Worked on the glider, counted out loud —
Intermediate crochet cocoon with bunny hood and ears, 12-16 hours of work, perfect for newborn photos or snuggling.
You know those quiet stretches where someone's expecting and you want to make something they'll actually use, not just admire. That's this cocoon. It's built for a newborn, soft enough for delicate skin, snug enough to feel like a hug, and that bunny hood with the floppy dusty rose ears makes it just as sweet for photos as it is for everyday naps on the couch.
If you want a longer cocoon for an older baby, you could add a few extra even rounds to the Lower Body Tube beyond the stated 17, just keep your stitch count at 48 sc so the width stays proportional. Swapping the mint for a different worsted weight shade is simple since the whole body is plain single crochet, no stitch pattern to interrupt. You could also flip the color story and use your Color A shade as the main body color with mint reserved for the ear linings instead, which gives a completely different mood from the same construction. For a non-bunny version, skip the ears and whiskers entirely and let the Hood Facing Edge stand alone as a simple snug hood, still finished with the embroidered eyes and nose for a quieter, rounder-eared creature feel. If this is meant purely for photography rather than daily wear, you might work the pompom tail a touch larger using extra Color B, since it won't need to withstand regular machine washing the way an everyday cocoon would.
There's something deeply satisfying about watching a flat oval ring turn into a three-dimensional pod with nothing but increases, decreases, and a stitch marker keeping you honest. You'll shape the body through the oval foundation, hold it steady through 17 rounds of plain tube, then flare it out again, all without a single join to fuss over. The ear panels bring in a bit of back-and-forth row work and a color change for the dusty rose lining, a nice change of rhythm after all those rounds. And the face, those straight-stitch eyes, the filled nose, the whiskers, is where the whole thing stops being a tube and starts being a bunny. It's the kind of project where every stage looks different from the last, so you're never bored, just steadily closer to something a baby will actually sleep in.
The rounds, in full
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Everything this one takes, in the order you will reach for it.
Step by step: Chain 7. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (6 sc); through 7: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (6 sc).
The hood is a deep rounded cap worked in continuous rounds. The circumference matches the body opening.
Step by step: Using MC, make a MR. Work 6 sc into the ring. Pull tail to close. (6 sc).
The body begins at the bottom with a small oval, then expands into a full tube.
Each ear consists of one outer panel and one inner panel, slip stitched together. Make 2 outer panels in mint (MC) and 2 inner panels in blush pink (CA).
Before attaching the hood to the body, embroider the face onto the front of the hood.
If using safety eyes: Insert the 20 mm or 22 mm safety eyes approximately 1.5 inches (4 cm) apart, centered horizontally on the hood, positioned approximately 2.5 inches (6.5 cm) up from the facing edge. Secure backing washers on the inside.
If embroidering eyes: Using black yarn threaded on a yarn needle, embroider two filled oval shapes approximately 0.75 inches (2 cm) tall by 0.5 inches (1.5 cm) wide, spaced 1.5 inches (4 cm) apart. Add a small white highlight stitch in the upper right of each eye using white yarn.
Using blush pink yarn or floss, embroider a small upside-down triangle approximately 0.5 inches (1.5 cm) wide at the center of the hood, approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) below the eye placement.
Using gray yarn or embroidery floss, make 3 long straight stitches radiating outward from each side of the nose, approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) long each.
Hold the hood and body with right sides facing out and openings aligned. The body has 72 stitches at its top edge. The hood has 72 stitches at its base edge. These match perfectly.
Using the long tail left on the body (or a length of MC threaded on a yarn needle), whip stitch or single crochet the two pieces together around all 72 stitches, matching stitch for stitch.
Position the face to the front of the cocoon opening so the bunny face frames the baby’s face correctly.
Fold the base of each ear slightly inward (about 0.25 inches / 0.5 cm on each side) to give a slight cup shape. Pin ears to the top of the hood, one on each side, positioned approximately 1.5 inches (4 cm) apart from center.
Angle them slightly outward and downward as seen in the reference photo. Using MC threaded on a yarn needle, sew through the bottom of each ear and through the hood stitches firmly at least 3 times around the base. Fasten off and weave in ends on the inside of the hood.
Using CB white yarn, make a full and fluffy pompom approximately 2 to 2.5 inches (5 to 6.5 cm) in diameter using a pompom maker or cardboard circles. Trim evenly. Tie off securely.
Using the long tail of the pompom, thread onto a yarn needle and insert through the bottom exterior of the cocoon at the center point (the tip of the oval bottom). Pull through and tie securely on the inside. Trim excess tail.
Weave in all remaining yarn ends securely using a yarn needle. Bury tails through at least 1 inch of adjacent stitches.
To block, soak the finished cocoon in cool water with a small amount of wool wash or gentle detergent for 15 minutes. Gently press out excess water without wringing. Lay flat on a blocking mat or clean towels.
Shape the cocoon into its natural rounded pod form, gently patting the hood into a smooth dome and positioning the ears upright. Allow to dry completely before use. This may take 24 hours.
Blocking evens the single crochet fabric and softens the yarn for newborn skin contact.
This whole project is single crochet, but the shaping rounds come fast in the early oval, so count your stitches at the end of each round rather than trusting your eye.
Keep your stitch marker moving with the first stitch of every round in the body sections; with no join, it's your only anchor for where a round begins.
the ones that come up on the glider
Working in continuous, unjoined rounds keeps the fabric smooth and spiral rather than leaving a visible seam line up the back of the cocoon. That's why the stitch marker in the first stitch of Round 1 matters so much, it's your only way to track where each round starts.
After Round 25 the tube should measure about 7 inches tall and feel cylindrical and fairly firm, not loose or floppy. If yours feels baggy, check your gauge swatch against the 17 sc by 20 rows to 4 inches target before continuing.
You could work the Outer Ear Panel entirely in MC if you'd rather skip the color change, though you'll lose the two-tone bunny look the pattern is built around. The shaping rows, including the sc2tog decreases, stay the same either way.
The hood is sized for newborn to 3 months, with a circumference of about 14 inches, and the body measures roughly 20 inches long by 11 inches wide at its widest point. It's meant as a snug cocoon rather than a loose sleep sack.
Count your stitches at the end of every round in the Bottom Oval Foundation and Upper Body Expansion sections, since each increase round adds a predictable number and it's easy to lose track partway through. A stitch marker at the round start makes this much easier to check.
No, the facial features use only straight stitches and filled shapes for the eyes, nose, and whiskers, nothing more technical than that. It's simple work, just plan a little extra time since hand-stitching a face takes patience.
Sunday evening, from the glider —
A pattern and a note from the glider, most weeks.
That was the last round. Would you like the letter when the next one goes up?