Crochet Magical Creatures: 20 Easy Amigurumi Patterns

By Drew Hill

Pick up the amigurumi crochet book that's perfect for beginners and experts alike, with easy crochet patterns for adorable, crochet, magical creatures!

Grab your hook and dive into amigurumi designs that transform yarn into magical creatures, perfect for crochet enthusiasts. Learn about amigurumi, the Japanese art of crocheting stuffed toys, and use it to make a collection of cute, magical creatures. Even if you're new to crocheting, this book makes it easy to create critters like griffins and cat-icorns in no time!

Build your toolkit—Learn all about choosing different hook sizes, selecting the perfect yarn for your project, and stocking must-have amigurumi accessories like stuffing and stitch markers.

Get stitching—Use clear step-by-step instructions to review essential crochet techniques, including the magic ring and single and double crochet, as well as fun stitches like the picot.

Jump into easy crochet patterns—Make dazzling dragons, marvelous mermaids, and more, with 20 simple amigurumi patterns that will have you crocheting with confidence.

Add a little enchantment to your life as you discover the joy of crocheting fantastical creatures!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Sep 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638072584

Drew Hill

DREW HILL is an amigurumi designer and fiber arts enthusiast. After years of crocheting as a hobby, he decided to take things to the next level and opened Drewbie’s Zoo, where he sells finished amigurumi and offers both free and premium patterns. To learn more, visit www.drewbieszoo.com or @drewbieszoo.

Book preview

PART ONE

The Magical World of Amigurumi

In this part, we will go over how to choose the right supplies for your project and how to read a pattern, as well as the basic stitches and techniques you will need to create magical amigurumi. Amigurumi are typically constructed by crocheting several separate pieces that are then filled with stuffing and sewn together. Most of the pieces are crocheted in the round and given shape by increasing or decreasing the number of stitches per round. We will also cover how to put the finishing touches on your creatures, as well as how to care for them, so they’ll last for years to come.

Amazing Amigurumi

Crochet is an incredibly versatile craft, which means there is no limit to the wonderful amigurumi you can make with it. You can combine different shapes and stitches to create a variety of creatures, from the simply adorable to the fabulously beautiful. Even traditionally scary monsters will warm your heart when they’re made out of yarn. Although a blank canvas of possibility might seem intimidating, amigurumi do not have to be overly complex to be incredible.

The patterns in this book are designed specifically to be easy and customizable. Once you’ve made a few of these designs, you’ll notice that a lot of elements repeat themselves, and that many of these creatures have the same head and body shapes. Accent pieces like the tail fins of a mermaid might appear in a different color as the ears of an ogre. This repetition will make it easier for you to craft a wide variety of creatures and will also give you the freedom to personalize them. If you think the dragon would look cuter without horns, leave them off. If you think the mermaid could use a pair of wings, add them. Once you’ve learned the simple skills presented in this book, you get to make the rules.

Create an Easy Crochet Tool Kit

A witch’s pantry is packed with countless strange ingredients and magical artifacts to aid her in spellcasting. Similarly, crocheters can collect and use many wonderful gadgets. But the truth is that you don’t actually need much to get started. Here, we’ll cover the basic supplies you’ll need to craft adorable amigurumi.

GETTING HOOKED

Your hook is the most important tool in your crochet kit, and it’s essential to find the one that will work best for you. In many ways, picking a hook is like selecting a magic wand: You need to consider the material it’s made from, its size and shape, and the way it feels in your hand. The size of the hook you use will depend on the type of yarn you select for your project; the rest is based on your personal preference.

Most crafters begin with a simple aluminum hook, and many still swear by them after years of crocheting. They are easily the most affordable and readily available option and are found in many craft supply stores. The two most widely known brands of aluminum hooks are Susan Bates and Boye. Both brands are incredibly comfortable to use, and the main difference between them is the point (the very tip of the hook, which gets inserted into the stitch) and the throat (the space directly below the hook). Susan Bates hooks have a pointier point and an inline throat, which can be great for beginners as it really helps grab the yarn. I have found that when working with certain types of yarn, however, these hooks can accidentally split the fibers, which might lead to some non-magical cursing. Boye hooks have a much rounder point and a tapered throat, which I find slides through the yarn much more easily—like a phoenix feather through butter.

Hooks come in a variety of materials other than aluminum: bamboo, stainless steel, and plastic, to name just a few. Choose whichever type feels right in your hand. I tried using a plastic hook once, but unfortunately, I was hexed with the hands of an ogre and I quickly snapped it. My personal favorite hook is a Clover Amour hook, which is an aluminum hook with an ergonomic handle (my ogre hands need the extra grip). I also have a small collection of beautiful hand-carved wooden hooks, but these can be quite expensive. I recommend sticking to the more cost-friendly options until you know exactly what you’re looking for in a hook.

Most hooks are labeled with both US and metric sizes, but just in case you find a hook with only one size listed, here is a helpful chart of hook sizes:

SPINNING A YARN

Choosing the perfect yarn for your project is one of the most fun parts of the crochet process, second only to seeing your finished creature. Yarn comes in such a wide variety of colors, textures, materials, and sizes and each type of yarn has its advantages and disadvantages when making amigurumi. Here, we’ll cover the basics of the different types of yarn and how to choose the right one for your project.

There are three main types of yarn: animal fiber, plant fiber, and synthetic fiber. Animal fiber includes sheep’s wool, alpaca, angora, and any fiber that was once attached to or made by a live creature. Animal fiber can be an absolute dream to work with, but it does come with a set of challenges that should be taken into consideration. Some people, for instance, suffer from allergies to animal fibers, whereas others abstain from using any animal products for personal reasons. Animal fibers also have very specific care instructions, making them less than ideal for amigurumi, which receive a lot of handling and tend to require more frequent and specialized cleaning. Animal fibers are also typically the most expensive option.

Plant fibers include cotton, hemp, and any fiber that once grew from the earth. (I even have some yarn made from banana fiber.) Plant fiber is an excellent alternative to animal fiber and can be just as luxurious. Many crafters I know do the majority of their work in cotton yarn, and the results are breathtaking. However, I have found that as time goes on, most amigurumi made with plant fibers tend to lose their figures a bit.

Finally, we have synthetic fibers, such as acrylic and polyester. These are yarns made from plastic and other synthetic materials. By far the most economical option, synthetic yarns are also my favorite for making amigurumi. Most synthetic fibers are easy to care for, hypoallergenic, and keep their shape for far longer than other fibers. Because amigurumi are meant to be handled, played with, and loved, they need to be strong, flexible, and easy to clean—like synthetic fibers.

The other thing to consider is a yarn’s weight, or thickness. Yarn comes in different sizes or weights, starting with size 0 lace weight and going all the way up to size 7 jumbo weight. The weight of your yarn will determine the final size of your amigurumi (see Gauging Giants & Borrowers: Sizing Your Amigurumi). I made all the creatures in this book using 100 percent acrylic yarn in size 4 worsted weight (except for the jumbo Kraken, which was made using 100 percent polyester yarn in size 6 super bulky weight), but they can easily be made from another yarn of your choosing.

Skeins of yarn.

Although some crochet projects can eat up a lot of yarn, the patterns in this book do not. Each project requires less than a full skein of each color listed. I purchased one skein of each yarn, used the same skein for multiple creatures, and had plenty of yarn left over.

ACCESSORIES

In addition to your hook, there are a few other tools you’ll need when creating your amigurumi.

Scissors: You’ll need a good pair of scissors for trimming yarn ends. Find a pair that fits your hands comfortably.

Tapestry needle: A tapestry or darning needle is slightly larger than an embroidery needle and has a blunt tip and oversized eye. You’ll use this for sewing the pieces of your amigurumi together and for weaving in loose yarn ends. The needles come in plastic and metal and can be straight or have a curved tip.

Stitch markers: Removable stitch markers are one of the best ways to keep track of where your round begins and ends, and they also allow you to mark the placement of key elements, such as eyes. You can buy adorable, fancy stitch markers, or you can use bobby pins or even a scrap of yarn in a contrasting color.

Safety eyes: Safety eyes are small plastic eyes that come in two pieces: a round eye with a threaded peg and a plastic washer. The peg is inserted between stitches on the amigurumi and then through the washer, which holds it in place. Eyes come in a wonderful variety of sizes and colors. They are very secure but are not recommended for children under the age of three. If you’re making a toy for an infant or young toddler, it is best to sew on a piece of felt for the eyes or use yarn to embroider the eyes.

Stuffing: Polyester fiberfill (often sold as Poly-Fil) is used to give amigurumi their shape. It is available at most major craft stores and online.

Different crochet needles, pins, scissors, stitch marks, safety eyes.

Felt: Craft felt can be used to add details to your amigurumi. For any small detail that would be difficult to make out of yarn (such as eyes or noses), simply cut the shape out of craft felt and attach it with embroidery floss and a needle or use a hot glue gun. (Hot glue works best with synthetic fibers like acrylic, because the heat fuses the fibers together. For animal or plant fibers, I recommend embroidering the felt onto the project.)

Project bag: This is a must-have if you like to craft on the go. A project bag keeps all your supplies for your current project organized and together.

A crocheted octopus and monster.

Fantastical Additions

The world of amigurumi is getting more magical each day, and new ways of customizing and personalizing your creatures are being introduced all the time. To give your creations a little extra shimmer, try using sparkle yarn, which comes with tinsel woven into it. Safety eyes also come in a broad range of styles, sizes, and colors. From dragon eyes to holographic rainbow eyes, there are tons of options, and most can be purchased online or in specialty craft stores.

You can apply powder blush to cheeks or even trim down false eyelashes to add to your character. If you’re giving your amigurumi away as a gift, consider adding some biodegradable confetti to the packaging or using tulle netting instead of tissue paper and tie it closed with a ribbon bow. Make sure your finished project shows how much time, effort, and love you poured into it so the recipient knows just how special they are to you.

Reading a Pattern

At first glance, a crochet pattern can seem like a complicated spell that uses unfamiliar words from an ancient language. But with a little bit of practice and a basic understanding of how patterns are laid out, you’ll be speaking fluent crochet in no time. The patterns in this book all follow the same formula and have been designed to get you crocheting as quickly as possible.

Each pattern starts with a list of materials to gather: the color and weight of yarn, hook size, and any additional accessories and tools you will need. This is followed by a complete list of all the types of stitches that will be used and their abbreviations. I always recommend reading through the list of stitches before beginning; so you can practice any that you are less familiar with.

The heart of the pattern is the instructions. These are a step-by-step guide for how to complete each round, as well as notations to let you know when to repeat a set of stitches. The instructions are written using the stitch abbreviations. Lastly, at the end of each pattern there are tips explaining how to assemble your amigurumi and add any finishing touches. I always find it helpful to read through the instructions from start to finish at least once before beginning a project to familiarize myself with the coming steps.

US VS UK

The patterns in this book are written with US terminology, which can lead to some confusion if you are already familiar with UK crochet terms. The most obvious difference between the two sets of terminologies is that a single crochet in the United States is called a double crochet in the United Kingdom. If you’re more familiar with UK terminology, here is a helpful chart to make sure you’re using the right stitches when working on your project.

Essential Amigurumi Stitches

The most common stitch used in amigurumi is the single crochet stitch, because it creates a nice tidy fabric with very little space between stitches. When you combine the single crochet stitch with a few other basic stitches, you’ll be able to make any number of magical creatures. .

MAGIC RING

The magic ring is created by crocheting into a large loop that can be cinched tight; this loop is created by wrapping the yarn around your fingers and working into the center.

A hand looping yarn through a needle.

Step 1: With the tail end closest to you, drape the working end of the yarn over your index and middle fingers. Wrap the working end around both fingers once. Insert the hook between the yarn and top of the fingers.

Yarn through an eye in a needle.

Step 2: With your dominant hand index finger, hold the yarn in place and drop the nondominant hand fingers from the ring. With your nondominant hand, secure the working end of the yarn.

Yarn going back through a loop of yarn.

Step 3: Hook the working yarn and pull it through the center of the ring.

A needle holding a loop of yarn.

Step 4: Chain 1 to secure the ring.

A chain stitch.

Step 5: You will work