Design By: Maggie Weldon

Skill Level: Easy

Size:24" long x 17" tall

Materials: Medium Weight Yarn –

Light Grey (MC) – 720 yds., 27 oz. (658m, 566g)

Med Grey  (CC) – 40 yds., 1.5 oz. (36.5m, 31.5g)
Red - 60 yards
White– 12 yds., .5 oz., (11m, 9.5g)
Blue - 60 yards.
2 Black Plastic Safety Eyes – 20mm

1 large bag of fiberfill for stuffing

Yarn Needle

Crochet Hook: Size K (5.00 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge.

Gauge: 5 sc and 5 rows of sc = 2"

Note: For best results work with a tighter gauge.

Patriotic Elephant Crochet Pattern

In 1874 Thomas Nast's "The Third Term Panic" cartoon was published by Harper's Weekly. Ever since the elephant has remained the icon of the Republican party. This elephant is hard working and can carry the burden of the nation's current state. You can stitch up this elephant to be sturdy and make his load more comfortable with a patriotic saddle blanket. Elephant believes in America and relates to the working class. Although it has been a while since his executive position, an elephant never forgets.

This adorable Elephant is easy to crochet using Mary Maxim's Bulky weight 100% ultra soft acrylic Titan yarn.  The colors are absolutely perfect for the Donkey and the Elephant.  The two shades of grey for body and the contrasting ears, tail and feet blend so well together.
It was a lot of fun designing this project.  I used a vintage Elephant pattern and reworked it so that it would have a solid body.  I also reworked the pattern line by line so that it would be as easy as possible for crocheters of all skill levels to follow.  The pattern includes a graph which will help you to see the rows line by line as you crochet and the stuffed creature takes shape. You will see what I mean in the pattern.  The graph makes it a lot easier to follow what you are doing while crocheting the Elephant ears, legs and body parts.  There are still line by line easy to follow instructions.  The graph is just an added feature.  
The body parts are made with all single crochet stitches.  The pattern starts with one leg, moves up to the body and then the head.  The other leg, trunk and underbelly parts are then crocheted.  After all the parts are made the Elephant is sewn together and then stuffed with polyester Fiberfil.  This is a great project for beginners.  It's a good idea to crochet on the tight side.  A tighter gauge will create a stiffer crochet fabric. When you stuff the legs they will stand up better if the crochet stitches are worked tightly together instead of loose stitches.  
All of the bulky yarn used in both he Donkey and the Elephant are available here at MaggiesCrochet.com
Oh Yeah! Try this pattern with lighter weight yarns and smaller crochet hooks for different results.  I love the idea that these stuffed animals are crocheted to be so big. It's a nice break from the small crocheted toys like amigurumi.
Also...  You can make all kinds of little afghans to fit over your Donkey or Elephant.  The possibilities are endless.