including a body, head, ears, legs, and snout — that are worked separately and then seamed together to create a charming, rounded pig figure. A pair of 9 mm black safety eyes and an oddment of black yarn or embroidery thread are used to bring her face to life with expressive features.

Techniques Used

• Worked flat: Sections of the pattern are crocheted back and forth in rows, producing flat fabric pieces that are later assembled.
• Seamed construction: The individual components of Tilly are joined together using seaming techniques, a hallmark of traditional amigurumi and stuffed toy making. A tapestry needle is used for this finishing work.
• Toy stuffing: The body and other three-dimensional sections are filled with toy stuffing before being closed, giving Tilly her soft, rounded shape.
• Feature embroidery: Facial details beyond the safety eyes are added using an oddment of black yarn or embroidery thread, a classic technique for adding personality to handmade toys.

Stitches Used

As a DK-weight crochet toy pattern rated intermediate in difficulty, Tilly the Piglet draws on a core set of crochet stitches and techniques commonly used in toy making. These include:

• Chain (ch): The foundational stitch used to begin rows and create turning chains.
• Standard crochet stitches worked in rows (flat construction), with increases and decreases used to shape the three-dimensional components of the toy.
• Joining and seaming stitches worked with a tapestry needle to attach ears, limbs, and other parts to the main body.

The pattern is written in UK crochet terminology, with US terminology equivalents provided in italics within round brackets throughout the instructions, making it accessible to crocheters on both sides of the Atlantic. Figures within round brackets are repeated the number of times stated, a standard convention that keeps the instructions concise and easy to follow.

Materials and Yarn

The recommended yarn is Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a smooth, reliable DK-weight yarn that works beautifully for toy making due to its stitch definition and consistent tension. The pattern uses one 100g ball of Simply DK across three colours:

• Colour A – Blush Pink
• Colour B – Raspberry Pink
• Colour C – Slate Green

Yarn quantities are based on average requirements and are approximate. Paintbox Yarns notes that they cannot accept responsibility for the finished measurements if any yarn other than the recommended yarn is used, so substituting a different DK yarn may affect the final size and appearance of the toy.

Hook and Notions

• Crochet hook: 3.5 mm (UK size 9 / US size E4)
• Safety eyes: One pair of 9 mm black safety eyes
• Oddment of black yarn or embroidery thread for facial features
• Toy stuffing for filling the body and limbs
• Tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends

Using a 3.5 mm hook with DK yarn produces a tighter-than-usual fabric,