Have you ever seen a stuffed animal and thought, “I could make that”? With some yarn, stuffing, and a hook, you can create an entire zoo if you want, full of your favorite creatures. Amigurumi is a fun, popular pastime that has taken off in recent years, and there are dozens of free patterns available on popular craft websites. Creating amigurumi creatures is a great way to bust some of your yarn stash and use up the odds and ends from various other projects. These also make excellent presents for the animal lovers in your life, no matter their age.
Today we’re featuring several sites and patterns, including snails, turtles, and rabbits. They’re darling little beings that can be whipped up in no time for a birthday, Easter basket, or other special occasion. All you need is:
- Yarn (typically a smaller yarn, one that is easy to work with even on a smaller project – fancy yarn is not often used except for accent work)
- Crochet hook (corresponding to your yarn size)
- Scissors
- Tapestry Needle
- Polyfiber
- Safety eyes (you could forego the safety eyes and use buttons or embroidery instead)
You also don’t have to stick to traditional coloring for these – go all out and create a rainbow of patterns and colors, like pink and green polka dots, stripes, stars, etc. You can also add things like sequins (especially for the turtle shells), lace, ribbon, or beads. Make your own little gallery of artistic interpretations of your favorite animals.
Most of the stitches used in amigurumi are simple, most often a combination of the following:
- Magic Ring
- Chain (ch)
- Slip Stitch (sl st)
- Single Crochet (sc)
- Increase (inc)
- Decrease (dec)
If you need a refresher on magic ring, increase, or decrease, there are a wealth of video tutorials available on YouTube, as well as written instructions online. Pinterest is also a great place to find help, as well as online fiber arts communities like Ravelry.
Interested in making your own little snuggle buddies? You can find the snail pattern here, the turtle pattern here, and other animals are available here. Have fun!