Bento the Little Lunchbox Bear
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Supplies Pattern Assembly
Introduction
Let me introduce you to Bento Bear — a fluffly little friend who loves to dress up in deliciously cute bento-style outfits.
From a crispy shrimp tempura hat to a cozy nori neck warmer, each accessory clevely folds up to look like a yummy bento style lunch. And when playtime is done and it’s time for a nap, tuck your little bento bear in with a blanket of warm tamagoyaki (grilled omlette) or fluffy rice!
I designed Bento and his accessories to fit perfectly in most bento-style boxes. Although I opted for a store brought bento box, this is also a great opportunity to upcycle takeaway containors (just be sure to give them a good soapy bath first!)
If you enjoyed making this pattern, I’d love to hear from you! Leave me a comment or tag me on socials #twolittlelions
Community Standards
Take pride in the art of handmade. A lot of time and creativy goes into each plafully made design at Two Little Lions and this little crown is a reminder that we should all aim to act with kindness, respect, and integrity in all things great and small. If you have use this pattern, I ask that you kindly credit me, Two Little Lions as the designer when sharing your work (i.e.shop listings, on item tags, or in the caption of content you share of socials). And don’t forget to tag me on socials so I can see your work @twolittlelions.co.
This also means that it’s not okay to copy, share, or in any way distribute this pattern or any part thereof in any way. You can translate it for personal use, bookmark it, download or print it, jot notes in the margins, cover it with sticky notes, or even doodle on it, but please don’t give away my work for free.
Abbreviations & Spelling
This pattern uses common crochet abbreviations in US terms & Canadian spelling. You can find a list of all crochet abbrevations used in my patterns here.
Technique
YU/YU - Yarn Under/Yarn Under
This technique will create the tightest possible stitches to ensure you little bear will work up to be small enough to fit in a bento box.
Finished Size
Works up small enough to fit most bento lunch boxes
The finished bear will be palm-size.
Use a regular size bento box to hold both bear and accessories.
This is a great size to create a bento bear keychain or bag charm!
Follow the instructions for the mini bento accessories (smaller hook size, single strand dk weight yarn)
Supplies & Notions
You’ll need to gather a few supplies before getting started.
Feels Like a Dream by Lion Brand in Snowflake
5mm crochet hook
Small quantity dk yarn for embroidery of nose and/or eyes
Optional: 6mm plastic safety eyes (not recommended for children under 3 years of age)
Scrap yarn to use as markers for eye placement (any weight)
Stitch markers or a little more scrap yarn (to mark the end of the round)
Scissors
Tapestry needle
Stuffing
Yarn Recommendations
Works up small enough to fit most bento lunch boxes
The finished bear will be palm-size.
Use a regular size bento box to hold both bear and accessories.
This is a great size to create a bento bear keychain or bag charm!
Follow the instructions for the mini bento accessories (smaller hook size, single strand dk weight yarn)
Pattern Instructions
Head
worked around a starting chain
worked from the top down
R1. Ch6, starting in 2nd chain from the hook, 4sc, 3sc in last chain stitch, then continue on the other side of the chain, 3sc, inc [12]
R2. inc, 3sc, (inc) x3, 3sc, (inc) x2 [18]
R3. 18sc [18]
R4. sc, inc, 3sc, (sc, inc) x3, 3sc, (sc, inc) x2 [24]
Marking eye placement. In the next round, we will use a piece of scrap yarn to mark the spaces where the safety eyes will be placed later. Note: I am using scrap yarn to mark the spaces between stitches rather than an actual stitch marker for perfect placement. I prefer this method so there is no confusion about where to add the eyes. If you are using larger size safety eyes, you may need to adjust the placement, but this will still give you a starting point!
Place your scrap yarn (draped perpendicular to the round) under your hook after you complete the number of stitches indicated. Leave one tail sticking out towards you and the other remains loose inside the head. Use the loose end to mark the next space. When complete, both yarn tails will be sticking out towards you. Remove the scrap yarn later when you insert the eyes.
I have used a bullet (•) to indicate when to place the scrap yarn marker. It’s best to choose a contrasting colour and a lighter weight yarn for easy removal.
R5. 4sc • 4sc • 16sc [24]
R6-8. 24sc [24; 3 rounds]
Adding safety eyes. If you plan to add safety eyes, you can add them now. I prefer to insert safety eyes after I have completed all the rounds of the head, stuffed it, and embroidered the nose, but it does mean working in a tight space which may not appeal to every maker. However, I prefer to do it this way to feel most confident with the placement of the facial features. If you plan to embroider the eyes, you can just skip this step and complete the embroidery whenever you want!
R9. (sc, dec) x8 [16]
R10. (dec) x8 [8]
Fasten off.
Stuffing. Stuff and shape the head. The head should be more oval-shaped (rather than round and spherical), a little more wide than tall.
To get the perfect head shape, I like hold the finished head between my hands as if it were a hamburger and imagine I am giving the burger an good squeeze! Don’t be afraid to stuff the head firmly. We want the finished item to hold it’s shape.
Close. Use a tapestry need to close up the head. Weave the yarn tail under the front loops of the last round and then pull tight to close. Hide the yarn tail inside the head.
Ears
Make 2 ears
Leave the tail from the magic ring loose (do not weave it in); use it during assembly to secure the ear in addition to the tail from fastening off.
R1. 6sc in MR [6]
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
Arms
R1. 5sc in MR [5]
R2. (inc) x5 [10]
R3. 10sc [10]
R4. (3sc, dec) x2 [8]
R5. (2sc, dec) x2 [6]
R6-8. 6sc [6; 3 rounds]
R9. Flatten the top of the arm, so you have aligned the stitches in 3 pairs, then working through each pair of stitches, 2sc, sl st [3]
FO. Leave a long tail for sewing. I prefer to leave the arms unstuffed.
Legs
Optional: Try working R1 in a colour of your choice for a pop of colour on the bottom of the foot. You can also embroidery little paw pads in the same colour!
Legs must be completed prior to starting the body
R1. 7sc in MR [7]
R2. (inc) x [14]
R3. (6sc, inc) x 2 [16]
R4. 16sc [16]
R5. (dec) x 8
R6. 8sc
R7. 8sc
R9. (2sc, dec) x 2 [6]
FO. Leave a tail for sewing.
Stuffing. Stuff the legs lightly. Thanks to the unique construction, you can easily adjust the stuffing using any of the openings on the body to get the stuffing just the way you want it during the assembly process.
Body
the body is worked from the bottom up.
complete the legs prior to starting the body
the legs are partially crocheted on in R5
R1. 9sc in MR x9 [9]
R2. (inc) x9 [18]
R3. (2sc, inc) x6 [24]
R4. start with 4sc on the body, pick up leg 1, 4sc around leg 1 (leaving 2 sts on leg unworked), sk3 on the body, return to body and work 10sc, pick up leg 2, 4sc around leg 2 (again leaving 2 sts on leg 2 unworked), sk3 on the body, 4sc [26]
Openings: The remaining openings between the between the legs and the body that are the result of the skipped stitches will be sewn closed during assembly.
R5. Continue as usual working in sts created in last round, the bobble stitch will become a tail: 25sc, {sc / BOB / } [27]
R6. 27sc [27]
R7. 27sc [27]
R8. (sc, dec) x6 [18]
R9. 18sc [18]
R10. (4sc, dec) x3 [15]
R11. (3sc, dec) x3 [12]
R12. (Dec) x6 [6]
FO. Do not close. Leave a tail for sewing.
Assembly
Embroidery
Eyes
Using a tapestry needle and dk yarn, insert your needle a few stitches away from the first eye and come out from the first marked stitch in R5. This will be the bottom of the eye. Reinsert your needle 1 round higher to mark the top of the eye. Repeat until the eye is the size you’d like. Count as you go so you can ensure the eyes will be the same size. I like to make about 5-8 passes. Use your fingers to gently push the yarn to the left and right as you repeat passes to widen the eye and create a more rounded shape. When you are finished, come out the same stitch as you started in, knot the yarn tails, and hide them inside the head. Repeat this process for the second eye. I use a seperate strand of yarn for each eye and the nose, but this is a personal preference.
Nose
To complete the face, embroider a little T-shaped nose across the middle 2 stitches of R5 directly between the eyes. I also add a small vertical line about 1-2 stitches in height to form a T-shaped nose. To get this vertical line as straight as possible, use the tip of your needle to find a tighter space between the interlocked strands of a stitch rather than the larger space between stitches. When using a lighter weight yarn, you will want to make a few passes to achieve the thickness you like for the nose. I usually complete about 3-5 passes for the horizonal line and 1-2 for the vertical when working with dk weight yarn.
Cheeks
There a lots of ways to add a pop of colour to the face. The easiest is to embroider the cheeks with super bulky yarn in a colour of your choice. Although rosy cheeks are the most common, pink isn’t a must! Experiment with a contrasting colour for a unique accent. Yellow will work well for this lunch box bear especially if made in a beige or brown since it’s also used in some of the accessories (ex: tamayogoki/omelette blanket). Short horizontal lines offset from the eyes are always cute. For something a little different, you can also try using yarn knots, which create a circular blush without too much bulk. These can be challenging to secure properly if you are creating a toy for children, but are wonderful accents for decorative or display items. To create a yarn knot, cut a length of yarn, create a simple knot, but instead of pulling it tight right away, just loop one of the tails around a few more times and then pull tight. Use a needle to secure the yarn knot in the desired position weaving both yarn tails into a different stitch. For added security, add a dab of e6000 glue behind the knot. Once you have yarn knots positioned for both cheeks, use your needle to bring one tail from each cheek out of the same stitch, knot together tightly and hide the ends. Repeat for the remaining yarn tails, so the cheeks are securely tied to each other. Note: Yarn knots are not really baby-safe since they can be challenging to secure safely, but are great for decorative items.
Sewing
Attaching the ears
The foundation chain at the top of the head is used to help position the ears when attaching. The ears should be positioned on the side of the head with the width of the foundation chain between them. Use the tail from the magic ring to add an extra security stitch or two when sewing. Once I have finished sewing, I like to bring the two yarn tails from each ear of the same stitch and securely knot them together. This helps make them securely attached and tug proof! Weave in the ends.
Attaching the arms
The arms are positioned on the sides of the body at R10 (just under the head). You can choose to sew them parallel with the rounds or position them at a slight angle. The arms are designed to fit along the contours of the body.
Closing the legs
Thread a tapestry needle with the yarn tail from one of the legs. Then, bring the legs in line with the body (use your hands to hug or compress the sides of the body where the legs are attached). Notice their position. The legs sit under the body and following the contours of the body/belly. This is the position in which you will sew the legs. You will also want to make sure that any openings at the front and back around the hip/thigh area are closed. Repeating for the second leg. Tip. Although, your first instinct may be to simply sew closed the opening of between the legs and the body, bringing the unworked stitches of the legs and body together, avoid doing so. This will not create the look you see in the finished photos and will instead cause the legs to stick out at an angle.
