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Crochet penguin: an amigurumi with a belly, wings and feet

Make a 36-stitch body with a flat base that narrows to the head, then a 22-stitch oval belly, two 9-stitch wings, a 6-stitch beak and two feet, and sew them on.

Go to the pattern ↓

Amigurumi roundsUS termsHook: 3.5 mm (US E-4), for tight stitchesSize from your washed swatchDK or worsted yarn

Know these stitches: magic ring, single crochet, single crochet decrease, crochet increase, back loop only, chain, slip stitch

The finished penguin.

Materials and yarn planning

Yarns we’ve reviewed that suit it: Bernat Softee Cotton yarn, Knit Picks Dishie Cone yarn, Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton DK yarn. For the hook, choose by size and handle.

Yarn estimate from the stitch counts: about 35 m of black or navy, 2 m of white, 2 m of orange. That allows about 4 cm of yarn per tight single crochet, plus a quarter for tails and sewing. One 50 g ball of a light or medium yarn holds about 80 m or more, so one ball of each color is enough.

Finished size and gauge

If S single crochets measure 10 cm in your tight swatch, the widest round of 36 stitches is 36 × 10 ÷ S cm around, so the body is about 36 × 10 ÷ (S × 3.14) cm across. These are calculations from the counts, not a measured sample.

The gauge calculator compares your swatch with the pattern. A stitch name you do not know is in the abbreviation chart; a UK pattern’s names are in the US/UK term reference.

The pattern

Count rows for this pattern

Body (black or navy)

  1. Round 1: make a magic ring and work 6 sc in it. Mark the first stitch and work in a spiral without joining (6 stitches).
  2. Round 2: 2 sc in each stitch (12 stitches).
  3. Round 3: [sc in the next stitch, 2 sc in the next stitch] 6 times (18 stitches).
  4. Round 4: [sc in the next 2 stitches, 2 sc in the next stitch] 6 times (24 stitches).
  5. Check the fabric now: hold it up to the light. If you can see gaps between the stitches, stuffing will show through them; start again with a hook 0.5 mm smaller.
  6. Round 5: [sc in the next 3 stitches, 2 sc in the next stitch] 6 times (30 stitches).
  7. Round 6: [sc in the next 4 stitches, 2 sc in the next stitch] 6 times (36 stitches).
  8. Round 7: sc in each stitch through the back loop only: the edge turns up and makes a flat base (36 stitches).
  9. Rounds 8–15: sc in each stitch (36 stitches).
  10. Round 16: [sc in the next 4 stitches, invisible decrease] 6 times (30 stitches).
  11. Rounds 17–18: sc in each stitch (30 stitches).
  12. Round 19: [sc in the next 3 stitches, invisible decrease] 6 times (24 stitches).
  13. Place the safety eyes now, while the top is still open: between Rounds 18 and 19, about 6 stitches apart. Safety eyes and other small parts can come loose: for a toy meant for a baby or a child under 3, embroider the eyes with yarn instead.
  14. Start stuffing: fill the body firmly and press the base flat on the table as you go.
  15. Round 20: [sc in the next 2 stitches, invisible decrease] 6 times (18 stitches).
  16. Round 21: [sc in the next stitch, invisible decrease] 6 times (12 stitches).
  17. Top up the stuffing through the small opening.
  18. Round 22: invisible decrease 6 times (6 stitches). Fasten off, thread the tail through the front loops of the last round and pull it closed.

Belly (white)

  1. Chain 8. Round 1: single crochet in the second chain from the hook and in the next 5 chains, 3 single crochets in the last chain, then, along the other side of the chain, single crochet in the next 5 chains and 2 single crochets in the last one (16 stitches).
  2. Round 2: 2 single crochets in the next stitch, single crochet in the next 5 stitches, 2 single crochets in each of the next 3 stitches, single crochet in the next 5 stitches and 2 single crochets in each of the last 2 stitches (22 stitches). Slip stitch to the next stitch and fasten off, leaving a long tail.

Wings, beak and feet

  1. Wings (make 2, black or navy): a magic ring with 6 sc, then [sc in the next stitch, 2 sc in the next stitch] 3 times (9 stitches), then 3 rounds of 9 sc. Flatten without stuffing and fasten off, leaving a tail.
  2. Beak (orange) round 1: make a magic ring and work 4 sc in it. Mark the first stitch and work in a spiral without joining (4 stitches).
  3. Beak (orange) round 2: [sc in the next stitch, 2 sc in the next stitch] 2 times (6 stitches).
  4. Fasten off the beak, leaving a tail.
  5. Feet (make 2, orange): a magic ring with 6 sc, then [sc in the next stitch, 2 sc in the next stitch] 3 times (9 stitches). Fasten off, leaving a tail; the feet stay flat.

Assemble

  1. Pin every piece before you sew, then look at the penguin from the front.
  2. Belly: center it on the front, below the eyes, with its long side up and down, from about Round 8 to Round 17. Sew around its whole edge.
  3. Beak: between the eyes and one round lower, the magic ring pointing out. Wings: one on each side at about Round 15, hanging down. Feet: under the front of the base, toes poking out.

Check the work

Body totals: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, then 36 for nine rounds (the first in back loops only), 30 for three rounds, then 24, 18, 12 and 6. Belly: 16, then 22. Wings: 6, 9, 9, 9, 9. Beak: 4, 6. Feet: 6, 9.

Single crochets by round, main piece6 · 12 · 18 · 24 · 30 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 30 · 30 · 30 · 24 · 18 · 12 · 6
  • If the penguin will not stand, the base was stuffed into a dome: take out a little stuffing at the bottom and press it flat again.
  • If the belly ripples, it was sewn on stretched: unpick and pin it flat first.

Updated . Stitch counts checked row by row; we haven’t crocheted a sample of this one yet. How the patterns are checked. Keep your yarn label, hook and swatch on the printable project worksheet.

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