Winter Horse

by

Original pattern by Heather Kumpf.

2020 ©Violets&Heather

1
 Winter Horse

Difficulty Level: Intermediate.

This pattern is written using US terminology.
Most of this pattern is made working in continuous rounds, it is
recommended to use a stitch marker to help you keep your place.

The horse measures approx. 22” tall. This measurement is when medium weight (4)
yarn and a 3.75 mm hook are used. Other yarn weights and correlating hook sizes
could be substituted as long as all colors of yarn are the same weight.

Materials ~ ● Medium Weight (4) Yarn in the

● 3.75 mm Hook following colors:
● Tapestry Needle
● Stitch Marker ○ Body Color (10 oz)
● Scissors ○ Mane/Tail Color (7 oz)
● Poly Pellet Beads (could substitute ○ Ivory or White Color (7oz)
rice) ○ Collar/Berry Color
○ Leaf Color
● Nylon Stocking to hold beads
● PolyFiber Filling
● Hot Glue Gun - optional for
attaching eyes & used in place of
sewing some pieces
● 24mm Safety Eyes
● ¾” Jingle Bells

★ I used Hobby Lobby, I Love This Yarn in the following colors:

Brown, Ivory, Black, Red, Dark Olive
____________________________________
Abbreviations, Tips & Tutorials~
MR - magic ring V ​ ideo Tutorial for Magic Ring
ch - chain
sc - single crochet
slst - slip stitch
hdc - half double crochet
dc - double crochet
inc - increase, work 2 sc into next stitch
dec - decrease (I recommend using the invisible decrease method) ​Video
Tutorial for the Invisible Decrease Method
BLO - work in back loop only
rnd(s) - round(s)
st(s) - stitch(es)

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To use poly pellet beads, fill a piece of nylon

stocking until you have it large enough to fill
the horse’s hoof, tie a knot and trim excess.
The beads will help keep the horse balanced
and upright.

When making the Mane & Tail, you will

crochet into the back bump of the starting
chain. This will create a clean edge.

I use Hot Glue in place of sewing whenever I

can. I used it to attach the holly, the horse's
mane, and the jingle bells, as well as the
horse’s eyes. I will go ahead and note when to
leave a long tail in case you prefer to sew.

Note: I used several pictures from a lighter

colored horse so you can see better.

______________________________________________________
Head
With Body Color~

1 - MR, sc 6 (6)
2 - inc x 6 (12)
3 - (sc 2, 3 sc in next) x 4 (20)
4 - sc 3, 3 sc in next, (sc 4, 3 sc in next) x 3, sc (28)
5 - sc 4, 3 sc in next, (sc 6, 3 sc in next) x 3, sc 2 (36)
6-10 - sc around, 5 rnds (36)
11 - sc 24, (inc, sc 2) x 4 (40)
12 - sc around (40)
13 - sc 25, (inc, sc 2) x 4, sc 3 (44)
14 - sc around (44)
15 - sc 6, (inc, sc) x 6, sc 11, inc x 3, sc 2, inc x 4, sc 6 (57)

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 Winter Horse

16- 21 - sc around, 6rnds (57)

22 - sc 40, (inc, sc 4) x 3, sc 2 (60)
23-25 - sc around, 3 rnds (60)
26 - (sc 3, dec) x 8, sc 15, dec, sc 3 (51)
27 - sc 30, dec, sc 6, dec, sc 9, dec (48)
28 - (sc 6, dec) x 6 (42)
29 - (sc 5, dec) x 6 (36)
30 - (sc 4, dec) x 6 (30)
31 - (sc 3, dec) x 6 (24)
Start Stuffing. I used hot glue to attach the eyes after I closed the head, if
you’d rather use the safety backs for the eyes, you can follow the instructions
for the eyes now.*see below
32- (sc 2, dec) x 6 (18)
33 - (sc, dec) x 6 (12)
34 - dec x 6 (6)
Finish Off.
Eye Instructions: To make the divots for the eyes to sit in - Take a piece of
yarn (I used crochet thread so you can see it better) and thread it through the
head between rnds 17 & 18 and approx 25 sts apart. Thread the yarn back
through the head so that you ‘grab a stitch’. Make sure the tail comes out in a
way so that you will be able to tie a knot around a stitch on the other side and
pull on the yarn until you form the divots on both sides. Knot the ends a couple
more times & hide the ends inside the head. I used hot glue to secure the eyes
in the divots.

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 Winter Horse

Use this same technique to make

divots on each side of the horse's
nose, between rnds 10 & 11 &
approx. 16 sts apart, being
careful to not pull too tight or it
will create a gap in the stitching.

Take a piece of Ivory yarn and

make a couple stitches next to
the eyes.

Ears
1 - MR, sc 6 (6)
2 - (sc 2, inc) x 2 (8)
3 - (sc 3, inc) x 2 (10)
4 - sc around (10)
5 - (inc x 2, sc 3) x 2 (14)
6 - sc, inc x 2, sc 5, inc x 2, sc 4 (18)
7 - sc 2, inc x 2, sc 7, inc x 2, sc 5 (22)
8-10 - sc around, 3 rnds (22)
11 - sc 2, dec x 2, sc 7, dec x 2, sc 5 (18)
12 - sc, dec x 2, sc 5, dec x 2, sc 4 (14)
Sc 2 more times to get to the edge of the ear and ch 1, hold the bottom edges
together, make 7 sc through both sides to close the opening.
Pinch the bottom of the ear together, ch 1 and make 2-4 sc back through both
sides to secure. Finish Off, leaving a long tail. Sew the ears to the head at
approx. rnds 25-27. *See photo on page 4 for reference.
©Violets&Heather by Heather Kumpf 5
 Winter Horse

Muzzle ‘Cap’ & Nose Blaze

With Ivory~
1 - MR, sc 6 (6)
2 - inc x 6 (12)
3 - (sc 2, 3 sc in next) x 4 (20)
4 - sc 3, 3 sc in next, (sc 4, 3 sc in next) x 3, sc (28)
5 - sc 4, 3 sc in next, (sc 6, 3 sc in next) x 3, sc 2 (36)
6 - sc 5, inc, (sc8, inc) x 3, sc 3 (40)
7 - sc around (40)
8 - sc 5, dec, (sc 8, dec) x 3, sc 3 (36)
9 - sc around (36)
Here we will begin working back and forth to create the blaze that goes up the
horse’s nose to between its ears.
10 - sc 6, ch 1, turn *this is a partial
row for placement
11-27 - sc 9, ch 1, turn. 17 rows (9)
28 - sc 9, ch1, continue to sc down
the side of the blaze, around the
muzzle, and back up the blaze &
across to your starting point,
creating a neat edge.
Finish Off, leaving a long tail. Sew
the muzzle/blaze to the horse's
nose.
Neck
Start with a long beginning tail, you will use this to sew the head to the neck.
Ch 36, slst into the first ch to join, ch 1
1-2 - sc around, 2 rnds (36)
3 - sc 10, (inc, sc 2) x 6, sc 8 (42)
4-5 - sc around, 2 rnds (42)
6 - sc 18, (inc, sc 2) x 3, sc 15 (45)
7 - sc around (45)
8 - sc 17, inc, sc 3, (inc, sc 2) x 2, (inc, sc 3)x2 , sc 10 (50)
9-12 - sc around, 4 rnds (50)
13 - (sc 2, inc) x 4, sc 12, (inc, sc 2) x 4, sc 10, inc, sc 2, inc (60)
14 - sc around (60)
15 - sc 25, (dec, sc 2) x 5, sc 15 (55)
Finish Off, leaving a long tail.

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 Winter Horse

Body
1 - MR, sc 6 (6)
2 - inc x 6 (12)
3 - (sc, inc) x 6 (18)
4 - (sc 2, inc) x 6 (24)
5 - (sc 3, inc) x 6 (30)
6 - (sc 4, inc) x 6 (36)
7 - (sc 5, inc) x 6 (42)
8 - (sc 6, inc) x 6 (48)
9 - (sc 7, inc) x 6 (54)
10 - (sc 8, inc) x 6 (60)
11-47 - sc around, 37 rnds (60)
48 - (sc 8, dec) x 6 (54)
49 - (sc 7, dec) x 6 (48)
50 - (sc 6, dec) x 6 (42)
51 - (sc 5, dec) x 6 (36)
52 - (sc 4, dec) x 6 (30)
Begin Stuffing
53 - (sc 3, dec) x 6 (24)
54 - (sc 2, dec) x 6 (18)
55 - (sc, dec) x 6 (12)
56 - dec x 6 (6)
Finish Off.
Assembly: Place the front of the neck at approx. rnd 4 of the body, the back
of the neck will reach to approx. rnd 23. Stuff
the neck firmly, then sew the head to the top of
the neck. I sewed the head at an angle so it
looks like the horse is looking off to the side but
you can sew it straight on, or however you like.
Add additional stuffing before closing up the
last few stitches to make sure the neck is nice
and firm and can support the head.

Legs
The bottom portion of all the legs will be
made the same, however, each leg will have
different instructions towards the top. Each leg
will have a partial ‘flap’ at the top which will be
sewn up onto the sides of the body, while the
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 Winter Horse

rest of the leg is sewn to the bottom of the horse. This helps with placement
and the look of the legs. *See instructions for adding leg hair on page 10 before
attaching the legs to the body.

Left Front Leg

Start with Ivory Color~
1 - MR, sc 6 (6)
2 - inc x 6 (12)
3 - (sc, inc) x 6 (18)
4 - (sc 2, inc) x 6 (24)
5 - (sc 3, inc) x 6 (30)
6 - (sc 4, inc) x 6 (36)
7 - BLO, sc 10, (inc, sc 2) x 6, sc 8 (42)
8-9 - sc around, 2 rnds (42)
10 - sc 10, (dec, sc 2) x 6, sc 8 (36)
11 - sc around (36)
12 - sc 15, (dec, sc 2) x 2, sc 13 (34)
13 - sc around (34)
14 - sc 14, (dec, sc 2) x 2, sc 12 (32)
15 - sc around (32)
16 - sc 15, dec x 2, sc 13 (30)
Insert nylon with poly-pellets *see page 3
17-24 - sc around, 8 rnds (30)
25 - sc 15, inc x 4, sc 11 (34)
26-28 - sc around, 3 rnds (34)
Change to Body Color
29-36 - sc around, 8 rnds (34)
37 - (sc 4, inc) x 6, sc 4 (40)
38-39 - sc around, 2 rnds (40)
Here is where we will begin working back & forth to create the flap.
40 - sc 10, hdc 21, ch 1, turn
41 - hdc 21, ch 1, turn (21)
42 - hdc 3, dc 15, hdc 3 (21)
Finish Off, leaving a long tail. Stuff firmly.
Right Front Leg
Follow the same instructions as the Left Front Leg through rnd 36
37 - inc, sc 8, (inc, sc 4) x 5 (40)
38-39 - sc around, 2 rnds (40)
Sc 4, ch 1, turn (this is a partial rnd to get to starting place)
40 - hdc 21, ch 1, turn (21)
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 Winter Horse

41 - hdc 21, ch 1, turn (21)

42 - hdc 3, dc 15, hdc 3 (21)
Finish Off, leaving a long tail. Stuff firmly.
Left Rear Leg
Follow the same instructions as the Left Front Leg through rnd 24
25 - sc 2, inc x 4, sc 24 (34)
26-28 - sc around, 3 rnds (34)
Change to Body Color
29 - (sc 16, inc) x 2 (36)
30 - (sc 5, inc) x 6 (42)
31-32 - sc around, 2 rnds (42)
33 - (sc 6, inc) x 3, sc 21 (45)
34 - sc around (45)
35 - sc 6, (inc, sc 2) x 2, sc 13, (inc, sc 2) x 2, sc 14 (49)
36 - sc around (49)
37 - sc 28, inc, sc 20 (50)
38 - sc around (50)
39 - sc 5, (inc, sc 2) x 2, sc 16, (inc, sc 2) x 2, sc 17 (54)
Here is where we will begin working back & forth to create the flap.
40 - sc 4, hdc 28, ch 1, turn
41 - hdc 28, ch 2, turn (28)
42 - dc 23, hdc 5, ch 1, turn (28)
43 - sc 5, hdc 23, ch 1, turn (28)
44 - sc 5, hdc 20, sc 3 (28)
Finish Off, leaving a long tail. Stuff Firmly.
Right Rear Leg
Follow the same instructions as the Left R ​ ear​ Leg through rnd 32
33- sc 6, inc, sc 27, inc, sc 6, inc (45)
34 - sc around (45)
35 - sc 3, (inc, sc 2) x 2, sc 13, (inc, sc 2) x 2, sc 17 (49)
36 - sc around (49)
37 - sc 10, inc, sc 38 (50)
38 - sc around (50)
39 - sc 8, (inc, sc 2) x 2, sc 19, (inc, sc 2) x 2, sc 11 (54)
Here is where we will begin working back & forth to create the flap.
40 - sc 16, ch1, turn, hdc 28, ch 1, turn
41 - hdc 28, ch 2, turn (28)
42 - dc 23, hdc 5, ch 1, turn (28)
43 - sc 5, hdc 23, ch 1, turn (28)
44 - sc 5, hdc 20, sc 3 (28)
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 Winter Horse

Finish Off, leaving a long tail. Stuff Firmly.

Attaching hair to each leg~
I used approx. 12” long strands of
Ivory yarn for all of the leg hair,
then I trimmed it to where it
reached the bottom of the hoof
after I was done.
Use the latch-hook method to
attach a strand of Ivory yarn to
each stitch between rnds 19 & 20
of each leg. Then starting
between rnd 28 & 29 (between
the Ivory color of the lower leg
and the body color) make a
triangle shape down to the fringe
you added at rnds 19 & 20 on
each leg. Center the triangle with
the back of the leg, for me I
started the tip of the triangle
about 4 stitches over from where
the body color starts.
The triangle doesn’t have to be precise
because once we separate the yarn
strands it will blend together. Here is a
diagram of how many strands I attached
on each round but feel free to do what
you think looks best on your horse.

After all the hair is attached, take your

tapestry needle and insert it into each individual strand of yarn towards the

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 Winter Horse

top, where it connects to the leg, and pull down, separating the strand in two.
This is a bit tedious but it makes the hair look more realistic and ‘flowy’ which
I felt was important to the overall look of the horse. I found it was easier to
start at the tip of the triangle and work down, moving the separated strands up
and away from the others so they didn’t get tangled as I worked. *See photo on
previous page. Trim the hair to where it reaches the bottom of the hoof after
you’re finished separating the strands.

Attaching the legs~

Sew the legs to the body. When
attaching the back legs, be sure to place
the inside of the leg at the center point of
the body. The legs are pretty large so
you’ll want to be sure to leave enough
room for the second one. *see photo

Add stuffing before closing up the last

few stitches to insure the bottom of the
legs are firm. Add some lighter stuffing
to fill in the flap area, making sure the
stuffing doesn’t pull gaps in the hdc/dc
stitches. *see photo on next page for a
view of the front legs.

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 Winter Horse

Mane & Tail

The mane and tail are made up of 2
strips that are joined together at the
top, forming what we will refer to as a
‘Section’.
Each strip begins with a starting ch.
You will start by working in the 2nd
chain from the hook and sc into the
back bumps of the starting ch *See
page 3. You will work a total of 3 rows
of sc, then, without finishing off, begin
a new starting ch for the second strip.
After working 3 rows of sc on the
second strip, you ch 1, fold the strips
together and sc across the top to join,
forming a Section.

I will write out the instructions for the first

Section, then you will repeat the same technique
for the next section, changing only the length of
the chains.

~You will have a total of 2 separate sections and 1

individual strip for the part of the mane that goes
between the ears~

*see photo on next page for placement.

Front mane - Section 1
With Mane/Tail Color~
Ch 42, starting in 2nd ch from the hook & working
in back bump-
1-2 - sc across, ch 1 & turn (41)
3 - sc across (41)
Ch 36
1-2 - sc across, ch 1 & turn (35)
3 - sc across (35)

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 Winter Horse

Ch 1 and fold the 2 strips together, sc across to join. Finish Off, leaving a long
tail. This section will go next to the inside of the left ear, attach it at an angle
so that it lays off to the right side of the horse’s head.
Front mane - Section 2: ​With Mane/Tail Color~
Strip 1: ch 21; Strip 2: ch 31. This goes next to the inside of the right ear; the
hair will fall off to the right side without having to angle this section.

Now, we will make a single strip that is 31 ch long. This piece goes between the
2 sections and is angled to lay off to the right side as well.

*The lines on the photo show the top of each section/strip & their placement
between the ears and the angle of placement.

Side mane -
With Mane/Tail Color~
Next, we will make the part of the
mane that goes down the back of the
horse’s head and neck. For this piece
I made 5 continuous sections. I made
2 strips and joined them together but
instead of finishing off, I made the
next starting ch, making my next 2
strips and joined those 2 strips
together and so on. You will have 5
sections total that are all connected.
Then I just single crocheted across
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 Winter Horse

the top of all five sections for a cleaner look and to make the piece easier to
attach. Every strip will start with a ch of 41.

Sew the Mane down the middle of the back of the horse’s head and neck.

Tail~
With Mane/Tail Color~
For the tail we will make 2 continuous
sections (total of 4 strips). After single
crocheting across the top of the 2nd
section, ch 1, fold one section over the top
of the other and sc across the top to join.
(you’ll have 4 strips stacked one on top of
the other). Make 2 separate pieces that
have 4 strips each. Make each strip 49 ch
long.
Finish off each piece, leaving a long tail.
Sew the first piece to approx. rnd 48 of
the horse’s body. Sew the next piece
directly above the first.

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 Winter Horse

Holly Leaves & Berries

I made 3 berries and 2 leaves which I
placed behind the horse’s left ear. You can
make as many as you wish, placing them
however you choose.
Leaf​:
With Leaf Color~
*The picot is made by chaining 3, then slst
into the 3rd ch from hook.
Ch 9, starting in 2nd ch from the hook~
1 - sc 7, sc 3 in last ch, (turn so you are
working on the opposite side of the ch),
sc 6, inc (18)
2 - (sc, picot, slst into next st) x 9 (18) ~ total
of 9 spikes
Berry​:
With Berry Color~
1 - MR 6 (6)
2-3 - sc around, 2 rnds (6)
Finish Off, leaving a long tail. Sew the berries to the
leaves. Attach leaves & berries to the horse. * see
photos on page 13 for placement

Collar
With Collar Color~
Ch 7, starting in 2nd ch from the hook~
1 - sc 5, sc 3 in the last ch, (turn so you are working on
the opposite side of the ch),
sc 4, inc (14)
2-74 - sc around, 73 rnds (14)
sc 4 more to get to the edge, hold both sides together
& sc 7 through both to close the opening. Finish Off,
leaving a long tail. Sew the jingle bells around the
collar; I used hot glue to attach mine. (If you don’t
have any jingle bells, you can use yellow yarn and
follow the instructions for the berries to make yarn
bells). I spaced my bells approx. 2” apart. Place the
collar around the horse’s neck and sew the ends
together.

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 Winter Horse

Finished!

Please share photos of your finished horse with me at

violetsnheather@gmail.com​, or on Instagram: @violets.and.heather. If you
have any questions or find any mistakes, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you!!
©Violets&Heather by Heather Kumpf 16