Hello and welcome to my squishy crochet frog pattern. Well I suppose since he’s dry and bumpy rather than smooth and shiny he’s really a squishy crochet toad pattern. But then again he has a goofy smile and no back legs, so maybe it’s not the time for getting hung up on accuracy! This simple amigurumi project is fast, and lots of fun to make. I’ll take you through the steps with the help of lots of photos, so even if you’re new to crochet you’ll be cuddling your own frog in no time!

Materials

To make your own cuddly frog, you’ll need:

• Super bulky chenille yarn for the body, eyes, arms, and tummy patch. I used King Cole Yummy yarn in green, and Cygnet Jellybaby yarn in teddy, which is a pale brown. The eyes and tummy patch would also look fantastic in yellow or lighter green. I only chose brown because I already had it in my stash and I was impatient to starting developing the pattern without having to go to the store first!
• A small quantity of black yarn for the mouth. I used bulky chenille again, but almost any black yarn would work.
• Size J (6mm) crochet hook
• Stitch markers or scraps of yarn
• ⅝” (16mm) safety eyes
• 2oz (55g) toy safe stuffing
• Darning needle

You could also make this pattern using lighter weight chenille yarn, with an appropriately sized hook and smaller safety eyes for pupils. My frog is about 7″ tall, but with bulky yarn he’d be 6″ tall, worsted yarn he’d be 5″ tall, and DK yarn he’d be 4″ tall. I haven’t had a chance to test whether the eyes and arms would be as effective in non-chenille yarns yet – let me know in the comments if you try it!

Squishy crochet frog pattern

I’ve written this pattern in standard U.S. crochet terms. The stitches and their abbreviations you’ll need to know are:

Ch chain
Sl st slip stitch
Sc single crochet
Inc increase (make 2 single crochets in the same space)
Hdc half double crochet
Hdc-inc half double crochet increase (make 2 half double crochets in the same space)
Dc double crochet
Dec decrease (see below)

Decreasing in amigurumi

For your decreases, I recommend using the invisible decrease method, because it does exactly what it says in the name! If you haven’t tried it before, it goes like this:

1. Insert the hook through the front loops only of the next two stitches (below left).
2. Draw through a loop of yarn (two loops remaining on the hook).
3. Yarn over the hook and draw through both loops (below right).

Decrease complete!

The body

Using your green yarn:

Ch 4 and sl st into the furthest stitch to join.
1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)
3rd round: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (24 sts)
4th round: *2 sc, inc* 8 times (32 sts)
5th round: *3 sc, inc* 8 times (40 sts)
Rounds 6 – 20: Sc all the way round
21st round: 3 dec, sc 8, 6 dec, 8 sc, 3 dec (28 sts)
22nd round: 3 dec, sc 2, 6 dec, 2 sc, 3 dec (16 sts)

Stuff the body firmly with toy safe stuffing.

23rd round: 8 dec, sl st (8 sts)

Cut the yarn leaving a 8” tail. Poke in a bit more stuffing if it will fit, then sew the remain stitches closed using mattress stitch.

If you haven’t used mattress stitch before, it’s really handy for closing the body and eyes of your frog neatly. Each stitch goes through the front loops only of round 23, following the order in the first picture below. Make the stiches loosely at first (second picture) then pull them tight one at a time, or hold the start firmly and pull the yarn tail in the opposite direction (third picture).

Belly patch

Using your brown, yellow or lighter green yarn:

Ch 4 and sl st into the furthest stitch to join.
1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)
3rd round: Sl st, sc, hdc-inc, hdc, inc, sc 2, inc 2, sc 2, inc, hdc, hdc-inc, sc, sl st (22 sts)
4th round: Sl st 3, inc, hdc-inc 2, *sc, inc* 5 times, sc, hdc-inc 2, inc, sl st 2 (33 sts)

Cut the yarn leaving a long tail (about 18”) for sewing. Pull the yarn tail right through the last slip stitch.

Now grab the body again. Since the decreases at the base are bunched up at the sides, the front and back of the body should be distinctly flattened (there’s no difference between them – you choose which is which!) Position the belly patch in the center of the front of the front of the body, lining the bottom edge up with about round 19 or 20 on the body. Sew it in place using the yarn tail – for the neatest result pick up two stitches at a time from the edge of the belly patch, through the back loops only (as in the photo below).

Making the eyes

Starting with your contrast color yarn (brown, yellow or green):

Ch 4 and sl st into the furthest stitch to join.
1st round: Ch, 8 sc into the 4-ch loop (8 sts)
2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)

In the next round, change color to green during the first single crochet:

• Insert yarn into the next stitch and draw through a loop of brown yarn.
• Loop the green yarn over you hook from back to front, and draw it through both brown loops on the hook.
• Cut the brown yarn leaving a short tail, and knot the green and brown yarn tails together tightly.

Joining the eyes to the body

Position the eyes on top of the head so the gap between them at the narrowest point is between half an inch and an inch. There’s going to be an obvious place on the front of the eyes where the yarn color changes to green. It doesn’t matter where this goes, as long as it’s at the same position on both eyes – you can see I’ve positioned it at roughly 2 o’clock.

An optional but handy way to hold them in place while you sew is by pushing two double-ended knitting needles, mattress needles, or metal chopsticks through the top of the eye and down into the body (using two stops the eye spinning). You could even use two handle-less crochet hooks, but be very careful how you remove them!

Sew around the perimeter where the eye meets the body using more green yarn, and hide the yarn ends inside the body.

Making the arms

Making fiddly tubular limbs is my least favorite part of amigurumi, which is why my squishy designs don’t usually have them! But these cute little forearms are made slightly differently – and they’re very fast to whip up!

Foundation chain: Using your green yarn, ch 8.
1st row: Sk 2, dc 6.
2nd row: Fold the row of stitches into a tube lengthways. Starting with the dc nearest the hook, insert the hook through the unused loop of the foundation chain at the bottom of the stitch and through the top loops of the dc. Yarn over and pull through all three loops to make a slip stitch. Sl st 5 more times along the rest of the row to close the sides of the tube. How tight you make these stitches will determine how much the arms curve – for straight arms, tug through a little yarn after each slip stitch.
To make the fingers: *Ch 3, skip the 1st chain from hook, single crochet once into each of the two remaining chains, sl st into the end of the arm (exactly where isn’t important)* three times. Cut the yarn leaving a 12” tail, and thread the yarn tail up through the arm and out of the shoulder for sewing to the body later. Weave in the tail from the beginning of the foundation chain.

The second arm

Only if the first arm you made is curved, make the second arm like this (otherwise repeat the steps above for a second straight arm):

Foundation chain: Using your green yarn, make a slip knot with a 24” yarn tail, then using the yarn on the skein-side of the knot, ch 8.
1st row: Sk 2, dc 6.
2nd row: Fold the row of stitches into a tube lengthways. Starting with the dc nearest the hook, insert the hook through the unused loop of the foundation chain at the bottom of the stitch and through the top loops of the dc. Yarn over and pull through all three loops to make a slip stitch. Sl st 5 more times along the rest of the row, aiming for the same tightness as before, so achieve a matching curve. Cut the yarn, leaving a short tail for weaving in later.
To make the fingers: Using the yarn 24” yarn tail from step 1, *ch 3, skip the 1st chain from hook, single crochet once into each of the two remaining chains, sl st into the end of the arm (exactly where isn’t important)* three times. Thread the yarn tail up through the arm and out of the shoulder for sewing to the body later. Weave in the tail from the end of step 3.

Join the arms to the body using the yarn tails, a couple of rounds up the body from the top of the belly, and about in line with the outside edge of the eyes.

Embroider the mouth

Finally, thread about 18″ of black yarn onto a darning needle – I’ve used 36″ and doubled it up for extra impact. Push the needle through between two stiches on the back of the body, through to the front. Pull the yarn through until there’s tail about 3″ sticking out from the back of the body. Embroider the mouth using back stitch and the grid in the body stiches as a guide. At the end of the the final stitch, push the needle out through the same place as the yarn tail on the back of the body. Tie the two tails together, trim the excess yarn, and poke the knot inside the body to hide it.

Done!

Your amphibian amigurumi is complete! I hope you enjoyed making it and you’re completely charmed by the results. For some more unusual animal projects, check out Lucy’s gecko, manatee and puffer fish patterns!

The post Squishy Crochet Frog Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

How cute is this squishy crochet puppy? He’s a fun, beginner-friendly alternative to making a puppy pattern with separate head, body and leg parts. But he’s just as appealing and cuddly! I’ve made him with bulky chenille yarn to really make him as squashy and irresistible as possible. But the pattern is just as effective in lighter weight and/or smoother yarns, and I’ve got tips for making him in different sizes, as well as lots of photos of the techniques involved.

You’ll need

The materials I used to make this puppy are:

• Super bulky chenille yarn in white and brown. I used Cygnet Jellybaby yarn in the shades white and moose.
• A small quantity of black yarn for the nose and mouth.
• Size J (6mm) crochet hook.
• Stitch markers (or scraps of yarn will do)
• ⅝” (16mm) safety eyes.
• Toy safe stuffing (approx 2oz, or 55g).

My plushy is about 7” tall. If you want to use a lighter weight yarn, you’ll need to choose a smaller crochet hook to match, and your puppy will turn out smaller. I recommend using a hook one size smaller than the yarn wrapper recommends, to create a dense fabric that doesn’t allow the stuffing to peep through.

You’ll also need to use smaller safety eyes with some yarns, to keep the proportions right:

• With dk, aran and worsted yarns, use 12mm eyes. You plushy will turn out 4-5” tall.
• For bulky yarns, 16mm eyes will still work. Your plushy will turn out about 6″ tall.

Squishy crochet puppy pattern

This pattern is written in standard U.S. crochet terms. You’ll only need to know a small number of very basic stitches:

Ch chain
Sl st slip stitch
Sc single crochet
Inc increase (make 2 sc in the same space)
Dec decrease

Round 1

To start, grab your brown yarn and either make a magic circle, or chain 4 and slip stitch into the furthest stitch from the hook to make a loop. If you’re using a fluffy yarn like me, I find a 4-chain loop is easier to tighten later without snapping the yarn.

1st round: Ch 1, and sc 8 into your magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts).

Round 2

2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts).

Rounds 3 – 14

Rounds 3 – 15 are worked in a combination of brown and white yarn. You can approach this in a couple of different ways:

1. Cut the yarn every time you change color, then tie the yarn ends together later.
2. Carry the yarn you’re not using behind the yarn you are using. If you choose this option, you’ll need to catch the floating strand of the yarn you’re not using every 4 or 5 stitches. If that’s a technique you haven’t used before, there’s a description of it (with photos) in this article.

I find it’s pretty easy to get away with the first option when I’m using chenille yarns. Their texture holds the stitches in place, so you don’t have to worry about areas of loose tension where the yarn breaks are. But for smooth yarns I’d use the second option.

To change color, insert your hook into the next stitch and draw through a loop of the color you’ve been using (in this case brown – see the left hand photo below). Then loop your new yarn over the hook from back to front, and draw it through both loops on your hook (right hand photo below).

3rd round: With the brown yarn *sc, inc* twice, color change to white yarn, *sc, inc* three times, color change to brown yarn, *sc, inc* three times. (24 sts)

4th round: 2 sc, inc, 2 sc, color change to white yarn, inc, *2 sc, inc* three times, color change to brown yarn, *2 sc, inc* three times. (32 sts)

5th round: 3 sc, inc, sc, color change to white yarn, 2 sc, inc, *3 sc, inc* 3 times, sc, color change to brown yarn, 2 sc, inc, *3 sc, inc* twice. (40 sts)

That’s the last of the increasing rows, so I’m going to layout the pattern for rounds 6 – 15 a little differently, to make it easier for you to keep track of the color changes.

Rounds 6 – 15

Rather than set out this next section in rounds, I’m just going to tell you how many stitches to make before changing color again. Since we’re going round and round in spirals, the point where one round finishes and the next begins isn’t all that important anyway.

Make all the stitches using single crochet. The gaps in the list don’t mean anything – they’re just to break it up and help you keep track of progress!

• 6 brown
• 21 white
• 18 brown
• 22 white
• 19 brown

• 22 white
• 18 brown
• 22 white
• 18 brown
• 23 white

• 18 brown
• 23 white
• 16 brown
• 24 white
• 16 brown

• 25 white
• 14 brown
• 27 white
• 11 brown
• 37 white

You’ve just finished round 15, and your puppy’s brown patch is finished. We’re going back to counting rounds now, so pop a stitch marker or scrap of yarn through the stitch you’ve just made to mark where the rounds end.

Rounds 16 – 23

Rounds 16 – 23: Sc 40 (40 sts)

At the end of round 23 is a good time to add the eyes. Spread the body out on a flat work surface, and position the safety eyes. I placed mine between rows 10 and 11, and 8 stitches apart – but you can experiment with moving them around to change your puppy’s expression!

Press the backs onto the safety eyes, then spread the body out flat again, making sure the eyes are central. The next step is to make single crochets until you reach the spot marked by the blue arrow in the photo above. For me it’s 18 sc, but for you it might be slightly more or less. Ending up in that corner is more important than how many stitches it takes to get there!

Put a stitch marker into your last stitch – this is the new beginning and end point for the final few rounds. Now you’re ready to close the body.

Closing the body

The base of your plushy is going to be elliptical, and we’re going to achieve that by bunching the decreases up at the sides. I recommend using invisible decreases for amigurumi projects, because they’re just that – practically invisible on the right side of your work. If you haven’t tried the invisible decrease before, here’s how it’s done:

• Insert your hook through the front loop only of the next two stitches (fig. 1).
• Yarn over and draw through a loop (two loops remaining on the hook).
• Yarn over and draw through both loops (fig. 2).

Let’s put that to use, and make rounds 24 and 25:

24th round: 3 dec, sc 8, 6 dec, 8 sc, 3 dec (28 sts)
25th round: 3 dec, sc 2, 6 dec, 2 sc, 3 dec (16 sts)

Put a stitch marker through the loop on your hook to hold it, then measure a 24” tail and cut your yarn. Stuff your plushy firmly with toy-safe stuffing, keeping back a little (about half a cup) for the tail later. Then pick up the loop from the stitch marker and make one more round:

26th round: 8 dec, sl st (8 sts)

Poke in a little more stuffing if it will fit, then use the remaining yarn tail to sew the opening shut. The body is done!

Ears

Your puppy’s soft and floppy over-sized ears are going to be his cutest feature. I’ve made both in brown, but one brown and one white or black would be a sweet way of personalizing your project.

• Start with a magic circle or a 4-chain loop.
• 1st round: Ch, 8 sc (8 sts)
• 2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)
• 3rd round: *Sc, inc* 8 times (24 sts)
• Rounds 4 – 7: Sc all the way round (24 sts)
• 8th round: *4 sc, dec* 4 times (20 sts)
• Rounds 9 & 10: Sc all the way round (20 sts)
• 11th round: *3 sc, dec* 4 times (16 sts)
• 12th round: Sc 16, sl st.

Cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing later.

Tail

Start the tail with white yarn, and a magic circle or 4-chain loop.

• 1st round: Ch, 8 sc (8 sts)
• 2nd round: *3 sc, inc* twice (10 sts)
• 3rd round: *4 sc, inc* twice (12 sts)

Change color to brown.

• Rounds 4 – 9: Sc all the way round (12 sts)
• 10th round: *4 sc, dec* twice, sl st (10 sts)

Cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing later. Lightly stuff the tail up to about round 7.

Nose

The last crochet detail for your puppy is their sweet schnozz. Using your black yarn:

1. Ch 3, sl st into the furthest st from the hook to make a loop.
2. Ch 1, 3 sc into the 3-ch loop.
3. Ch 1, turn your work, 3 sc (into the tops of the single crochets from step 2).
4. Sl st into the ch 1 at the beginning of step 2.

Cut the yarn leaving, you’ve guessed it, a long tail for sewing.

Assembling your puppy

There’s just a few easy steps between you and a finished cuddly puppy now!

Sew the ears onto the sides of the head, level with round 4. They hang more naturally if you just pick up the front loops around the top of the ear rather than the front and back loops.

Next hold your puppy upright on a flat surface to get the position of the tail right. Before you join it to the body, you’ve got a choice to make:

• You can leave the tail to wag freely, in which case you want the color change in the tail facing outwards, so it’s on the underside of the tail when the tail drops down.
• Or you can tie the tail flush to the body like me, in which case you want the color change facing inwards towards the body.

Now sew the base of the tail to the body. If you’re tying the tail flush to the body, thread a 6” piece of yarn onto a darning needle and pass it behind a stitch facing the body on round 5 of the tail. Find the stitch it touches on the body and thread the yarn behind that one too. Tie the ends in a knot, and tuck them inside the body.

Last but not least, sew the nose in place. Then thread 12” of black yarn onto a needle, and run it behind a stitch at the base of the nose (it could be one of the stitches holding the nose in place, or one of the stitches on the body – see left hand photo below). Thread the other end of the black yarn through the eye of the needle too, so you’re working with two strands at once (center photo). Embroider a little mouth, using the stitch-grid in the body as a guide (right hand photo). I can never resist making my amigurumi toys look a little grumpy, but you could give your puppy a smile or a neutral expression.

Squishy Puppy Complete

My daughter has called this one Sandwich! I hope you enjoy making this project as much as I enjoyed developing it, and that whoever receives your plushy loves it as much as my daughter loves Sandwich. If it’s given you the confidence to try a more life-like amigurumi pattern next, you’ll love Lucy’s Poodle and Labrador patterns. Happy crocheting!

The post Squishy Crochet Puppy Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

A few days ago I posted on social media asking yous to let me know your favorite animals, to get some new inspiration for crochet designs. I was blown away by the response, there were so many great ideas! And the moment I saw a crochet manatee pattern suggested, I knew that was the one I’d be working on first.

There is something so uniquely adorable about these marine mammals. I’m desperate to see one in real life, but to my knowledge there aren’t any in aquariums in the UK, so as of yet I’ve not met a real sea cow.

So it’s a good thing I’ve crocheted my own amigurumi version, and now you can too!

• Equipment, techniques and abbreviations
• Free crochet manatee pattern

Your Kit List

Here’s what I used to produce this manatee amigurumi design. The yarn was from my stash. I’m pretty sure mine is from the Women’s Institute Soft and Cuddly line, but any DK yarn should work just fine.

• 50g light gray DK yarn
• 3.5mm crochet hook
• 16mm safety eyes
• Tapestry needle
• Toy safe stuffing

Reading This Pattern

This is a beginner friendly crochet project, however I do use abbreviations on my patterns. Here they are for those that aren’t familiar with the terms:

• magic circle
• sc – single crochet
• 2sc – put two single crochets into one stitch
• sc2tog – join two stitches together with one single crochet
• FP – front post
• FLO – front loop only
• st – stitch

The Manatee Pattern

This is a very low sew project, you’ll make your manatee in three parts, the head, body and tail, then two separate fins. That’s it!

Head, Body and Tail

Round 1

Make a magic circle of four stitches (4)

Round 2

2sc x 4 (8)

Round 3

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 4

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 5

1sc x 18, then 1sc x 6 into the BLO (24)

Mark stitches 19 and 25 of this round with a stitch marker or scrap of yarn.

Round 6

1sc x 24

Round 7

This round is going to need a pinch of concentration. You’ll begin working in a standard round, then move back to work a couple of stitches into a previous round so make sure to do this part without distractions if you can!

1sc x 18, 1sc into the front post (FP) of stitch 19 of round 5. 1sc x 4, 1sc into FP of st 24 of round 5.

The rest of the pattern will be worked in standard rounds, this is to give your manatee the overhanging lip that’s so distinctive to the species.

Round 8 – 10

1sc x 24

Round 11

FLO (1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 12

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 8 (40)

Round 13

1sc x 40

Round 14

(1sc x 4, 2sc) x 5, 1sc x 15 (45)

Round 15

(1sc x 5, 2sc) x 5, 1sc x 15 (50)

Round 16 – 19

1sc x 50

Round 20

(1sc x 5, sc2tog) x 5, 1sc x 15 (45)

Round 21

(1sc x 4, sc2tog) x 5, 1sc x 15 (40)

Add the safety eyes to the head. You want the lip section to be hanging between them, with the eyes offset at either side. You can also add a section of yarn to the backings of the safety eyes to draw them together slightly.

Stuff the head gently, leaving the tipped lip empty of padding.

Round 22

1sc x 40

Round 23

(1sc x 4, 2sc) x 8 (48)

Round 24

(1sc x 5, 2sc) x 8 (56)

Round 25 – 35

1sc x 56

Round 36

(1sc x 5, sc2tog) x 8 (48)

Round 37 – 39

1sc x 48

Round 40

(1sc x 4, sc2tog) x 8 (40)

Round 41- 43

1sc x 40

Round 44

(1sc x 3, sc2tog) x 8 (32)

Round 45 – 47

1sc x 32

Round 48

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 49 – 52

1sc x 24

Round 53

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Fill the rest of the body with toy stuffing.

Round 54

sc2tog x 8 (8)

Round 55

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 56 – 58

1sc x 16

Round 59

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 60 – 61

1sc x 24

Round 62

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 63

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 64

Flatten the tail to line up with the eyes. You might need to make 2 or 3 single crochets in addition to the end of the round to create an even finish. Now join the two sides together with single crochets. This will create a fanned end to the tail, 12 stitches in length.

Attach a yarn needle, and insert the yarn into the tail, bringing it out at round 54. Complete the tail by sewing in and out of this round to secure the toy stuffing in the main body and not allow it to enter the tail section.

Crocheting the Fins

Round 1

Make a magic circle of six stitches (6)

Round 2

2sc x 6 (12)

Round 3

1sc x 12

Round 4

(1sc, 2sc) x 6 (18)

Round 5 – 6

1sc x 18

Round 7

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 6 (24)

Round 8

Flatten the fins, and single crochet along the edge to join the two sides together. Cut off long yarn tails ready for sewing.

Attaching the Fins

You now just need to attach a yarn needle to the tail of the fins’ yarn and hand sew them onto the sides of your manatee.

I think it looks cutest when the flippers are close to each other underneath your manatee, starting at round 22 level.

I’d love to hear what you think of this new design, I had a lot of fun making that characteristic mouth and hope you like it as much as I do!

Happy Crocheting,

Lucy Kate, x

The post How To Crochet A Manatee – Free Amigurumi Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

My free crochet fish pattern is a tribute to our pets that passed away recently. We lost seven huge, old fish from our pond, including some golden orfes and koi, due to a power cut at our home. The smaller fish survived, but we were truly gutted about the loss of those gentle friends, so this amigurumi fish is my special nod to them.

• What you’ll need
• Free crochet fish pattern

If you’d like to go for a whole sea creature theme with your crafting, then you’ll love the manatee, puffer fish and seahorse patterns too.

The equipment you’ll need

Here’s what I used to crochet my fish. Feel free to use different yarn brands, and colors to match your own pet.

• 3.5mm crochet hook
• Deramores Studio baby lux DK orange yarn
• King Cole Prize DK white yarn
• Toy safe stuffing
• 18mm safety eyes

Terms and techniques

• magic circle
• sc – single crochet
• 2sc – two single crochets into one stitch
• sc2tog – single crochet two stitches together
• ch – chain
• FLO – crochet into the front loop only
• BLO – crochet into the back loop only

How to crochet your fish

I made this fish in separate sections, which were then hand sewn together.

The head and body

You’re going to work this section in orange yarn using your 3.5mm crochet hook. You’ll begin inside the mouth, working down the head, along the body and ending in the tail. We’ll add the white detail later on.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of six stitches (6)

Round 2

2sc x 6 (12)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 6 (18)

Round 4

FLO 1sc x 18

Round 5

1sc x 18

Round 6 – 7

BLO 1sc x 18

Allow the mouth to sit so that the two BLO rounds are the lips, and the rest is inside your fish.

Round 8 – 10

1sc x 18

Round 11

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 6 (24)

Round 12

((1sc x 3, 2sc) x 2, 1sc x 4) x 2 (28)

Round 13

((1sc x 4, 2sc) x 2, 1sc x 4) x 2 (32)

Round 14 – 15

1sc x 32

Round 16

(1sc x 5, 2sc, 1sc x 10) x 2 (34)

Round 17

(1sc x 6, 2sc, 1sc x 10) x 2 (36)

Round 18 – 19

1sc x 36

Round 20

(1sc x 7, 2sc, 1sc x 10) x 2 (38)

Round 21

(1sc x 7, 2sc x 3, 1sc x 9) x 2 (44)

Round 22 – 37

1sc x 44

Round 38

(1sc x 7, sc2tog x 3, 1sc x 9) x 2 (38)

Round 39 – 41

1sc x 38

Round 42

(1sc x 7, sc2tog, 1sc x 10) x 2 (36)

Round 43

(1sc x 4, sc2tog) x 6 (30)

Round 44 – 45

1sc x 30

Insert your safety eyes 9 rows down from the BLO round of the mouth. Use the 3 x 2sc point to guide your top and bottom edges, and place the eyes midway down the flat side of the fish.

Round 46

(1sc x 3, sc2tog) x 6 (24)

Round 47 – 48

1sc x 24

Round 49

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 6 (18)

Stuff your fish so far, being careful not to push the mouth outwards.

Round 50

(1sc, sc2tog) x 6 (12)

Round 51

Crochet the two sides together with single crochets (6)

Round 52 – 53

Ch1, 1sc x 5 (6)

Round 54

Ch1, 1sc into the same stitch, 2sc, 1sc x 2, 2sc x 2 (8)

Round 55

Ch1, 1sc into the same stitch, 2sc, 1sc x 4, 2sc x 2 (12)

Round 56

Ch1, 1sc into the same stitch, 2sc, 1sc x 8, 2sc x 2 (16)

Round 57

Ch1, 1sc in the same stitch, 1sc x 14, 2sc (18)

Round 58

Ch1, 1sc x 16, 2sc (19)

Round 59

Ch1, 1sc x 17, 2sc (20)

Round 60

Ch1, 1sc x 18, 2sc (21)

Round 61

Ch1, 1sc x 19, 2sc (22)

Round 62

Ch1, 1sc in same stitch, (slst, 2sc) x 11. Tie off and hide the yarn tail inside the fish.

Edging the Tail

Swap to your white yarn and beginning at the joining round 51, work around the edge of the tail. You’ll make 11 x sc up the side, then 3sc into the corner. Now along the tail edge make 2sc, 1sc, slst. At the far corner make 3sc again, then another 11 single crochets down the other side.

Four small fins

Begin your fins in the orange yarn, you’ll need your white for the edges again.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3 – 6

1sc x 16

Round 7

Flatten the fin without stuffing, and single crochet the sides together (8)

Edging and attaching the fins

You are now going to edge the fins in the same way that you did the tail. Switch to your white yarn and put a single crochet into each stitch around the perimeter, leaving just the final closing round orange. This is the side that you are now going to sew onto the body.

Sew the front fins around round 24 of the body, tilted backward at a slight angle. The back fins sit six rounds from the start of the tail, but more in line with the bottom of the fish.

Back Fin

Your back fin will be created in orange yarn and edged in white again.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3 – 4

1sc x 16

Round 5

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 6 – 7

1sc x 24

Round 8

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 9

1sc x 32

Round 10

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 8 (40)

Round 11

Single crochet the two sides together (20)

Flatten your fin and starting from the longest bottom edge, leave 10 stitches empty then single crochet with white yarn around the circumference of the remainder of the fin.

You can now hand sew the fin to the top of the fish. I placed mine on the exact top between the eyes, around 26 rounds in.

Let me know what colors you chose for your fish, and you’re welcome to email me a picture if you’d like to share it too!

Happy Crocheting,

Lucy Kate, x

The post How To Crochet Your Pet Fish appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

Hello, and welcome to my squishy crochet tabby cat pattern! It reminds me of Mog the cat, from the beautiful illustrated story books by Judith Kerr. Perhaps I should pretend that it was planned, but the truth is that it is a happy accident! I had a lot of fun watching my cat’s cute, slightly anxious little face emerge from the yarn, but developing the pattern hasn’t been without hiccups. I realized too late in the day that the stripes aren’t quite symmetrical at the front, and I didn’t have enough yarn left to start over. But hey, do you know what else isn’t perfectly symmetrical? Actual cats. What I have done in this pattern tutorial though is include the colorwork pattern I used, and a corrected version for a more symmetrical finish if you want it.

And when you’re done, you can make them an adorable black or calico companion too!

Materials

To make a stripey, squishy cat of your own, you’ll need:

• Yarn for the body and ears. I’ve used gray for the background, and black for the stripes. But you could have dark brown stripes on a tan background. Or make a ginger tabby from dark and pastel orange hues. These yarns can be in any weight or fiber, as long as they are all the same weight. I’ve used Cygnet’s Jellybaby yarn in black and pearl gray.
• White yarn for the tummy patch (optional). This needs to be the same weight as the yarn for the body – I’m using Jellybaby yarn again.
• Yarn for the eyes. Cat’s eyes can be orange, yellow, blue or green – take your pick! I’ve used some scraps of Stylecraft Special DK in duck egg – mostly because my black cat already has yellow eyes and my calico cat has green eyes, so I wanted something different again. This yarn needs to be lighter weight than the yarn for the body – I’ve got notes about that coming up.
• Yarn for the nose, mouth and whiskers. This could be pink, peach, or black – whatever you already have a handy scrap of that works against your background color. I’m using Paton’s Cotton DK, in nougat. I think the smoothness of cotton is very effective for embroidering whiskers! This yarn also needs to be lighter weight than the yarn for the body.

Tools

You’ll also need:

• Crochet hooks. For the black, gray and white yarns, use a crochet hook one size smaller than the yarn wrapper recommends – this helps your amigurumi hold its shape, and prevents stuffing poking out between the stitches. For your light yarns, use the hook size recommended on the wrapper.
• Safety eyes. Notes on size down below!
• Toy stuffing. Such as Poly-Fil.
• Stitch markers. Or scraps of brightly colored yarn.
• Darning needle.

Notes on size

The yarn you use for you cat’s body will determine how tall it turns out, and also what weight of yarn you need for the eyes and nose, and what size safety eyes you need, to keep everything in proportion.

Weight of the body and ear yarns	Finished squishy height (approx., not including ears)	Yarn weight to use for the irises and nose	Diameter of safety eyes
DK	4 inches	Lace	12mm
Worsted (aran)	5 inches	Superfine/sock	12mm
Bulky	6 inches	Fine	16mm
Super bulky	7 inches	DK	16mm
Jumbo	8+ inches	Worsted	20mm

Pattern notes

This pattern is written in standard US crochet terms. The stitches and abbreviations used are:

Ch chain stitch
Sl st slip stitch
Sc single crochet
Hdc half double crochet
Inc increase (make 2 sc in the same space)
Hdc-inc increase using half double crochet (make 2 hdc in the same space)
Dec decrease

For the decreases, I recommend using the invisible decrease method, which is ideal for amigurumi projects:

• Insert the hook into the front loop only of the next two stitches (below left).
• Yarn over the hook and draw it through both front loops (two loops remaining on hook).
• Yarn over and draw it through both loops (below right).

Squishy crochet tabby cat pattern

Let’s get started with the biggest part of this project – the body. The stripes are achieved with color changes in rounds 6 to 23. As promised, I’m going to give you that section of the pattern twice – once as I made it in the photos accompanying this pattern, and once with some small changes to make the front of the cat more symmetrical.

Body

I’m going to use ‘black’ and ‘gray’ throughout to describe the colors. If you’re using other colors, you’ll work it out!

Rounds 1 – 5

Using your background color, make either a magic circle, or chain four and join them with a slip stitch into the the furthest chain from the hook to make a 4-ch loop.

• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)
• 3rd round: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (24 sts)
• 4th round: *2 sc, inc* 8 times (32 sts)
• 5th round: *3 sc, inc* 8 times (40 sts)

That’s the last of the increasing round – the next section of the pattern is worked in continuous single crochet. If you’re not already using a stitch marker to keep track of where one round ends and the next one begins, now is a good time to start!

Rounds 6 – 23 (Sarah’s version)

• 6th round: 18 black, 8 gray, 14 black sts
• 7th round: 16 black, 11 gray, 13 black sts
• 8th round: Gray
• 9th round: Gray
• 10th round: 15 black, 14 gray, 11 black sts
• 11th round: 15 black, 14 gray, 11 black sts
• 12th round: Gray
• 13th round: Gray
• 14th round: 15 black, 15 gray, 10 black sts
• 15th round: 16 black, 14 gray, 10 black sts
• 16th round: Gray
• 17th round: Gray
• 18th round: 16 black, 15 gray, 9 black sts
• 19th round: 17 black, 14 gray, 9 black sts
• 20th round: Gray
• 21st round: Gray
• 22nd round: 18 black, 13 gray, 9 black sts
• 23rd round: 18 black, 13 gray, 9 black sts

Rounds 6 – 23 (amended, more symmetrical version)

I’ve underlined the differences, for good measure.

• 6th round: 18 black, 8 gray, 14 black sts
• 7th round: 16 black, 11 gray, 13 black sts
• 8th round: Gray
• 9th round: Gray
• 10th round: 15 black, 14 gray, 11 black sts
• 11th round: 15 black, 14 gray, 11 black sts
• 12th round: Gray
• 13th round: Gray
• 14th round: 15 black, 14 gray, 11 black sts
• 15th round: 16 black, 13 gray, 11 black sts
• 16th round: Gray
• 17th round: Gray
• 18th round: 16 black, 13 gray, 11 black sts
• 19th round: 17 black, 12 gray, 11 black sts
• 20th round: Gray
• 21st round: Gray
• 22nd round: 18 black, 12 gray, 10 black sts
• 23rd round: 18 black, 12 gray, 10 black sts

Now you can set aside your black yarn. And if you have any loose ends that need tying off inside the body, this is the time to do it. As you can see, the inside of my cat is really something at this point!

Rounds 24 & 25

Continuing in your gray yarn only:

Spread the body out flat in front of you, and make note of how many stitches it is to the corner indicated by the blue arrow. For me it’s 15, and it should be about the same for you, but don’t worry if it’s a couple more or less!

• Single crochet to that corner. The next stitch is the new start/end point for the final rounds. This makes sure the non-stripey area ends up on your cat’s belly, not their side!
• 25th round: 3 dec, sc 8, 6 dec, 8 sc, 3 dec (28 sts)
• 26th round: 3 dec, sc 2, 6 dec, 2 sc, 3 dec (16 sts)
• Put a stitch marker into the loop on your hook, and cut your yarn leaving a 24 inch tail.

Set the body to one side for now.

The belly patch (optional)

Using your white yarn:

• Make a magic circle, or ch4 and sl st to join.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)
• 3rd round: Sl st, sc, hdc-inc, hdc, inc, sc 2, inc 2, sc 2, inc, hdc, hdc-inc, sc, sl st (22 sts)
• 4th round: Sl st 3, inc, hdc-inc 2, *sc, inc* 5 times, sc, hdc-inc 2, inc, sl st 2 (33 sts)

Cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing, and pull the tail all the way through the last slip stitch.

The ears

Making two, starting with a magic circle or 3-ch loop. That’s not a typo – the tips of the ears have just 5 stitches in the first round, so a loop of three chain stitches is all that’s needed.

• 1st round: 5 sc (5 sts)
• 2nd round: 5 inc (10 sts)
• 3rd round: *Inc, sc 1* five times (15 sts)
• 4th – 7th rounds: Sc all the way round

To finish, slip stitch once, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing later, and pull the tail right through the slip stitch. I forgot to take a photo of how they should look, so please enjoy this one from my calico cat pattern:

You can sew the ears to the body now if you like, but I prefer to do it after the body is stuffed and closed, so I can make sure they stand up right.

The eyes

This cat’s doleful expression hinges in part on their large, round eyes. Make two.

• Magic circle or 4-ch loop to start.
• 1st round: Sc 8 into the to center.
• 2nd round: Inc 8 times (16 sts)

To finish, slip stitch once, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing later, and pull the tail right through the slip stitch. Set them to one side for now.

TOP TIP: If you don’t love their diameter on your first attempt, try remaking them with a bigger or smaller hook.

The nose

The nose is the only part of this pattern that isn’t made in rounds.

• Make a foundation chain of 3.
• 1st row: Skip the first chain from the hook, and inc into each of the other two stitches (4 sts).
• 2nd row: Sc across (4 sts). NOTE – no turning chain.
• 3rd row: Sc across (4 sts). NOTE – no turning chain.

Cut the yarn leaving a tail for sewing, and pull the tail right through the last stitch.

Assembling your tabby cat

Now all your kitty parts are ready, let’s put them together and bring your cat to life!

First attach the safety eyes. Push the stems though the centers of the irises and into the body. They should be roughly 8 stitches apart, between rows 10 and 11. But if you’re working with lighter or heavier yarn, the best position might be slightly different – it’s ok to eyeball it!

Push the backs onto the eyes, then fill the body firmly with toy stuffing. Now pick your crochet hook back up and add one more round to the body:

• 26th round: 8 dec (8 sts)

Slip stitch once, and pull the yarn tail right through the slip stitch. Thread it onto a darning needle, and close the hole that’s left using mattress stitch through the front loops only.

Finishing touches

Use the yarn tails on the irises to sew their edges against the body. For the best effect, sew down two stitches at a time through the back loops only.

Feed the remaining yarn tail out through the back of the body and leave it there for now.

Sew down the second eye and feed the yarn tail out through the same spot on the back of the body as the first. Knot them together, and poke them inside the body. The stuffing will anchor them in place.

Sew the tummy patch on with the flat bottom edge sitting roughly flush with the bottom of round 22.

Attach the ears to the top of the head, approximately 2 inches apart, and slightly forwards of halfway back. You can tie up the yarn tails in the same way as for the irises.

Finally, sew on the nose so the top edge is about level with the bottoms of the irises. Embroider whiskers and a mouth using the grid pattern in the single crochet stitches to guide you.

Project complete!

I hope you’ve enjoyed working on this project. I’d love to know which version of the pattern you followed down in the comment section. For more of my squishy amigurumi patterns – from bubble tea and a bear, to a cactus and a cow, don’t forget to visit us here.

The post Squishy Crochet Tabby Cat Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

Miaow! Welcome to my squishy crochet calico cat pattern. Not only is she irresistibly cute, she’s a really fun project for practicing colorwork. Obviously she’s a girl, because the genetic rules of pattern inheritance in cats mean that all calicos are female. Depending on the yarn you use, she can either be big enough to cuddle, or small enough to sit on a desk or shelf as a lucky mascot for whoever’s lucky enough to own her. Calico cats are believed to bring good fortune in several cultures, including the USA, Germany and Japan – you could crochet a calico cat for yourself, for someone starting a new business, or a new home owner. Or just anyone who loves cats! And then you should probably make them a black and tabby buddy too!

Materials

To make your own crochet calico cat, you’ll need:

• Yarn in black, orange and white. Or gray, pastel orange and white for a lovely, soft-hued dilute calico cat. The only requirement is that all three yarns are the same weight. I’ve used Cygnet’s Jellybaby yarn in black, tangerine and white. Jellybaby is a super bulky yarn, and in the next section I’ve got some details about how the size of yarn you choose will affect the size of your finished cat.
• Lighter yarn in orange, blue or green for the eyes, and pink or peach for the nose, mouth and whiskers. I’m using up some leftovers of Stylecraft special DK in the shade pistachio, and Patons cotton DK in the shade nougat. I think the smooth finish of the cotton makes really effective whiskers!
• Crochet hooks. One for your heavier yarns, and another one for your lighter yarns. Amigurumi holds its shape better when the tension is tight, so I recommend using a smaller hook than the wrapper on your heavy yarns recommends. For the lighter yarns, use the size recommended on the wrapper(s).
• Safety eyes. Notes on size down below!
• Stitch markers. Or scraps of yarn in a contrasting color to help keep track of where each round starts and ends.
• Toy stuffing. Such as Poly-fil.
• Darning needle.

How big will your cat be?

This pattern works for any weight of yarn, and the yarn you choose determines how big it turns out. The yarn you choose for your cat’s body also governs what size yarn you need for the eyes, nose and mouth, and what size safety eyes are the right scale.

Weight of your black, orange and white yarns	Finished squishy height (approx., not including ears)	Yarn weight to use for the irises and nose	Diameter of safety eyes
DK	4 inches	Lace	12mm
Worsted (aran)	5 inches	Superfine/sock	12mm
Bulky	6 inches	Fine	16mm
Super bulky	7 inches	DK	16mm
Jumbo	8+ inches	Worsted	20mm

Pattern notes

This pattern is written in standard American crochet terms. The stitches and abbreviations used are:

Ch chain stitch
Sl st slip stitch
Sc single crochet
Inc increase (2 sc in the same space)
Dec decrease

For the decreases, I recommend using the invisible decrease method, which is ideal for amigurumi projects:

• Insert the hook into the front loop only of the next two stitches (below left).
• Yarn over the hook and draw it through both front loops (two loops remaining on hook).
• Yarn over and draw it through both loops (below right).

Notes on changing color

To replicate a calico cat’s gorgeous markings on your crochet squishy, this pattern involves a lot of color changes! There are three main ways of changing color between one stitch and the next:

1. Finish the last stitch in your old color, and start the next stitch with your new color. This method is simplest, but the old color ‘bleeds’ a bit into the area of new color. Usually crocheters want to avoid that, but actually I think it wouldn’t matter much here. The color changes in real cats’ fur aren’t perfect straight lines either!
2. Finish the last stitch of the old color with the new color. To make your last stitch, insert the hook and draw through a loop of the old color, so you have two loops of the old color on the hook. Then put the new color over your hook and draw it through both loops to complete your single crochet.
3. Finish the last stitch in your old color, unhook your hook and insert it downwards behind the front top loop and left leg of the last stitch. Draw through a loop of your new color, and gently pull the tail of the old color to free it from the top of the stitch. To see a video of crocheter Jaqui-Len Thurman using this technique over on Insta, click here. It produces essentially the same result as option 2, but you finish the last stitch in the old color and incorporate the new color retrospectively. Some people feel it’s just making extra work, but when doing I find it helps with counting colorwork to finish the last stitch in each color!

Notes on carrying out-of-use colors

As for the colors you’re not using (for example the black and white yarns, while you’re crocheting in orange), again you have 3 choices:

1. Carry them inside the stitches of the color you are using. There’s a detailed, illustrated example of this technique in this diagonal granny square tutorial. It’s a great way of managing two colors, but it’s not really practical with three colors or more.
2. Carry them as floats. This is the same technique, but instead of trapping your yarns inside every stitch of the other color in use, just trap them in every 4th or 5th stitch. The exposed sections of yarn in between each trapped spot are known as floats. This is a good way to avoid cutting your yarn and dealing with lots of loose ends later. Just take care to make sure your floats are long enough that they won’t affect the tension when you stuff your cat later.
3. Cut the yarn. Each time you change color, cut the yarn leaving a 2 or 3 inch tail. Once you’ve made a few stitches in the next color, knot the yarn tails together.

You can work with whatever feels most comfortable. I’ve used a combination of all three techniques for this project, depending on the size of the gap I need to bridge between dropping a color and picking it back up again. Since fluffy chenilles don’t tend to unravel or come loose easily, I could even cut the yarn and leave the ends loose, then have a big knotting session near the end.

Squishy crochet calico cat pattern

The biggest, most complex part of your calico cat is its body, with its beautiful pattern of black, orange and white patches. Start with your orange yarn and make a magic circle, or chain four stitches and slip stitch into the furthest chain from the hook to make a loop.

1st round

Orange yarn: 8 sc (8 sts)

2nd round

Orange yarn: 8 inc (16 sts)

If you haven’t already started using a stitch marker to mark the end of each round, I encourage you to grab one now!

3rd round

Orange yarn: Sc 1
Black yarn: *Inc, sc 1* x3
Orange yarn: *Inc, sc 1* x4, inc

(24 sts in total)

4th round

Black yarn: *Sc 2, inc* x4
Orange yarn: *Sc 2, inc* x2, sc 2
Black yarn: Inc, sc 2, inc

(32 sts in total)

5th round

Black yarn: *Sc 3, inc* x4
Orange yarn: *Sc 3, inc* x2, 2 sc
Black yarn: Sc 1, inc, sc 2
Orange yarn: Sc 1, inc

(40 sts in total)

And the (no doubt welcome) news is that that’s the last of the increasing rounds too. Rounds 6 to 23 are simply worked in continuous single crochet.

6th round

19 black sc, 1 white sc, 12 orange sc, 3 black sc, 5 orange sc

This is the last time it will still be flat enough to take a clear top down photo, so here’s how it’s looking right now:

Rounds 7 – 24

This next stage is all about building up the body, with it’s lovely mosaic of colors:

• 7th round: 18 black , 4 white, 11 orange, 2 black, 5 orange
• 8th round: 1 orange, 17 black, 5 white, 10 orange, 3 black, 4 orange
• 9th round: 1 orange, 16 black, 7 white, 9 orange, 3 black, 4 orange
• 10th round: 1 orange, 16 black, 8 white, 9 orange, 2 black, 4 orange
• 11th round: 1 orange, 15 black, 10 white, 6 orange, 4 black, 4 orange
• 12th round: 1 orange, 14 black, 12 white, 4 orange, 6 black, 3 orange
• 13th round: 1 orange, 14 black, 14 white, 7 black, 4 orange
• 14th round: 3 orange, 11 black, 15 white, 6 black, 5 orange,
• 15th round: 4 orange, 8 black, 17 white, 7 black, 4 orange
• 16th round: 5 orange, 7 black, 17 white, 7 black, 4 orange
• 17th round: 8 orange, 4 black, 18 white, 7 black, 3 orange
• 18th round: 12 orange, 19 white, 6 black, 3 orange
• 19th round: 13 orange, 17 white, 8 black, 2 orange
• 20th round: 14 orange, 15 white, 11 black,
• 21st round: 14 orange, 15 white, 11 black
• 22nd round: 17 orange, 9 white, 12 black, 2 orange
• 23rd round: 18 orange, 7 white, 12 black, 3 orange
• 24th round: 24 orange, 12 black, 2 orange

Now you can drop both the black and white yarns altogether. We’ll use just the orange to close the body, but before we start, flip it inside out and knot together any loose yarn tails while they’re still easy to get at.

Decreasing the body

In orange:

• Sc 10. The next stitch after this is the new start/end point for the final rounds. This makes sure the white patch ends up on your cat’s belly, not their side!
• 25th round: 3 dec, sc 8, 6 dec, 8 sc, 3 dec (28 sts)
• 26th round: 3 dec, sc 2, 6 dec, 2 sc, 3 dec (16 sts)
• Put a stitch marker into the loop on your hook, and cut your yarn leaving a 24 inch tail.

Set the body to one side for now.

The ears

You’ll need two – they can be both black, both orange, or mismatched like mine. Start with a magic circle or 3-ch loop. That’s not a typo – the tips of the ears start small, so a loop of three chain stitches it all that’s required to start.

• 1st round: 5 sc (5 sts)
• 2nd round: 5 inc (10 sts)
• 3rd round: *Inc, sc 1* five times (15 sts)
• 4th – 7th rounds: Sc all the way round

To finish, slip stitch once, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing later, and pull the tail right through the slip stitch. You can add the ears to the body now if you like, but I prefer to set them aside and do it after the body is filled and closed. It’s easier to make sure they stand up straight that way.

The eyes

Cats are famous for their bewitching eyes, so safety eyes alone aren’t going to cut the mustard for this project. We need big, beautiful irises as well. If you don’t love the size they turn out on your first attempt, try remaking them with a bigger or smaller hook.

• Magic circle or 4-ch loop to start.
• 1st round: Sc 8 into the to center.
• 2nd round: Inc 8 times (16 sts)

To finish, slip stitch once, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing later, and pull the tail right through the slip stitch. Set them to one side for now.

The nose

The nose is the only part of this pattern which isn’t worked in rounds.

• Make a foundation chain of 3.
• 1st row: Skip the first chain from the hook, and inc into each of the other two stitches (4 sts).
• 2nd row: Sc across (4 sts). NOTE – There is no turning chain.
• 3rd row: Sc across (4 sts). NOTE – There is no turning chain.

Cut the yarn leaving a tail for sewing, and pull the tail right through the last stitch.

Assembling your cat

Before you stuff and close the body, secure the eyes. Push the safety eyes through the center of the irises, and into the body roughly 7 stitches apart, between rows 10 and 11. This is just a rough guide, and you can eyeball a better position if it doesn’t quite look right.

Push the backs onto the safety eyes, and fill the cat’s body with toy stuffing. Stuffing always squashes down a bit over time, so add as much as you can without distorting the shape. Then make one more round of crochet:

• 27th round: 8 dec (8 sts)

Slip stitch once, and pull the tail right through the slip stitch. Poke in a little more stuffing if it will fit, then use mattress stitch through the front loops only to close the hole.

Next, use the yarn tails on the irises to sew the edges against the body. I suggest picking up two stitches at a time, through the back loops only.

To tie off the ends, feed them both out through the same spot on the back of the body, knot them together, and poke the knot inside the body. The stuffing inside the body will anchor the knot in place.

Next add the ears. The inside edge should be roughly level with the space between rounds 2 and 3 on the body, and I think they look best sitting ever so slightly forwards as well. Sew them in place with the yarn tails, which you can deal with in the same way as above.

Finally, sew on that cute nose, so the top sits roughly level with the bottom edge of the irises. Use more pink yarn to embroider on a mouth and whiskers using the grid pattern in the single crochet stitches to achieve a symmetrical finish.

Project complete!

I hope you’ve enjoyed it – I’m sure your squishy is beautiful!

Here she is with my black crochet cat squishy, and my tabby cat squishy. You can see everything else I’ve reimagined in squishy crochet form – from fruit and veg to bubble tea, canned goods and animals right here.

The post Squishy Crochet Calico Cat Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

Hello and welcome to my squishy crochet pumpkin pattern! This is a super fast and easy amigurumi project to do in the run up to Halloween. At just 23 rounds tall, these cuddly jack o’lanterns can be whipped up in next to no time! Their base is a flat oval, meaning they can stand up unaided, and the front has lots of flat space for adding cute features. For that just-carved look you can follow my pattern for making crochet triangle eyes, and if you’re in a rush you can swap those out for round safety eyes from the craft store. The mouth is nothing more than 6 zigzagging stitches, and it’s all topped off with a cute little stalk.

Let’s get crafting!

Materials

To make your own squishy pumpkin you’ll need:

• Orange yarn. I’ve used Cygnet’s super bulky Jellybaby yarn in the shade ‘tangerine’ for my big pumpkin, and Rico Ricorumi’s DK Nilli Nilli yarn in neon orange for my little pumpkin. You can use any weight or fiber of yarn you like, and you’re not really limited to orange either. My daughter loves the white and gray pumpkins our local pumpkin patch sells every year!
• Yarn for the stalk. Any shade of green or brown will work, as long as it’s the same weight as your orange yarn.
• Black yarn for the mouth. In the same weight as your orange yarn.
• Black yarn for the eyes – optional. If you’re going to make crochet eyes, you’ll also need black yarn in a lighter weight to your orange yarn (see notes below).
• Safety eyes – the alternative option. See notes down below on size.
• Crochet hook(s). Amigurumi looks best when the tension is tight, and this pattern is no exception, so use a hook one size smaller than the yarn wrapper recommends. If you’re crocheting triangular eyes, you’ll need a second hook for them too.
• Stitch markers. For keeping track of your rounds. A scrap of yarn in a contrasting color will do just fine.
• Toy stuffing. Such as PolyFil.

How big will your pumpkin be?

This pattern works with any weight of yarn, and the weight you choose will determine how tall your pumpkin turns out. This is a rough guide to how tall your pumpkin will turn out – the exact size will depend on your yarn, hook size, and tension. For example my smaller pumpkin in DK yarn is actually 2¾ inches tall.

If you’re wondering why the eyes ought to be in a lighter weight yarn, the reasons are twofold. Firstly it’s easier to achieve sharp pointy corners. And secondly, since they’re supposed to mimic something carved and hollow, it looks weird if they’re very raised.

Pattern notes

My squishy crochet pumpkin pattern is written in standard American crochet terms. The only abbreviations and stitches you’ll need to know to complete this project are:

Ch chain
Sc single crochet
Sl st slip stitch
Inc increase (make 2 sc in the same place)
Dec decrease

I recommend using the invisible decrease technique for smooth, gap free results:

• Insert your hook through the front loop only of the next two stitches, so you have three loops on the hook (below left).
• Yarn over and draw through two loops (two loops remaining on hook).
• Yarn over and draw through both remaining loops (below right).

For more help with basic crochet term and techniques, check out Lucy’s beginner’s guide.

Squishy crochet pumpkin pattern

Using your orange yarn, start your pumpkin with either a magic circle or by making 4 chain stitches and joining them with a slip stitch in the furthest chain from the hook, to form a loop.

• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)
• 3rd round: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (24 sts)
• 4th round: *2 sc, inc* 8 times (32 sts)
• 5th round: *3 sc, inc* 8 times (40 sts)
• Rounds 6 – 20: Sc all the way round
• 21st round: 3 dec, sc 8, 6 dec, 8 sc, 3 dec (28 sts)
• 22nd round: 3 dec, sc 2, 6 dec, 2 sc, 3 dec (16 sts)

Put a stitch marker into the loop on your hook, and cut your yarn leaving a 24 inch tail. Set this part of the pumpkin aside for now.

Two ways to add eyes

There are two ways to add eyes to your squishy pumpkin. You can either use plastic safety eyes, or crochet triangular eyes which resemble those carved in a jack o’lantern. If you don’t like fiddly crochet tasks, then safety eyes are easier and quicker, especially for smaller pumpkins. But I love the impact of the triangular eyes on my larger pumpkin. They work best with fuzzy chenille yarns, because the texture conceals the corner spaces that result from making a triangle shape.

Start with either a magic circle or a 4-ch loop.

• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 3, *ch 2, sc 3* twice, ch 2, sl st into the first sc to join.

You should have 9 single crochets worked into the magic circle or 4-ch loop, split into three clusters of three, with 2 chain stitches between each trio. These pairs of chain stitches are your corner spaces.

• 2nd round: Ch 1, sc 3 starting in the same sc you joined your slip stitch to at the end of the previous round, (sc 2, ch 2, sc 2) into the corner space. *Sc 3, (sc 2, ch 2, sc 2) into the corner space* twice more. Sl st in to the first sc, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing later, and pull the yarn tail right through the slip stitch.

Now do it all again to make a second eye!

The stalk

Your pumpkin wouldn’t be complete without a cute little stem on top. Start with either a magic circle or a 4-ch loop.

• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: Sc all the way round (8 sts)
• 3rd round: Sc all the way round (8 sts)
• 4th round: Sc all the way round, sl st, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing, and pull the tail right through the final stitch.

Assembling your pumpkin

The order you’ll finish your pumpkin in depends on which type of eyes you’re using:

• Safety eyes need to be added before you stuff and close the pumpkin, so the backs can be pushed in place from the inside.
• But crochet eyes are best added after stuffing the pumpkin. That’s because stuffing transforms your pumpkin from a flat shape to a 3D one, and sometimes stitches which were well-hidden on a flat surface can suddenly end up highly visible and ruin the finish of a curved one!

Closing the pumpkin

Fill your pumpkin firmly with toy stuffing. It always squashes down a bit more after your project is finished, so aim to pack in as much as you can without stretching the stitches. Then crochet one more round:

• 23rd round: 8 dec (8 sts)

Slip stitch once, and pull the yarn tail all the way through that stitch. Thread it onto a darning needle, and close the remaining hole using mattress stitch through the front loops only. Mattress stitch is ideal for amigurumi joins because it is practically invisible. First make the stitches in the order and direction shown in picture 1. Make them loosely at first as in picture 2, so you can easily see where the next stitch goes. Then either pull them tight one at a time, or pinch the start point firmly and pull the yarn tail in the opposite direction to zip the stitches up (picture 3). For fluffy chenille yarns like mine, pulling them tight one at a time works best.

Sewing on the finishing touches

Now it’s time to sew on the finishing touches:

• the stalk
• the eyes, if you’ve made them in crochet,
• and the mouth.

The stalk goes slightly forwards of center on top of your pumpkin. You can place it absolutely centrally if you like, but I think it looks just a bit more pleasing if you move it one row forwards. Whichever kind of eyes you’re using, their bottom edge should sit roughly level with the bottom of row 11 / top of row 12 on the pumpkin. You can eyeball the best possible position for them – this is just a guide.

To secure the stalk and eyes in place, whip stitch the edges down, and feed all three yarn tails out through the same spot on the back of the pumpkin. Then knot them together, trim the ends, and hide the knot by poking it inside the pumpkin. The stuffing will anchor it in place so the features don’t come loose. This is much easier and more discreet than trying to knot each yarn tail individually next to the last stitch!

Finally the mouth is a simple zigzag which follows the grid pattern in the stitches. Use black yarn in the same weight as your orange yarn and doubled up, to achieve a bold result. Leave a one or two row gap between the bottom of the eyes and the top of the mouth. You can deal with the two ends of the yarn in the same way as earlier – feed them out through the same hole somewhere else on the pumpkin, and knot them together.

Project complete!

Your cuddly, kooky pumpkin is ready to go. Before displaying it near any traditional jack o’lanterns, please be aware that many polyester chenille yarns are highly flammable. Safety first!

You might want to experiment with different ways of decorating the front of your pumpkin, and if you do we’d love to see the results! Please tag Lucy on  Facebook or Instagram. Happy crocheting!

The post Squishy Crochet Pumpkin Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

I have designed a lot of crochet toys over the past decade, but this one mattered more to me. Because the okapi isn’t just any other animal. It’s one that literally stopped me in my tracks the first time I saw one, as a child at Marwell Zoo in Hampshire, UK. There was a big sign saying how shy they were, and to be quiet. I pushed the door tentatively, then stood and stared. I stared as my brothers cooed, I stared as my Mum hushed them, I stared as they moved on to see the rest. My feet were rooted, my eyes in disbelief.

This must sound crazy now they are so much better known, but to me I’d seen the chimaera. Part horse, part zebra, part giraffe. All beauty.

I hope this pattern does even an iota of justice to an animal that still astounds me years later and well into adulthood, as it did as a little girl.

• Techniques and tools
• Free okapi crochet pattern

You might also like to make a giraffe or elephant pal for him when you’re done!

Free Crochet Okapi Pattern

You’re going to make your toy okapi in sections, which will be hand sewn together at the end.

Head

Start with your black yarn.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4 – 5

1sc x 24

Round 6

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 7 – 10

1sc x 32

cc white yarn

Round 11 – 16

1sc x 32

Round 17

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 8 (40)

Round 18 – 20

1sc x 40

Round 21

(1sc x 4, 2sc) x 8 (48)

Round 22

1sc x 48

Round 23

(1sc x 5, 2sc) x 8 (56)

Round 24

1sc x 56

Round 25

(1sc x 6, 2sc) x 8 (64)

Round 26 – 29

1sc x 64

cc brown

Round 30 – 31

1sc x 64

Round 32

(1sc x 6, sc2tog) x 8 (56)

Round 33

1sc x 56

Round 34

(1sc x 5, sc2tog) x 8 (48)

Fill the okapi’s muzzle with toy stuffing, then insert the safety eyes at round 23, approximately 18 stitches apart. Use a scrap piece of yarn to tie the backs of the eyes together to give them an inset look.

Round 35

(1sc x 4, sc2tog) x 8 (40)

Round 36

(1sc x 3, sc2tog) x 8 (32)

Round 37

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 38

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Round 39

sc2tog to close, then tie off. Hide the yarn tail inside the head.

Forehead patch

Use your brown yarn.

Round 1

Ch15 (15)

Round 2

Sk2, sc2tog, 1sc x 11, sc2tog (13)

Round 3

Ch2, turn, sk, sc2tog, 1sc x 9, sc2tog (11)

Round 4

Ch2, turn, sk, sc2tog, 1sc x 7, sc2tog (9)

Round 5

Ch2, turn, sk, sc2tog, 1sc x 5, sc2tog (7)

Round 6

Ch2, turn, sk, sc2tog, 1sc x 5, sc2tog (5)

Round 7 – 14

1sc x 5

Round 15

Ch1, turn, sc2tog x 2 (3)

Round 16

Ch1, turn, sc2tog (2)

Cut a long tail of yarn, and set to one side for sewing later.

Your Okapi’s Ossicones

Make your ossicones in the same brown colored yarn.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of five stitches (5)

Round 2 – 3

1sc x 5

Round 4

2sc x 5 (10)

Round 5

(1sc, 2sc) x 5 (15)

Fill with toy stuffing, leaving the shape open like a little cone, and set to one side for sewing later.

Body

Begin in the white yarn.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4 – 6

1sc x 24

cc brown

Round 7 – 11

1sc x 24

Round 12

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 13 – 22

1sc x 32

Round 23

(1sc x 3, 2sc) x 8 (40)

Round 24 – 27

1sc x 40

Round 28

(1sc x 4, 2sc) x 8 (48)

Round 29

(1sc x 5, 2sc) x 8 (56)

Round 30 – 33

1sc x 56

Round 34

(1sc x 6, 2sc) x 8 (64)

Round 35 – 47

1sc x 64

Round 48

(1sc x 6, sc2tog) x 8 (56)

Round 49

(1sc x 5, sc2tog) x 8 (48)

Round 50

(1sc x 4, sc2tog) x 8 (40)

Round 51

(1sc x 3, sc2tog) x 8 (32)

Round 52

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Fill with toy stuffing, ensuring the neck section is fairly full so that the head doesn’t sag down.

Round 53

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Round 54

sc2tog to close, tie off and hide the loose end inside the body of the toy.

Four Legs

Start with the black yarn.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of eight stitches (8)

Round 2

2sc x 8 (16)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 8 (24)

Round 4

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 8 (32)

Round 5

BLO (1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 8 (24)

Round 6 – 7

1sc x 24

cc white

Round 8 – 15

1sc x 24

cc black

Round 16

1sc x 12

cc white

1sc x 12 (24)

Round 17

1sc x 24

Round 18

1sc x 12

cc black

1sc x 12 (24)

Round 19

1sc x 24

cc white

Round 20

1sc x 24

Round 21

1sc x 12

cc black

1sc x 12 (24)

cc white

Round 22 – 23

1sc x 24

cc black

Round 24 – 25

1sc x 24

cc white

Round 26

1sc x 24

Round 27

1sc x 12

cc black

1sc x 12

Round 28 – 29

1sc x 24

cc white

Round 30

1sc x 24

Round 31

1sc x 12

cc black

1sc x 12 (24)

cc white

Round 32

1sc x 24

Round 33

(1sc, sc2tog) x 8 (16)

Stuff the leg up to round 31, then flatten the top section.

You are now going sc the two sides of the top of the leg together, so eight stitches each joining a stitch on one side to the other.

The Okapi’s Tail

Use your brown yarn.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of six stitches (6)

Round 2

2sc x 6 (12)

Round 3

(1sc, 2sc) x 6 (18)

Round 4 – 6

1sc x 18

Round 7

(1sc, sc2tog) x 6 (12)

Round 8 – 14

1sc x 12

Fill with toy stuffing.

Round 15

sc2tog x 6, then hand sew to close.

Swap to the black yarn, attach a yarn needle and sew loose loops of yarn into the top two rounds of stitches.

Ears

Use your brown yarn for the ears.

Round 1

Make a magic circle of five stitches (5)

Round 2

1sc x 5

Round 3

2sc x 5 (10)

Round 4 – 5

1sc x 10

Round 6

(1sc, 2sc) x 5 (15)

Round 7 – 8

1sc x 15

Round 9

(1sc x 2, 2sc) x 5 (20)

Round 10 – 14

1sc x 20

Round 15

(1sc x 2, sc2tog) x 5 (15)

Round 16

1sc x 15

Round 17

(1sc, sc2tog) x 5 (10)

Round 18 – 19

1sc x 10

You are now going to edge your ears using surface crochet, in your black yarn. Flatten each ear section, and work around the circumference, crocheting single crochets through every stitch along the edge.

Joining Your Crochet Okapi Together

Lay out the sections of your okapi on the floor in front of you.

Each piece should be sewn together with the appropriate colored yarn, and ideally using a sharp steel needle. It should be wide enough to fit the yarn through the eye, but not so wide that the yarn slips straight out, or that the needle distorts the stitch shape.

We’ll begin by adding the facial features. Attach the forehead patch so that the long end lines up with the color change at the top of the head. It should taper to a point in line with the mid point between the eyes.

The ossicones sit at either side of the bulged areas on the patches.

The ears sit along the color change on the head, around three stitches up from each eye.

The head can now be sewn on to the white neck section. Keep the muzzle pointing straight forward, and stitch tightly so that it doesn’t wobble in place.

Your arms are sewn at the point the neck turns into the body, and the legs sit pointing forward and slightly outward.

The tail should be attached so that it is resting against the floor when the okapi is sitting down.

If you have any questions, do let me know! And don’t forget to tell me how you get along making your own okapi toy.

Happy Crocheting,

Lucy Kate, x

The post Free Crochet Okapi Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

Greetings! Welcome to my squishy crochet soup can pattern. Ever since I came up with the basic body template for all my squishy patterns, I’ve had an idea in the back of my head to try making one in the likeness of a can of Campbell’s soup. Inspired, you might have already guessed, by Andy Warhol’s famous pop art paintings. This week, I finally tried turning that idea into reality, and now you can decide whether or not my attempt was successful. But I’ll happily admit – I love it! A squishy crochet can is kitsch and unexpected, and the iconic Campbell’s branding is instantly recognizable. A smaller version would be a cute desk buddy for a modern art lover, and an even bigger version could be an eye-catching scatter pillow.

Best of all, this pattern is dead simple to make, and a really fun introduction to the quirky and offbeat world of amigurumi.

Materials

To make your own crochet Campbell’s soup, you will need:

• Yarn in red, white, gray, yellow and black. I’ve used Cygnet’s Jellybaby yarn in postbox, white, and pearl gray, and Hobbii’s Toucan yarn in mustard and black. You can use any weight or fiber of yarn, as long as all your yarns are the same weight.
• Crochet hook. Your can will look more effective if your tension is tight. Unless you already crochet with a grip like you’re chiseling granite, I recommend using a hook one size smaller than you usually would with the yarn you’ve chosen.
• Stitch markers. Or scraps of yarn, for keeping track of rounds.
• Safety eyes. I’ve included notes on what size to choose down below.
• Toy stuffing. Ideally something very bouncy, like PolyFil.
• Darning needle.

What weight of yarn should you choose?

This pattern will work with any weight of yarn. The size you choose will also determine how big your soup can turn out, and what size safety eyes will look right.

Pattern notes

This pattern only uses a small number of very basic techniques. The abbreviations I use in the instructions are:

Ch chain
Sl st slip stitch
Sc single crochet
Inc increase (make two single crochets in the same space)
Dec decrease

The best decrease to use for amigurumi projects is the invisible decrease, because it doesn’t leave any gaps for stuffing to show through. To make an invisible decrease, insert your hook into the front loop only of the next two stitches, so you have three loops on the hook (left, below). Put the yarn over the hook, and draw it through the first two loops on the hook – leaving you with two loops still on the hook. Yarn over again, and draw it through both of those loops (right, below).

Squishy crochet soup can pattern

Now let’s get making! The can is worked from the top down, in one continuous spiral. The eyes need to be added before the can is stuffed and closed, and the gold label, mouth and lettering are added last.

The can

With your gray yarn, either make a magic circle, or 4 chain stitches and slip stitch into the furthest chain from the hook to form a loop. I prefer a magic circle with smooth cottons and wools, and a 4-ch loop with fuzzy chenilles or brittle acrylic yarns. The 4-ch loop is easier to tighten later without the yarn snapping.

• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)
• 3rd round: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (24 sts)
• 4th round: *2 sc, inc* 8 times (32 sts)
• 5th round: *3 sc, inc* 8 times (40 sts)

• 6th rounds: Sc all the way round, changing color to red as you go (40 sts)

Changing color

I think the success of this design lies partly in the crisp color changes between gray, red, white and gray again. To achieve them, we’re going to change yarn color continuously in every stitch of round 6.

For each stitch:

• Insert the hook into the stitch and draw through a loop of gray yarn (picture 1).
• Put the red yarn over the hook next (picture 2), and draw it through.
• At the end of each stitch you’ll have one red loop left on the hook (picture 3). Each stitch has gray legs, and red top loops.

When you’ve repeated this for every stitch in round 6, cut the gray yarn and tie the end to the start of the red yarn (picture 4).

Continuing the body

Insert the safety eyes halfway down the red section of the body, between rows 10 and 11. They should be about 8 stitches apart, but it could be a couple more or less, depending on the weight of your yarn and the size of the eyes. It’s a good idea to make the gold label and check it fits well between them before pushing on the backs!

The gold label

Start with a magic circle or 4-ch loop.

• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)

Slip stitch once, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing, and pull the yarn tail all the way through the slip stitch.

Check the label fits well between the eyes (it should sit halfway over the line between the red and white halves of the can). Then set it to one side to sew on after your squishy is stuffed.

Stuffing and closing your squishy

When you’re confident the eyes are set the right distance apart, push the backs on firmly to secure them. Then pack the can with toy stuffing. Remember that you can always fit in a little more when it seems full, and it will all squash down a bit after your squishy is closed and finished. This pattern definitely looks better firmly stuffed, so you’re aiming to fit in as much as you can without stretching or distorting the stitches.

Grab your hook again, and crochet one more round:

• 26th round: 8 dec (8 sts)

Slip stitch once, pull the yarn tail all the way through, and thread it onto a darning needle. Close the remaining hole with mattress stitch through the front loops only. If that’s not a method you’ve used before, it look like this:

The first picture shows where all the stitches go (the needle is already in position for the first stitch). Make the stitches loosely at first as in picture 2. Then either pull them tight one at a time (best for fuzzy wools) or pinch the start of the join firmly and pull the yarn tail in the opposite direction (picture 3). Oh and you see those gaps between the other stitches? That’s what happens when you don’t use a small enough crochet hook! Just as well this was just a demonstration squishy!

With you can closed, hide the yarn tail inside the body, and sew the gold label in place.

Adding the lettering and smile

Finally, it’s time to embroider on the lettering and give your soup a heart warming smile. This is pretty simple – each letter just follows the grid pattern in the crochet stitches. Each of the letters is based on a square, two rows high, and two stitches wide. Since crochet stitches tilt slightly, the letters also tilt – a really cute nod to the script-style fonts on real Campbell’s soup tins. I could pretend I planned it that way, but in all honesty it was a happy accident!

Surprisingly, when I made the lettering central to the gold label (with the space between the O and the U lining up with the center of the label) the word itself actually looked lopsided, and too far left. I think probably because the P takes up less space than the other letters. So I unpicked my first attempt, and redid it all one stitch to the right. Which is mathematically off center now, but looks much more balanced!

The smile is simply three stitches which follow the grid pattern in the single crochets again. There should be just enough space for it to fit between the eyes and the gold circle.

Dealing with yarn tails

The easiest way to deal with the yarn tails from the gold label and the black lettering is to feed all of them out through the same point on the back of the body. Then knot them together tightly, trim the ends, and poke the know back inside the body. The stuffing will keep the knot anchored, so the stitches on the front of the body stay taut.

And with that, your squishy soup can is finished! I hope you’ve loved making it, and I’d love to know what you’re going to do with it next. Please let us know in the comments box down below!

The post Squishy Crochet Soup Can Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

Hello and welcome to my squishy crochet parrot pattern! She is more specifically, and I hope obviously, a cute and colorful scarlet macaw. And she’s a really easy amigurumi project to make, for anyone at any skill level. She’d be a fun gift for a child who loves to play pirates, or a bird-loving grown up. Depending on the yarn you use, she can be big enough to cuddle, or small enough to fit in your palm.

Materials

To make a squishy crochet scarlet macaw of your own, you’ll need:

• Yarns in red, yellow, blue, gray and white. I used Cygnet’s Jellybaby yarn in the shades postbox, ultramarine, pearl gray and white, and Hobbii’s Toucan yarn in mustard. You can obviously adapt the pattern to resemble a different parrot species by using different colors too!
• A crochet hook. Amigurumi looks best when the stitches are tight, so I always use a hook one size smaller than the yarn wrapper recommends.
• Stitch markers. Or scraps of yarn, to help keep track of your rounds.
• Safety eyes. I’m using 16mm safety eyes, but see the next section for notes on choosing the right size.
• Toy stuffing. Such as Polyfil, or whatever your usual go-to filling is.
• A darning needle.

When I took this photo I thought I’d use black yarn to add nostrils at the top of the beak as well. In the end I decided to leave that detail off, but let me know in the comments if you think I shouldn’t have!

Which weight of yarn should you use?

This pattern will work with any weight of yarn, as long as all the yarns you use are the same weight. The yarns I used are all super bulky chenille yarns (approximately 120 yards per 100g). They’re very squashy and tactile, and they make a parrot large enough for my daughter to have as a cuddly toy.

Here’s roughly what you can expect if you choose a different yarn:

• DK yarns make a parrot about 4 inches tall. Swap the eyes for 12mm eyes.
• Worsted (a.k.a. aran) yarns make a parrot about 5 inches tall. Swap the eyes for 12mm eyes.
• Bulky yarns make a parrot about 6 inches tall. Use 16mm eyes.
• And jumbo yarns make a parrot 8 inches tall or more. Swap the eyes for 20 mm eyes.

Pattern notes

My parrot pattern is made entirely in single crochet. The only terms you’ll need to be familiar with in the instructions are:

Ch chain
Sl st slip stitch
Sc single crochet
Inc increase (make 2 sc in the same place)
Dec decrease

To decrease in amigurumi, I recommend using the invisible decrease technique:

• Insert your hook through the front loop only of the next stitch, then through the front loop only of the following stitch too (fig.1). 3 loops on hook.
• Yarn over and draw through two loops. Two loops remaining on hook.
• Yarn over and draw through both remaining loops (fig. 2).

If you get stuck with any of the basics, take a look at Lucy’s guide to getting started with simple crochet techniques here.

Squishy Crochet Parrot Pattern

Right, preliminaries dealt with, let’s dive into the pattern! You parrot will be made up of:

• a body
• wings
• eyes
• and beak.

And last of all, the toes are embroidered on.

The body

Using your red yarn, start with either a magic circle or by making four chains stitches, and slip stitching into the furthest chain from the hook to form a loop. I find a 4-chain loop is easier to tighten later without snapping the yarn, so it’s a better fit for chenille yarns like the ones I’m using.

• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)
• 3rd round: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (24 sts)
• 4th round: *2 sc, inc* 8 times (32 sts)
• 5th round: *3 sc, inc* 8 times (40 sts)
• Rounds 6 – 23: Sc all the way round
• 24th round: 3 dec, sc 8, 6 dec, 8 sc, 3 dec (28 sts)
• 25th round: 3 dec, sc 2, 6 dec, 2 sc, 3 dec (16 sts)

Put a stitch marker into the loop on your hook, and cut your yarn leaving a 24 inch tail. Set the body aside for now, and get the rest of your parrot parts ready.

The wings

The wings are worked from the tip, up to the shoulder. So start with your blue yarn and a magic circle or 4-ch loop to start.

• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: *Sc 1, inc* 4 times (12 sts)
• 3rd round: *Sc 2, inc* 4 times (16 sts)
• 4th round: *Sc 3, inc* 4 times (20 sts)
• 5th round: Sc all the way round

• 6th round: Change color to yellow

Changing color smoothly

The simplest way to make a color change in crochet is simply to drop the yarn you’ve been using so far, and pick up with a new one. If that’s what you’re most comfortable with doing here, then go ahead – this is your project! But I do invite you to try this technique for a smoother, less zigzag-y line where two colors meet. It takes a little practice to keep the tension in the stitches even, but I think it’s well with the effort.

For every stitch in round 6, make the first half of the stitch (the ‘legs’) with blue yarn, and the second half of the stitch (the top loops) in yellow. To do that:

1. Insert the hook into the first stitch of the round and draw through a loop of blue yarn (first picture below).
2. Put your yellow yarn over the hook and pull it through both blue loops (second picture below). That’s your first stitch done!
3. Insert the hook into the next stitch, and pull through a loop of blue yarn again (third picture below).
4. Then put your yellow yarn back over the hook, and draw it through both loops on the hook (fourth picture below).

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you reach the end of the round, then cut the blue yarn and knot the end to the beginning of the yellow yarn.

Finishing the wing

• 7th round: Sc all the way round in yellow.
• 8th round: Change color to red.
• 9th & 10th rounds: Sc all the way round in red.
• 11th round: *Sc 3, dec* 4 times (16 sts)
• 12th round: *Sc 2, dec* 4 times (12 sts)

Slip stitch once, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing later, and pull the yarn end right through the slip stitch. Repeat again from the beginning to make a second wing, and set them both aside for now.

The eyes

Scarlet macaws have black pupils and very pale yellow or gray pupils. They also have featherless areas of white skin around their eyes. I’ve captured the impression of that by making white circles to sit behind the safety eyes on my squishy parrot. They’re made in one simple round:

Beak time!

All macaw species have strong, curved beaks for tearing up leaves, breaking into nutshells, and crushing up fruit and seeds. Scarlet macaws have a white maxillary (top) beak, and a black mandibular (bottom) beak. This was a tricky result to achieve, so I’ve adopted a little creative license, and made the whole beak in gray. I think it ties in well with the gray toes later as well, and keeps the finished look of the parrot clean and cohesive.

Now, thread the yarn tail onto your darning needle and wiggle it up through the stitches to the tip of the beak (left below). Turn the beak round, make sure the yarn tail is looped through one of the stitches at the tip, and thread it back the same way you came (center below). Finally, pull the yarn tail so the underside side of the beak is squished into a shorter space, and the top of the beak is longer and curved.

Fluffy yarns like mine will hold this shape until I come to sew the beak onto the face. But smoother yarns might need knotting to prevent them springing open again.

Assembling your parrot

Now all your pieces are ready to put together, it’s time to bring your parrot to life!

Start by positioning the eyes on the body. Spread the body out flat in front of you, with the opening at the bottom running from left to right. The stems of the safety eyes go through the body about 8 stitches apart, between rows 10 and 11. The gap between the whites of the eyes should be about 5 stitches, or just larger than the width of the beak. When you’re happy with the position of the eyes, reach inside the body and press backs on until they click.

Now I think it’s always best to stuff amigurumi toys before sewing down any flat parts, so that the stitches don’t tug when the body is stretched out. So fill and close the body before sewing down the whites of the eyes.

Filling and closing the body

Stuff the body firmly with toy stuffing, then pick up your crochet hook again and use the yarn tail to make one more round:

• 26th round: 8 dec (8 sts)

Make a slip stitch and pull the yarn tail all the way through. Thread it onto a darning needle, and close the remaining 8 stitches with mattress stitch through the front loops only. Now use the yarn tails on the eyes to sew the edges down against the body.

Here’s how my parrot looked with the eyes attached to the empty body (left), after I’d filled and closed the body (center), and once the edges of the eyes were sewn down (right).

Sew on the beak next, so the top is about level with the center of the eyes.

Then use the yarn tails on the wings to join them to the sides of the body. The top of the wings should be about level with the top of the whites of the eyes, which for me is at round 9 on the body. To tie off the yarn tails, thread them both out through the back of the body, in the same place. Then knot them together, trim them short, and poke the knot back inside the body. You can see here, I’ve included the yarn tail from the beak as well:

And when we turn it over, the parrot is pretty close to being done:

Embroidering the feet

Birds’ feet are a tricky business in amigurumi. Some crocheters do make 3-dimensional ones from lightweight yarn. But it’s a formidable task! Other people use wire or pipe cleaners instead, which is effective if your bird is definitely just going to be an ornament. And still other people just add something to give the idea of feet. That’s the approach I’m taking here (and it’s the same approach I took in my squishy owl pattern).

I’ve embroidered the toes using the same gray yarn I used for the beak, doubled up. The tip of each toe is two stitches apart from its neighbor, and the tops of the toes on each foot all meet in the same place, roughly below the inside edge of the eye.

I dealt with the yarn tails in the same way as for the wings and beak, by feeding them out through the back of the body and knotting them together. The stuffing anchors the knot in place so the stitched stay put.

Squishy amigurumi parrot complete!

And that’s all there is to it! We don’t have a cocktail bar in our house (which is probably pretty normal) but I’m tempted to set up a cocktail making station for the summer, just so my parrot can sit among the paper umbrellas and bottles of rum, looking kitsch and amazing. And eventually she’ll fly off to my daughter’s room, to be another much-loved cuddly toy. And maybe I’ll try making this pattern in some other colorways. Did someone say lovebirds?

Happy crocheting!

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