LAUREN ESPY
15 Crochet Patterns to Create Adorable Amigurumi Critters
TABLE OF CONTENTS WE LCO M E
OCEAN
JUNGLE
FO R E S T
Introduction
5
Tools & Materials
6
Abbreviations
9
Stitches & Techniques
10
Clownfish
26
Crab
34
Great White Shark
40
Manta Ray
48
Orca
56
Monkey
66
Sloth
78
Snake
88
Tiger
94
Toucan
106
Fox
120
Owl
132
Raccoon
140
Skunk
152
Squirrel
164
AC K N OWL E D G M E N T S
174
I NTROD UCTI O N Hello, friends! I’m so excited that you’re here for this new amigurumi adventure! My love for crochet started back in 2009 after my grandma gifted me a set of crochet hooks, yarn, and a book about amigurumi. Discovering I could make cute toys out of yarn and a hook fascinated me. I ended up teaching myself how to crochet with the help of some online videos, and after making my first project—a wonky-looking octopus—I was obsessed. After getting the hang of how to make amigurumi and how to crochet different shapes, I started designing my own toys. Being able to sketch out a design and turn it into something physical will always be my favorite part of being a crochet designer. Seeing an item come to life is such a cool thing! In 2015, I finally opened my online shop, A Menagerie of Stitches, where I sell finished items as well as patterns for other crocheters to make their own amigurumi. Since then, I have published many more patterns and even wrote two books, Whimsical Stitches and Crochet Cafe. It’s been so much fun to see everyone make amigurumi and fall in love with crochet after picking up my first two books.
For this book, I decided to explore a theme I haven’t really dipped my toes into before, and that is the world of animals! Animals are amazing creatures and I loved getting to learn more about them as I crocheted each one. Each chapter of this book contains five animals that can be found in different parts of the world. We begin our trek with a trip to the ocean to visit some clever clownfish and crabs. Next, we venture into the jungle to meet a curious sloth and a very talkative toucan. Then we take a hike through a forest and discover a fox and squirrel chatting. As you navigate through this book, I hope you find your favorite animal or discover a few new ones to love. Customize them by choosing your favorite yarn colors or adding little embellishments. The possibilities are endless! I’m ready for this next adventure and can’t wait to take you all along with me. Pack your yarn and crochet hooks and let’s go meet some seriously cute animals! Happy crocheting! Lauren
5
TOOLS & MATERIALS YA R N
There are many different types of yarns to choose from, but my favorite for amigurumi is a worsted weight acrylic. Worsted weight is referred to as a level 4, or medium weight yarn. I like using acrylic because it comes in lots of different colors, is affordable, and works great for making amigurumi. Choose your favorite brands and colors for the animals in this book! For a list of the specific brands and exact colors I used throughout this book, please visit my website, www.amenagerieofstitchesblog.com
CROCHET HOOK
Crochet hooks come in a variety of sizes and can be made from aluminum, plastic, or wood. I typically grab an aluminum hook with an ergonomic handle, as this feels best in my hand while crocheting. Make sure to pick a hook that works and feels comfortable in your hand.
6
To keep it simple, all the patterns in this book will use a F/3.75mm crochet hook. Of course, you may choose to use a larger or smaller hook, if you prefer. Just be aware that your animals could turn out smaller or larger depending on the hook size you use.
SAFET Y E YES
Safety eyes come in a wide variety of sizes and colors. They have a plastic or metal washer that attaches to the back of the eye once inserted into the crocheted piece. Make sure you have positioned the eyes exactly where you would like before attaching the backs, as they are impossible to remove once attached. Buttons, felt, or embroidered eyes are a great alternative to safety eyes. For the patterns in this book, we will be using solid black eyes in the following sizes: 9mm, 10mm, 10.5mm, and 12mm. If you plan on giving the items you make to small children, I always recommend replacing the safety eyes with felt or embroidering them on with yarn or embroidery floss.
FIBERFILL STUFFING
Polyester fiberfill is great for stuffing amigurumi. Make sure to add enough so that the piece will hold its shape, but be sure to not overstuff. Adding too much will cause the stitches to stretch and the fiberfill to show through. Use a chopstick or the end of a crochet hook to help get fiberfill into smaller parts that your fingers can’t reach.
YA R N N E E D L E
An essential part of amigurumi! Also called a darning or tapestry needle, yarn needles are ideal for sewing pieces together or weaving in ends. They have a blunt tip and a much larger eye, making it super easy to thread yarn onto it.
7
S T I TC H M A R K E R S
Stitch markers are a must when making amigurumi! Because we will be crocheting in the round, we’ll need to use one of these to mark the end of the previous round. Alternatively, you can use a contrasting piece of yarn or a safety pin instead.
EMBROIDERY NEEDLE AND FLOSS
These are used for adding the finer details to amigurumi, like mouths and noses. I like to use embroidery floss when adding these details because it comes in so many different colors and is a lot thinner than yarn. For the projects in this book, we’ll be using black, dark green, and pink embroidery floss.
SCISSORS
A sharp pair of scissors will come in handy for cutting out felt shapes or trimming yarn and embroidery floss.
STRAIGHT PINS
Before assembling the pieces of your animal, use straight pins to position the items. This will help you make sure your items are right where you want them before you commit to sewing them on.
8
F E LT
I love using felt to add small details and texture to an animal. Things like noses and eyes can be easily made using different colored felt. Use a hot glue gun or embroidery floss to attach the felt to the crocheted pieces. For these projects, we’ll be using black, pink, and lime green felt.
A LU M I N U M C R A F T W I R E
Much thicker and sturdier than pipe cleaners, craft wire is helpful in making larger pieces bend. We’ll be using 16 gauge aluminum craft wire for the Snake pattern found in the Jungle chapter (page 88).
H OT G LU E G U N
I love using a hot glue gun to attach felt or crocheted details to a piece. The outcome is always much cleaner and gives the animal a polished look. The trick is to go slow and only add a little bit of glue at a time. Gluing these kinds of details in place is much faster than sewing. If you prefer to not use hot glue, sewing with embroidery floss and a needle is a great alternative.
PET SLICKER BRUSH
One of my favorite tools to use! Using a pet slicker brush helps fluff up the yarn and give the piece a different texture. Use this brush on the tail of the Squirrel (page 164).
ABBREVIATIONS All patterns in this book are written using U.S. crochet terminology. BLO - Back Loops Only Bo - Bobble Ch - Chain Dc - Double Crochet Dc Inc - Double Crochet Increase Dec - Decrease FLO - Front Loops Only Hdc - Half Double Crochet Hdc Inc - Half Double Crochet Increase Inc - Increase Inv Dec - Invisible Decrease Mini Bo - Mini Bobble Mr - Magic Ring R- Round or Row Sc - Single Crochet Sl St - Slip Stitch St/s - Stitch/es Tr - Treble Crochet Tr Inc - Treble Crochet Increase Yo - Yarn Over * - Repeat the steps between asterisks as many times as stated. ( ) - The number inside the parentheses will indicate how many stitches you will have at the end of the round or row.
9
STITCHES AND TECHNIQUES For extra help, video tutorials on how to do these stitches can be found on my blog, www.amenagerieofstitchesblog.com, and on my YouTube channel, A Menagerie of Stitches.
G AU G E
While gauge is an important step in crocheting, for amigurumi it isn’t too important. Everyone holds the yarn differently, so your tension may be different than mine. Make sure your tension is even throughout and that your stitches aren’t too loose, allowing the fiberfill to show through. Keep in mind that using a smaller or larger hook size and different yarn will change the size of your toys. Measurements for each project are given and are a rough estimate of what the finished sizes will be.
YA R N OV E R ( YO)
To yarn over, simply take your hook and grab hold of the yarn. The yarn will go from the back to the front of the hook. (photo 1) The yarn will be going over your hook, and then you can proceed to pull it through the loop or stitch. 1
M AG I C R I N G ( M R )
10
To make a magic ring: 1. Make a loop and place the working yarn on top of the loose tail. (photo 1) 2. Insert hook into loop, grabbing the working yarn with the hook. Pull through the loop. (photos 2+3) 3. Yarn over and pull hook through loop. This is considered a “Ch 1.” (photos 4+5) This next step is where you will start making single crochets into the magic ring. 4. Insert the hook back into the loop, making sure to go underneath both loops. (photo 6) 5. Yarn over and pull hook through loop. 2 loops will be on the hook. (photos 7+8)
5
6
1
2
3
4
7
8
OCEAN 24
CLOWNFISH
CLOWNFISH
34
CRAB
40
GREAT WHITE SHARK
48
MANTA RAY
56
ORCA
25 CLOWNFISH
26
CLOW N F ISH EXPERT
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS Approx. 3 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall by 7.5 inches long 26 CLOWNFISH
M AT E R I A L S Worsted weight yarn: Orange, Black, and White Size F/3.75mm crochet hook One pair of 9mm safety eyes Polyester fiberfill stuffing Yarn needle Scissors Stitch marker Straight pins A B B R E V I AT I O N S Ch- Chain Dc- Double Crochet Dec- Decrease Hdc- Half Double Crochet Inc- Increase Inv Dec- Invisible Decrease R- Round/Row Sc- Single Crochet St/s- Stitch/es
CLOWNFISH
27
B O DY Note: There are quite a few color changes for this part of the pattern. When changing colors, simply drop the old color, pick up the new color, and continue crocheting as normal. This pattern is written so that when there is a color change, all you have to do is carry the yarn up the couple of rounds where it was last dropped.
28 CLOWNFISH
Using orange yarn, R1 6 sc in magic ring. (6 sts) R2 Inc in each st around. (12 sts) R3 *Sc 1, inc* 6 times. (18 sts) R4 Sc 18. R5 *Sc 2, inc* 6 times. (24 sts) R6 Sc 24. R7 *Sc 3, inc* 6 times. (30 sts) R8 Sc 30. R9 *Sc 4, inc* 6 times. (36 sts) Change to black yarn, R10 Sc 36.
Begin adding fiberfill and continue adding as you close the piece. Change to black yarn, R29
*Sc 3, inv dec* 6 times. (24 sts)
Fasten off black and orange yarn. Change to white yarn, R30 Sc 24. R31 *Sc 2, inv dec* 6 times. (18 sts) R32+33 Sc 18. R34 *Sc 1, inv dec* 6 times. (12 sts) R35 Inv dec around 6 times. (6 sts) Fasten off and leave a tail to close the piece. (photos 2+3)
Change to white yarn, R11 R12
*Sc 5, inc* 6 times. (42 sts) Sc 42.
Add the safety eyes between rounds 8 and 9, placing them 13 stitches apart. (photo 1)
1
Change to black yarn, R13
Sc 42.
Change to orange yarn, R14-18 Sc 42. Change to black yarn, R19
Sc 42.
Change to white yarn,
2
R20-22 Sc 42. Change to black yarn, R23 Sc 42. Change to orange yarn, R24+25 R26 R27 R28
Sc 42. *Sc 5, inv dec* 6 times. (36 sts) Sc 36. *Sc 4, inv dec* 6 times. (30 sts)
3
SIDE FINS: M AKE 2 Using orange yarn, Leave about 10 inches at the beginning for sewing. R1 Ch 5 then starting in the 2nd ch from hook and in both loops leaving the back “bump”, sc in each chain across. (4 sts) Ch 1 and turn. (photos 4+5) R2 Inc, sc 2, inc. (6 sts) Ch 1 and turn. R3 Inc, sc 4, inc. (8 sts) Ch 1 and turn. R4 Sc 8. Ch 1 and turn. R5 Dec, sc 4, dec. (6 sts) Ch 1 and turn. R6 Dec, sc 2, dec. (4 sts) Fasten off the orange yarn. (photo 6) R7
Join black yarn on the right side of the fin, in the 2nd hole along the edge, with a ch 1. (photos 7-10) Then sc in the next hole along the edge. (photos 11+12) Next sc across the 4 stitches from R6. (photo 13) Sc in the 1st hole on the edge of the left side. Then sc in the next hole along the edge. (6 sts) (photos 14+15)
29 CLOWNFISH
Fasten off and weave in all ends except the long tail left at the start. (photos 16+17) Using straight pins, pin the fins near round 16 on both sides of the body. (photos 18+19) With the yarn needle and the tail left at the beginning, sew the fins to the body. Secure with a knot and hide inside the body. (photos 20+21)
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
30 CLOWNFISH
TA I L Using orange yarn,
24
23
25
Fasten off the orange yarn. (photo 24) R9 Join black yarn on the right side of the fin, in the 1st hole along the edge, with a ch 1. (photos 25+26) Working into the stitches from R8: sc, hdc, dc, dc, hdc, sc. Then sc into the 1st hole along the edge of the left side. (8 sts) (photo 27)
31 CLOWNFISH
22
Leave about 10 inches at the beginning for sewing. R1 Ch 5 then starting in the 2nd ch from hook and in both loops leaving the back “bump”, sc in each chain across. (4 sts) Ch 1 and turn. (photos 22+23) R2 Inc, sc 2, inc. (6 sts) Ch 1 and turn. R3 Inc, sc 4, inc. (8 sts) Ch 1 and turn. R4 Inc, sc 6, inc. (10 sts) Ch 1 and turn. R5+6 Sc 10. Ch 1 and turn. R7 Dec, sc 6, dec. (8 sts) Ch 1 and turn. R8 Dec, sc 4, dec. (6 sts)
Fasten off and weave in all ends except the long tail left at the start. (photo 28) Using straight pins, pin the tail in the center of the body near rounds 34 and 35. (photo 29) With the yarn needle and the tail left at the beginning, sew the tail to the body. Secure with a knot and hide inside the body. (photo 30) 26
27
28
29
30
DORSAL FINS L ARGE: M AKE 2
Using orange yarn,
Leave about 10 inches at the beginning for sewing. R1
Ch 6 then starting in the 2nd ch from hook and in both loops leaving the back “bump”, hdc in each chain across. (5 sts) (photos 31+32)
Fasten off orange yarn. R2
Join black yarn into the first hdc and ch 1. (photos 33-36) Place 1 hdc into the same space as the ch and then hdc across the remaining 4 stitches. (5 sts) (photos 37+38)
Fasten off and weave in all ends except the long tail left at the start. (photo 39)
32 CLOWNFISH
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
SM ALL: M AKE 1 Using orange yarn, Leave about 10 inches at the beginning for sewing. R1 Ch 6 then starting in the 2nd ch from hook and in both loops leaving the back “bump”, sc in each chain across. (5 sts) (photos 40+41) Fasten off orange yarn. R2
41
42
43
44
47
Using straight pins, pin the fins on the body. Place one large fin between rounds 13-19 on the top of the body. Then place the second large fin on the underside of the body between rounds 23-28. For the small fin, place between rounds 2328 on the top of the body. Refer to photo 47 for positioning. With the yarn needle and leftover yarn tails from the start, sew the fins into place. Secure with a knot and hide inside the body. (photos 47-50)
45
48
46
49
50
33 CLOWNFISH
40
Join black yarn into the first sc and ch 1. (photos 42-44) Place 1 sc into the same space as the ch and then sc across the remaining 4 stitches. (5 sts) (photo 45) Fasten off and weave in all ends except the long tail left at the start. (photo 46)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I’m beyond grateful for all the people who helped make this book possible. Without their support, this book would still be just an idea on paper.
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A massive thank you to Lindsay, Clare, Peter, Brenna, Megan, and the entire team at Blue Star Press. It’s always an honor to work with all of you on these books. I’m so appreciative of the opportunity to share my work within these pages that you helped create. Thank you for constantly believing in me, for being flexible when I needed more time, and for cheering me on during every step of writing this book. To my incredible tech editor Carmen Nuland. I can’t thank you enough for investing so much of your time in making sure these patterns were accurate and as perfect as can be. Your attention to detail and thoughtful insight has helped me create another book I am so proud of. I had the great pleasure of working with an amazing group of pattern testers for these patterns. Abby Dalager, Andrea Thiessen, Anika Kam, Anna Hall, Anna Turek, Bianca Flatman, Christina Marie, Deidra Montalvo, Elizabeth Joersz, Eswen Fava, Jason Knop, Jenessa Davis, Lysa Rohrer, Megan Bopp, Melissa Pegan, Stephanie Cothran, Tina Shunk. Thank you for sharing not only your time and feedback with me, but also your talent. Seeing each of you create these animals during testing truly made for an unforgettable experience.
Copyright © 2022 Lauren Espy Published by Blue Star Press PO Box 8835, Bend, OR 97708 contact@bluestarpress.com www.bluestarpress.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Photography and writing by Lauren Espy Website: www.amenagerieofstitches.com Instagram: @amenagerieofstitches Cover Design by Megan Kesting Interior Design by Rhoda Wong ISBN: 9781950968602 Printed in COLOMBIA 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Animal Amigurumi Adventures features easy-to-follow patterns for all crochet skill levels. Lauren Espy, author of the bestselling amigurumi book Whimsical Stitches, provides detailed, step-by-step photos to help you crochet critters as cute as what you see on the page. Each animal averages 7-10 inches in size, making them the ideal size to display or play with.
THEMES IN THIS BOOK INCLUDE:
JUNGLE ANIMALS
like a tiger, toucan, and monkey
OCEAN ANIMALS
like a clownfish, crab, and orca
MATERIALS USED:
FOREST ANIMALS
like a squirrel, fox, and raccoon
$22.95 USD / $29.95 CAD ISBN 9781950968602
#4 Worsted Weight Yarn • Crochet Hook (U.S. Size F/3.75mm) Polyester Fiberfill • Safety Eyes (9mm, 10mm, 10.5mm, 12mm) • Yarn Needle Embroidery Floss and Needle • Stitch Markers • Fabric Scissors Aluminum Craft Wire • Felt • Straight Pins • Hot Glue Gun • Pet Slicker Brush
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9 781950 968602