Hello! This is Otto, my squishy crochet eggplant pattern (pictured with my previous strawberry and watermelon designs – I’ll have a whole produce aisle soon!). He’s so simple to make, I feel almost sheepish writing it up. It’s as if I can’t expect you to take me seriously, if my patterns don’t possess some minimum degree of sophistication. But he’s so dang cute, I’m going to force myself to overcome such qualms. After all, this pattern is perfect for anyone looking for a really accessible introduction to amigurumi, using just the most basic crochet techniques. It could be a quirky and unusual cuddly toy for a child, or you could make a small one as a kitchen mascot for a foodie friend. There’s one thing that’s for sure – you won’t need to worry about someone else giving the same gift!

Materials

You can use any weight of yarn to make your own squishy eggplant, and the thickness you choose will determine how big it turns out.

• DK yarn – 4 inches tall
• Worsted yarn – 5 inches tall
• Bulky yarn – 6 inches tall
• Super bulky yarn – 7 inches tall
• Jumbo yarn – 8+ inches tall

These measurements are just a rough guide – the exact size will depend on the yarn you use, its fiber, etc. Otto is made from super bulky yarn (approx 130 yards per 100g) and he’s 6¾ inches tall, not including his stalk.

To make your own squishy eggplant you’ll need:

• Yarn for the body. Obviously the classic color to choose is purple! Although I did recently discover white eggplant seedlings for sale at a plant fair, and the seller told me they can also be green, red, or black! I’m using Cygnet jelly baby chunky yarn in deep violet – it’s a bit brighter than your regular eggplant, but I think that helps to prevent the eyes and mouth getting lost against their background.
• Green yarn. This needs to be the same weight as the yarn for the body, but you can get creative with a different fiber if you like. I’m using Cygnet jelly baby chunky yarn in forest green.
• A scrap of black yarn for the smile.
• A crochet hook. Unless you already crochet tightly, use one size smaller than the yarn wrapper recommends. This will make your stitches slightly on the tight side, and prevent the stuffing showing between them.
• Safety eyes. I’ve used 16mm eyes, which would also be about the right size if you’re using bulky yarn. With DK or worsted yarn use 12mm eyes, and with jumbo yarns try 20mm eyes.
• Toy stuffing.
• Stitch markers or yarn scraps for marking the start of each round.
• A darning needle.

Pattern notes

This pattern is written in standard U.S. crochet terms. The stitches you’ll need to know are:

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

Take a look at Lucy’s guide to basic crochet stitches if any are unfamiliar to you. For your decreases, I recommend using the invisible decrease method, which is perfect for amigurumi:

1. Insert the hook through the front loop only of the next two stitches (fig. 1). Yarn over and pull through both front loops.
2. Yarn over and pull through the two remaining loops (fig. 2).

Squishy crochet eggplant pattern

Let’s start with the biggest component of your squishy eggplant, which is of course, the body. It’s made in spiraling rounds, so count the stitches in each round carefully, or put a stitch marker in the last stitch of the previous round, so you can easily tell when you’ve come full circle again.

• To begin, either make a magic circle, or ch 4 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: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (24 sts)
• 4th round: *2 sc, inc* 8 times (32 sts)
• 5th round: *1 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.

Adding the eyes and closing the body

Before finishing the body, it’s time to add the eyes. Spread the body out flat in front of you – since the decreases are grouped in clusters at the sides of the body, it will only lie relatively flat with the opening running from side to side. Position the eyes between rows 12 and 13, and about 6 stitches apart (the exact distance isn’t important – you can judge what looks right!) Press the backs on securely.

Close the remaining opening with mattress stitch through the front loops only. If that’s not something you’ve used before, picture 1 below shows where each stitch goes – the needle is already in position to make the first stitch. Make the stitches loosely first, so you can see clearly to position the next one (picture 2). With smooth yarns you can tighten them by pinching the seam at the beginning and pulling the yarn tail in the other direction (picture 3). But for fluffy yarns, tighten the stitches one at a time.

Here’s how your eggplant should look so far:

Adding the stalk and calyx

Here’s a bit of botany for you: each of the green leaves around the top of an eggplant is called a sepal, and altogether they are called the calyx. For this squishy, the calyx and the stalk are made separately, then joined to each other, and finally to the body.

Cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing, and pull the tail right through the final slip stitch.

Poke a little stuffing into the stalk, and sew it to the center of the calyx.

Then position the stalk and calyx slightly forwards of center at the top of your eggplant, and use the yarn tail from the calyx to sew it down.

Embroidering the mouth

Your squishy just needs one more finishing touch to bring it to life – a smile! Thread your scrap of black yarn onto a darning needle, and follow the grid pattern in the stitches to give your eggplant a cheery grin.

Here’s my finished crochet eggplant (left), posing with my vegetable muse. Really if it wasn’t for the face, I don’t see how you could tell them apart at all!

Squishy eggplant complete!

I hope you’ve had fun making your own crochet eggplant. If you’re on social media, we’d love to see a photo – please tag Lucy on  Facebook or Instagram. And let me know what other squishy fruit and vegetables you’d like patterns for in the comments box down below. Happy crocheting!

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

Howdy! Welcome to my free squishy crochet cactus pattern. I’m really pleased that this pattern finally exists and is ready to share! I’ve been making lots of squishies to the same basic body template recently, from a rabbit and a bear to an ice pop and wedge of watermelon. A cactus pattern has been on my list of ideas from early on, because my daughter is obsessed, and tends to a whole windowsill of them in our bathroom. But for ages, I just could not see how I was going to make the spikes. Of course not all cacti are spikey, but without something prickly going on, I was worried that it wouldn’t be obvious what the squishy is supposed to be.

So the idea was just parked in the back of my mind, and occasionally I’d revisit it, and abandon it again in frustration. Until recently when I finally had my eureka moment! And these cacti are the results. I’ve come up with a few different design elements, and you can mix and match them for a totally one-off result.

Designing your own squishy crochet cactus

Here are the five design choices you’ll need to make for your cactus:

1. Size

Have you ever considered cuddling a cactus? I’m pretty sure my daughter has, despite how inadvisable it is. Well, make this pattern using a bulky yarn or thicker, and you can! Or make it small enough to sit on a shelf as an adorable ornament. The height of your cactus will be determined by the weight of yarn you use.

• DK yarn – 4 inches (pictured right)
• Worsted yarn – 5 inches
• Bulky yarn – 6 inches
• Super bulky yarn – 7 inches (pictured left)
• Jumbo yarn – 8+ inches

These are a rough guide – the size of your squishy will also vary by the fiber of the yarn, how tighly you crochet, and what size hook you settle for (I’ve got a note on that in a moment).

2. Spikes or stripes?

After all my uncertainty about how to incorporate spines, I was finally inspired by domino cacti and bunny ears cacti, neither of which have long spines. They both have very short spines arranged in almost flat bobbles. My squishy spines stick out a bit more than that, but I stopped worrying about making them long and sharp looking. And I couldn’t be happier with the results – although when you notice the similarity with Bowser’s shell in the Mario games, you can’t unsee it!

If you don’t want spines at all, the other option is to chain stitch vertical stripes up the sides of your squishy. This gives the impression of the ridges many cacti have for storing water. I’m not sure this option is as immediately recognisable as cactus-like on it’s own though. I think it can also be read as a cucumber or a pickle! But if you combine it with a flower or a pot, then I’m confident the visual cues do click into place.

3. Flower power

We manage to coax my daughter’s cacti into flowering once in a blue moon. But cactus blooms are extraordinary in their diversity and beauty. I’ve come up with one option for capturing some of the classic features of cactus flowers. You can add one (or more!) to your squishy if you like, but it’s optional.

4. Potting up

Most of the squishies I make are destined to be played with and cuddled by my daughter. And this one was no exception – after all it’s inspired by one of her biggest passions! So obviously I won’t be stuffing my big cactus into a pot. But I couldn’t resist seeing how the little one would look, and it didn’t disappoint. This option is a fun gift to make any plant lover.

5. Adding a face

I love amigurumi, and my daughter is a connoisseur of kawaii, the Japanese culture of cuteness. So I couldn’t resist giving my cacti faces. But if you just want to make a kitsch, hassle free houseplant, then you can leave the eyes and mouth off.

Pattern notes

I’ve already covered how to adapt the size of your cactus. And I’ll cover making the flower and adding stripes or spines when we get to the relevant stage of the pattern. If you’d like to pot your cactus, I recommend making the squishy first, then finding a pot to fit.

The pattern is written in standard American crochet terms. The stitches I’ve used are:

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

For the flower, you’ll also need to know:

Hdc half double crochet
Tr treble crochet

For the decrease, I can’t recommend enough the invisible decrease technique. It’s a favorite among amigurumi makers because as the name suggests it’s almost imperceptible and gap-free from the right side.

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

Materials

To follow my squishy crochet cactus pattern you’ll need:

• Green yarn for the cactus’ body. It can be any shade of green and any weight or type of fiber you like. I’ve used Hobbii’s toucan yarn in sage for my big cactus, and Rico Ricorumi’s nilli nilli yarn in green for my little cactus.
• Contrasting yarns in the same weight for the details. Stripes and spines can be any shade of green, yellow or brown. I’ve used Paintbox chenille yarn in latte to make spines on the bigger cactus, and Rico Ricorumi’s nilli nilli yarn in neon green for stripes on the smaller one. Cactus flowers are usually warm colors such as yellow, orange, red or pink, but I’m not here to tell you you can’t use blue if you fancy it. Your project, your rules! My flowers are Hobbii toucan yarn in lavender, and Rico Ricorumi nilli nilli yarn in neon pink.
• Crochet hook. Use a hook one size smaller than the yarn wrapper recommends, to achieve a dense fabric that doesn’t let the stuffing show through. I use a 6mm hook with super chunky yarn, and a 3mm hook with DK yarn.
• Safety eyes. I’ve used 16mm eyes for my super chunky cactus, and they would also work on a chunky cactus. I used 12mm eyes on my DK cactus, and they would also work on a worsted cactus. Try 20mm eyes for a jumbo cactus.
• Stitch markers.
• Toy stuffing.
• Darning needle.

Squishy crochet cactus pattern

Whatever details you choose to add later, your cactus always starts with the same body shape. To start, either make a magic circle, or chain 4, and slip stitch into the furthest chain from the hook to make a loop.

• Make a magic circle, or ch 4 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: *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

If you’re adding spines, do it now. If you’re doing stripes, skip to round 24, and add the stripes after round 25.

To add spines

The spines are all made individually, then tied onto the body. It’s a pretty repetitive task, but the kind I find really satisfying to do in front of an episode of a good TV show. To make each spine:

• Leave a tail of about 3 inches before your slip knot, then chain 2.
• Slip stitch into the front loop of the furthest chain from the hook (indicated by the arrow below).

• Cut the yarn leaving a 3 inch tail.
• Pull the tail all the way through the slip stitch.

At this stage, I actually unpicked the stitches again, measured how long the piece of yarn was, and cut 40 pieces of yarn the same length. Then I fashioned each piece into a spine. I really like this assembly line approach, but you could also continue to cut them from the ball of yarn as you go. Make 30 – 40.

Attaching the spines

To attach the spines to the body, use a crochet hook to pull the yarn tails inside the body, either side of a stitch. I arranged my spines every 4 rows, and 5 stitches apart (so that 8 spines fit evenly into a round). At the top, they’re a little bit closer together – you just need to eyeball what looks right. If you’re adding a flower as well, remember to leave space for it (it’s a good idea to make it and loosely tie it in place).

It looks like a cactus-turned-jellyfish right now! Later on, I actually remove the bottom row of spines in this picture, but not in time to retake the photo, alas. Next turn the body inside out and tie the yarn tails for each spine in a secure double or triple knot.

It’s also as good a time as any to tie the flower in place. Then flip the body the right way out again and make these rounds:

• 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.

Adding stripes

If you’re making stripes instead of spikes, your body will look like this at the end of round 25:

Thread your contrasting yarn onto a darning needle, and use chain stitch embroidery to make stripes running from the top of your cactus to the bottom.

1. Start by threading the yarn from the inside of the body through to the outside, between rows 1 and 2. The easiest way to space the stripes evenly is to make 8 – one below each stitch in the first row. Push the needle back inside the body at the same spot, and pull the yarn through until there’s a small loop left.
2. Bring the needle back through to the outside of the body, two rows down, and thread it through the loop. Gently pull to tighten the first stitch.
3. Insert the needle into the first chain stitch and back into the body in the same place it last came out, to start the next chain.
4. Keep going until you reach the bottom of the body. Tie off.

Repeat to make 8 stripes.

Making a flower

Cactus flowers often have several layers of long, narrow petals. My cactus flower is made in two layers, top and bottom.

Top layer

For this layer, the back of your work will become the right side. So don’t weave in the yarn tails until you see what I mean!

• Magic circle or ch 4 and sl st into furthest ch from hook to start.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: (sl st, hdc, sl st) 8 times.

Cut the yarn, leaving enough tail to weave in neatly. The hdc will have popped out backwards, so when you flip your work over, they stick out towards you. This is the side you want facing you when you assemble your flower. Weave in the ends on the other side.

Bottom layer

• Magic circle or ch 4 and sl st into furthest ch from hook to start.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: 8 inc (16 sts)
• 3rd round: *sl st, ch 2, tr, ch 2* 8 times.
• Sl st, cut yarn leaving enough tail for weaving in, pull the tail right through the sl st, and weave it in.

Joining them together

Thread 6 inches of strong yarn onto a darning needle. It won’t be seen, so strong is more important than matching. Feed it up through the center of the bottom layer, under a few stitches of round 1 on the underside of the top layer, and back down through the center of the bottom layer. The two ends can then be used to tie it to the body. For a more secure join (eg. on a large cuddly toy) use more yarn to stitch the base of the flower onto top of the body.

Finishing steps

You’re nearly there! It’s just time for some finishing touches to bring your cactus to life, and then to stuff and close the body. Of course, you could skip some of these, if you’d prefer your squishy to be a quirky ornament, but not a character.

First, add eyes, if using. On my bigger cactus I’ve added the eyes 6 stitches apart, between rows 9 and 10. On my smaller cactus, they’re 9 stitches apart, between rows 8 and 9 – they’re high so that I can put the squishy in a pot later.

Stuff the body firmly with toy stuffing, then crochet the last round of the body:

• 26th round: 8 dec (8 sts remaining)

Sl st and pull the yarn all the way through the stitch. Thread it onto a darning needle and close the remaining hole with mattress stitch through the front stitch only.

Here’s how my bigger cactus looked at this point – you can see why I decided to remove the bottom row of prickles. My husband saw it and cheerfully asked if I was making a cuddly virus!

Finally, embroider a smile in contrasting yarn. Start by threading the yarn through from the center of the back of the body to the front. Embroider the smile using back stitch, then thread the yarn back out through the same place on the back of the body. Knot the yarn tails together, and poke them inside the body – the stuffing will anchor them in place.

Squishy crochet cactus pattern – summary

Hopefully you can see now why I’m so happy this design finally exists. The little cactus in its pot is one of my favorite things I’ve made in recent months. Just look at it! And I’m happy to report that my daughter is delighted to finally have a cactus she can cuddle. Obviously when you make yours, your little plant could be spikey, and the big one could have ridges. Maybe you’ll even be bold and combine both! The elements of this pattern are designed to be mixed and matched, and I hope you’ll have fun with it. I’d love to see how your project turns out, so if you’re on social media please tag Lucy in a photo on Facebook or Instagram. Happy crocheting!

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

Hello there, welcome to my free squishy crochet chick pattern! What is the weather like where you are? It feels like spring has sprung slowly in my hometown this year. The ducklings, goslings and moorhen chicks which which we’re usually lucky to see on a local pond arrived later than usual, and inspired me to develop this pattern in June, instead of around Easter (which would have made more sense!) Still, I’m happy with how it turned out, and I’m excited that this pattern involves virtually nothing by way of embroidery. So if sewing a smile onto your amigurumi animals brings you out in a cold sweat, this entry-level pattern is just the thing!

I let my 10 year old daughter name the two lil’ chicks in the photos accompanying the pattern, so I’m slightly surprised to announce that they’re called Frida and Marie

Materials

To hatch your own squishy crochet chick you’ll need:

• Yarn for the body and wings. You can use any weight, fiber or color you like. For Frida and Marie I used Scheepjes’ softfun (a DK cotton acrylic blend) in the shade canary, and Rico Ricorumi’s nilli nilli yarn (a DK chenille) in white.
• Yarn for the beak and tuft of head feathers. I used Rico Ricorumi’s nilli nilli yarn in neon orange for both.
• A crochet hook one size smaller than the wrapper on your yarn recommends.
• Scraps of black yarn for the nostrils (optional).
• Safety eyes. I’m using 12mm eyes with DK yarn, and they would work with worsted yarn too. For bulky or super bulky yarns try 16mm eyes, and for jumbo yarns try 20mm eyes.
• Toy stuffing.
• A darning needle.

The weight of yarn you choose will dictate how big your chick turns out. As a rough guide:

• DK yarns make a chick 3-4″ high.
• Worsted yarns make a chick 5″ tall.
• Bulky yarns make a 6″ chick.
• Super bulky yarns make a chick 7-8″ high.
• Jumbo yarns make a 9″ chick or bigger – there’s a lot of variation in this category.

Those estimates are to the top of the head, not including the sweet tuft of head feathers.

Pattern notes

This pattern is written in standard US crochet terms. You’ll only need to know the bare minimum number of stitches, which are:

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

There’s an introductory guide to the basic stitches right here, if you need it. For the decreases, I recommend using the invisible decrease method, which is perfect for amigurumi. Insert the hook into the front loop only of the next two stitches (left, below). Put the yarn over the hook, and draw it through both front loops – you’ll have two loop remaining on the hook. Yarn over again, and draw it through both loop (right, below). Done!

Squishy crochet chick pattern

The chick’s body, wings and beak are all made in spiralling rounds. The eyes need to be added before the body is closed, in order to secure the backs, but I prefer to add everything else once the finished. Get your hook and yarn ready, let’s go!

The body

You can start all of your chicks parts either with a magic circle, or by chaining 4, and slip stitching into the furthest chain from the hook, to make a loop. Creator’s choice! I find that if you’re using a yarn which snaps easily, the 4-chain loop is easier to tighten without too much tension on the 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: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (24 sts)
• 4th round: *2 sc, inc* 8 times (32 sts)
• 5th round: *1 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.

Lay the body so far out flat with the opening at the bottom running from left to right. Position the eyes about 8 stitches apart, between rows 11 and 12, and press the backs on securely. Now stuff the body firmly with toy stuffing and make one more round:

• 26th round: 8 dec, (8 sts)

Closing the body

Make one slip stitch into the next stitch, and pull the yarn tail all the way through, ready for sewing what’s left of the opening closed. Poke in a little bit more stuffing if it will fit and close the two side of the opening with mattress stitch. If you’re new to mattress stitch, the first picture below shows where to place each stitch (the needle is already in position for the first stitch. Make the stitches loosely at first (picture 2) so you can easily see where the next stich goes. Then either tighten the stitches one at a time, or for smooth yarns you can pinch the start point firmly (picture 3) and pull the yarn tail in the opposite direction.

I did this demonstration using DK yarn and the ‘correct’ size hook, so you can see what’s going on clearly. If you go down a hook size to make your chick, the small gaps between stitches in picture 4 won’t be there! Here’s where we’ve got up to so far:

The wings

Make two per chick.

• 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: *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)
• Rounds 5 – 7: Sc all the way round
• 8th round: *Sc 3, dec* 4 times (16 sts)
• 9th round: *Sc 2, dec* 4 times (12 sts)

Sl st once, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing, and pull the yarn tail all the way through the sl st.

The bill

Do you call it a bill or a beak? Either way, make one per chick.

• 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: *Sc 1, inc* 4 times (12 sts)
• 3rd round: *Sc 2, inc* 4 times (16 sts)
• 4th round: Sc all the way round.

Sl st once, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing, and pull the yarn tail all the way through the final sl st. Using a scrap of black yarn, make two nostrils on the top side of the beak. Relative to the single crochet stitches on the beak, each nostril is one stitch wide, and the space between them is two stitches wide. Once you’ve made them, you can tie the black yarn ends together and leave them tucked inside the bill.

Assembling your chick

Sew the bill onto the body just below the eyes. Sew the wings onto either side of the body, just above the eyes. All you chick is lacking now is a cute tuft of feathers on top of their head, to give them some real character!

Adding the head feathers

Frida and Marie’s head tufts are nothing more than low-density pom poms. I’ve used a fork to make them, but for a chick made in bulkier yarns you will need something a little larger to wrap your yarn around. This YouTube video suggests ways of making pom poms in various sizes.

I wrapped my orange yarn around a fork 10 times (top left picture). I tied it around the middle with a long-ish piece of yarn (top right picture) then slid it off the fork, and tied it around the middle a couple more times, to make sure it was tight and secure (bottom left picture). Next I snipped the end of every loop, gave my pom pom a little shake, and trimmed any over-long bits, leaving the tails of the long piece of yarn intact (bottom right picture). Finally, I used those yarn tails to tie the pom pom around a stitch on top of my chick’s head, just forward of center.

You might need to experiment with exactly how many times you wrap your yarn around your fork/fingers/pompom maker, depending on the thickness and texture of your yarn. You want the result to be dense enough that some of the tuft sticks up out of your chick’s head, but not so dense that it looks bushy. It took me three attempts to get a result I was happy with!

Squishy crochet chick – complete!

And that’s all there is to it. You chick is ready to deploy as a gift or Easter decoration. If you’re keen to make more spring-inspired squishies, then my crochet bunny pattern is a sweet choice. And we’d love to see how your creations turn out, so if you’re on social media, please tag Lucy in a photo on Facebook or Instagram. And happy crocheting!

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

Good day! This is Bernadette, my squishy crochet bunny pattern. What do you think? It all started with a pompom I spied in a craft store, and ended with a return trip to pick up felt for a flower crown. I don’t think any amigurumi idea has ever sent me shopping so many times! Obviously, the pompom became her tail. And the felt was transformed into a deceptively simple yet impressive-looking flower crown. Which all in all means this pattern is completely adorable, but still easily accessible to any beginner crocheter. It would be a sweet decoration or gift at Easter, or at any time of year for a rabbit owner or bunny-loving child.

Materials

Let’s dive straight in, with what you’ll need to make your own squishy crochet bunny:

• Yarn. You can use any weight, fiber, or color you like. Smooth DK yarns make palm-sized Easter ornaments, and super bulky chenille yarns make irresistibly squashy plush toys. Traditional rabbit colors like brown, gray and white work well of course, but so do fresh springtime pastels, like this King Cole Yummy yarn in mint green. Sometimes it pays to just embrace what you have in your stash! As well as a main color for the body and ears, you’ll need a contrasting color in the same weight for the tummy (I’m using King Cole Yummy yarn in white) , and small quantities of yarn for the nose, mouth and flower crown.
• Crochet hook. I recommend using a size smaller than the yarn wrapper recommends, so that you can stuff your squishy bunny firmly without the stuffing bulging out between its stitches.
• Safety eyes. I’ve used 16mm safety eyes with a super bulky yarn. For lighter weight yarns, you might like to try 10 or 12mm eyes, and for heavier yarns 20mm eyes will be more to scale.
• A pom pom. You can buy a pom pom like me, or make one the old fashioned way, by wrapping yarn around two cardboard donut shapes.
• Toy stuffing.
• Felt. Or relatively heavy, stiff fabric, in several floral colors (optional).
• A darning needle.

Pattern notes

How tall your pattern will turn out depends on what weight yarn you use. As a (very) rough guide:

• Jumbo yarns make a bunny 9 to 12 inches tall.
• Super bulky yarns make a bunny 7 or 8 inches tall.
• Bulky yarn makes a bunny 6 inches tall.
• Worsted yarn makes a bunny 5 inches tall.
• DK yarns make a bunny 3-4 inches tall.

That’s just from the base to the top of the head – not including the flower crown!

To make your bunny, you only need to know a small number of basic (US) crochet terms:

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 make 2 hdc in the same space
Dec decrease

Since the pattern decreases rapidly to form a relatively flat base, I recommend using the invisible decrease method. Insert the hook into the front loop only of the next two stitches (left, below). Put the yarn over the hook and draw it through both front loops (two loops left on the hook). Yarn over again, and draw it through the remaining two loops (right, below).

Squishy crochet bunny pattern

Bernadette’s body, ears and belly patch were all made separately. The eyes and belly are added to the body before stuffing and closing it, and the ears, nose, mouth and tail are added after.

The body

You can start all of your bunny’s parts with either a magic circle, or by making four chains and joining them with a slip stitch to form a loop. I prefer a four chain loop for fluffy yarns like the one I’m using here, because in my experience they’re easier to tighten.

• 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: *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.

I should say now – I took these photos over the course of a whole day, during which the weather changed by the minute. So I don’t think there are any two photos where the yarn looks the same color!

The ears

Make two.

• Make 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: *Sc 3, inc* twice (10 sts)
• 3rd round: *Sc 4, inc* twice (12 sts)
• 4th round: *Sc 5, inc* twice (14 sts)
• 5th round: *Sc 6, inc* twice (16 sts)
• 6th round: *Sc 7, inc* twice (18 sts)
• 7th round: Sc all the way round (18 sts)
• 8th round: *Sc 7, dec* twice (16 sts)
• 9th round: Sc all the way round (16 sts)
• 10th round: *Sc 6, dec* twice (14 sts)
• 11th round: *Sc 5, dec* twice (12 sts)
• 12th round: *Sc 4, dec* twice (10 sts)
• 13th round: *Sc 3, dec* twice (8 sts)

Cut the yarn about 12″ from the hook, slip stitch once, and pull the yarn end all the way through the stitch.

The tummy

My bunny pattern’s tummy is a kind of flattened semi-circle. It’s still made in rounds, but with a symmetrical pattern of half double crochet stitches and increases to create the right outline. Make one, using your contrasting 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.

Assembling your squishy crochet bunny

First, spread the body out flat. Since the decreases are clustered at the sides, it will only lie flat with the opening at the bottom running from side to side. Position the safety eyes 6 stitches apart, between rows 10 and 11, and push the backs on firmly. Line up the straight bottom edge of the tummy patch along the gap between rows 22 and 23. Make sure it’s central, and use the yarn tail to sew it down.

Fill the body firmly with toy stuffing, then use the yarn tail to work one more round:

• 26th round: 8 dec (8 sts). Sl st, and pull the yarn tail right through the stitch.

Close the remaining hole using mattress stitch through the front loops only. Make the stitches loosely at first following the guide in picture 1. Then pinch the start point firmly, and pull the yarn tail in the opposite direction to zip up the opening.

This is what your bunny should look like so far:

Sewing on the ears

Sew the ears onto the sides of the head, with the tops about level with the 4th round of the body. I decided to only catch the uppermost edge of the opening at the top of the ear in my stitches. This helps the ears sit flat against the top of the head, but it’s not essential. If you’re planning to give your squishy bunny to a small child, it might be a good idea to sew through all of the stitches, so the ears are joined as securely as possible.

Embroidering the nose and mouth

To embroider the nose, mouth and whiskers, you’ll need a length of yarn 2-4 times the depth of your squishy from front to back. Thread it onto a darning needle, and push it through from the center of the back to a point between rows 12 and 13, and halfway between the eyes. This is going to be the bottom tip of the nose. Embroider the vertical stitches on the nose first, then the horizontal stitch along the top of the nose, and finally add the mouth. Here’s an illustration of where the stitches go:

Alternatively, if you’d rather not embroider the nose, you could make a crochet nose following the same pattern as for my squishy crochet cat pattern, and sew it on.

Tail time!

I’m hooked on the delayed gratification of saving finishing touches like this for last (or next-to-last, in this case). If you’ve also managed to wait until now to add your bunny’s tail, well done. But if you’ve already jumped the gun, I won’t judge!

To attach Bernadette’s tail, I sat her on a flat surface and gave her whole body a gentle downwards squash, so that she stood up unaided. Then I positioned the tail so that it just touched the table. Since my pompom is store bought, it came with two ribbons for tying it in place, but obviously a length of yarn stabbed through the center of the pompon will work just as well.

Adding a flower crown

When I was designing this pattern, I couldn’t imagine it working without a flower crown. I think I was concerned it would look a bit underwhelming and forgettable without one. As it is, I think the pattern turned out pretty dang cute, so I’m downgrading the flower crown to simply ‘optional’. But I do love it, and it’s super simple to make.

You’ll need some felt, or heavy fabric. I found this pack of fresh pastel shades, to echo Bernadette’s minty fur. In these pictures, I’ve cut out enough pieces to make 6 flowers, but in the end I only use 5. There’s no harm in having a little extra choice!

Each flower starts with two circles (below, left). The larger circle has roughly the same diameter at the distance between the bunny’s ears – find a household item about the right size to draw around. The smaller circles are about ½ to ⅔ of the diameter of the larger circles.

Cut approximately equal-sized petals around the edge of the circles (below, center). I’ve gone for five petals, but four, six, or a mix of different quantities would all be very effective. Place a smaller flower on top of each large flower. Thread 12” of yarn onto a darning needle, and make 1 or 2 stitches through the center of the flowers to hold both pieces together. Leave the yarn tails in place for tying the flower to the head (below, right).

Arrange the flowers in roughly this area at the front of your bunny’s head:

They ought to be gathered closely enough together that they prop each other’s petals up. But not so close that they push each other closed! Thread one yarn tail under the closest stitch on your bunny’s head then tie it to the other yarn tail.

Trim the ends to an inch long, and poke them inside the body.

Finished!

And there you have it! A simple route to a quick and cute crochet bunny. For a different take on an amigurumi rabbit, don’t miss Lucy’s bunny and wild rabbit patterns. I love how two crocheters can hear the words ‘crochet bunny’ and picture such different end results!

Are you going to make your own squishy crochet bunny?

Let us know what color you’ll use in the comments box down below. Will you make your own pompom tail, or leave off the flower crown? Show off your finished project by tagging Lucy on Facebook or Instagram. And happy crocheting!

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

Hi! Welcome to my squishy crochet toy pattern for using up yarn scraps. I have named mine Scrappy – luckily his design is more imaginative than my capacity for coming up with names! Scrappy was borne out of an emotional funk, which was causing me some creative block. I was struggling to design a squishy that actually resembled anything (like a bear, or a strawberry). All I really felt like doing to cheer myself up was grabbing some armfuls of colorful yarn, and seeing where they took me. So that’s exactly what I did!

The result was brilliantly stash-busting, and also very joyful to work on. My favorite touch is the little pocket on Scrappy’s back. It’s perfect for leaving little love notes or confidence-boosting messages in. Perhaps for a kid who’s anxious at school, a teen about to sit some big exams, or anyone else you love. I’m also thinking of introducing it to my 10 year old daughter as a kind of crochet worry monster. Obviously it won’t eat her problems, but it can carry them away for her, and maybe help her share any concerns that she doesn’t feel able to talk about.

Anyway, that’s enough philosophy about where this pattern came from, let’s get on with making it! Or perhaps one of his squishy chick or bunny pals…?

Choosing yarns

You can make your own scrappy squishy from any yarns you have leftover in your stash, but all the yarns you use for the body ought to be the same weight. You can use different weights to make the patches and embellishments though. I started by pulling some likely candidates out of my yarn boxes and onto the floor.

I did laugh at how the black yarn in the middle looks like a black hole in this photo, sucking all my yarn into it. If you saw the state of the rest of my stash, you could believe there’s a black hole in there somewhere! After much arranging and rearranging, I settled on these six colors, in this order:

These are all super bulky chenille yarns. I love them for making projects like this, because they’re so soft and tactile – they have a high cuddle-ability factor! But you can use any yarn, in any weight. Made in hard wearing cotton yarn and with a bag of rice inside, this pattern could be a cute and quirky door stop. Or you could pick yarns to match the colors of your favorite sports team, and make a cute mascot that’s big enough to cuddle, or small enough to sit on a desk or shelf.

• DK yarn squishies made to this pattern will be about 4” tall.
• Worsted yarn squishes will be about 5” tall.
• Bulky yarn squishies will be about 6” tall.
• Super bulky squishies like Scrappy will be about 7” tall.
• And jumbo yarn squishes will be 9” tall or more – the jumbo yarn category is a bit of a catch-all for anything heavier than super bulky!

Additional materials

I also used:

• A size J crochet hook. This is one size down from the recommendation on the yarn wrappers, so that I could stuff Scrappy firmly, without the filling poking out between his stitches. Unless you already crochet very tightly, I recommend that you also size down for this project.
• Stuffing. Such as Polyfil, or similar.
• 16mm safety eyes. These work for bulky and super bulky yarn squishes following this pattern. For lighter weight yarns try 12mm eyes instead, and for jumbo yarns try 20mm eyes.
• Stitch markers
• A darning needle
• Scissors
• Pins

Pattern notes

This pattern uses standard American crochet terms. The ones you’ll need to be familiar with are:

Ch chain
Sl st slip stitch
Sc single crochet
Hdc half double crochet
Dc double crochet
Tr treble crochet
Inc increase (make 2 sc in the same space)
Dec decrease

Lucy’s written a guide to the basic crochet stitches here, and single, double and treble crochet stitches here. For the decreases, use the invisible decrease technique: insert the hook into the front loop only of the next two stitches (fig. 1 below), yarn over and draw through those two front loops (two loops left on hook), yarn over and draw through both loops (fig. 2 below).

Body

Start the body with a magic circle, or chain 4, and slip stitch into the furthest chain from the hook to make a loop. Whilst I usually prefer the magic loop method, I always use the 4-ch loop with fluffy chenille yarns. It’s much easier to pull tight when the first round is finished.

• 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)
• Color change: I make a simple color change, since there are still more increases to make in the next round.

Making a simple color change

For the last stitch of round 3, draw a loop of your current color through first (left, below). Then loop your new color over the hook (center, below) and finish the single crochet. At the end of the stitch, you’ll be left with one loop of the new color on your hook (right, below).

Once you’ve made a few stitches, cut the old yarn and tie the old and new ends together.

Continuing the body

• 4th round: *2 sc, inc* 8 times (32 sts)
• 5th round: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (40 sts)
• Rounds 6 & 7: Sc all the way round
• Change color
• Rounds: 8 – 11: Sc all the way round
• Change color
• Rounds: 11 – 15: Sc all the way round
• Change color
• Rounds 16 – 20: Sc all the way round
• Change color
• Rounds 21 – 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.

Making more, or fewer, stripes

I’ve used six leftover yarns in my stash to make six color changes. But I don’t want you to feel limited by my choices, so for a squishy with a different number of stripes, here’s where to make your color changes:

• 3 stripes – change colors at the start of rows 11 and 18.
• 4 stripes – change colors at the start of rows 9, 14, and 19.
• 5 stripes – change colors at the start of rows 8, 12, 16, and 20.
• 7 stripes – change colors at the start of rows 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 19.
• 8 stripes – change colors at the start of rows 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21.

If you’re making 3, 4, or 5 stripes, you might also prefer to use the method for changing color that I use in my squishy ice pop pattern. It makes a straighter line than a simple color change, but you can’t use it in rows that still have increases to be worked.

Adding the eyes, and closing the body

I’ve positioned the safety eyes between rows 9 and 10, and 7 stitches apart. If you’ve made a different number of stripes, you could position them a row lower, if it looks better. Push the backs on securely, and stuff the body firmly. I prefer to stuff the body now, before adding patches and decorations. It’s easier to position the patches accurately and effectively once you can see the final 3D shape.

Crochet one more round:

• 26th round: 8 dec, sl st (8 sts)

Pull the yarn tail all the way through the slip stitch, and use it to sew up the hole using mattress stitch though the front loops only. If you haven’t used mattress stitch to join crochet before, the first picture below shows where to make the stitches:

Make the stitches loosely at first, so you don’t lose sight of where the next one goes (picture 2). Then either pull them tight one at a time, or pinch firmly at the start, and pull the yarn tail firmly in the other direction to zip the hole right up (picture 3). This works best with smooth yarns – fluffy ones tend to snag.

Tie off the yarn tail and poke it into the body. Then let’s decorate your squishy with some cute patches.

Making a heart shape patch

Scrappy’s heart is achieved with a single round of stitches into a magic circle or 4-ch loop.

• Magic circle or 4-ch loop.
• Ch 2, tr 3, dc 3, ch 1, tr 3, ch 1, dc 3, tr 3, ch 2.
• Sl st into the center of the heart, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing, and pull the yarn right through the sl st.

For a larger heart shape patch, try following the instructions for my modern heart granny square, stopping at the end of round 2.

Making a star shape patch

The star shaped patch is worked in two rounds:

• Magic circle or 4-ch loop to start
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 10 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop
• 2nd round: *Ch 4, sc into the 3rd chain from the hook, hdc into the 4th chain from the hook. Skip one stitch on round 1, and slip stitch into the next.* Repeat 5 times.

When you get to the end, cut the yarn and pull the yarn tail right through the last slip stitch. Then flip your star over and thread the yarn under some stitches, heading away from that corner:

Gently pull it tight to give the last corner as much definition as the rest.

Now you can position the patches on your squishy, and use the yarn tails to sew them down. Sew them down through the back loops only, to keep their outlines looking sharp.

Some more ideas

Hearts and stars aren’t the only embellishments you can add to your scrap yarn squishy.

• Simple square or circle patches sewn on with contrasting stitches make for an endearingly patched-up, patchwork look.
• Use surface crochet to spell out someone’s initial or even as a foundation for 3D embellishments. I’m keen to surface crochet a small circle of slip stitches on Scrappy’s head and use them as the foundation for petals, so she has a cute flower in her hair (not that she has hair). But I don’t have a yarn color I want to use for it yet. I’ll update this pattern at the bottom if it happens!
• Add buttons, woven patches, pin badges, rosettes or ribbons – anything pretty, or with special sentimental value.

Adding a pocket

The piece de resistance for this plushie is the pocket on its back. Obviously it’s optional – if you’re making a stripey mascot in your team’s colors, you might not want one. You could also use this method to add a pocket to any of my other squishy patterns – do you know someone who would like to receive their own axolotl-gram, or message delivered by owl?

On the back of your squishy, use pins to mark the corners of your pocket. It’s going to turn out smaller than you expect, so if in doubt, err on the large side. Starting at the bottom edge, and working from right to left (if you’re right handed, or left to right, if you’re left handed) insert your hook under the stitch at the corner of your square. Pull through a loop of yarn (below left).

Leave a long yarn tail for sewing up the side of the pocket later, and insert your hook under the next stitch along. Make a slip stitch by pulling a loop of yarn under the stitch and through the loop already on your hook (above center). Work your way right along to the other corner (above right).

Make a chain stitch to turn, then skip that chain and single crochet into all the slip stitches on the back of your squishy. Work back and forth in rows of single crochet until your pocket is the desired height, finishing in the opposite corner to where you started. Cut the yarn leaving a long tail.

Use the yarn tails to sew down the sides of the pocket, then tie them off and tuck them inside the body.

Adding a mouth

I’ve got one more finishing touch to add, and that’s a winsome smile. Scrappy’s smile is made from three stitches. Start by feeding the yarn through your squishy’s body, from back to front, leaving a 3″ tail at the back for tying off later. Make the smile following the grid pattern in single crochet stitches – two stitches wide, and one row tall. Feed the yarn out through the body again, so it comes out in the same spot it went in. Tie the two tails together so the know it flush with the back of the squishy, then trim the ends and poke the knot and ends inside the body.

And you’re done!

It’s time to admire your finished creation. I wonder if you’ll come up with a more creative name than I did? If you’re on social media, please tag Lucy in a photo of your scrappy wonder on Instagram or Facebook.

Yarn scraps squishy crochet toy pattern – summary

Making this squishy really cheered me up when I needed something a bit fun, silly, and endearing in my life. I hope making one will put a smile on your face too, and you’ll be inspired to cover it in all kinds of beautiful or meaningful embellishments. Happy crocheting!

The post Yarn Scraps Squishy Crochet Toy Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

Hello! Welcome to my pattern for Bubblegum, a squishy crochet unicorn without the fiddly legs. She’s sweet and whimsical, and she’d look right at home in any unicorn-mad child’s plush toy collection. It’s the first time I’ve tried making one of these simple amigurumi plushies with a muzzle, and it took several attempts to come up with something I’m happy with. I hope you’ll have a go and see what you think.

Choosing yarn

Usually I take pride in the fact that all my squishy patterns can be replicated with whatever yarn you have to hand. I mostly use chenille and velvet yarns because I love how tactile and squashy they are. They’re perfect for making soft toys for children, and I just happen to have a plush-toy-mad 10 year old. But for this pattern, I do think that only chenille yarn will work – for the muzzle at least. Otherwise the construction looks a bit holey.

I’ve used King Cole Yummy in the shade Tutti Frutti (above center) and Hobbii Toucan yarn in Lavender (above left), which are both super bulky yarns. I also had a light pink yarn laid out, but in the end I decided it didn’t provide enough contrast.

Bubblegum is 7” tall to the top of her head, not including her ears or horn. Here are some alternative chenille yarns, and roughly how tall your unicorn will turn out if you use them:

• DK weight – Rico Ricorumi. Finished height: 4 inches.
• Worsted weight – Bernat Baby Velvet. Finished height: 5 inches.
• Bulky weight – Bernat Velvet. Finished height: 6 inches.
• Super bulky weight – King Cole Yummy, Paintbox Chenille, Bernat Blanket, Premier Parfait (to name a few – this really is the category with all the choice!) Finished height: 7 inches.
• Jumbo weight – Bernat Blanket Extra, Premier Parfait. Finished height: 8-9 inches.

Other materials

I also used:

• A size J/10 crochet hook. I recommend using one size smaller than the yarn wrapper recommends – it results in tension which is slightly tight, and keeps the stuffing from poking out between the stitches.
• Polyester toy stuffing.
• 16mm safety eyes. These work with bulky and super bulky yarns. For DK and worsted yarns try 12mm eyes, and for jumbo yarns try 20mm eyes.
• Stitch markers or yarn scraps.
• Sewing thread in a closely matching color to the muzzle.
• A sewing needle
• A darning needle
• Scissors

Pattern notes

Bubblegum’s body is worked in a spiral from the top down. It starts as a circle, and finishes with a flat oval base, so that she can stand up unsupported. The ears, horn and muzzle are made separately and sewn on. And lastly the eyelashes, nostrils and mouth are embroidered on.

This pattern uses standard American crochet terms. The only ones you need to know are:

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

If you’re brand new to crochet, look at Lucy’s guide to basic techniques before you start. When you get to the base, 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 (3 loops on hook) (fig. 1).
• Yarn over and draw through two loops (two loops remaining on hook).
• Yarn over and draw through both remaining loops (fig. 2).

Now let’s begin!

Making the body

Is it a body, or simply a disembodied head? Who can say? Let’s not overthink it.

• Ch 4 and sl st into the furthest chain from the hook to join.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the 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: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (40 sts)

It’s useful to pop a stitch marker in the last stitch of round 5 to help keep track of where the following rounds begin and end – especially if you’re using a speckled yarn like mine! I’ve tied a scrap of yarn around my stitch.

• 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.

The horn

• Ch 4 and sl st into the furthest train from the hook to join.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 6 into the 4-ch loop (6 sts)
• 2nd round: Sc all the way round (6 sts)
• 3rd round: *2 sc, inc* twice (8 sts)
• 4th round: Sc all the way round (8 sts)
• 5th round: *3 sc, inc* twice (10 sts)
• 6th round: Sc all the way round (10 sts)
• 7th round: *4 sc, inc* twice (12 sts)
• 8th round: Sc all the way round (12 sts)

Make 1 slip stitch, cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing, and pull the yarn tail right through the slip stitch. Stuff the horn firmly, taking care to poke a small pinch of stuffing right into the the tip of the horn at the start.

The ears

Make two.

• Ch 4 and sl st into the furthest train from the hook to join.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: Sc all the way round (8 sts)
• 3rd round: *1 sc, inc* 4 times (12 sts)
• 4th & 5th rounds: Sc all the way round (12 sts)
• 6th round: *2 sc, inc* 4 times (16 sts)

Make one slip stitch, skip 6 stitches, and make another slip stitch. The ears will fold round at the base like a horse’s, helping them to stand upright. Cut the yarn leaving a long tail for sewing, and pull the tail right through the slip stitch.

The muzzle

• Ch 3
• 1st round: Skip the chain closest to the hook and work 8 sc into the other two stitches like this (I’ve wiggled my hook free, to give you a clearer view):

• 2nd round: Inc, 2 sc, 2 inc, 2 sc, inc (12 sts)
• 3rd round: Sc, *inc, 2 sc* 3 times, inc, sc (16 sts)

Sc once more to even out the shape, sl st, cut the yarn, and pull the yarn tail right through the slip stitch.

Now, the muzzle isn’t quite perfect at this stage. In all likelihood, you have two holes either side of the center, where you worked into both sides of the foundation chain. They look a bit like nostrils, except a unicorn with toy stuffing poking out of its nose won’t do at all! I tried finding another stitch pattern which avoids them, but I was never happy with the shape of the muzzle.

In the end I decided to flip the muzzle inside out, and use a needle to run a loop of sewing thread inside the stitches around each hole – as indicated by the arrows. Then tie the thread in a knot and pull it tight to close the hole (close each hole separately, with its own loop of thread).

This is as good a time as any to embroider the nostrils and mouth on too, if you prefer. But I did it later, so I’ll come to the details of that in a moment!

Assembling your unicorn

Spread your unicorn’s body out flat in front of you, and position the eyes 7 stitches apart, between rows 10 and 11.

Press the backs on securely, and stuff the body firmly with toy stuffing. Work one more round:

• 26th round: Dec 8 (8 sts)

Use what’s left of the yarn tail to close what’s left of the opening, using mattress stitch through the front loops only of the remaining stitches. Make the stitches loosely at first following the sequence in fig. 1 below. Then either pull them tight one at a time, or pinch the starting point firmly and pull the yarn tail in the opposite direction.

Next sew on the horn slightly forwards of the top of the head, and the ears either side. The backs of the ears sit level with the back of the horn. The fronts end up slightly set back from the front of the horn.

Sew on the muzzle so the top sits level with or just below the bottom edge of the eyes. Stitch roughly two thirds of the way around the circumference of the muzzle, then poke some stuffing inside it and close the remaining gap. If you haven’t already done it, now’s time to add the mouth and nostrils. They’re always one of the details I add last, but more out of habit than anything else!

Embroidering the nostrils and mouth

I’m using a black chenille in the same weight as my other yarns to embroider the details of Bubblegum’s face. But you could use any contrasting color, a different fiber, or even double up a lighter weight yarn.

For the embroidery on the muzzle, first I threaded the yarn into a gap between the body and the muzzle, leaving a 3” yarn tail poking out from the gap for tying off later. The nostrils are two small stitches covering just one strand of yarn (or half a stitch) on the muzzle to keep them small. The mouth is a single longer stitch, and where you position it will make all the difference to your unicorn’s attitude! It can be an extra long stitch for a wide grin, or a short, off-center stitch for a wry smile.

Once you’ve made all three stitches (two nostrils and the mouth) feed the yarn back out through the same gap between the body and the muzzle. Tie the two yarn tails together, trim the ends short, and poke the knot and the ends inside the muzzle.

Adding the eyelashes

One of Bubblegum’s most winsome features is her eyelashes. And they’re incredibly easy to add.

• Cut a length of yarn roughly three times the depth of your squishy.
• Tie a loose overhand knot in the yarn, and position it around one eye.
• Tuck the yarn under the eye, then tighten the knot.

• Use a darning needle to thread the yarn tails into the body just beyond the outside edge of the eye. Roughly in the spots indicated by the arrows, but you can make them more flamboyant if you wish!

Bring both yarn tails out through the back of the unicorn in the same spot.

Tie them together, trim the ends, and poke the knot inside the body. The stuffing will keep the knot anchored in place.

Project complete

All the finishing details are in place, it’s time to stand back and admire your creation!

We’d love to see how it turned out, so if you’re on social media please tag Lucy in a post on  Instagram or Facebook and let us know what your unicorn is called!

Squishy crochet unicorn pattern – summary

I hope you’ve enjoyed following along with this pattern. Let me know what you think of the construction of the muzzle – would you make it differently? Overall I think Bubblegum pretty adorable, and she’s definitely been a hit with my daughter. I’m sure whoever receives your finished squishy unicorn will love it too. In the meantime, happy crocheting!

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

Hello! This is Lana, my squishy crochet watermelon pattern. She gets her name from the Latin name for the watermelon plant: Citrullus lanatus. She’s a fun and easy amigurumi project for summer – I was definitely in the same mood when I made her as when I made my strawberry and ice pop squishies! She’s made in one single piece, but with some fancy color work to create her distinctive looks. Fancy doesn’t mean difficult here though – this pattern is based entirely on single crochet, and extremely beginner friendly!

Materials

To make your own mouth watering slice of watermelon, you’ll need yarns of the same weight in:

• Red or deep pink for the flesh. I used Hobbii’s Toucan yarn in red.
• Black for the seeds. I used King Cole’s Yummy* yarn in black.
• Dark green for the skin. I used Hobbii’s Toucan yarn in sage.
• Light green or white for the rind (light pink would also be an effective alternative). I used King Cole’s Yummy* yarn in mint.

You’ll also need:

• A scrap of brown yarn to embroider the mouth.
• Safety eyes*
• A crochet hook to match your yarn. Unless you already crochet tightly, use a hook once size smaller than the yarn wrapper suggests. This will make your fabric robust enough to stuff later, without the stuffing poking through the stitches.
• Toy stuffing*, such as PolyFil.
• Stitch markers, or yarn scraps to help track your progress.

Size

You can choose any weight of yarn you like to make your squishy watermelon. The weight you choose will determine how big your squishy turn out:

• DK yarns make a watermelon slice approximately 4” (10cm) tall. These look super cute sitting on a shelf or bar.
• Worsted yarns make a watermelon slice roughly 5” (12.5cm) tall.
• Bulky yarn watermelons turn out around 6” (15cm) tall.
• Super bulky yarn melons end up about 7” (17.5cm) tall.
• Jumbo yarn squishies could end up anything between 8 and 10” tall – the jumbo yarn category is a bit of a catch all for anything thicker than super bulky!

You’ll also need to choose safety eyes the right size to match the finished proportions of your squishy.

• Use 12mm eyes or thereabouts with DK and worsted yarns.
• Use 16mm eyes (or close) with bulky and super bulky yarns.
• And use 20mm eyes or larger with jumbo yarns.

Lana is made from super bulky yarns, so she’s 7” tall, and has 16mm eyes.

Pattern notes

This pattern is written in standard American crochet terms. The only ones you need to be familiar with are:

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

Since the pattern decreases rapidly at the base, I recommend using an invisible decrease to minimize the appearance of gaps:

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

The squishy crochet watermelon pattern

Now let’s get down to business! This squishy is worked all in one piece, from the top down. So start with your red or deep pink yarn. Begin by making a magic circle, or by making 4 chain stitches and slip stitching into the first one, to form a loop. You can use whichever you prefer, but if you’re using a chenille yarn like me, I find a 4-ch loop is easier to tighten.

• 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: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (40 sts)

Adding seeds

Rounds 6 to 23 are worked in single crochet all the way around, without any more increases. But it’s time to start adding some seeds! Starting with the first stitch of round 6. To make a seed we’re going to make a single crochet with black legs, and red top loops. Don’t worry, it’s very simple!

Insert the hook into the next stitch (the first of round 6) and draw through a loop of black yarn:

Now bring the red yarn over the hook:

And pull it through the other two loops:

I find it helps to think of it like this: in making a single crochet, we bring the yarn over the hook two times. Use black the first time, and red the second. And that’s it. If you’ve ever been unsure which bits of a stitch are the legs and the top loops, you know now!

Now make four normal red stitches. For the rest of round six, follow this pattern 7 more times: one stitch with a seed, four red stitches. You will end up with 8 seeds, and finish on 4 red stitches. Here’s how the front looks half way round (after this, it won’t lie flat enough to photograph!):

And here’s how it looks on the wrong side. The lengths of black yarn between the seeds are known as floats – make sure you don’t pull them too tight, or your finished watermelon will have puckers in it.

TIP: Put a stitch marker in the last stitch of the row, and move it up each time you add a row until you finish row 15 – it’s really easy to lose track of the pattern otherwise!

What next?

The seed pattern continues over the next 12 rounds:

• 7th & 8th rounds: Sc all the way round in red.
• 9th round: *Sc 3 red stitches, make one stitch containing a black seed, sc 1 red stitch* 8 times.
• 10th & 11th rounds: Sc all the way round in red.
• 12th round: *Sc 1 red stitch, make one stitch containing a black seed, sc 3 red stitches* 8 times.
• 13th & 14th rounds: Sc all the way round in red.
• 15th round: *Sc 4 red stitch, make one stitch containing a black seed* 8 times.
• 16th – 18th rounds: Sc all the way round in red.

Changing color

Next come two rounds of white or light green for the watermelon’s rind, and six decreasing rounds of dark green for the skin. I’ve used a simple color change – dropping the previous color and picking up the new one in between the last stitch of one round and the first stitch of the next round. The result is quite a zig-zaggy line, but I’m happy with that in this pattern – there are few crisp, straight lines in nature! But if you’d rather have a straighter line, I’ve described a technique for achieving one in my squishy ice pop pattern.

• Change color to light green
• 19th & 20th rounds: Sc all the way round.
• Change color to dark green.
• 21st – 23rd rounds: 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.

Checking the tension of your seed stitches

Now’s a good time to check the tension of the stitches containing seeds. If they’re a bit too tight on the right side, tuck your darning needle underneath the the legs and give them a little tug outwards. And if they’re a bit loose on the right side, give the floats on the inside a little tug with your fingers.

Adding the eyes

Now spread the watermelon out flat in front of you, with the color changes at the back. Position the eyes 6 stitches apart, between rows 10 and 11. They should fall neatly between the seeds. Press the backs on firmly.

Stuffing and closing the body

Fill the body firmly with toy stuffing. It always squashes down more than you expect, but don’t add so much it stretches the stitches. Using the yarn tail, make one more round.

• 26th round: 8 dec, 1 sl st (8 sts)

Poke in a little more stuffing if it will fit, and close the hole with mattress stitch through the front loops only of the stitches. Mattress stitch is a great invisible join for crochet, but if you haven’t used it before, here’s where the stitches go:

Make them loosely at first so you can easily see where to put them all, then either tighten them one at a time, or pinch the beginning of the seam and pull the yarn tail in the other direction to zip it right up. Then tie off the yarn, and poke the tail inside the body.

Adding a smile

There’s just one step left to go – adding a winsome smile. Embroider the mouth using a darning needle and your scrap of brown yarn. I like to push the needle through from the back of the body to start, and go back out through the same spot at the back of the body to finish. Then you can just knot the ends together and poke them inside your squishy, where the stuffing will anchor them in place. I’ve included some photos to illustrate that approach in my squishy bubble tea pattern.

Finished!

I hope you enjoyed following this pattern as much as I enjoyed developing it. I think it really embodies everything that’s cute, kitsch, kawaii, and fun. She’s definitely a favorite with my biggest squishy critic – my 10 year old daughter. If you make your own, I’d love you to tag Lucy on Facebook or Instagram so I can see how it turns out. Happy crocheting!

*The products linked in this pattern were carefully selected by Lucy Kate Crochet. If you decide to purchase using the links provided, we may earn a small commission on that sale. This is at no extra cost to you.

The post Free Squishy Crochet Watermelon Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

Hello there! This is Radley, my squishy crochet axolotl pattern. I’m so proud of him, I honestly think I grinned from start to finish as I was developing his pattern! But then who could look at any axolotl without smiling? They’re just the strangest, most endearing creatures. This crochet pattern is very accessible and beginner-friendly for anyone who’s new to amigurumi. The body shape has a flattened base, which means these cute companions can stand up unaided – perfect for cuddly toys, cute ornaments, and friendly mascots.

Materials

To make your own squishy axolotl, you’ll need:

• Yarn for the body and gills (see notes on yarn color below). I used Hobbii’s Toucan yarn in light pink and lavender.
• A corresponding crochet hook* (see notes on yarn weight below)
• Safety eyes* (see notes on eyes below)
• Yarn scraps for embroidering the mouth
• Polyester toy stuffing*
• Darning needle*
• Scissors

Choosing your yarn: colors

I’ve chosen a barely-there pink for my axolotl’s body, and a more saturated pinky-purple for its external gills. I was inspired by the colors of leucistic axolotls, which are probably the best known and the most widely kept as pets. But the most common color for axolotls in the wild is greeny-brown, with black gills. Or you might make a xanthic axolotl, which has a gray body and black gills. Perhaps you’ll even be inspired by the blue axolotls in Minecraft, or invent a new color type all of your own!

Choosing your yarn: weight

My axolotl is made with super bulky yarn, and stands about 7” tall. You can easily make a bigger or smaller axolotl simply by using a heavier or lighter yarn.

• DK yarn makes an axolotl roughly 4” tall, which looks cute sitting on a desk or shelf
• Worsted yarns make an axolotl around 5” tall
• Bulky yarns make a 6” axolotl
• Jumbo yarns make axolotls 8-10” tall – big enough to use as a throw pillow!

Since my axolotl is destined to be a cuddly toy for my daughter, I’ve chosen a soft, squashy chenille yarn. But cotton, acrylic, and wool yarns will be just as effective. This is definitely a pattern you can adapt to make the most of materials you already have!

Eyes

Safety eyes are sold in lots of different diameters, and you’ll need to pick a pair to match the scale of your axolotl. These sizes are a guide, and a couple of millimeters bigger or smaller will work just as well, if you already have them:

• For an axolotl made in DK or worsted yarn, use 12mm eyes, or thereabouts.
• For an axolotl in bulky or super bulky yarn, use 16mm eyes, or close.
• And if you’re using a jumbo yarn, try 20mm eyes or larger (‘jumbo’ is a bit of a catch all category for all yarns heavier than super bulky, so might be worth making up the body, then deciding what size eyes will fit).

Pattern notes

This pattern is written in standard American crochet terms. The only ones you need to be familiar with are:

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

Since the pattern decreases rapidly at the base, I recommend using an invisible decrease to minimize the appearance of gaps:

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

Squishy crochet axolotl pattern

Like most amigurumi projects, Radley’s parts are made in spiraling rounds. Let’s make the body first, and then the external gills.

The body

You can start all of your axolotl’s parts with either a magic circle, or by chaining four stitches and making a slip stitch into the furthest stitch from the hook, to make a four-chain loop. Usually I prefer a magic circle for its simplicity, but a 4-chain loop is easier to tighten if you’re using a fluffy or chenille yarn.

• Magic circle or ch 4 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: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (24 sts)
• 4th round: *2 sc, inc* 8 times (32 sts)
• 5th round: *1 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 to one side for a moment, and let’s get to work on the gills!

Gills

Axolotls are unique among amphibians in that they keep their external gills and stay living in water when they reach adulthood. All the rest develop internal lungs and move out onto land. Axolotl’s external lungs are feathery, to provide maximum surface area for absorbing oxygen from the water. But I’ve come up with a solid, squashy alternative which is simpler to make, and looks in keeping with the rest of Radley’s cuddly profile. They would look fantastic in fluffy, fur-effect yarn like Sirdar’s Alpine yarn. But I’m using yarn I already have, and I think a smooth finish is still very effective.

Top gills

Make two.

• Magic circle or ch 4 and sl st to join.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: *Sc 3, inc* twice (10 sts)
• 3rd & 4th rounds: Sc all the way round
• 5th round: *Sc 3, dec* twice (8 sts)
• 6th round: Sc all the way round

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

Middle gills

Make two.

• Make a magic circle or ch 4 and sl st to join.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: *Sc 3, inc* twice (10 sts)
• 3rd & 4th rounds: Sc all the way round
• 5th round: *Sc 3, dec* twice (8 sts)
• 6th & 7th rounds: Sc all the way round

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

Bottom gills

Make two.

• Make a magic circle or ch 4 and sl st to join.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the magic circle or 4-ch loop (8 sts)
• 2nd round: *Sc 3, inc* twice (10 sts)
• 3rd & 4th rounds: Sc all the way round
• 5th round: *Sc 3, dec* twice (8 sts)

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

Fill all of the gills with just enough stuffing to give them shape (they don’t need to be very firmly stuffed), and they’re ready to organize on the sides of your axolotl’s body like this:

Assembling your axolotl

Now let’s start bringing your axolotl to life!

First spread the body out flat in front of you, and position the safety eyes 9 stitches apart, between rows 11 and 12. Press the backs on firmly. Then stuff the body as firmly as you can without stretching the stitches.

Using the yarn tail, make one more round:

• 26th round: 8 dec, 1 sl st (8 sts).

Close the body with mattress stitch, through the front loops only of the remaining stitches. The first picture below shows where the stitches go (the needle is already in position to make the first stitch). With smoother yarns you can make all of the stitches loosely then pinch the start point and pull the yarn in the other direction to tighten them up. But for chenille yarns you’ll probably need to tighten them one at a time.

Joining the gills

With the body closed, it’s time to join the gills. Start with one of the top gills, and position it 5 rows down from the center of the top of the head.

Hold the opening of the gill closed, so that you have two rows of four stitches to sew through. Sew the gill onto the body with four stitches, each one going into the gap between two rows on the body, and through one stitch on either side of the gill. When you’re finished the gill should end up covering 3 rows of the body. Join the middle gill immediately below the top gill, and the bottom gill immediately below the middle gill. In total, they should span 9 rows, and the bottom of the middle gill and top of the bottom gill should line up with the eyes.

Attach the other three gills on the other side of the body.

TIP: As you look down on the body from above, join the gills ever so slightly forward of the widest point of the body.

Embroidering the mouth

Axolotls have wide heads and wide mouths, so we’re going to capture their likeness with a lovely wide smile. If you also enjoy embroidery, you’ll recognize the method I’ve used as whipped back stitch. But if that’s a completely new term to you, don’t worry – I’m going to walk you through it.

Start by joining your black yarn to the body. Thread it onto a darning needle and under the stitch shown in picture 1. Tie the yarn ends together, leaving just enough space below the knot for the yarn to turn around the stitch. Insert the needle as shown in picture 2. As you pull it through, the knot in the yarn will spin around and end up inside the body (picture 3).

Make the rest of the smile in back stitch, and after the final stitch return the needle through the starting point (picture 4).

Now we’ve got off to a great start, but the mouth could do with looking a little bolder. So, tuck the yarn under the first stitch from right to left (left, below), and then under all the remaining stitches from left to right (middle, below). When you get back to the other side, tie off the yarn and poke the tail inside the body (right, below).

You’ve done it!

It’s time to give your awesome finished axolotl and squash and a squeeze, and maybe even give it a name.

Squishy crochet axolotl pattern summary

I hope you’ve enjoyed following this pattern. If you’re on social media and you’re happy sharing your results, we’d be thrilled to see them, so please tag Lucy’s Facebook or Instagram. The basic body shape is the same as for my other squishy crochet patterns.

• Cat
• Owl
• Bear
• Ice pop
• Strawberry
• Bubble tea

*The products linked in this pattern were carefully selected by Lucy Kate Crochet. If you decide to purchase using the links provided, we may earn a small commission on that sale. This is at no extra cost to you.

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

Hi! Meet Boba, my cuddly, squishy crochet bubble tea pattern. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I met a friend at her local mall and the first thing she wanted to show me was a newly-opened drink stand, selling bubble tea. That daughter is 10 years old now, and in that time it’s safe to say that bubble tea has become a beverage phenomenon. In fact, none of my crochet ideas have made my daughter or her friends as excited as when I mentioned I was going to design an amigurumi bubble tea. Oh the squeals! Happily, the result hasn’t disappointed her, and I hope you’ll love it too. So let’s dive right in!

Materials

My bubble tea squishy is a traditional milky tea with black tapioca pearls, like the first one I tried 10 years ago. But bubble teas come in hundreds of flavors and recipes, and obviously you can make your squishy to match whichever one is your favorite. My daughter loves the fruity teas below with popping boba in them, and they would look amazing in a two-tone ombre yarn.

To make a squishy crochet bubble tea the same size as mine, you’ll need:

• Super bulky yarns in white, and the color of your tea. I used King Cole’s Yummy yarn* in white, and Paintbox’s Chenille yarn* in latte.
• DK yarns for the bubbles (or ‘boba’) and straw, and embroidering the mouth. I used Rico Ricorumi’s Nilli Nilli yarn in black and silver gray.
• Corresponding crochet hooks. It’s a good idea to use a size smaller than the yarn wrapper recommends for any amigurumi parts which are going to be stuffed, so that the filling doesn’t peek out between the stitches. I used a size J (6mm) hook with the super bulky yarns, and a size D (3mm) hook with the DK yarns.
• Safety eyes. I used 16mm (⅝”) diameter eyes*.
• Stitch markers or yarn scraps for keeping track of your progress.
• Toy stuffing*, such as Polyfil.
• Darning needle
• Scissors

In a moment I’ll quickly explain how to make bigger, or smaller, cups of bubble tea.

Pattern notes

This pattern is written in standard American crochet terms. The terms you’ll need to be familiar with are:

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

For amigurumi projects like this, I prefer to use the invisible decrease:

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

This technique is very discreet and gap-free on the right side. But the name is a bit inaccurate – it’s very visible indeed on the wrong side! Which is why it’s perfect for amigurumi, and other stuffed toys.

How big will your squishy turn out?

If you use a super bulky yarn like me, your bubble tea cup will stand about 7” tall, not including the straw.

The pattern can easily be adapted by using heavier or lighter yarns to make a bigger or smaller tea.

• Jumbo yarns will make a cup 8-9” tall. You’ll need to use bulky yarns for the boba and the straw, and 18 or 20mm safety eyes. Crochet bubble teas this big are fun scatter pillows for beds and sofas!
• Worsted yarns will make a cup 5” tall. You’ll need to use a sport or sock weight yarn for the boba and straw, and 12mm safety eyes.
• If you’re confident working at such a small scale, you could even make a 4” cup using DK yarn, and superfine yarn or even embroidery floss for the boba and straw. You’d need 10 or 12mm safety eyes. The result would be a very cute addition to any kitchen shelf.

Squishy crochet bubble tea pattern

Make the body first, and attach the eyes before stuffing and closing it. Sew on the boba and straw after the body is closed, to help get the positioning just right.

The body

Starting with white yarn:

Magic circle or ch 4 and sl st into the furthest chain from the hook (4-chain loop) to start. I usually prefer a magic circle, but the 4-chain loop method works better with fluffy yarns like I’ve chosen here.

1st round: Ch 1, 8 into the center of the magic circle or 4-chain 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: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (40 sts)

6th & 7th round: Sc all the way round

8th round: Change yarn to the color your want the tea to be. You can make a simple color change by just dropping the white yarn and continuing with the new yarn. Or you can change color like I have, which produces a smoother line:

• Insert the hook into the first stitch and draw through a loop of white (two white loops on hook).
• Loop your new color over the hook, and draw it through both white loops (one loop in the new color remaining on hook).
• Repeat steps 1 and 2 for every stitch in round 8.

In other words, every stitch is still a single crochet, but the first time you put the yarn over the hook you use the white yarn, and the second time you use the new yarn. At the end of the round, cut the white yarn leaving a short tail. Knot the end of the white yarn and the beginning of the new yarn together gently.

If you’d like to see an illustrated guide to changing color like this, there’s one in my squishy crochet ice pop pattern.

Continuing the body

The rest of the body is worked in the color of your tea:

9th – 23rd rounds: Sc all the way round.

Before starting round 24: Sc 10. We’re going to decrease the base into an oval shape so the finished squishy has a distinct front and back. These 10 sc make sure the color change earlier is at the back of your squishy, not on the side. I find it helpful to mark my new position with a stitch marker – this is the new start/end point for the final 3 rounds.

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” tail.

Adding the eyes and closing the body

Spread the body of your bubble tea out flat in front of you, with the color change at the back. Position the eyes between rows 10 and 11, and 6 sts apart. Press the backs on firmly.

You can also embroider on the mouth at this stage if you prefer, but I like to leave it until nearer the end.

Now stuff the body firmly, and crochet the final round:

26th round: 8 dec (8 sts).

Picture the remaining stitches as two rows of four, running from left to right on the bottom of your squishy, and join them using mattress stitch through the front loops only. Here’s an illustration of where the stitches go (the needle is already in the place of the first stitch):

Make the stitches loosely at first so you can see clearly where to put each one, then tighten them either one at a time, or by pinching the start point firmly and pulling the yarn tail in the other direction. Tie off the yarn, and poke the end inside the body.

Now make the boba, and the straw.

The boba

Using DK yarn:

Magic circle or 4-chain loop to start.
Round 1: Ch 1, 8 sc into the center of the circle or loop.
Round 2: 8 inc (16 sts). Sl st once, cut the yarn with a long tail for sewing, and pull the yarn tail all the way through the sl st.

Make 25 – 30. I made and positioned the first 25, then worked out what gaps I had, and made 4 more to fill them. That way, you won’t be left with spares.

Bigger boba?

When I started developing this pattern, my intention was to make the boba from the same super bulky fluffy yarn I used to make the body. In the end, I didn’t like how it looked. I felt they stuck out too much for something that’s supposed to be inside the cup, and I couldn’t fit many in. But I thought I’d share a photo of how they were looking before I ditched them and switched to DK yarn. You might feel differently about them!

They would certainly have been quicker. Using super bulky yarn, follow the same pattern as above, but skip round 2 completely!

The straw

Using DK yarn:

Magic circle or 4-chain loop to start.
Round 1: Ch 1, 8 sc into the center of the circle or loop.
Round 2 onwards: Sc round until your straw measures 2” to 3” long. My straw has 14 rows and measures 2.5”. Sl st once, cut the yarn with a long tail for sewing, and pull the yarn tail all the way through the sl st.

Stuff firmly with toy stuffing or yarn scraps. I like using yarn scraps because they have less bounce (and it’s a little bit thrifty!)

Assembling your squishy

You’re nearly there – it’s time to sew the boba and straw onto the body. Here are some tips for positioning the boba:

• Start from the bottom and work upwards.
• Remember boba sink, so tuck some almost underneath your squishy. If you have a gap at the bottom, it looks like they’re floating in a rather improbable way.

• Try to avoid stacking them in neat offset rows. You don’t want them to look stiff, so embrace wobbly lines and uneven gaps!
• You don’t need to sew them down through every stitch around the edge – 7 or 8 stitches per boba is plenty.

Add the straw at the top of the cup, and ever so slightly off center.

Finishing touch – the smile

Embroider the smile with a double thickness of the yarn you used for the boba. Push the darning needle in through the back of the body, and out at the front where your first stitch will begin. Make sure the tail of the yarn stays sticking out from the back of the body. Make the smile with three stitches:

At the end of the last stitch, push the needle out through the back of the body in the same place it went in. Knot the yarn tails together, and poke them inside the body. The stuffing will keep them anchored in place.

Project complete!

It’s time to give your bubble tea squishy a name, and show it off to every tweenager you know!

Squishy crochet bubble tea pattern – summary

I had a lot of fun developing this pattern. It’s made from very straightforward shapes, and I’m confident that even beginners will enjoy it. The only bit which demanded some patience was making and sewing on all the boba. It probably helps if you enjoy making projects like granny square blankets, because it’s the same kind of methodical, repetitive work.

I’d love to see how your finished bubble tea squishy turns out. Please tag Lucy on Instagram or Facebook to show us your boba!

*The products linked in this pattern were carefully selected by Lucy Kate Crochet. If you decide to purchase using the links provided, we may earn a small commission on that sale. This is at no extra cost to you.

The post Squishy Crochet Bubble Tea Pattern appeared first on Lucy Kate Crochet.

Well hello! This is Bruno, my squishy crochet bear pattern. He is the perfect gift for any child: charmingly homespun, and irresistible to touch and cuddle. And best of all, he’s very straightforward, quick, and beginner-friendly to make. So if more sophisticated amigurumi bear patterns feel out of reach for you, or you simply don’t have time left to make one, then Bruno will come to the rescue!

You will need

It doesn’t take much to crochet your own squishy bear. I love using chenille and velvet yarns to make amigurumi plushies because they really enhance the tactile appeal of the finished toy. Teddy bears exist to be cuddled, after all! But you can make your own bear in any yarn you have to hand – flecked and tweed yarns look especially cozy and effective. I’ve included notes about how your choice of yarn will affect your completed bear as I’ve gone along.

To make Bruno I used:

• Approximately ⅔ of a ball of Paintbox Chenille yarn* in chocolate for the body.
• Smaller quantities of Paintbox Chenille* in latte for the inner ears, and King Cole Yummy yarn* in black for the embroidery.
• Size J (6mm) crochet hook
• Stitch markers
• Pins
• Safety eyes*
• Scissors
• Darning needle
• Hi-loft polyester toy stuffing* (eg. Polyfil)

NOTES ON MATERIALS:

• Choose three yarns all the same weight. Mine are all super bulky yarns.
• I took this picture after I had finished designing and refining the pattern, so the brown chenille is what I had left, not how much I used!
• If you crochet loosely, use a crochet hook one size smaller than the yarn wrapper recommends so that you can stuff your bear firmly without the stuffing poking out between the stitches. Paintbox recommend using a size K (7mm) hook with their Chenille yarn, so I use a size J.
• My safety eyes are ⅝” (16mm). I’ve included notes in the next section about what size eyes to use with different yarns.

How big is my squishy crochet bear?

Bruno is approximately 7” tall (not including his ears). He’s how he’d look if you chose a different yarn weight, and what size safety eyes to use.

Bulky – 6” tall, use ⅝” (16mm) eyes
Worsted – 5” tall, use ½” (12mm) eyes.
DK – 4” tall, use ⅜” (10mm eyes).

I haven’t tried going any smaller yet, or even going bigger with a jumbo yarn! If you give it a go, please please let me know how you get on in the comments box!

Whatever size yarn you choose, the pattern remains the same.

Squishy crochet bear pattern

Bruno’s body is made to the exact same template as my cat, owl, and ice pop patterns. His ears and muzzle are made separately and added last. The pattern uses standard American crochet terms and the stitches you’ll need to use are:

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

I like to use an invisible decrease for amigurumi toys, because it leaves smaller gaps between the stitches. If you’re unfamiliar with it, simply:

• Insert your hook through the first loop only of the first stitch and the front loop only of the second stitch (fig. 1).
• Yarn over and draw through a loop.
• Yarn over and draw through both loops on hook (fig. 2).

To make the muzzle you’ll also need to follow stitch instructions in round brackets. If you haven’t encountered them before, I’ll explain what they mean when we get there. But for now, let’s get started!

The body

To begin you can either make a magic circle, or chain 4 and slip stitch into the 4th chain to join. I prefer a magic circle when I’m using smooth yarns, and a 4-chain loop when I’m using fluffy yarns like these.

• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the center of the magic circle or 4-chain 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: *1 sc, inc* 8 times (40 sts)
• 6th – 23rd rounds: 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.

The ears

Bruno’s ears are one of his cutest features, and each ear is made in two parts. You’ll need the same yarn you’ve used for the body, and a contrasting yarn for the inner ear. Start with the contrasting yarn and make two inner ear pieces:

• Magic circle or 4-chain loop to start.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 7 into the center of the magic circle or 4-chain loop (7 sts)
• 2nd round: 7 inc (14 sts), sl st into the next stitch, cut the yarn with a 3” tail. Pull the yarn all the way through the sl st, and make sure you can still make out 14 clear stitches around the edge of the circle. Weave in the yarn tails a little, then trim them short.

Making and joining the backs of the ears

The backs of the ears start in the same way as the fronts. In the third round you join the fronts and backs together:

• Magic circle or 4-chain loop to start.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 7 into the center of the magic circle or 4-chain loop (7 sts)
• 2nd round: 7 inc (14 sts)
• Free your hook, hold the back of the ear against the inner ear, with the wrong sides facing each other, and the inner ear closest to your hand.
• Insert the hook through both loops of one of the stitches at the edge of the inner ear, and return it into the same loop you freed it from on the back of the ear (fig. 1). If your crochet hook doesn’t have a handle, you can simply thread the inner ear piece on from the other end of the needle, without unhooking your work!
• Draw the loop on your hook through the stitch of the inner ear (fig. 2).

• 3rd round: Starting at the next stitch along anticlockwise (clockwise if you’re left handed), single crochet into both loops of both ear pieces (Fig. 3 & 4). Continue all the way round (14 sts).
• NOTE: You’ll be changing direction on the back piece – this is correct!
• Sl st once into the next st along, cut the yarn with a long tail for sewing and pull the yarn tail all the way through the slip stitch.

Here you can see how the ear forms a sturdy, 3-dimensional saucer shape, without needing any stuffing:

Repeat for the other ear.

Muzzle

The muzzle is also worked in rounds, but with a mix of longer and shorter stitches, to give it it’s distinctive shape. This is where instructions in round brackets come in. Round brackets mean ‘make all the stitches inside the round brackets in the same place’. For example, (sc, hdc) means make a single crochet and a half double crochet into the same stitch.

To make the muzzle:

• Magic circle or 4-chain loop to start.
• 1st round: Ch 1, sc 8 into the center of the magic circle or 4-chain loop (8 sts).
• 2nd round: Inc, (sc, hdc), (2 dc), (hdc, sc), (sc, hdc), (2 dc), (hdc, sc), inc (16 sts). Here’s an illustrtation of how that looks:

• Sl st into the next st, cut the yarn with a long tail for sewing, and pull the yarn tail all the way through the sl st.

You should be left with a trapezoid shape. It’s in the nature of crochet stitches to slant slightly, which can distort the shape. If you like, you can steam the muzzle gently with an iron, and give the edges a little tug to straighten them out. Just be careful not to melt a polyester yarn!

Embroidering the nose and mouth

Embroidering features onto amigurumi is usually the most nerve wracking part for me – what if all my work so far ends up ruined with a scowling expression?? But luckily, embroidering this little guy’s face could hardly be any easier or more foolproof. It simply follows the stitch pattern in the muzzle. In this photo, each pink line is one stitch:

Begin with the nose. Bring the yarn up through the center of the muzzle, leaving a short tail at the back for tying off. Make the middle two stitches to the top of the nose first, then the two pairs of stitches on either side.

Next make the mouth. You can make his smile smaller or wider by making shorter or longer stitches. Or even give him a wry lopsided smile by making one stitch longer than the other! Finally, make a stitch joining the center of the mouth to the bottom of the nose. Then tie the two yarn tails together, and trim them short.

Assembling your squishy crochet bear

Now all the parts are made, so it’s time to assemble your bear. You’ll need to attach the eyes before stuffing and closing the body, but it’s up to you whether you sew on the ears and muzzle as well, or do it afterwards. I prefer to stuff and close the body first, so that’s what I’ll describe here. But just jump up and down through the instructions to follow them in a different order if you wish.

The eyes go between rows 11 and 12, and 6 sts apart. Stuff the bear firmly, and close the base:

• Round 26: 8 dec (8 sts)

Picture the remaining 8 stitches as two parallel rows of 4 stitches, and join them using mattress stitch though the outside loops only. Picture 1 shows the darning needle already making the first stitch, and where to put the following stitches. If you’re using fluffy yarn like me, it’s sometimes easier to tighten them as you go. But for smooth yarns you can make all the stitches loosely (picture 2), then pinch the place where you started firmly, and pull the yarn in the opposite direction (picture 3).

Tie off the yarn tail, and poke it inside the body.

Sewing on the ears and muzzle

We’re on the home straight now. Use the yarn tail on the muzzle to whip stitch it onto the body, just below the eyes. Tie off the end, and poke it inside the body. Join the ears onto the head with whip stitch. Position them three rows to each side of center on top of the head and half way back. It’s a good idea to pin them down and look at them from all angle before you commit to stitching.

And then, hey presto! Your super cute squishy crochet bear is done!

Squishy crochet bear pattern – summary

There’s something really special and sentimental about making a teddy bear for a child. Lucy also has a beautiful amigurumi pattern for the quintessential childhood teddy. It’s very beginner-friendly too, but what I hope I’ve created here is something even more accessible, for people just starting to find their feet in crochet. My 10 year old is delighted with her new cuddly toy, and I hope you will be too. I’d love to see a photo on Lucy’s Facebook or Instagram. Happy crocheting!

*The products linked in this pattern were carefully selected by Lucy Kate Crochet. If you decide to purchase using the links provided, we may earn a small commission on that sale. This is at no extra cost to you.

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