A Guide To Making The Famous TikTok Bumblebee – 3 Different Sized Crochet Patterns

If you’re a fan of TikTok, then you’re bound to have seen the viral crochet bee buzzing around your For You page.

Even if you’re not an avid TikTok user (what does it feel like to be free of your phone in your downtime?), then you’ll probably have seen this crochet pattern before.

No matter whether you want to make this adorable little bumblebee for your own collection, or you’ve been asked to make it over and over again by someone in your life, then we have the solution for you.

Our kids absolutely love TikTok and have been fascinated with this bee. What’s worse is that the algorithm for the app means that the more you like a video, the more you’ll see others like it.

So, every time one of them would like a bee video, another five would show up the next day.

If you are like us and are in a never-ending cycle of seeing this crochet bumblebee and being pressured into making it, then keep reading.

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We have the pattern in three different sizes so you can decide how much commitment you want to adhere to.

A Guide To Making The Famous TikTok Bumblebee - 3 Different Sized Crochet Patterns

Why Would You Want To Choose A Different Size For Your Bee?

There are many reasons why you might not want to make the traditional size bee that you’re seeing so much over on TikTok. Most of the users who are making them over there are using them as little decorative items. 

However, you might have another idea in mind. We wanted to create a set of bumblebees to use as curtain holders in our baby’s nursery. Then, our older child wanted a massive bee to be used as a little pillow or something that she could cuddle to sleep. 

Once we had made two different sizes, we thought why not finish the set off and add a smaller one into our home?

We made lots of miniature crochet bumblebees and hung them all from a baby mobile over our little one’s crib. 

So, without further ado, let’s get into the patterns for the TikTok crochet bee, and how you can make it smaller or larger if you want to. 

TikTok Bumblebee Pattern

Here is the pattern for the crochet bumblebee that has been making the rounds on TikTok for the past few months. 

Pattern Notes

If you’ve ever read a crochet pattern before, then you’ll be familiar with the pattern notes. If you are a complete newbie, then don’t worry.

These are simply notes to keep in mind while following the pattern. The notes are as follows: 

Expert Level

Beginner friendly

Yarn Used

Yellow, black, and white yarn in DK, aran, or super bulky variants. You will need around 50g of each color. Bear in mind that you might need more yarn for the larger bumblebee and less for the smaller bee. 

Small: DK yarn

Medium: Aran yarn

Large: Super Bulky yarn

Size Of End Bee

Small: 13 x 9 cm 

Medium: 17 x 12 cm

Large: 26 x 20 cm

Equipment Needed

The size of your crochet hook will alter the size of your stitches. So, for smaller projects you’ll often be using a smaller hook, while larger projects will call for a larger hook. These bees are no different!

Small: 3.5 mm crochet hook

Medium: 5 mm crochet hook

Large: 8 mm crochet hook

You’ll need a few more supplies to finish your bumblebee off, which is as following:

Toy stuffing

Sewing needle designed for yarn 

Something for eyes: You can stitch eyes onto your bumblebees, or use plastic eyes designed for doll making. 

Other Notes

Work in a round instead of turning your work after each row.

Use a stitch marker to ensure that you don’t lose the start of each round.

Pattern between asterisks (**) are to be repeated.

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Pattern Abbreviations

This pattern uses US crochet terms. If you are using UK terms, you will need to convert the US terms to your way of working. 

st(s) – stitch(es)

sl st (slip stitch) 

inc – increase

dec – decrease

sc – single crochet

Bumblebee Pattern To Follow

Choose whether you want to make the small, medium, or large bumblebee and make sure that you have the correct yarn and hook size according to the pattern notes above. 

Remember these key points: 

Work in a continuous round

Pattern between asterisks (**) needs to be repeated

The number of the end of each round is the number of stitches you should have completed in that round

Making The Bee’s Body

Begin with yellow yarn and make a magic ring. If you’re unsure of how to do this, look at the FAQ section at the bottom of the page. 

Round 1: 6 sc into the magic ring. Pull the tail to tighten and close the magic ring. (6)

Round 2: inc x 6 (12)

Round 3: *inc, sc* x 6 (18)

Round 4: *inc, sc in next 2 sts* x 6 (24)

Round 5: *inc, sc in next 3 sts* x 6 (30)

Round 6: *inc, sc in next 4 sts* x 6 (36)

Round 7: *inc, sc in next 5 sts* x 6 (42)

Round 8: *inc, sc in next 6 sts* x 6 (48)

The eyes should be five rows from the magic circle. You can either add these now or later. The eyes should be in the 10 and 2 o’clock positions. Embroider the mouth between the third and fourth round from the magic circle. 

Now that the face has been completed, continue with yellow yarn for the following rows. 

Round 9 to 12: sc in each st (48)

Close the last round with a sl st and switch to black yarn. Make sure that you don’t cut the yellow yarn just yet though. Position it out of the way so that your yarns don’t get tangled. 

Rounds 13 to 16: sc in each st (48)

Close the last round with a sl st and switch back to your yellow yarn. Again, don’t cut the black yarn. 

Rounds 17 to 20: sc in each st (48)

Close the last round with a sl st and switch back to black. Don’t cut the yellow yarn.

Rounds 21 to 24: sc in each st (48)

Close the last round with a sl st and switch the color to yellow. Cut the black yarn while leaving a log tail inside of the bee’s body. 

Round 25 to 28: sc in each st (48)

Round 29: *dec, sc in next 6 st* x 6 (42)

Round 30: *dec, sc in next 5 st* x 6 (36)

Round 31: *dec, sc in next 4 st* x 6 (30)

Begin stuffing the body now with your chosen stuffing. Make sure that you use enough so that the body is your desired firmness. 

Round 32: *dec, sc in next 3 st* x 6 (24)

Round 33: *dec, sc in next 2 st* x 6 (18)

Round 34: *dec, sc in next 2 st* x 6 (12)

Finish stuffing the bee’s body. Cut the yellow yarn leaving a long tail. Use this tail to close the hole and weave the remaining tail into the bee’s body.

To close the hole, take your needle threaded with the yarn and pull it through each of the 12 remaining stitches. Pull tight to close the ring. Knot the yarn to keep this closure tight. 

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Making The Bee’s Wings

Use the same weight of yarn and size of hook as you did for your bumblebee’s body. Make two of these wings, so you will need to repeat the pattern twice. 

Make a magic ring with white yarn.

Round 1: 6 sc into the magic ring. Pull the tail to tighten and close the magic ring. (6)

Round 2: inc x 6 (12)

Round 3: *inc, sc* x 6 (18)

Round 4: *inc, sc in next 2 sts* x 6 (24)

Round 5: *inc, sc in next 3 sts* x 6 (30) Sl st to close the round, fasten off while leaving a long tail. 

Weave the tail from the magic circle into the wing. Using the tail from round 6, sew both sings to the body on the middle yellow stripe. Make sure that the wings are centered between the eyes. 

And you’re finished! Enjoy your very own TikTok crochet bumblebee.

Wait… How Does That Work? 

Wait... How Does That Work 

You might be wondering how you can make three different sizes of bee with just one pattern. Well, the secret is all in the thickness of the yarn. 

DK yarn is equivalent to #3 Light on the Standard Yarn Weight System. It is a thin yarn that is used for lightweight pieces and infant clothing. It can also be used for small toys and decorations. 

Aran yarn is slightly thicker and is otherwise known as worsted yarn. This is #4 on the Standard Yarn Weight System and is used for a variety of projects such as the blankets, adult garments, and other accessories. 

Finally, super chunky is #6 on the Standard Yarn Weight Scale. It’s used for scarves, hats, and gloves thanks to its ability to warm anything that it surrounds. This yarn is the thickest you can get. 

RELATED: Crochet The Amigurumi TikTok Bee

So, choosing one of these yarns to create your bumblebee will differ the size of each stitch. A stitch using DK yarn will be considerably shorter and thinner than a stitch in super chunky, making the bee made from the latter much bigger than that of the former. 

You could even use a different yarn that we have listed above, such as Sock (#1) or Sport (#2) for a smaller bee. You could also use Chunky yarn (#5) for a bee sized in the middle of our medium and large bees above.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is A Magic Circle And How Do You Make One? 

 The magic ring is a popular way to start a crochet project when the project is done in a round. For example, a crochet hat would be done in a round to make the bowl-like shape.

Another example is a coaster, which is a round shape and therefore can be started with the magic circle. 

A granny square, however, is a square shape and therefore cannot be started with a magic circle. That will need to be started with a chain instead. Get it? 

So, a magic circle can start your project off. It is a nifty little technique that lets you make a circle of stitches without any gap in the middle.

If you were to start the project off with a circle of chain stitches, there would be a big hole in your bee’s face. So, the magic circle is most often the best way to go.

 Here is the technique on how to make your magic circle: 

  1. Take your yarn at its tail end and hold it over your left hand’s four fingers, with the working yarn above your fingers and the tail end towards the floor. 
  2. Wrap the working end of the yarn around the back of your fingers and bring it back up to cross over the tail end of the yarn. 
  3. You should now have a cross of yarn on your fingers, with the working end over the top of the tail end. 
  4. Take the working yarn that is not in the cross with your crochet hook and feed it through the loop around your fingers. 
  5. Remove your fingers. Pull the working yarn tight to knot it to the circle. You should now have a loop of yarn – this is your magic circle. 
  6. Pull slightly on the tail end and you will see that you can make the loop smaller. You can also make it bigger by pulling on the loop itself. 

Now you can begin stitching into the magic circle like we have said to do in the pattern.

Do this by putting your crochet hook through the magic circle, hooking your working yarn, pulling a loop through the magic circle, and creating a single crochet stitch from that. 

Summary

We hope that you have found our pattern useful and enjoy your new bumblebee friends! All you need to do is decide which size you want to make and get the correct yarn and crochet hook that coincides with it.

This pattern is beginner friendly and very easy to make, so you won’t have to spend much time on it at all. Which size will you make first?

Amanda Brown
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