A lot of people have been asking about crochet stuffed animals lately. As you know, I don’t typically do a lot of amigurumi or stuffies. Everyone has their lane and that hasn’t traditionally been mine. But I do have some things to share from here on the site. And, more importantly, I want to tell you where I think you can go to find some of the best crochet stuffed animals patterns, tutorials, and tips.
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Crochet Stuffed Animals vs. Amigurumi
Many people use the terms amigurumi and crochet stuffies interchangeably. Technically, they’re different. Amigurumi, at its heart, is a Japanese-inspired niche of crochet. It primarily uses single crochet stitched in the round to create cute little creatures (often, but not always, animals.) So, technically, these are crochet stuffed animals.
However, not all crochet stuffies are amigurumi. You can use a variety of different crochet stitches to make animals in various sizes. A life-sized crochet teddy bear isn’t amigurumi. But it is a stuffed crochet animal. In this post, I’ll share both amigurumi and crochet stuffed animals. Why? Because most people who are asking about these patterns are actually interested in both.
Red Heart Sparkle and Shimmer Crochet Unicorn
I did a video tutorial, both left and right handed, for the Red Heart Sparkle and Shimmer Crochet Unicorn free pattern. This uses Red Heart Amigurumi Yarn which is a great choice for people just getting started with amigurumi. Find more information here. Watch the right-handed video below; if you go to the video on YouTube it’ll give you the link the the left-handed version as well.
Even though I’m not much of an amigurumi person, these are really fun to make. They’re truly joyful. And they make terrific gifts for anyone in your life who needs a little whimsy, magic, and beauty.
Crochet Holiday Armadillo
There’s a whole fun story behind this pattern. It’s also available in a knit version. It’s so cute for the holidays, how can you resist?
Fun Animal Pillows Book
One idea that I love is to take a traditional stuffed animal and turn it into a pillow. After all, kids are always hugging and squeezing their stuffies. So making crochet stuffed animals into pillows is both cute and functional. That’s why I was happy to review Kristi Simpson’s book of these types of patterns awhile back. There are nine patterns in the book. They’re all adorable. And again, these make perfect gifts for the people in your life.
Cute Amigurumi Monsters
Here’s another book I reviewed in the past. It’s great because it makes monsters feel fun and safe. With Halloween coming up, this is a good one to work with right now!
3 More Crochet Stuffed Animals Leisure Arts Books
It’s really fun when you find unique patterns for crochet stuffed animals. That’s why I like the pillow idea above. And here are three more Leisure Arts books that fall into this category:
Cuddle Buddies is classic crochet stuffed animals. But the detail on them, with the color changes, the little toes on the feet, etc. makes them a bit special. Plus look at that kangaroo kid in the pouch. Adorable.
Car Seat Cuties takes the idea of classic crochet stuffed animals and adapts it for kids in car seats. This is a great way to keep your kids entertained in the car. Plus it keeps their hands busy so they aren’t fiddling with those car seat buckles. And, of course, the patterns are cute.
And finally this fun twist: Animal Backpacks. You take the concept of a stuffed animal but turn it into a functional, cute backpack. Kids love these. It’s a stuffed animal that they can take with them to school.
Top Amigurumi Patterns and Tips: All From Jade
Back when I did my recent roundup of the Top 100 Instagrammers to follow for knit and crochet, I was absolutely remiss not to include @allfromjade. She’s been doing an awesome series of reels over there this week with quick, effective, unique, and interesting amigurumi tips. Definitely check her out. Moreover, she has an Etsy store rich with brilliant and adorable amigurumi patterns.
Note that I did include several other amigurumi designers on the Top 100 list so be sure to check that out to follow more people if this is a niche of crochet you love!
More Crochet Stuffed Animals Patterns
Etsy is one really good source for high quality crochet stuffed animal patterns. Start here.
Additional Posts Featuring Amigurumi and Crochet Stuffie Patterns:
You’ll find lots more suggestions for amigurumi and crochet stuffed animals in these posts:
[…] person, It’s just not usually my thing. Not that I have anything against amigurumi or crochet stuffed animals. It’s just that we all have our lane, right? And that’s not usually mine. Personally, I […]