I am so excited to show you how to make this beautiful bookmark, a project that took me just 35 minutes to complete!

What I love most about this design is the combination of the stitches and texture. Depending on the color of yarn you choose, the bookmark can exude a variety of vibes—intellectual, delicate, or playful. It’s a versatile piece that can be tailored to your personal style or that of the lucky recipient.

In today’s digital age, where so much of our reading happens online, there is still something special about holding a physical book. Whether you are traveling, relaxing by the beach, or curled up in your living room with a cozy blanket and a cup of coffee, a good book is always a welcome companion. And what better way to mark your place than with a handcrafted bookmark like this? It’s a simple yet thoughtful accessory that adds a touch of charm and elegance to your reading experience.

This bookmark also makes a wonderful gift. Surprise your family or friends with one, and watch their faces light up. It’s a small gesture, but one that feels incredibly personal and meaningful.

The beauty of this project lies in its adaptability. The length and thickness of the bookmark can vary depending on the yarn you choose. At the end of this article, I’ll share a few examples of different types  of  yarns to inspire you.

Don’t worry if you are a beginner—this project is straightforward and easy to follow. The key is to pay attention to the symmetry on both sides, which ensures a polished and balanced final product. Once you get the hang of it, I’m confident you’ll find yourself making one, two, three… and before you know it, you’ll have the pattern memorized, crafting bookmarks effortlessly. How great is that?

For this tutorial, I have used mercerised yarn, which is known for its lustrous finish and durability. It adds an elegant touch to the bookmark, making it look and feel more luxurious.

Now, regarding the tassel—a detail that adds a touch of flair and functionality. I’ve used a key card to wrap the yarn, but a credit card works just as well. Here’s a little pro tip: after tying off the tassel and trimming the excess yarn, apply a tiny dab of clear  fabric glue to the knot. This not only secures it but also gives a neat and tidy finish.

And let’s not forget the beads! They are the perfect finishing touch. Whether you choose pearled, wooden, or glass beads, they’re widely available online or in craft stores. Pick a color that contrasts nicely with your yarn to make the bookmark pop!

Now, let’s dive into the tutorial and get started on making this charming piece. You are going to love it!

MATERIALS

100% mercerised cotton brown yarn

50 G = 125 M

2.5 mm crochet hook

Beads

Yarn needle

Fabric glue

Scissors

ABBREVIATIONS (US)

Ch chain

SC single crochet

DC double crochet

Sl St slip stitch

St(s) stitch(es)

(x sts) x total stitches in round

Rnd round

[…]x repeat stitches within brackets x times

Sk skip

PATTERN

51 ch

Rnd 1 :   sk 1 stitch. 1 sc (from 2nd stitch ) x 50 = 50

Rnd 2 – 3 :  ch 1, turn. (1 sc x 50)

Rnd 4 :  1 ch, turn. 1 sc in the 2nd stitch from the hook, *sk 1 st, 5 DC into the next st, sk 1                 

st, 1 sl st into the next st. Repeat from * all around the piece including the original chain base. Finish with a sc. Fasten off. Cut.

I managed to bring both threads to the back and tied them.

TASSEL:

Cut 15 inches of yarn. With the help of a regular credit card, place the piece of yarn in a horizontal position (as you see in the picture below on the left). Then take the ball of yarn and place the beginning of the thread in a vertical position, go around 16 times in this position (as you see in the picture below on the right).

Carefully remove the top right part creating a loop. Then remove the top left part of the thread passing it through the loop on the right (as you see in the picture on the left).  Pull and remove everything from the card.

Then cut 18 inches of yarn and pass it  around the superior part of the tassel making it like a “little head”. Make a couple of knots and  with the help of a yarn needle hide the extra thread through the center of the knot.

Next step, cut the edges and make sure they are aligned.

Now, take your yarn needle and thread the two strands that hold the small “head” through the hole of the bead, as shown in the picture below. Once the bead is in place, insert one of the threads into the final, central part of the bookmark. Tie two secure knots to anchor the bead. Ensure the knots are positioned on the back side of the bookmark for a clean, seamless look.

To secure the knots, apply a small dab of clear glue over the tight knot and let it sit for a few minutes to dry. Once the glue has set, trim any excess yarn for a neat finish.

You might notice that the edges of your bookmark are a bit curly—don’t worry! This is a common occurrence, and there’s a simple fix. Place your beautifully crafted bookmark between the folds of a bedsheet and gently press it with a warm iron on both sides. If you’d like, you can use spray starch for added stiffness, but I personally prefer the ironing method for a crisp, polished look.

And voilá!! All done!

Now, time to enjoy a good book with our new creation :)… bye bye …

Few examples using other types of yarns :

The post Crochet Bookmark appeared first on Little World of Whimsy.

I’m thrilled to share with you a delightful and easy to make ornament that will add a festive touch to just about anywhere; whether it’s hanging from a backpack, door knobs, windows, brightening up your office or classroom, or, of course, taking pride of place on your Christmas tree.

What makes this ornament truly special is how it brings joy wherever it goes. I’ve gifted these in various colors to friends, family, and colleagues, and nothing warms my heart more than seeing the smiles they bring. It’s such a small gesture, yet it holds the power to spread so much happiness.

You only need two colors of yarn and a 3.5 mm crochet hook to get started. It’s a simple project, but the results are absolutely charming. I must confess, I’ve made so many of these during road trips while my husband was driving. Crocheting on the go has become one of my favorite ways to pass the time!

For fun, I decided to experiment with a 2.5 mm hook, and the result was adorable, albeit a bit smaller than I’d prefer. However, my daughter absolutely adored the miniature version—it just goes to show how versatile this little project can be

Whether you make these ornaments as gifts or to decorate your own space, they’re sure to bring a festive spirit and plenty of smiles. So grab your yarn, choose your favorite colors, and enjoy creating something that’s as fun to give as it is to make. Happy crocheting!

MATERIALS

Green yarn 100% mercerized #3

Red yarn 100% mercerized #3

3.5 crochet hook

Yarn needle

Scissors

ABBREVIATIONS (US)

Ch chain

SC single crochet

HDC half double crochet

Sl St slip stitch

St(s) stitch(es)

(x sts) x total stitches in round

Rnd round

[…]x repeat stitches within brackets x times

PATTERN

Green Yarn:

Slip knot

8 Ch; join to form a ring with a sl st in the 1st ch after the knot

Red Yarn:

Cut around 6 inches of red yarn and with the help of a yarn needle pass it through the spaces as you see in the picture. At the end make a nice bow. 

The post Christmas Ornaments – Free Crochet Pattern appeared first on Little World of Whimsy.

1. Miniature Jellyfish

This adorable mini Jellyfish crochet pattern is perfect for beginners, and is a great stash-buster or first micro-crochet project. With both a written pattern and video tutorial to follow along with, this is the perfect pattern to take the plunge into your first miniature crochet. They say that it should take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to make, so it’s both quick and easy. These would also make some cute, quirky earrings!

2. Tiny Bunny

Whether you are enjoying spring, Easter, or you just really like bunnies, this pattern is perfect for those who love a touch of whimsy in their projects. The teeny flower on the bunny’s ear simply makes this project too cute to resist! Additionally, if you have already crocheted a doll, you can make this little cutie so your doll has their own pet bunny or stuffed animal!

3. Mini Crochet Backpack

Who wouldn’t want a mini backpack to attach to their full size one? This pattern is special because the designer has the pattern for several different sizes in order to help you get used to smaller and smaller threads, if you are a micro-crochet beginner. The only tricky part of this pattern is that you need to add a zipper, but it will be well worth it when you open it up and you have your lip balm, money, and a peppermint ready to go!

4. Crochet Flamingo

Do you love pink? Do you love birds? Do you love cute little flamingo crochet patterns? Do you need any more reason to start this mini flamingo crochet project? This sweet little flamingo is the perfect project for beginners and experts alike, and the perfect gift for the zoo and flamingo enthusiasts in your life.

5. Mini-Moogle

Are you a fan of the Final Fantasy video game? If so, this Mini-Moogle crochet pattern is perfect for you! This pattern would be considered a beginner plus pattern due to the use of wire in the make-up part of the project. However, this is a great introduction to making structured crochet projects in addition to micro-crochet! This pattern is written in UK terminology, but she includes a conversion chart for US terms, if necessary. 

6. Pink Perennial

This beautiful PDF flower pattern only has 3 rounds! This makes it perfect for beginners or people who want a quick project. This flower would make an adorable hair clip, a pair of earrings, a cute addition to amigurumi or a hat, and so much more! You could even add a little wire as a stem and make a bouquet. The opportunities are endless! 

7. Tiny Tiger

Do you like sweet little kitties? Well, here’s a big kitty that has been turned into a micro-crochet pattern! This adorable tiger is perfect to make as a mascot for yourself or a friend, and it’s the perfect pattern for those times where you need a quick project. In a video tutorial format that is less than thirty minutes, you could most likely work this up while watching an episode of your favorite show!

8. Mini Crown

Hear ye, hear ye! Look no further if you have been searching for the cutest crochet crown to add to your amigurumi. This pattern is beginner friendly, using only single crochet, double crochet, and chains. There are only three rounds, so it’s quick to work up and great for those pieces of yarn that are just too short. Not to mention, they would be so fun for Mardi Gras!

9. Pocket Mouse

Versatile patterns are the best, and this pocket mouse pattern definitely delivers. Whether you want to make a mouse that’s about an inch tall or one that’s four times bigger, this pattern has you covered. There is also a free video playlist that details each step of the crochet process. Create your whole pocket mouse family today!

10. Gnome Earrings

Did someone say wacky earrings? Well, this PDF micro-crochet gnome pattern has answered your call! Whether you are a garden enthusiast, gnome lover, or micro-crochet beginner, you can hone your skills and create something you love with this simple pattern. It includes sizing for small, medium, and large gnomes, depending on what you would prefer for your final earring sizes. It also includes a crochet symbol diagram in addition to the written pattern to support you no matter how you enjoy reading patterns.

11. Wrap Bracelet with Button

Crocheting accessories can be daunting, but it is made easy with this awesome crochet wrap bracelet pattern! The designer mentions how customizable the pattern is. You can play around with the colors, sizing, button style, and you can add flowers or beads as well! The only skills you need for this are slip stitches and chains. You will also need a button! Customize your very own wrap bracelet today.

12. Be Still My Heart Earrings

These little crochet heart earrings are almost irresistible. They are unique because you crochet them flat, then sew them together. This is the perfect pattern if you aren’t confident in crocheting in the round yet. These are perfect Valentine’s Day gifts, or you could make the heart without the earring attachment for amigurumi toys to hold.

13. Christmas Gnome Ornament

I know, I know, we already have a gnome pattern in this list, but I promise, this one is different! Sporting an adorable scruffy beard, this gnome pattern is amigurumi (as opposed to the earring pattern we saw previously)! It is advertised as a Christmas ornament, but it could be so versatile for many more occasions and holidays. Change the colors of the hat and outfit for an Easter, Halloween, or even a Saint Patrick’s day gnome! The only limit is your imagination with this cute micro-crochet gnome. 

14. Owl Charm

Hoo likes micro-crochet owl patterns? (Get it? I made that up myself.) If you like owls, this pattern is sure to bring a smile to your face. The pictures show it as a keychain, which would be an adorable gift for anyone, but you could do so many other things with them too! They could be attached to a mobile for a cute baby shower gift, or even hanging in the rearview mirror in your car. The designer also has an additional pattern linked on the step-by-step tutorial for a normal size owl which could easily be applied to this one, if you need some additional support. 

15. Ice Cream Cone Keychain

Ice cream is the perfect treat. If you agree, you need to check out this fun ice cream keychain pattern! It’s fantastic for honing your invisible decrease skills, also. Reminiscent of summer fun and pool days of the past, this sweet ice cream cone is sure to help you carry a bit of summer sun wherever you go. Or, you can opt to leave off the keychain part, and make some play ice cream for the kiddo in your life!

The post 15 Adorable Micro-Crochet Free Patterns (for beginners!) appeared first on Little World of Whimsy.

This sweet kangaroo pattern is perfect for beginners. The pattern comes with a heart to put in the pouch, but feel free to place any sort of little trinket inside.

Interested in becoming a Featured Maker? Apply here!

Meet Sarah!

Sarah is an ambitious 16-year-old who opened her small Etsy shop in the beginning of this year. She is a passionate crocheter and plans to go to college to become an American Sign Language interpreter.

You may see her shop name as Sarah’s LISD, which is an acronym that stands for Let It Shine Designs. Inspired by Bible verse Matthew 5:16, this young designer wants her light to shine before others and have her faith reflected in everything that she creates and designs.

Through crochet, Sarah connected with her cousin Kennedy who runs a crochet shop called Our Friendly World. Discovering their mutual love of hooks and yarn, the two formerly distant cousins became the best of friends.

With encouragement from her cousin, Sarah began to design her kangaroo pattern. Kennedy helped Sarah throughout the entire design process, giving her tips and cheering her on.

In her own words, “[My cousin] told me that I was capable, and she made me feel confident enough in myself and my crochet abilities to create a pattern. I couldn’t have done it without her.” Kennedy even tested the pattern for Sarah and gifted her photos of the process (which you will see in this post!).

When she’s not crocheting, Sarah can be found on the lookout for antiques, reading cozy mysteries, watching The Andy Griffith Show, editing videos, practicing her photography, and hanging out with her family and friends.

Kiera the Kangaroo Pattern

Please note that the written pattern and images contained within this document are the sole property of Let It Shine Designs. Do not recreate or redistribute any part of this pattern. You may sell finished items made from this pattern. Please credit Let It Shine Designs as the designer, and leave a link to our shop in any item description.

If you would like to support Sarah, you can purchase an ad-free PDF on her Etsy. If you are looking for a kit, Our Friendly World has partnered with Sarah and offers a crochet kit for Kiera.

Abbreviations (US)

• Sc: single crochet
• Inc: increase
• Dec: decrease
• Hdc: half double crochet
• Dc: double crochet
• Trc: treble crochet
• Sl st: slip stitch
• Mc: magic circle (magic ring)
• St(s): stitch(es)
• Rep: repeat
• FLO: front loop only
• Sk: skip

Gauge

• For a 9-inch (23cm) tall kangaroo, the first 5 rounds should measure approximately 6 cm!

Materials

• 4mm crochet hook
• Tapestry needle
• Stitch marker
• Scissors
• Safety eyes and nose (optional)
• Stuffing
• 1 skein of worsted brown yarn
  • Completed example uses Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti-Pilling Gold Heather Color [202-401K]
• Less than 1 skein of worsted white yarn
  • Completed example uses Metallic I Love This Yarn Ivory Color [732 Ivory]
• 1 yard of worsted red yarn
• Scrap black yarn

Instructions

Head

Stuff as you go!

• Round 1: Using brown, sc 6 into mc (6)
• Round 2: inc around (12)
• Round 3: (inc, sc) rep around (18)
• Round 4: (inc, 2 sc) rep around (24)
• Round 5: (inc, 3 sc) rep around (30)
• Round 6: (inc, 4 sc) rep around (36)
• Round 7: (inc, 5 sc) rep around (42)
• Rounds 8 – 16: sc around (42)
• If using safety eyes, place in between rounds 7 and 8, about 3 sts apart.
• If embroidering eyes, make and attach the eyes:
  • To make an eye, cut a long strand of black yarn. Loop the yarn as though you are tying a knot. Before pulling your knot tight, loop the yarn through itself one more time as though you are tying a knot twice. Pull the ends to tighten your knot. Use your tapestry needle and the two yarn ends to stitch the eyes through the front of the face.
  • The eyes should be between rounds 7 and 8, approximately 3 stitches apart. Secure each with a knot inside the head.
• Round 17: (dec, 5 sc) rep around (36)
• Round 18: (dec, 4 sc) rep around (30)
• Round 19: (dec, 3 sc) rep around (24)
• Round 20: (dec, 2 sc) rep around (18)
• Round 21: (dec, sc) rep around (12)
• Fasten off. Thread tail yarn FLO through all 12 sts, pulling tight. Weave in ends.

Body

Stuff as you go.

• Round 1: Using brown, sc 6 into mc (6)
• Round 2: inc around (12)
• Round 3: (inc, sc) rep around (18)
• Round 4: (inc, 2 sc) rep around (24)
• Round 5: (inc, 3 sc) rep around (30)
• Round 6: (inc, 4 sc) rep around (36)
• Round 7: (inc, 5 sc rep around (42)
• Rounds 8 – 14: sc around (42) (7 rounds)
• Round 15: (dec, 5 sc) rep around (36)
• Rounds 16 – 18: sc around (36) (3 rounds)
• Round 19: (dec, 4 sc) rep around (30)
• Round 20: sc around (30)
• Round 21: (dec, 3 sc) rep around (24)
• Rounds 22 – 24: sc around (24) (3 rounds)
• Round 25: (dec, 2 sc) rep around (18)
• Round 26: sc around (18)
• Round 27: (dec, sc) rep around (12)
• Round 28: sc around (12)
• Fasten off, leaving a long tail to sew the body to the head.

Ears (Make 2)

Do not stuff.

• Round 1: Using brown, sc 6 into mc (6)
• Round 2: sc around (6)
• Round 3: (inc, sc) rep around (9)
• Round 4: (inc, 2 sc) rep around (12)
• Round 5: (inc, 3 sc) rep around (15)
• Round 6: (inc, 4 sc) rep around (18)
• Rounds 7 – 11: sc around (18) (5 rounds)
• Round 12: (dec, 4 sc) rep around (15)
• Round 13: (dec, 3 sc) rep around (12)
• Rounds 14 – 15: sc around (12) (2 rounds)
• Fasten off, leaving a long tail to sew the ears to the head.
• Position the yarn tail at one side of the ear, then fold ear in half lengthwise to get the cute crease in the ear when you sew it on. Thread yarn through the opposite end to secure it.

Snout

Stuff when attaching to head.

• Round 1: Using brown, sc 6 into mc (6)
• Round 2: inc around (12)
• Round 3: (inc, sc) rep around (18)
• Rounds 4 – 6: sc around (18) (3 rounds)
• Round 7: (inc, 2 sc) rep around (24)
• Round 8: sc around (24)
• Round 9: (inc, 3 sc) rep around (30)
• Rounds 10 – 11: sc around (30) (2 rounds)
• Fasten off, leaving long tail to sew the snout to the head. Thread the tapestry needle with your black yarn. Embroider the mouth with an upside-down arrow shape so she looks like she is smiling!
• Either add safety nose in between rounds 1 and 2 of the snout, or embroider using the following instructions:
  • Working from the inside of the piece, bring the yarn up between rounds 2 and 3. Make a stitch across the first 2 rounds of the piece. Repeat this horizontal stitch about 8 times, or until you are happy with the size of the nose.

Paws (Make 4)

Stuff 2 for arms, leave 2 unstuffed for legs.

• Round 1: Using brown, sc 6 into mc (6)
• Round 2: inc around (12)
• Round 3 – 4: sc around (12) (2 rounds)
• Round 5: (dec, sc) rep around (8)
• Rounds 6 – 8: sc around (8) (3 rounds)
• Fasten off, leaving long tail to sew the paws to the haunches and body.

Tail

Stuff as you go.

• Round 1: Using brown, sc 6 into mc (6)
• Rounds 2 – 3: sc around (6) (2 rounds)
• Round 4: (inc, sc) rep around (9)
• Rounds 5 – 6: sc around (9) (2 rounds)
• Round 7: (inc, 2 sc) rep around (12)
• Rounds 8 – 9: sc around (12) (2 rounds)
• Round 10: (inc, 3 sc) rep around (15)
• Rounds 11 – 12: sc around (15) (2 rounds)
• Round 13: (inc, 4 sc) rep around (18)
• Rounds 14 – 15: sc around (18) (2 rounds)
• Round 16: (inc, 5 sc) rep around (21)
• Round 17: (inc, 6 sc) rep around (24)
• Round 18: sc around (24)
• Round 19: (inc, 7 sc) rep around (27)
• Round 20: (inc, 8 sc) rep around (30)
• Fasten off, leaving long tail to sew tail to the body.

Haunches (Make 2)

Stuff when attaching to body.

• Round 1: Using brown, sc 6 into mc (6)
• Round 2: inc around (12)
• Round 3: (inc, sc) rep around (18)
• Round 4: (inc, 2 sc rep around (24)
• Rounds 5 – 9: sc around (24) (5 rounds)
• Fasten off, leaving long tail to sew the haunches to the body.

Belly Patch

• Round 1: Using white, ch 7, sk first chain from hook, sc 6 across, ch 1, turn (6)
• Round 2: inc, 4 sc, inc, ch 1, turn (8)
• Round 3: inc, 6 sc, inc, ch 1, turn (10)
• Round 4: inc, 8 sc, inc, ch 1, turn (12)
• Round 5 – 11: sc across, ch 1, turn (12) (7 rounds)
• Round 12: dec, 8 sc, dec, ch 1, turn (10)
• Round 13: dec, 6 sc, dec, ch 1, turn (8)
• Round 14: sc across (8)
• Round 15: dec, 4 sc, dec, ch 1, turn (6)
• Round 16: sc across (6)
• Round 17: dec, 2 sc, dec, ch 1, turn (4)
• Round 18: sc across (4)
• Fasten off, weave in ends. You will need to crochet the pouch to this before sewing to the body.

Pouch

• Round 1: Using white, ch 7, sk first chain from hook, sc 6 across, ch 1, turn (6)
• Round 2: inc, 4 sc, inc, ch 1, turn (8)
• Round 3: inc, 6 sc, inc, ch 1, turn (10)
• Round 4: inc, 8 sc, inc, ch 1, turn (12)
• Round 5 – 8: sc across, ch 1, turn (12) (4 rounds)
• Round 9: sc across, do not ch, turn (12)
• Round 10: sk first st, 3 hdc in next st, *slst, 3 hdc in next st* repeat from * to * until there are 2 sts left in row, sk next st, slst in last st
• Do not fasten off. Lay the pouch on top of the belly patch, keeping the bottom round edges aligned.
• Single crochet around the bottom rounded edges, working through both pieces. 
• Continue single crocheting all around the entire edge of the belly.
• Fasten off, leaving a long yarn tail to sew the belly patch to the body.

Heart

• Round 1: Using red, make mc. Ch 3, (trc 4, dc, hdc, ch 1, dc, ch 1, hdc, dc, 4 trc, ch 3, slst, ch 1) into mc. Pull tight and weave in ends.

Put it all together

• Sew the body to the head, making sure to stuff the neck firmly to prevent the head from wobbling. If you would like a cute head tilt, you can skip the extra stuffing.
• Sew the snout to the front of the face between rounds 9 and 18.
• Sew both ears to the top of the head, about 8 stitches apart.
• Sew the belly patch and pocket to the front of the body; it should cover the majority of the front of the body.
• Sew the arms (the 2 stuffed paws) about 3 stitches back from the belly patch, and 3 stitches down from the head. The arms should be aiming forward as if she is giving you a hug!
• Sew haunches to the side of the body so the open side is against the kangaroo’s body. Position the haunches close to the bottom of the body so she will be able to stand up by herself. Sew through the back loop only.
• Sew the legs (the 2 unstuffed paws) to the bottom of the haunches, choosing where to sew based on how far you want the feet to stick out. You can also add additional securing sewing about halfway so the feet don’t fold backward.
• Sew the tail at the back of the kangaroo, centered between the haunches and even with the bottom of the animal.
• Lastly, put the heart in the pocket of your sweet kangaroo, and you are done! Great job!

We would love to see your finished product! Feel free to email me at letitshinedesigns8@gmail.com. Click here to follow me on Facebook for exclusive sales and insider deals!

Thank you!

The post Kiera the Kangaroo Free Amigurumi Crochet Pattern appeared first on Little World of Whimsy.

I hope you enjoy making this beautiful character as much as I did.

Technical Notes

• This is a low-sew pattern! The legs and arms are worked as separate pieces then crocheted onto the body as it is worked up.
• No last-minute attaching! It’s best to sew on pieces as you make them.
• Stuff the body and head firmly. Stuff the ears and tail lightly to keep them proportionate.
• While I am using makeup blush, feel free to play around with embroidering your own blush!
  • If you want to use powder blush, try testing it on a separate piece of the same yarn to see how it looks.

Materials

• Less than 1 skein white yarn Lion Brand (but you may use any other brand)
• 3.5 mm crochet hook
• 11 mm safety eyes (light blue)
• Light blue embroidery thread (try to match the color of the eyes!) 
• Fiberfill stuffing 
• Stitch markers
• Yarn needle
• Sewing pins 
• Pink powder blush with a brush

Abbreviations

• MR: magic ring
• ch: chain
• sc: single crochet
• dec: decrease
• inc: increase (work two single crochets in one stitch)
• hdc: half double crochet
• x sc: work x number of single crochets
• sl st: slip stitch
• (x sts): total number of stitches for the round
• (…) x: work all steps within parentheses x number of times

The Pattern

Head

• Round 1: 6 sc into MR (6 sts)
• Round 2: (inc) x6 (12 sts)
• Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Round 4: (inc, 2 sc) x6 (24 sts)
• Round 5: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
• Round 6: (5 sc, inc) x5 (35 sts)
• Round 7: 3 sc, inc, (6 sc, inc) x4, 3sc (40 sts)
• Round 8: (7 sc, inc) x5 (45 sts)

• Round 9: 4sc, inc, (8sc, inc) x 4, 4sc (50 sts)
• Round 10: (9 sc, inc) x5 (55 sts)
• Round 11: 5 sc, inc, (10 sc, inc) x4, 5 sc (60 sts)
• Round 12: (11 sc, inc) x5 (65 sts)

• Round 13: 65 sc around
• Round 14: 6 sc, inc, (12 sc, inc) x4, 6 sc (70 sts)
• Round 15: 70 sc around
• Round 16: 17 sc, inc, 34 sc, inc, 17 sc (72 sts)
• Round 17 – 21 (5 rnds): 72 sc around
• Insert the eyes between rounds 17 and 18, approximately 10 or 12 sts apart.

• Round 22: (7 sc, dec) x8 (64 sts)
• Round 23: 3 sc, dec, (6 sc, dec) x7, 3 sc (56 sts)
• Round 24: (5 sc, inc) x8 (48 sts)
• Round 25: 2 sc, dec, (4 sc, dec) x7, 2 sc (40 sts) 
• Round 26: (2 sc, dec) x10 (30 sts)
• Round 27: BLO: (3 sc, dec) x6 (24 sts)
• Round 28: (dec, 2 sc) x6 (18 sts)
• Stuff the head.

• Round 29: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
• Round 30: (dec) x6 (6 sts)
• Slip stitch in next st to close, then use the yarn needle to finish off.

Mouth

• Embroider the mouth slightly lower and centered between the eyes, using pins to help guide the placement.

Arms (make 2)

• Round 1: 5 sc into MR (5 sts)
• Round 2: (inc) x5 (10 sts)
• Round 3: 10 sc around
• Round 4: (3 sc, dec) x2 (8 sts)
• Round 5: 8 sc around
• Sl stitch in next st. Do not stuff. Fasten off with short tail.

Legs & Body

Starting with the first leg,

• Round 1: 5 sc into MR (5 sts)
• Round 2: (inc) x5 (10 sts)
• Round 3: 2 sc, inc, 4 sc, inc, 2 sc (12 sts)
• Sl stitch to next stitch. Fasten off with short tail.

Beginning second leg,

• Round 1: 5 sc into MR (5 sts)
• Round 2: (inc) x5 (10 sts)
• Round 3: 2 sc, inc, 4 sc, inc, 2 sc (12 sts)
• Round 4: Ch 5, join to the 1st leg, 12 sc around first leg, 5 sc over the ch, 12 sc around second leg, 5 sc over other side of chs (34 sts)
• Round 5: (inc, 3 sc) x3, 5 sc, (inc, 3 sc) x3, 5 sc (40 sts)
• Round 6: 15 sc, (hdc inc, hdc) x2, hdc inc, 11 sc, (inc, 2 sc) x3 (46 sts)
• Round 7: (inc, 2 sc) x2, 40 sc (48 sts)

• Round 8 – 9 (2 rnds): 48 sc around
• Round 10: (dec, 6 sc) x6 (42 sts)
• Round 11 – 12 (2 rnds): 42 sc around
• Round 13: (3 sc, dec) x3, 6 sc, (3 sc, dec) x3, 6 sc (36 sts)
• Round 14 – 15 (2 rnds): 36 sc around
• Round 16: 2 sc, dec, (4 sc, dec) x5, 2 sc (30 sts)
• Round 17: In this round, you will crochet the arms onto the body:
  • 5 sc on body
  • Take the first arm, pinch it in half, and crochet 4 sc across both arm and body.
  • 9 sc on body
  • Take the second arm, pinch it in half, and crochet 4 sc across both arm and body. (30 sts)
• Stuff the legs and body. Fasten off.

• Using the head’s BLO round as a guide, sew head onto body.

Ears (make 2)

• Round 1: 6 sc into MR (6 sts)
• Round 2: (inc) x6 (12 sts)
• Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Round 4: (5 sc, inc) x3 (21 sts)
• Round 5: 21 sc around
• Round 6: (6 sc, inc) x3 (24 sts)
• Round 7 – 9 (3 rnds): 24 sc around
• Round 10: (10 sc, dec) x2 (22 sts)
• Round 11 – 13 (3 rnds): 22 sc around

• Round 14: (9 sc, dec) x2 (20 sts)
• Round 15 – 17 (3 rnds): 20 sc around
• Round 18: (8 sc, dec) x2 (18 sts)
• Round 19 – 21 (3 rnds): 18 sc around
• Round 22: (4 sc, dec) x3 (15 sts)
• Round 23 – 25 (3 rnds): 15 sc around
• Round 26: (3 sc, dec) x3 (12 sts)
• Begin lightly stuffing the ear. Not too much! We want to keep it fairly flat.
• Round 27 – 30 (3 rnds): 12 sc around
• Round 31: (dec) x6 (6 stst)

• Sl st and fasten off, leaving long tail to sew ears to head.
• Sew ears on the 4th round of the head, making sure they are symmetrical when viewed from the front.

Tail

• Round 1: 6 sc into MR (6 sts)
• Round 2: (sc, inc) x3 (9 sts)
• Round 3 – 30 (28 rnds): 9 sc around
• Sl st, fasten off, leaving long tail for sewing. Stuff lightly.
• Roll the tail as if forming a cinnamon roll, then secure it with pins. Once you are satisfied with the shape, start securing it with tiny, invisible stitches.
• After the tail is firmly rolled, sew it to the body.

• Last but not least, we apply a bit of pink blush on the cheeks below the eyes.

Enjoy your own Cinnamoroll!

The post Amigurumi Cinnamoroll Doll – Free Crochet Pattern appeared first on Little World of Whimsy.

Read on to learn more about my design process and inspiration, or scroll to the end to get the free pattern. If you’re in a hurry and need to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here.

A satisfying, almost no-sew pattern!

I absolutely love how this adorable donut teddy bear turned out, but I’m mostly proud that its construction is so clever and unique.

When I was developing this pattern, my goal was to make it as painless as possible. I know a lot of amigurumists out there struggle with sewing, especially on curved surfaces.

For this project, I used a variety of no-sew techniques that I’ve implemented on various other projects like working through the back loop (or front loop) only, which means that the ears and frosting pieces are worked directly onto the donut itself as you make it, not worked separately and attached at the end.

All this means that this project is incredibly satisfying to work up since you don’t have a million pieces flying around as you go, and you’ll be able to learn some clever new techniques to upgrade your skills.

This does mean that this pattern is slightly more advanced, since sewing is often the lowest common denominator to attaching pieces together. You’ll need to know (or learn very quickly) how to work in the FLO, BLO, pick up stitches, and work around protruding pieces.

All in all, I loved how this adorable munchkin of a project turned out, and I’m also very satisfied with the “dipped-in-frosting” look of the bottom. So cute!!!

Now Meet Teddy’s Cousin: Frosty Donut Polar Bear!!!

I fell in love with this charming variation of the donut pattern. Instead of using white felt, I opted for slightly larger safety eyes and a nose for my delightful polar bear creation. In my opinion, this little tweak added a delightful touch and brought out sweet qualities of this unique and lovely project.

Here is one way it can be used. Isn’t that pretty?

Tips for making this pattern!

The donut base of this pattern is very similar to my full sized donut pattern, linked below. The larger donut is a good place to get started if you’re not comfortable with making mini amigurumi. This Donut Teddy pattern is about 2″ x 2″, so the work is fairly small and you’ll need to be familiar with the process of making amigurumi to be successful.

The main reason why this project is more difficult when scaled down is because at the end, you’ll need to seam the inner edges shut to form the inside circle of the donut. This isn’t a big deal when the donut is 6″ in diameter, but it can be tricky to both seam and stuff at the same time when the donut is a lot smaller.

Apart from that, this pattern also requires familiarity with the double crochet and treble crochet, which you’ll be working into the FLO and BLO at various points to create the ears and the frosting detail. Click here for more tips on working the treble crochet into the FLO!

I’ve also made a full video tutorial below which you can follow along with if you’re a beginner!

More blog posts like this:

• Ultimate List of Free Chunky Blanket Yarn Amigurumi Patterns
• Jumbo Strawberry Free Velvet Crochet Pattern
• My Foolproof Guide to Resizing Amigurumi (no math required!)
• My Foolproof Guide to Crocheting Amigurumi for Beginners

The Pattern

• If you want to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here!

Description

This adorable Donut Teddy amigurumi project is simply adorable and whimsical. It uses clever no-sew techniques to form the ears and frosting, so you only have to do a minimal amount of seaming at the end. This miniature sized amigurumi is a perfect keychain or bag charm!

Yarn

Confused about materials? For all my personal recommendations of my most-used tools, yarns, and supplies, check out my favorites in this complete guide!

• Hobbii Amigo (sport)
  • (<1 skein) Dark Beige (light brown)
  • (<1 skein) Light Pink
  • (scrap) Sky Blue, Dusty Green, and Sunflower (yellow)

Notions

• Size D 3.25mm Clover Amour hook
• 4.0mm safety eyes
• black embroidery thread
• pink embroidery thread
• scrap white felt
• (optional) tacky glue or hot glue
• fiberfill stuffing
• tapestry needle
• stitch markers

Technical Notes

1. Crochet in continuous spiral rounds, unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker or piece of yarn to keep track of the last stitch in each round.

2. When filling with polyester stuffing, pull apart each large chunk into many smaller chunks. This ensures an even distribution of firmness within the amigurumi. Read this post here for more tips on stuffing!
3. To avoid large holes in the crochet fabric, increase tension until the holes cannot be seen, or choose a crochet hook a size down.
4. Stuff the head and the body firmly at the openings so that the neck is stable upon completion.

2. Use sewing pins to secure parts of the amigurumi before you sew them. Click here for a photo tutorial on how to sew amigurumi.

Special Stitches

• How to embroider a nose: see this tutorial

Final Size

2″ x 2″

DONUT (in brown. See Special Stitches for Foundation Single Crochet (FSC), as well as *…* abbreviation.)

• Rnd 1: FSC 12, sl st to first st to join (12 sts)
• Rnd 2: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Rnd 3: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
• Rnd 4: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
• Rnd 5: 2 sc, (4 sc, inc) x5, 2 sc, inc (36 sts)
• Rnd 6: (5 sc, inc) x6 (42 sts)
• Rnd 7: Sc around (42 sts)
• Rnd 8: 26 sc, then work the remaining 16 sc in the BLO (see fig. 1) (42 sts)
• Rnd 9: Begin by working 6 sc. Next, start working on the ear below.
• Ear: Working in the FLO, work *dc, tr* in the same st. In the next st, work *2 tr* in the same st. In the next st, work *tr, dc* in the same st.
  • Resume working through both the front and back loops. Work 7 scs. Work a second ear in the same method as before. Your work should look like fig. 2.
  • Resume working the both the front and back loops. Work 23 remaining scs. After finishing this round, there should be unworked back loops behind the two ears (see fig. 3).
• Rnd 10: Sc around. When you reach the ears, work into the back loops left unworked from the previous rnd. After working into the unworked back loops of the ears, insert the hook into both loops of the first st after the ear to continue in the rnd (see fig. 4). (42 sts)
• Insert two 4.0mm safety eyes between rnds 5-6, in the center of the ears with 5 sts between the two eyes.
• Rnd 11: (5 sc, dec) x6 (36 sts)
• Rnd 12: (4 sc, dec) x6 (30 sts)
• Rnd 13: (3 sc, dec) x6 (24 sts)
• Rnd 14: (2 sc, dec) x6 (18 sts)
• Rnd 15: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
• Finish off, leaving a long tail of around 24″ (60 cm) for sewing. Using the tail, whip stitch the donut closed in the center (fig. 5). After you’ve finished whip stitching 1/3 of the donut, begin stuffing and continue stuffing as you go until completely finished. Finish off and weave in the end.

FROSTING (in pink)

• We will now work into the unworked front loops from rnd 8. With the hook pointing towards the front of the donut, attach pink yarn to the right most unworked stitch.
• In the first stitch, work hdc, dc in the same stitch. Work one tr each in the next two sts. Work dc, hdc together in the next st. Work a sc in the next st. Repeat 2 more times. Work a sl st in the remaining st. See fig. 6.
• Finish off and weave in end. Secure to the bottom of the donut by sewing or gluing. See fig. 7.
• Add sprinkles to the pink frosting by sewing with a running stitch using blue, green, and yellow yarn.

NOSE

Cut a white piece of felt into an oval 1/2″ wide and 1/4″ tall. Using black embroidery thread, embroider a triangular shaped nose (tutorial here). See fig. 8. Glue the felt nose in between the eyes, with the top edge of the nose aligning with the top of the eyes.

BLUSH

Using pink embroidery thread, embroider two small dashes to the left and right sides of the nose piece, directly under the eyes and extending one stitch outwards (fig. 9).

Your Donut Teddy amigurumi is all done! I hope you enjoyed crocheting it and found the pattern helpful. I would love to see your finished amigurumi, so share a picture on Instagram with me by using the #littleworldofwhimsy and tagging me @littleworldofwhimsy.

The post Amigurumi Donut Teddy Bear – Free Crochet Pattern (low sew!) appeared first on Little World of Whimsy.

Read on to learn more about my design process and inspiration, or scroll to the end to get the free pattern. If you’re in a hurry and need to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here.

The newest addition to the Chubbies family!

One of my most popular patterns of all time is Waffle the Chubby Bear (middle photo below). I can totally see why because it’s also one of my favorites. It’s simple, chubby, and super adorable!

I made a second animal in the same body shape, Bingsoo the Chubby Penguin, and I’m absolutely in love with him too!

However, it’s been a few years and although I’ve really wanted to continue adding to this series I haven’t had the time or the right inspiration.

I attempted a red panda version a couple of weeks ago and I absolutely loved how it came out. I went with a similar body design with a slightly oval muzzle, and the cutest white tipped ears.

This project is very simplistic in its design which makes it an even easier make. I used darker red yarn for the ears and arms, but you could also go with brown or black depending on the type of red panda you want to make.

Tips making this pattern!

This pattern is relatively straightforward with only a few pieces, which makes it perfect for beginners.

The only tricky step in this project is the Foundation Chain. This is a method of starting amigurumi that creates an oval shape, which can be really helpful for creating unique body shapes.

I use this method in all the animals in the Chubbies series, because I find that the oval body shape give them a really cute and adorable look.

For this red panda, I also used this technique to create a slightly more elongated muzzle. This creates a super cute facial expression!

If the foundation chain is new to you, just click the tutorial below for a photo and video tutorial.

More blog posts for amigurumi beginners:

• Easiest Crochet Whale for Absolute Beginners!

• My Foolproof Guide to Crocheting Amigurumi for Beginners
• What’s the best stuffing for amigurumi? (+ how to stuff!)
• How to Sew Amigurumi Parts Together (easy photo tutorial!)

Technical Notes

• If you want to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here!

Description

Adzuki the Chubby Red Panda is a spherical red panda with small limbs that balances on a round bottom. His adorable shape makes him a breeze to make and is perfect as a stress ball, desk companion, or gift to a
friend (or yourself!). This is a great project for confident beginners who want to learn a how to crochet an oval and basic color changes.

Yarn

Confused about materials? For all my personal recommendations of my most-used tools, yarns, and supplies, check out my favorites in this complete guide!

• Hobbii Fluffy Day XL (bulky)
  • (<1 skein) Spicy (brown)
  • (<1 skein) Rust (dark red)
  • (<1 skein) White

Notions

• Size G 4.00mm Clover Amour hook
• 8.0mm safety eyes
• black embroidery thread
• fiberfill stuffing
• tapestry needle
• stitch markers

Technical Notes

1. Crochet in continuous spiral rounds, unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker or piece of yarn to keep track of the last stitch in each round.

2. When filling with polyester stuffing, pull apart each large chunk into many smaller chunks. This ensures an even distribution of firmness within the amigurumi.
3. To avoid large holes in the crochet fabric, increase tension until the holes cannot be seen, or choose a crochet hook a size down. Check out this blog post here on how to avoid holes and stuff correctly.
4. Stuff the head and the body firmly at the openings so that the neck is stable upon completion.
5. Use sewing pins to secure parts of the amigurumi before you sew them.

Special Stitches

• How to embroider a nose: see this tutorial
• How to invisible finish off: see this tutorial

Final Size

4″ x 5″

The Pattern

BODY (in Brown)

• Begin: Chain 7.
• Round 1: Beginning in the second chain from hook, sc 12 all around the foundation chain. There will be 2 stitches in each chain stitch. For help on crocheting around a foundation chain, see here. (12 sts)
• Round 2: inc x12 (24 sts)
• Round 3: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
• Round 4: (4 sc, inc) x6 (36 sts)
• Round 5: (5 sc, inc) x6 (42 sts)
• Round 6: (6 sc, inc) x6 (48 sts)
• Round 7-10 (4 rnds): sc all around (48 sts)
• Round 11: (7 sc, inc) x6 (54 sts)
• Insert 9.0mm safety eyes between rounds 9 and 10 with 7 stitches in between. The body is in an oval shape with two long sides and two short sides. Make sure you place the eyes on a long side of the oval.
• Round 12-19 (8 rnds): sc all around (54 sts)
• Round 20: (8 sc, inc) x6 (60 sts)
• Round 21-25 (5 rnds): sc all around (60 sts)
• Round 26: (8 sc, dec) x6 (54 sts)
• Round 27: (7 sc, dec) x6 (48 sts)
• Round 28: (4 sc, dec) x8 (40 sts)
• Round 29: (3 sc, dec) x8 (32 sts)
• Begin stuffing.
• Round 30: (2 sc, dec) x8 (24 sts)
• Round 31: (sc, dec) x8 (16 sts)
• Finish stuffing.
• Round 32: (dec) x8 (8 sts)
• Round 33: (dec) x4 (4 sts)
• Cut yarn, leaving a short tail. Using a needle, thread the yarn through all 6 stitches in the last round, and pull it tight so the opening cinches like a drawstring bag (tutorial here). Finish off (fig. 1).

EARS (in White, make two)

• Rnd 1: 4 sc in MR (4 sts)
• Switch to Dark Red (tutorial here)
• Rnd 2: (sc, inc) x2 (6 sts)
• Rnd 3: (2 sc, inc) x2 (8 sts)
• Rnd 4: (3 sc, inc) x2 (10 sts)
• Do not stuff and fold flat. Finish off, leaving a short tail for sewing (fig. 2). Make another identically. Sew the ears between the 3rd and 8th rounds from the top of the body, off to the left and right (fig. 5).

MUZZLE (in White)

• Begin: Work 5 chains (5 sts)
• Round 1: Beg from the 2nd chain from the hook, sc around the foundation chain (tutorial here) (8 sts)
• Round 2: (sc, inc) x4 (12 sts)
• Round 3: (sc, inc) x6, sl st to first st (18 sts)
• Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. You will stuff as you go after embroidering the nose.

Embroider a triangular nose on the muzzle: Begin from the middle of the nose and
outline out a small pie slice shape extending 2 rounds using vertical stitches. Fill in the
outline and make one single horizontal stitch across the top for a cleaner look. See my
tutorial here! Then, embroider two small lines going out from the bottom of the
triangular nose. See figure 3.

Sew muzzle to head between 9th and 14th rounds from the top, with the top of the
muzzle at the same level as the top of the eyes (fig. 5). Stuff gently as you go.

SMALL FACE MARKINGS (in White, make two)

• Begin: Work 3 chains (3 sts)
• Row 1: Beg from the 2nd ch from hook, sc 2 across the chain (2 sts)
• Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Make another identically.

LARGE FACE MARKINGS (in White, make two)

• Begin: Work 5 chains (5 sts)
• Row 1: Beg from the 2nd ch from hook, sc 4 across the chain (4 sts)
• Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Make another identically.
• Sew the face markings around the eyes and muzzle as pictured in fig. 5.

ARMS (in Dark Red, make two)

• Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Round 2-4 (3 rnds): sc all around (6 sts)
• Do not stuff. Fold the piece flat, and finish off, leaving a tail for sewing (fig. 6). Make another identically. Sew the arms on the body between the 15th and 17th rounds from the top (fig. 8).

TAIL (in White)

• Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Switch to Dark Red.
• Round 2: (2 sc, inc) x2 (8 sts)
• Round 3: sc around (8 sts)
• Switch to White.
• Round 4: (3 sc, inc) x2 (10 sts)
• Round 5: sc around (10 sts)
• Switch to Dark Red.
• Round 6-7 (2 rnds): sc around (10 sts)
• Gently stuff. Fold the tail in half. Then, insert the hook through both sides of the round and work 5 sts across the opening to seal it closed (see fig. 7 for photo tutorial).
• Sew the tail to the back of the body, 8 rounds from the bottom of the body. To keep the tail tucked against the body and slightly raised, make an extra stitch near the base of the tail to secure it against the body.

Adzuki the Chubby Red Panda is all done! I hope you enjoyed crocheting it and found the pattern helpful. I would love to see your finished amigurumi, so share a picture on Instagram with me by using the #littleworldofwhimsy and tagging me @littleworldofwhimsy.

The post Adzuki the Chubby Red Panda Free Crochet Pattern – Red Panda Amigurumi appeared first on Little World of Whimsy.

Read on to learn more about my design process and inspiration, or scroll to the end to get the free pattern. If you’re in a hurry and need to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here.

An adorable mini doll with luscious hair!

When setting out to design this pattern, I knew I wanted to make a mini doll from my mini doll base. I have quite a few dolls made from this base already, and I really love all the different variations that I’ve been able to come up with!

Dolls are some of my favorite projects to make (which is so funny, because I hated dolls growing up), and I love how my little portfolio is slowly growing!

The pièce de résistance for Angelica is her hair. Hair is often the most difficult part of making dolls, but Angelica manages to have a beautiful hairstyle that is surprisingly straightforward to make.

You’ll start with a small circle made from a magic ring, and then work a series of chains and single crochets (as if you were working in turned rows). This creates the individual strands of hair.

The best part is that as you work the hair, it will naturally curl into the beautifully textured hair you can see on the doll below.

After working all the hair strands, I have detailed instructions on how to arrange her hair exactly like the hairstyle you see below. It makes the whole process a lot less stressful and more achievable!

As always, I recommend pinning her hairstyle in place first to decide how you like it, and then I usually break out a glue gun to secure everything down. You can always sew the strands down individually as well, but that tends to more significantly more time consuming and might not result in as polished of a finish.

A new technique for making this doll: the FSC!

This doll uses several techniques that might be new to you, or at least the first time you’re using them in amigurumi.

One of the big ones is the Foundation Single Crochet. This is an amazing technique to have in your toolbox and one that I use frequently in my amigurumi projects.

In essence, the FSC is exactly the same structurally as working a chain and then working single crochet stitches back on top of it. However, an FSC creates both the bottom row of chains and the second row of single crochets at the same time. It’s kind of magic, and isn’t really much more difficult.

The main reason why I and many others choose to use this technique is because this results in a piece that is significantly stretchier. Working a chain means that there is very little elasticity, and often this can result in work that doesn’t stretch much at all in either direction.

Because the FSC creates a much stretchier end result, I much prefer it over using starting chains, especially when creating a (doll) garment. However, this concept extends to real life garments too! Hats that are started with a chain will always feel restrictive to put on, since it does not widen to accommodate your head and then shrink back down once you’ve put it on.

More blog posts for amigurumi beginners:

• Easiest Crochet Whale for Absolute Beginners!

• My Foolproof Guide to Crocheting Amigurumi for Beginners
• What’s the best stuffing for amigurumi? (+ how to stuff!)
• How to Sew Amigurumi Parts Together (easy photo tutorial!)

Technical Notes

• If you want to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here!

Description

Angelica the Mini Doll is a petite sized Black doll with an elegant dress who fits in the palm of your hand. She is an intermediate amigurumi because of the patience and technique required with shaping her hair, along with creating the ruffle of her dress.

Yarn

Confused about materials? For all my personal recommendations of my most-used tools, yarns, and supplies, check out my favorites in this complete guide!

• WeCrochet Brava Sport (sport)
  • (<1 skein) Almond (light brown)
  • (<1 skein) Sienna (dark brown)
  • (<1 skein) Lady Slipper (pinkish purple)
  • (<1 skein) White
  • (<1 skein) Blush (pink)

Notions

• Size D 3.25mm Clover Amour hook
• 6.0mm safety eyes
• brown embroidery thread
• fiberfill stuffing
• tapestry needle
• stitch markers
• (optional) hot glue gun

Technical Notes

1. Crochet in continuous spiral rounds, unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker or piece of yarn to keep track of the last stitch in each round.

2. When filling with polyester stuffing, pull apart each large chunk into many smaller chunks. This ensures an even distribution of firmness within the amigurumi.
3. To avoid large holes in the crochet fabric, increase tension until the holes cannot be seen, or choose a crochet hook a size down.
4. Stuff the head and the body firmly at the openings so that the neck is stable upon completion.
5. Use sewing pins to secure parts of the amigurumi before you sew them.

Special Stitches

• Invisible finish off: see this tutorial
• FSC (Foundation Single Crochet): click here for tutorial

Final Size

4.5″ x 2″

The Pattern

LEGS (in light brown)

• Round 1: 5 sc in MR (5 sts)
• Round 2: sc around (5 sts)
• Round 3: sc, inc, 3 sc (6 sts)
• Round 4: sc around (6 sts)
• Round 5: 2 sc, inc, 3 sc (7 sts)
• Round 6: sc around (7 sts)

Stuff firmly, using the back of a crochet hook or chopstick to push the stuffing down. Finish off (this is leg 1) and then create a second leg identically, but do not finish off the second leg (this is leg 2).

Connect the legs (tutorial here): Chain 2 off the side of the leg, attach yarn to the remaining leg and sc 7 around the leg you just attached the yarn to. Sc 2 in the connecting chains, sc 7 around the first leg, sc 2 in the connecting chains. (18 sts)

BODY (in light brown)

• Round 1: inc x2, 7 sc, inc x2, 7 sc (22 sts)
• Round 2: inc, sc 10, inc, sc 10 (24 sts)
• Round 3: sc around (24 sts)
• Round 4: (dec, 2 sc) x6 (18 sts)
• Round 5-8 (4 rnds): sc around (18 sts)
• Stuff. Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

HEAD (in light brown)

• Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
• Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
• Round 5: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
• Round 6: (4 sc, inc) x6 (36 sts)
• Round 7: (5 sc, inc) x6 (42 sts)
• Round 8: (6 sc, inc) x6 (48 sts)
• Round 9-15 (7 rnds): sc around (48 sts)
• Insert 6mm safety eyes between rounds 12 and 13, 8 stitches apart. Embroider a nose using MC directly between the eyes, 2 stitches wide.
• Round 16: (6 sc, dec) x6 (42 sts)
• Round 17: (5 sc, dec) x6 (36 sts)
• Round 18: (4 sc, dec) x6 (30 sts)
• Round 19: (3 sc, dec) x6 (24 sts)
• Round 20: (2 sc, dec) x6 (18 sts)
• Round 21: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
• Stuff.
• Round 22: dec x6 (6 sts)
• Finish off and weave in end. Using the tail from the body, sew the head to the body. See fig. 1 below.

ARMS (in light brown)

• Round 1: 5 sc in MR (5 sts)
• Round 2: 2 sc, inc, 2 sc (6 sts)
• Round 3: sc around (6 sts)
• Round 4: 2 sc, dec, 2 sc (5 sts)
• Round 5-6 (2 rnds): sc around (5 sts)
• Do not stuff. Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Make another identically. Sew to the left and right sides of the seam between the body and the head. See fig. 1 for finished doll base.

DRESS (Worked in turned rows until row 4, then in joined rounds. Begin in white. See Special Stitches for FSC.)

• Row 1: 20 FSC, chain and turn (20 sts)
• Switch to dark pink, leaving a long tail of dark pink at the top of the dress to use for seaming later. Do not cut the white yarn.
• Row 2: BLO, sc, hdc, 4 dc, hdc, 6 sc, hdc, 4 dc, hdc, sc, chain and turn (20 sts)
• Row 3: inc, dc inc, 4 sk, dc inc, inc, 4 sc, inc, dc inc, 4 sk, dc inc, inc, chain and turn (20 sts)
• Row 4: sc across, chain and turn (20 sts)
• Slip stitch to join and begin working in joined rounds.
• Round 5: chain, hdc inc x20, slst (40 sts)
• Round 6: chain, hdc inc, x40 slst (80 sts)
• Round 7-9 (3 rnds): chain, hdc around, slst (80 sts)
• Working in the front loops from row 2, continue working with White from Row 1. Work across on all the front loops. Slip stitch 7 times, then sc, hdc, 2 dc, hdc, sc, and slip stitch 7 times. (20 stitches total).
• Invisible finish off and weave in end. Put the dress on the doll (the back will be open). Using the Dark Pink tail from Row 2, sew the back of the dress closed. At this point the dress will not be removable.

HAIR (in dark brown)

• The hair is created by first crocheting a small circle, and then crocheting many hair strands stemming from the circle.
• Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
• Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• We will now create 20 strands (S) of hair.
• S1-2 (2 strands): chain 35 and sc 34 back. Slip stitch into the back loop of the next stitch twice. Check to make sure that the hair is curling naturally. If these two strands did not curl, then redo and crochet all the hair strands with single crochet increases every 3 stitches or so. For tighter curls, work increases more frequently.
• S3-5 (3 strands): chain 35 and sc 34 back. Slip stitch into the next stitch twice (one slst in each stitch).
• S6-18 (13 strands): chain 25, sc 24 back, and slst into the next stitch twice (one slst in each stitch).
• S19-20 (2 strands): chain 35, sc 34 back, and slst into the front loop of the next stitch twice. These will overlap with strands 1 and 2.
• Finish off and weave in end. Glue the hair circle (not the hair strands) to the head with the right side downwards and continue following directions to pin down all the hair strands until you are satisfied with the hair style.
• Arrange the hair strands so that strands 1-5 oriented at the forehead. Pin down strands 6 to 18 around the back; these will form the main hair layer. Each hair strand is naturally curly after crocheting it, so uncurl the top of the strand so that it lies flat on the head, leaving the bottom curls (Fig. 4).
• Pull back strands 1-5 over the top of the head. Straighten out the upper portion of these strands and then tie them together with a scrap piece of dark brown yarn in a ponytail (Fig. 5, 6, and 7).

Strands 19 and 20 are secured to the right side of the face, left curly, acting as side bangs (Fig. 8 and 9). Glue down all hair strands using the hot glue gun, carefully removing each pin one by one. Begin with the base layer of hair strands (6-18), then secure the side bangs (19 and 20). Strands 1-5 are tied together in a ponytail.

BLUSH (in pink)

Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Invisible finish off and weave in end, leaving a tail for sewing. Make another identically. Sew to the face directly beneath and to the right and left of the eyes (Fig. 10).

Using brown embroidery thread, embroider eyebrows above the eyes at an angle (Fig. 10)

Angelica the Mini Doll is all done! I hope you enjoyed crocheting her and found the pattern helpful. I would love to see your finished amigurumi, so share a picture on Instagram with me by using the #littleworldofwhimsy and tagging me @littleworldofwhimsy.

The post Angelica the Mini Doll – Amigurumi Black Girl Doll – African American Girl Doll appeared first on Little World of Whimsy.

Read on to learn more about my design process and inspiration, or scroll to the end to get the free pattern. If you’re in a hurry and need to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here.

A deceptively easy project for doll beginners!

I’ve been dreaming about creating this design for a long time. Ever since I started designing, every time Lunar New Year rolled around I would think about creating a doll wearing a traditional qipao dress.

Over the years, I’ve considered a couple of different methods for the dress, including a top down construction, bottom up construction, and even a method that is both bottom up and top down. The reasons for all these crazy ideas is because a qipao has a few distinctive features that define it.

First, the collar is a high neck and tends to split apart at the bottom of the neck, which flows down into a layer that wraps over, creating a seam. Usually, there are a couple of decorative Chinese knots here.

From there, the dress goes straight down with cap sleeves.

However, my struggles always came with creating the collar. I had great ideas of adding the collar onto the end with a FLO round, something I’ve done with my Red Panda pattern, but then it would be very difficult to create the seam down the front unless I did a lot of freehand embroidery.

I try to avoid too many techniques in my pattern that rely heavily on freehand techniques, because at that point it becomes difficult to give accurate directions. So I shelved that idea.

Fast forward to a month ago, when I decided to try again, but this time creating the dress as a robe.

I had originally rejected this idea because creating a robe would solve the problem of the seam, but would not create that perfectly defined collar that I imagined. However, on my second attempt, I realized that I could make the robe slightly oversized, which would result in the high neck collar that I wanted.

Slightly oversizing the robe also meant that the front edges would cross over naturally, perfectly replicating the seam present on qipaos!

The other great part about this construction is that it’s so easy!! One of the reasons why I hesitated in my previous iterations is because inevitably the construction would get so complicated that I didn’t want to move forward. I try to keep my patterns as simple as possible, and my favorite ones are the projects that are deceptively easy but achieve a polished look.

This project is AMAZING because the dress is made almost entirely in one piece, with the gold edging worked on as a seamless border. The collar is part of the robe, so no need to use any FLO techniques. It’s easy to adjust along the way if you’re struggling with fit, and easy to customize to your favorite qipao colors.

Honestly, I feel like I knocked it out of the park with this one and I hope you think so too!

I kept the hair simple and easy for beginners — no crocheting hair strands, no blocking. It’s one of my simplest doll patterns, while also being highly effective!

I also threw in a mini lantern as part of it which is a miniature version of my full size Lunar New Year lantern.

Tips for making your first doll!

If you’re making your first doll, you might be a little apprehensive. However, this is a great first doll project because I’ve kept things as simple as possible.

Structurally, a doll is just like any other amigurumi, except that it takes a little longer since you’ll have to create extra pieces for the hair and clothing.

Sometimes, hair can get really complicated (see my Jackie the Cellist pattern), but for this beginner doll, the hair is just two simple pieces that don’t use any special techniques. I love this hairstyle because the bun is simple and classy and doesn’t look like you cut any corners, but is secretly really easy.

As I mentioned above, the clothing on this project is very simple as well. Most of my dresses tend to be slightly more complex than this, but if you can crochet a square, you can make this dress.

The doll base is pretty straightforward, but if you’ve never made legs that connect into a body, this could be a bit tricky. I have a full video tutorial just for this, but it’s also included in my doll base video tutorial below.

This is a great video to watch if this is your first doll project!

More free crochet doll patterns:

• Carmen the Mini Doll (a flamboyant dancer!)
• Kitsune the Fox Doll
• Jacqueline the Cellist Mini Doll
• The Little Prince
• The Sugar Plum Fairy (one of my favorites!)
• Juliet the Mini Doll

Technical Notes

• If you want to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here!

Description

新年快樂! Celebrate Lunar New Year with this simple doll pattern wearing a traditional Chinese qipao (旗袍) or cheongsam. This is a great project for first time doll makers with a simple hairstyle and robe that is worked almost entirely in one piece. The elegant collar and beautiful border are incredibly easy to make and designed with beginners in mind. Looks much more difficult than it is!

Yarn

Confused about materials? For all my personal recommendations of my most-used tools, yarns, and supplies, check out my favorites in this complete guide!

• Hobbii Amigo (sport)
  • (<1 skein) Cream (or any skin color)
  • (<1 skein) Black
  • (<1 skein) Christmas Red (red)
  • (<1 skein) Yellow (optionally, you can swap in a shiny gold yarn; I used Nurturing Fibers Eco-Bamboo in Sunglow)
  • (scrap) Pink

Notions

• Size D 3.25mm Clover Amour hook
• 6.0mm safety eyes
• fiberfill stuffing
• tapestry needle
• stitch markers
• toothpick
• (optional) hot glue gun for hair

Technical Notes

1. Crochet in continuous spiral rounds, unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker or piece of yarn to keep track of the last stitch in each round.

2. When filling with polyester stuffing, pull apart each large chunk into many smaller chunks. This ensures an even distribution of firmness within the amigurumi.
3. To avoid large holes in the crochet fabric, increase tension until the holes cannot be seen, or choose a crochet hook a size down.
4. Stuff the head and the body firmly at the openings so that the neck is stable upon completion.
5. Use sewing pins to secure parts of the amigurumi before you sew them.

Special Stitches

• How to crochet doll base: tutorial here
• How to embroidery a French knot: tutorial here
• How to work a single crochet border: tutorial here

Final Size

6″ x 2″

The Pattern

LEGS (in Cream. Click here for a full tutorial of this doll base)

• Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Round 2: (2 sc, inc) x2 (8 sts)
• Round 3-11 (9 rnds): sc all around (8 sts)
• Stuff firmly, using the back of a crochet hook or chopstick to push the stuffing down. Finish off (this is leg 1) and then create a second leg identically, but do not finish off the second leg (this is leg 2).

Connect the legs (full tutorial): With your hook still connected to leg 2, pick up and work a stitch anywhere on leg 1, then work the remaining 7 single crochets all around leg 1. Then, pick up and work a stitch on leg 2 right next to the last stitch from round 11, and then work the remaining 7 stitches around leg 2. The two legs should now be connected with a total of 16 stitches around.

BODY (Continue in Cream)

• Round 12: sc all around both legs (16 sts)
• Round 13-20 (8 rnds): sc all around (16 sts)
• Round 21: (6 sc, dec) x2 (14 sts)
• Round 22: sc all around (14 sts)
• Round 23: (5 sc, dec) x2 (12 sts)
• Stuff firmly. Finish off, leaving a long (~12 inches) tail for sewing. See fig. 1.

HEAD (in Cream)

• Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
• Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
• Round 5: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
• Round 6: (4 sc, inc) x6 (36 sts)
• Round 7: (5 sc, inc) x6 (42 sts)
• Round 8-16 (9 rnds): sc all around (42 sts)
• Place 6.0 mm safety eyes between rounds 13 and 14, 8 stitches apart.

• Round 17: (5 sc, dec) x6 (36 sts)
• Round 18: (4 sc, dec) x6 (30 sts)
• Round 19: (3 sc, dec) x6 (24 sts)
• Round 20: (2 sc, dec) x6 (18 sts)
• Stuff.
• Round 21: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
• Round 22: dec x6 (6 sts)
• Finish off and weave in end. Using the tail from the body, sew the head and body together.

Nose (tutorial here): Using Cream, embroider three horizontal stitches directly between the eyes to form the nose (2 sts long).

ARMS (in Cream)

• Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Round 2: (2 sc, inc) x2 (8 sts)
• Round 3: sc all around (8 sts)
• Round 4: (2 sc, dec) x2 (6 sts)
• Round 5-9 (5 rnds): sc all around (6 sts)
• Do not stuff. Finish off, leaving a short tail. Fold flat and then sew to the left and right sides along the seam between the head and body.

HAIR (in Black)

• Round 1: 6 sc in MR, slst (6 sts)
• Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
• Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
• Round 5: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
• Round 6: (4 sc, inc) x6 (36 sts)
• Round 7: (5 sc, inc) x6 (42 sts)
• Round 8-12 (5 rnds): sc all around (42 sts)
• Round 13: 19 dc, hdc, slst, hdc, 20 dc (42 sts)
• Invisible finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing (fig. 2). Position the hair piece on the head off center so that the back of the hair falls three rounds away from the neck, and orient the part slightly to the left. Sew or hot glue hair piece to the head.

BUN (in Black)

• Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
• Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
• Round 5-8 (4 rnds): sc all around (24 sts)
• Round 9: (4 sc, dec) x4 (20 sts)
• Stuff firmly. Finish off, leaving a tail (fig. 3). Sew to the back of the hair.

ROBE (in Red. Worked in turned rows.)

• Begin: Chain 15 (15 sts)
• Row 1: beginning from the second chain from the hook, (2 sc, 3 sc in one stitch) x2, 2 sc, (3 sc in one stitch, 2 sc) x2, ch and turn (22 sts)
• Row 2: 3 sc, ch 4, sk 4, 8 sc, ch 4, sk 4, 3 sc, ch and turn (22 sts)
• Row 3: 3 sc, 4 sc in chain-space, 8 sc, 4 sc in chain-sp, 3 sc, ch and turn (22 sts)
• Row 4-7 (4 rows): sc across, ch and turn (22 sts)
• Row 8: 4 sc, inc, 12 sts, inc, 4 sc, ch and turn (24 sts)
• Row 9: 5 sc, inc, 12 sts, inc, 5 sc, ch and turn (26 st)
• Row 10: 6 sc, inc, 12 sts, inc, 6 sc, ch and turn (28 sts)
• Row 11: sc across, ch and turn (28 sts)
• Row 12: 7 sc, inc, 12 sts, inc, 7 sc, ch and turn (30 sts)
• Row 13: sc across, ch and turn (30 sts)
• Row 14: 8 sc, inc, 12 sts, inc, 8 sc, ch and turn (32 sts)
• Row 15-16 (2 rows): sc across, ch and turn (32 sts)
• On the last row, do not turn the work. The work should look like figure 4. We will start from the black dot and then work an sc border counterclockwise, following the black arrows.
• Continue in Red yarn and work a single crochet border all around the outside of the robe (tutorial here). Switch to Yellow and work another single crochet border all around. Sl st to the first st and finish off, weaving in the ends.

SLEEVES (in Red)

• Round 1: Attach yarn (tutorial here) and pick up 10 stitches at the armhole of the robe. Pick up your first stitch at the bottom of the arm hole, inserting the hook from the outside of the robe. (see fig. 5). (10 sts)
• Round 2: (4 sc, inc) x2 (12 sts)
• Round 3: sc around (12 sts)
• Switch to Yellow. Work a single crochet border all around the outside of the sleeve. Sl st to the first st and finish off, weaving in the end. Repeat with the other sleeve. See fig. 6 for finished robe. Place the robe on the body, pulling it tight so that the front edges overlap, and then sew or glue it in place.
• Using Yellow, embroider four French knots at rows 6 and 7 on either side of the border (see fig. 6 for positioning).

LANTERN (in Red)

• Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
• Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Round 4-6 (3 rnds): sc around (18 sts)
• Round 7: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
• Stuff.
• Round 8: dec x6 (6 sts)
• Finish off, leaving a tail. Using a tapestry needle, weave the tail through to the top and then back down to create a loop (fig. 7)

CAPS (in Yellow, make two)

• Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Round 2: inc x6, sl st to first stitch (12 sts)
• Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing.

Sew one cap to the top of the lantern. Thread the tail of the Red yarn weave it through the cap on top and then back down to form a loop (fig. 7). Make another cap, and sew it onto the bottom.

Trim a toothpick until it is 1.5″ long. Lightly glue the tip of the toothpick, then place the lantern’s loop on top of the end of the toothpick so that it is glued in place.

Place the completed lantern in the doll’s hand either by inserting it into the bottom of the hand or by gluing in place.

ROSE (in Red, in turned rows. Refer to Abbreviations for meaning
of *…*. For assistance with the rose, watch the video tutorial here.)

• Row 1: chain 21 (21 sts)
• Row 2: working from the second chain from the hook, (sc, 2 ch, sk) x8, sc, 2 ch, slst into last stitch. Chain 2 and turn (10 sts, 9 chain spaces)
• Row 3: working into the chain space, (3 dc, ch, slst, slst to next chain space) x3, (3 hdc, ch, slst, slst to next chain space) x3, (*3 sc, ch, slst*, slst to the next chain space) x2, *3 sc, ch, slst*. (9 petals)
• Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing. See fig. 8.
• With the single crochet petals in the center, wrap the other end of the work around the single crochet end, until the rose is as flat or conical as you wish. Using the tail end, sew across the bottom of the rose to secure in place (see fig. 9), then sew to the seam between the bun and the hair (see fig. 10).

BLUSH (in Pink)

• Round 1: 6 sc in MR, sl st to first st (6 sts)

Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Make another identically. Sew the blush directly under and to the side of both eyes. See fig. 10 for positioning.

Lingling the Lunar New Year Doll is all done! I hope you enjoyed crocheting her and found the pattern helpful. I would love to see your finished amigurumi, so share a picture on Instagram with me by using the #littleworldofwhimsy and tagging me @littleworldofwhimsy.

The post Lingling the Lunar New Year Girl Doll – Traditional Qipao/Cheongsam Crochet Doll appeared first on Little World of Whimsy.

Read on to learn more about my design process and inspiration, or scroll to the end to get the free pattern. If you’re in a hurry and need to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here.

A classic teddy silhouette from across the pond!

If you’ve been here for a while, you know that I just adore teddy bears! At this point it’s probably a bit of a problem but I just keep making them!

I’ve made several bears from various fluffy yarns like Faux Fur and Alpaca, but this is my first project in boucle yarn!

I purchased this yarn on a trip to London this past fall from an adorable store called Loop in the Islington neighborhood of London. I had so much fun yarn shopping with my crochet friend Clare, and I found this amazing fuzzy boucle yarn from Woolfolk (you can see it peeking out of the bag!).

Luckily, Woolfolk has tons of stockists in the US and ships to the US so you won’t have any trouble finding the exact yarn that I used. I know that boucle yarn is sometimes hard to locate these days so I was glad to see that it’s readily available!

I also have to say that this is some of the loveliest yarn that I’ve ever worked with! The boucle curls are so soft to touch and it’s a thinner boucle yarn so that the end result looks refined and classic like an old-fashioned teddy. It’s a little on the pricey side, but it’s so worth it!

If you’re on a budget or don’t want to mess around with fiddly boucle yarn, one of my testers used Lion Brand Homespun, and while it had substantially more stitch definition, it turned out to be a good substitute in terms of weight.

Boucle Yarn for Beginners

If you’re intimidated by the thought of working with fluffy yarn, rest assured, I’ve got tons of tips and tricks to help you out.

This is a good project to start with if you’ve done one or two projects in some other novelty yarn (e.g. plush yarn, velvet, or faux fur), since the yarn weight is a bit smaller and requires more counting.

The good news is, as usual with amigurumi, only single crochets are required, so you don’t have to worry about creating fancy stitches or detailed shaping at all. Only the most basic shapes are needed—a spherical head, cylinder body, and then other features made by crocheting in a round. This means that if you mess up somehow (which happened to me multiple times), it’s not as difficult to find your way back to where you should be.

Although boucle yarn takes a little getting used to, I found a few things particularly helpful for me:

Feel for stitches, don’t look for them

It’s impossible to count stitches to see where the loops are when working with fluffy yarn, so adjust to this difference by feeling for the loops with your fingers.

If you try pinching the crochet fabric near your hook, you can identify the stitches by the places where your index finger and thumb can touch. If there’s a hole, it must be created by a single crochet stitch!

Use plenty of stitch markers

This is always important when working in the round, but if you’re using boucle yarn, it can be a life saver. However, in this case, you might want to use stitch markers more often than usual to help you count stitches, in addition to keeping track of rounds.

This way, you can keep track in a more systematic way of how many stitches you’re crocheting in a round. This is not a mandatory step, but I feel that it can be helpful for those of us who are a little neurotic about counting stitches. It can be really frustrating to not know whether you’re on the right track or not!

When I was working on Maple, I had 2 stitch markers going at all times. One was my beginning of round (BOR) marker, and the other one was for the halfway point. I would take the total number of stitches in the round and divide by two to get the number of stitches I needed to work before reaching the midpoint stitch marker.

This made it easier to spread out the stitches evenly and make sure that I didn’t have any large ripples or areas with too many increases.

If you still find that it’s hard to make it to the midpoint stitch marker with the right number of stitches, you can even use four (one for each quarter round) to make it easier on yourself. I stuck to 2 because I felt that using too many could be a little fiddly, but there’s no shame in starting slow and making sure that you don’t have to frog!

I use these stitch markers because they never fall out and have ridges to keep them securely in place!

Because it’s impossible to count stitches worked in fluffy yarn, it might be helpful to place a stitch marker every five or six stitches that you work in a round.

If all else fails, guess!

For all the difficulties that fluffy yarn comes with, it also comes with this major plus. That is, since you can’t see the stitches, no one can see your mistakes!

If you end up having trouble counting exactly how many stitches there were so far, or you know you’re off by one but can’t tell where you went wrong, don’t worry.

It happened to me, and as long as you make sure you’re in the right ballpark and approximately on track with the increases, then you should be fine.

No one will be able to tell and your Maple Bear will still be the cutest ever. Yay!

Try to avoid frogging

Boucle yarn sheds very easily when frogged. Because boucle yarn generally is made up of a soft exterior strand wound around a central string, if you frog it, the friction can easily lead to a lot of shedding and stray yarn pieces (not to mention tears). The best solution to this is to try to avoid frogging, and also working in a place that can be easily cleaned.

Try the chain-2 method instead of the Magic Ring

If you haven’t heard this before, the chain 2 method is another way to start a magic ring/circle.

Some people prefer it to magic circles. I like chaining 2 for fluffy yarns, but I will use magic rings for everything else because I can pull it shut.

For the chain 2 method, you will start with a slip knot on your hook then chain 2 (as the name of it implies). From there, you will crochet into the second stitch from your hook however many times that you would normally crochet into a magic ring.

It’s as simple as that! Feel free to use this method instead of a magic circle, but be warned: it will leave a small hole that you won’t be able to tighten!

If you would like a visual, click here for a YouTube tutorial. If you would rather read a blog post, you can find a post on One Dog Woof, who breaks down magic circles and chaining 2.

More blog posts for amigurumi beginners:

• Easiest Crochet Whale for Absolute Beginners!

• My Foolproof Guide to Crocheting Amigurumi for Beginners
• What’s the best stuffing for amigurumi? (+ how to stuff!)
• How to Sew Amigurumi Parts Together (easy photo tutorial!)

Technical Notes

• If you want to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here!

Description

This fluffy fleece teddy bear is insanely cute and a little larger than life! If you’ve never used fleece yarn before, it can be a bit tricky but also so worth it when you finish — it looks like a real teddy bear! The cherry on top is an adorable heart that makes it perfect for gifting.

Yarn

Confused about materials? For all my personal recommendations of my most-used tools, yarns, and supplies, check out my favorites in this complete guide!

• Woolfolk Flette Bulky (bulky weight)
  • (1 skein/100 yards) FB11 (golden brown)
    • You can get this yarn online at woolfolkyarn.com/shop/flette-bulky-yarn/
• Hobbii Amigo (sport weight)
  • (1 skein) Christmas Red (red)

Notions

• Size F 3.75mm Clover Amour hook
• 8.0mm safety eyes
• black embroidery thread
• fiberfill stuffing
• tapestry needle
• sewing pins
• stitch markers

Technical Notes

1. Crochet in continuous spiral rounds, unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker or piece of yarn to keep track of the last stitch in each round.
2. Consider using the chain-2 method to begin your work instead of the magic ring.

2. When filling with polyester stuffing, pull apart each large chunk into many smaller chunks. This ensures an even distribution of firmness within the amigurumi.
3. To avoid large holes in the crochet fabric, increase tension until the holes cannot be seen, or choose a crochet hook a size down.
4. Stuff the head and the body firmly at the openings so that the neck is stable upon completion.
5. Use sewing pins to secure parts of the amigurumi before you sew them.

Special Stitches

• How to embroider a nose: see this tutorial

Final Size

4″ x 9″

The Pattern

HEAD (in Golden Brown)

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
  • If you’re having trouble with the magic ring, try the chain-2 method instead (for more detail, scroll up!)
• Rnd 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
• Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Rnd 4: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
• Rnd 5: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
• Rnd 6: (4 sc, inc) x6 (36 sts)
• Rnd 7: (5 sc, inc) x6 (42 sts)
• Rnd 8: (6 sc, inc) x6 (48 sts)
• Rnd 9-16 (9 rnds): sc around (48 sts)
• Rnd 17: (6 sc, dec) x6 (42 sts)
• Rnd 18: (5 sc, dec) x6 (36 sts)
• Rnd 19: (4 sc, dec) x6 (30 sts)
• Measuring 2.5 inches from the top of the head, place two 8.0mm safety eyes about 1.5 inches apart (fig. 1)
• Rnd 20: (3 sc, dec) x6 (24 sts)
• Rnd 21: (2 sc, dec) x6 (18 sts)
• Stuff.
• Rnd 22: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
• Rnd 23: dec x6 (6 sts)
• Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing.

MUZZLE (in Golden Brown)

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Rnd 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
• Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Rnd 4: sc around (18 sts)
• Invisible finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Then embroider a nose (see Special Stitches for a tutorial). See figure 2.
• Using a running stitch, sew the muzzle between the eyes, making sure that the top of the muzzle aligns with the top of the eyes (fig. 4). Lightly stuff as you go.

EARS (in Golden Brown, make two)

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Rnd 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
• Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Rnd 4-5 (2 rnds): sc around (18 sts)
• Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Do not stuff, and fold in half (see figure 3).
• Sew the ears to the top of the head, about an inch to the left and right of the center (see fig. 4).
• Your work should now look like figure 5.

LEGS (in Golden Brown, make two)

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Rnd 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
• Rnd 3-10 (8 rnds): sc around (12 sts)
• Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing (this is leg 1). Place a blue st marker at the last st. Make another, but do not finish off (this is leg 2). Place an orange st marker in the last st. See fig. 6 (leg 1 on the left and leg 2 on the right).

Connect the legs (tutorial here): With your hook still connected to leg 2, pick up a stitch on leg 1 (immediately to the left of the blue st marker). See fig. 7 and 9. Next, work 12 scs all around leg 1 until you get to the blue st marker (see fig. 9). Then, pick up a stitch on leg 2 right next to the orange st marker (see fig. 10), and then work the remaining 11 stitches around leg 2. The two legs should now be connected with a total of 24 stitches around.

Continue to body.

BODY (in Golden Brown)

• Rnd 11-12 (2 rnds): sc around (24 sts)
• Rnd 13: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
• Rnd 14-16 (3 rnds): sc around (30 sts)
• Rnd 17: (3 sc, dec) x6 (24 sts)
• Rnd 18-19 (2 rnds): sc around (24 sts)
• Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff. See fig. 11 for finished body. Sew the body to the head.

ARMS (in Golden Brown, make two)

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
• Rnd 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
• Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
• Rnd 4: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
• Rnd 5-10 (6 rnds): sc around (12 sts)
• Stuff lightly. Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Make another identically. See fig. 12 for finished arms. Sew to the left and right sides of the body. See fig. 13 for finished bear base.

SCARF (in Red)

• Begin: Chain 4 (4 sts)
• Row 1: Beginning from the second chain from the hook, work 3 sc, ch and turn (3 sts)
• Row 2: 3 hdc, ch and turn (3 sts)
• Row 3-55 (53 rows): repeat row two (3 sts) The scarf should measure around 15” long.

Work a single crochet border (fig. 14) (see tutorial here): The last stitch in row 55 is the black dot. Then, you’ll omit the last “turn” and continue working down the left side of the scarf, following the direction of the black arrow. After working scs all the way down the left side of the scarf, turn and work 3 scs across the bottom of the scarf, below row 1. Then, turn one more time and work scs all the way up the right side of the scarf, following the red arrow. You should end at the red dot. Then, finish off and weave in the ends.

Wrap the scarf around the bear.

Maple the Boucle Bear is all done! I hope you enjoyed crocheting her and found the pattern helpful. I would love to see your finished amigurumi, so share a picture on Instagram with me by using the #littleworldofwhimsy and tagging me @littleworldofwhimsy.

The post Maple the Boucle Bear Free Crochet Pattern – Fuzzy Teddy Bear Amigurumi appeared first on Little World of Whimsy.