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I ran into many challenges crocheting Robin the unicorn, but I’m so happy with the end result and learnt so much.

Robin the Unicorn from Yan Schenkel’s pattern book Animal Friends of Pica Pau, was my next crochet challenge. Of course, by the end of crocheting this adorable little unicorn, I decided to rename her with the help of my crocheting Instagram pals.

Introducing Merida the Unicorn

Okay, I know this wee unicorn is called Robin in the pattern book, Animal Friends of Pica Pau, but I’m breaking the rules and calling this little girl Merida. Doesn’t she look more like a Merida to you?

Merida is a little rebel at heart. She’s strong-willed, kind, and sticks up for what she believes in. Plus, just look at her badass tattoo.

Merida loves reading books written by strong feminist authors like Louisa May Alcott, Sylvia Plath, and Margaret Atwood. She also enjoys a good game of soccer (aka football).

Details for crocheters

If you fancy making this wee adorable unicorn for yourself, here are the details you’ll need, plus some extra information on lessons I learned while crocheting and some handy resources that will help you through.

Robin the Unicorn crochet pattern

The pattern is by one of my favourite crochet designers, Yan Schenkel (you can check her out on Instagram here), and is in her pattern book Animal friends of Pica Pau (just click here to find it on amazon).

The pattern is straight forward, and extremely well written, however I did have my challenges. That was definitely more to do with my ability to chain and count more than anything else. So be warned, if you’re a beginner crocheter, this pattern takes patience and perseverance.

Yarn

Of course, being my typical self, I went against the grain with the yarn colours I chose. The pattern suggests using off-white, light blue, yellow, and pink, but instead I went for off-white (no. 11) from Søstrene Grene, and pink  (no. 724), purple (no. 862), and lime green (no. 846) Rowan Cotton Glacé.

I’d bought the Rowan Cotton Glacé from a stunning yarn shop when I was in Munich called, Die Mercerie. Plus, the Anna & Clara 100% cotton 8/4 from Søstrene Grene in natural (off-white) I had left over from a previous project.

Fancy purchasing this yarn? I’ve added links below that will take you to very similar yarn colours that I used (if not the same) on amazon, here:

Crochet resources

This pattern definitely challenged my crocheting skill level and surprised me with a few of the instructions. Overall, it was extremely fun, but here are two things that you’ll need to perfect to keep this gorgeous unicorn looking right.

Crocheting a chain

Okay, I imagine that if you’re considering working with this pattern, you’ve been crocheting for a little while. But if you’re anything like me, and predominantly make amigurumi, you might be a little out of practice when it comes to crocheting a standard chain. If so, I’ve found this video on YouTube by Giovi from Crochet It Academy that will help if you need a wee reminder. Although this pattern doesn’t require loads of chains, there is one extremely important one in the pattern, and a strong foundation chain will mean your little unicorn turns out a lot better and you won’t have to improvise like I did (see lessons learned).

Dividing your crochet piece

Something that is very common in patterns by Yan Schenkel, or at least the ones I’ve tried so far, is dividing your work. Many of Yan’s patterns require full bodies of amigurumi to be made in one go. How? By dividing your work and continuing to crochet. Here’s a great video by Kerry Lord from TOFT showing you exactly how to split your work. This will help somewhat when you’re up to crocheting this unicorn’s gorgeous legs.

Lessons learned

I ran into quite a few issues when making Merida, however, of course I found some solutions too. Here are some of the lessons I learned while crocheting this gorgeous girl. I hope they help you too!

Count your crochet stitches

Now, I know this is common sense for most crochet pieces, but one word of warning, when it comes to making Robin Unicorn’s body the rounds get long! At one point, I definitely lost track of how many stitches I had, even though I was using multiple stitch markers in each round. So be prepared, and it might help to double check by counting your stitches after each round when you’re up to the part I’m talking about. Trust me, you’ll know when you’re there!

Be patient and persevere

This pattern requires some serious patience. I got to one point part way through crocheting the body where I thought I’d have to undo all of stitches and start again. Thankfully, a crocheting pal on Instagram talked me out of it, and I listened, AND it ended up turning out just fine. So be prepared to potentially get to a stage where you question yourself and the process, but my advice? Be patient, and just keep going.

If you don’t succeed, improvise

I alluded to this earlier in this post when I was talking about chains. Essentially, my foundation chain for the backbone of the body was not great. I could see through it. But I really couldn’t bring myself to undo that many stitches and start from basically the beginning again. I’d already come so far. Instead, I improvised. Using trial and error of a couple of different methods, I came up with an idea to conceal those little holes without making it too noticeable. I decided to essentially single crochet inside the unicorn’s body along the backbone. And guess what? It worked!

Final thoughts about crocheting Robin the Unicorn

Overall, this has definitely been the most challenging crochet pattern I’ve worked on to-date. I got frustrated a lot, but I’ll tell you what, I also learned so much throughout the process. Once this little girl was finished, I couldn’t have been more proud of myself. I mean, isn’t she adorable?

Until next time, happy crocheting,

Cilla x

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