Puffpuff is a round, puffy little Atlantic puffin with a colorful beak. Not to be confused with penguins due to the black and white plumage, puffins are seabirds that can fly.
I have been intrigued by this adorable bird since I read about Neil the puffin in Jenny Colgan's Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery. This is book no. 2 of the series and if you are interested to know the story please start with book no.1 called Little Beach Street Bakery first.
The population of puffins are dwindling due to climate change and hunting, and this year they are classified as threatened to extinction. Conservation efforts are important, we can also play a part by not hunting and not eating puffin meat. To go a step further, spread the word to others so that they aware of this endangered species.
Now for the puffin soft toy, you will need:
Materials
Acrylic yarn - Yellow, Orange, Grey, Black & White
Polyester fibre
Safety eyes
Chenille wire (optional for the legs)
White felt
For the head, start by making a white ball, then crochet a black circle big enough to cover the back half of the ball. Add a few rows of black to the centre of the forehead to create a "U" shape.
Sew a V shape beside the eye with grey yarn before attaching the safety eye. (see picture below).
Crochet orange, yellow and grey in a cone shape for the beak, fill it slightly with polyester fibre so that it remains flat and not round when sewn onto the head. Add in a yellow dot using french knot at the sides.
Next, make the body. The base is white and where the rows start to turn upwards, crochet semicircles of black and white .
Since I wanted to have bendable legs for Puffpuff, adding a chenille wire does the job. Make the webbed feet and legs in parts before sewing them together.
After assembling the legs, position them onto the body and poke the wire in between the stitches. Secure with felt and then twist both ends together.
After this is done, sew the ends of the legs to the body.
Stuff the body and attach it to the head, circling a strand of black yarn around the front of the neck. At this stage, puffin will look like this:
Add on the wings and we are all set!
I've had alot of fun making Puffpuff based on a doodle that I drew at the back of an envelope a few months back. Do you think they look similar?
Hope you are inspired to make your own puffin soft toy. Love❤ the puffins and keep them alive so that future generations will come to love them too.