Meerkat crochet pattern
It’s taken a while to get to this point, but my Meerkat crochet pattern is finally ready to release!
Meerkat Fun Facts
- Meerkats live in southern Africa and are related to mongooses.
- They live in clans of about 20 in large underground burrows.
- They primarily eat insects but also munch on scorpions (they bite off the poisonous sting first).
- One meerkat always stands guard to look for danger such as eagles and jackals while the others forage for food.
- Their dark eye patches act like sunglasses to protect their eyes from the strong desert sun!
Amigurumi meerkat reporting for guard duty!
What Makes a Good Cover Photo?
As I’ve been talking about my process with this design (see the Design Reports #1, #2, #3 and #4), I thought I’d give you one last glimpse into what goes into a PlanetJune pattern: the cover photography.
My pattern was ready before the end of April, and all that was left was to take the cover photos. I had a great plan to take them while my Mum was visiting: we’d be passing through all sorts of natural African landscapes, so I’d take my camera and meerkat with me and take his photos on location in his natural environment!
We picked a day forecast for intermittent clouds and set out, only to find non-stop brilliant sunshine all day, which was great for Mum on her holiday – we had a lovely day relaxing in the sunshine and admiring the views – but not quite right for my cover shoot:
Full sun means deep shadows, and that’s not what you need for cover photos! Although appealing photos play a critical part in selling a design, it’s very important that you, the potential customer, can clearly see exactly what you’re trying to make. A set of dull studio photos where you can look at the meerkat from every angle is more useful than a stunningly artistic nature photoshoot where you can’t really see the meerkat well. In these photos, the eye patches are overshadowed by actual shadow, the arms cast distracting dark shadows on the body, and the tail is all but invisible in deep shade.
I tried again in a different spot, but the sun was unrelenting (although I still think this photo is really cute!):
So my pattern was stalled until Mum had gone back home and I could head back to my studio to recreate the Meerkat’s natural environment, PlanetJune-style.
I’m so glad I gave myself permission to drop the deadlines with my pattern commissions – I really wouldn’t have been happy to release the pattern with unhelpful cover photos, and I think taking the extra time at every stage of this design and pattern-creation process has really paid off. The final photos may not have the realism of the location shoot, but you can appreciate the meerkat’s cuteness much more with this set of photos, don’t you think?
If you were one of my patient patrons who commissioned this pattern, the pattern is, at last, ready for you to download from your PlanetJune account – thank you!
For everyone else, don’t you think you need a meerkat to watch over you while you work? Buy the Meerkat pattern from the PlanetJune shop and you can crochet your very own meerkat sentry!
Or, if you’re not ready to buy just yet, add Meerkat to your queue or favourites on Ravelry, so you don’t forget about it: 
I hope you like my Meerkat – getting to this point has been quite a journey, hasn’t it?!
I’ll be taking a short break before I begin my next commission. Life keeps throwing unexpected challenges at me, and illness and worry make everything a struggle. As I said in my Year in Review plan, I need some time with absolutely no commitments to escape this whirlpool of stress and ill-health, then I’ll have the energy to do justice to my Camel commission! I’ve been looking forward to making my camel for a very long time, and I still am – I just need a little space to breathe first 🙂
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Lili Berko said
Wanting to knit or crochet meerkat for meerkat sanctuary trying to raise funds by offering finished products to their donors. But i am not an expert….a beginner …. Will i be able to follow your pattern….
June said
I wouldn’t recommend it as a first amigurumi-style pattern, as it includes a) precise shaping with increases and decreases and b) multiple colour changes. If you haven’t made any toys like this, I’d recommend you get comfortable with making a basic amigurumi first (so you can practice counting your stitches and not losing your place as you follow the pattern), and then try one with colour changes (so you know how to change colour correctly), and then you’ll be all set to make a Meerkat!
Please see my beginner’s advice at www.planetjune.com/beginner for tutorials on all the amigurumi techniques and advice on which patterns to try first 🙂
SARAH LANTHIER said
Hi June.
I just began the Meerkat pattern and I’m having trouble with the dark patches around the eyes. I’m being very careful changing colors, but the patches seem too close together (only 3 stiches apart) after Row 7. I’ve started over twice, but problem persists. Has anyone else had similar issues, or am I doing something wrong ?
Thanks for your help.
June said
Sarah, from what you describe, I think you’re imagining the ‘problem’ – I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong at all! I’m guessing you may be confused because you’re looking at the photos of the finished meerkat, which looks different because it has the muzzle (which also includes different coloured patches) attached – if you look at the photo of the head alone (at the bottom of p2 of the pattern) you should see yours looks similar to that. Or you can jump ahead to the photos on p5 to see how it’ll all come together when you attach the muzzle! If you’re still concerned after looking at the photos in the pattern, please feel free to email me a photo of your meerkat’s head that clearly shows the stitches, so I can check it for you 🙂
lyndsey said
Fun fact: meerkats are not just related to mongooses, they are infact mongooses themsselve. The mongoose family contains many species including the dwarf mongoose, banded mongoose and of course meerkats.
Having said this you really have created a fantastic pattern, it’s the most realistic toy meetkat I’ve seen in a while!
June said
Ah yes, I suppose there’s a little ambiguity there! While the meerkat is a member of the mongoose family Herpestidae, it has a different genus (Suricata) from all the animals we commonly call ‘mongoose’ in English, hence my description as “related to [the animals you know as] mongooses”.
My Fun Facts are aimed at the layman/children’s level, but thanks for the opportunity to add a little further scientific clarification here for anyone else who’s interested 🙂
Karen said
Thank you, June, for your tutorials. My friends and family are now receiving professional looking amigurumi gifts. Thank you for taking the time to share your expertise. I crochet for fun and your techniques have made it even more enjoyable! — Karen
Di said
Thank you for designing this little fellow. Very cute indeed. I have a colleague who is meerkat obsessed so will make one for her at some point. He looks fantastic! Cheers Di.
Jennifer B said
I love the meerkat and hope to make it someday. My friend’s daughter saw the photo and wants one!
Mathilde said
Great job!
Natalie Drummond said
Hi June
Your Meerkat is fantastic. Another great job as always. I really enjoyed reading your blog/emails leading up to it’s release.
Enjoy your rest and break from lifes demands.
Take care
Natalie
Silverlotus said
He is adorable, June. You always do such a great job capturing the essence of an animal.
alicia said
Awe it is so cute June! can’t wait to try it out.
Irma said
Hei june, I like your pattern free,
noemi beatriz lucchesi said
pasar a castellano
Leila Marcial said
Noemi, me llamo Leila, soy bilingue deseo ayudarte. ?Que necesites saber en Castellano para que yo lo traduzco bien para Vos?
For everyone else who is English speaking. I only asked Noemi what she would like to have written in Castillian/Spanish spoken in Spain, so that I can translate it we’ll for her.
Miriam said
The dark patches around the Meerkat’s eyes don’t really act like sunglasses. Sunglasses reduce the amount of light and consequently the ability to see in great detail. This is why for instance athletes who need to judge speed and distance of things like small balls do not wear sunglasses. Their eyes need all the light they can get! However, in baseball at least, players in the outfield will put a smear of black under each eye. Like the Meerkat’s markings it helps reduce glare and heightens contrast which aids in seeing what they need to see. I just wish I knew more about the optics of it.
June said
I should have said ‘sunglasses’ in quotes – you’re right, of course, it’s not really the same 😉 A brief explanation, as far as I understand it: dark colours absorb light and light colours reflect it. Dark patches around the eyes reduce glare being reflected to the eyes from the surrounding fur. It’s the same theory for baseball players etc, although I suspect it’s more effective for meerkats in the desert – after all, they evolved to look this way, so it must have a very noticeable benefit!
Patti S said
Your meerkat is just beautiful and very realistic looking!! I love him. Thanks