For Jason’s birthday I crochet him a leaf sheep! I couldn’t find a pattern anywhere, so I made up my own.
What is a leaf sheep?
The leaf sheep, also known as the leaf slug, is a tiny species of sea slug found in the oceans near Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia. They are called “leaf sheep” because the shape of their faces and the protrusions on either side of their heads are reminiscent of sheep’s faces and horns. Leaf sheep are tiny, between 5mm and 1cm long, and they are bioluminescent because of the green algae that they eat and are able to photosynthesize.
Terms/Abbreviations:
Ch: Chain
Dc: Double crochet
FO: Finish off
Hdc: Half double crochet
MC: Magic circle
Rep: Repeat
Sc: Single crochet
Sl st: Slip stitch
St sp: Stitch space
You will need:
Size 10 white cotton crochet thread
Size 5 craft thread: light green, purple, bright pink, small amount black
24 gauge steel galvanized wire
Sizes 4 and 6 steel crochet hooks
Fiberfill stuffing (or can use scrap yarn to stuff)
Embroidery needle
Pattern Notes:
You will be crocheting a leaf sheep sea slug out of crochet thread and craft thread.
To make the leaves stand up, you will crochet a small length of wire to one side of each leaf. You can search YouTube for tutorials showing how to do this, or please message me and I will be happy to make a video tutorial. Trim wire to be slightly shorter than desired, then pull down after attaching so top is not pointy. Leave ~.5-1cm of wire at the bottom to stick into body. IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE: Please omit wire if making a toy for a child. Leaves may not stand up without wire, but wire would not be safe for children.
I have included links to the items you will need. Please note these are not the exact items I used to make my leaf sheep, since I have older hand-me-downs of most items. Other types and sizes of crochet thread and craft thread would work fine, but you may need to adjust your hook size to fit your materials. You want your work to be tight enough so that the stuffing doesn’t show through.
I use “rep from * Xx” to indicate the total number of times you will be repeating a sequence. For example, “*sc, inc rep from * 3x” means to single crochet then increase in the next stitch three times, covering six total stitches.
I made 8 long leaves and 4 short leaves. They get increasingly difficult to sew on the more you attach. Feel free to add as many as desired!
The finished leaf sheep is approximately 1.33” long x 2.5” tall.
Body/Head:
Crochet in a continuous spiral. Using size 6 steel hook and white crochet thread:
R1: MC 6 sts (6)
R2: inc x 6 (12)
R3: *sc, inc rep from * 3x; inc x 6 (21)
R4: *inc, 2sc rep from * 3x; inc x 3; *2sc, inc rep from * 2x; inc x 3 (32)
Rs 5-8: sc x 12; *hdc x 3, dc x 3, hdc x 3 rep 2x with 2sc in-between (32)
R9: *dec, 2sc rep from * 3x; dec x 3; *2sc, dec rep from * 2x; dec x 3 (21)
R10: *sc, dec rep from * 6x (15)
Stuff head lightly. Continue to add stuffing as you go. Do not overstuff.
Rs 11-18: sc around (15)
R19: dec x 6; sc (7)
FO, leaving a tail to tightly close up the small remaining hole by weaving the ends through each stitch and then pulling to cinch closed.
Horns/Ears:
Make 2. Using size 4 steel hook and purple craft thread:
Ch2.
R1: In 2nd ch from hook, sc 2. (2) Ch1, turn.
R2: sc; inc. (3) Ch1, turn.
Rs 3-10: sc x 3. (3) Ch1, turn.
FO, leaving long tail for sewing. Sew on slightly curved on either side of head. Weave in ends.
Long leaves:
Make 8. Using size 4 steel hook and light green craft thread, leaving a long tail for sewing:
Ch17.
R1: Starting in 2nd ch from hook, 2sc; 3hdc; 6dc; 3hdc; 2sc. (16) Ch1, turn.
R2: Sc across over wire. On last st, attach pink thread with sl st. (16)
You will now be crocheting at the top of the leaf.
R3: (Sc, dc) in 1st st sp. Dc in 2nd st sp. (3)
FO, weave in ends.
Short leaves:
Make 4. Using size 4 steel hook and light green craft thread, leaving a long tail for sewing:
Ch7.
R1: Starting in 2nd ch from hook, 1sc; 1hdc; 2dc; 1hdc; 1sc. (6) Ch1, turn.
R2: Sc across over wire. On last st, attach pink thread with sl st. (6)
You will now be crocheting at the top of the leaf.
R3: (Sc, hdc) in 1st st sp. Hdc in 2nd st sp. (3)
FO, weave in ends.
Assembly:
Using black craft thread, make knots for eyes and attach close together near top of face, around row 4. You can search YouTube for how to make simple knots for stuffed animals’ eyes, or you can use French knots if you are able (I am “knot.”) 😉
I wrapped thread twice for eye knots.
Using pink craft thread, make knots for “cheeks” and attach one on each side of the face, towards the bottom on each “cheek,” around row 6. I wrapped thread three times for cheek knots.
Attach horns/ears around row 6–lined up at the top near the eyes.
Attach leaves staggered over top of body so they stick out all around.
Please feel free to sell the leaf sheep you’ve made, but please credit Crafty Reason and link back to the pattern here if you do so. Please contact us at craftyreason@gmail.com for permission if you wish to reproduce this pattern. Also, send us a message if you notice anything wrong with the pattern. Happy crocheting!
~Crafty Reba
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This pattern is also available on Ravelry. You can purchase a PDF of the pattern there if you would like your own formatted copy.
Pattern © Crafty Reason. Please Contact Us for permission if you wish to reproduce any of our patterns.