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Crochet whale: a stuffed body with a tail and flukes

Increase to 36 stitches, work 8 rounds even, decrease to 12 and work 4 rounds for the tail, then close. Two flat 9-stitch flukes are sewn to the tail.

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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

The finished whale.

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 32 m of blue or gray. 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 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 and tail

  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. Rounds 7–14: sc in each stitch (36 stitches).
  9. Place the safety eyes now, before the body narrows: between Rounds 9 and 10, about 10 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.
  10. Round 15: [sc in the next 4 stitches, invisible decrease] 6 times (30 stitches).
  11. Round 16: [sc in the next 3 stitches, invisible decrease] 6 times (24 stitches).
  12. Start stuffing the body firmly now, and keep adding stuffing as it narrows.
  13. Round 17: [sc in the next 2 stitches, invisible decrease] 6 times (18 stitches).
  14. Round 18: [sc in the next stitch, invisible decrease] 6 times (12 stitches).
  15. Rounds 19–22: sc in each stitch for the tail (12 stitches).
  16. Stuff the tail lightly.
  17. Round 23: invisible decrease 6 times (6 stitches). Fasten off, thread the tail through the front loops of the last round and pull it closed.

Flukes: make 2

  1. Round 1: make a magic ring and work 6 sc in it (6 stitches).
  2. Round 2: [sc in the next stitch, 2 sc in the next stitch] 3 times (9 stitches).
  3. Rounds 3–5: sc in each stitch (9 stitches). Do not stuff. Flatten and fasten off, leaving a tail.
  4. Sew the open ends of both flukes to the end of the tail, angled up and out.

Check the work

Body totals: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, then 36 for eight rounds, then 30, 24, 18, 12, then 12 for four tail rounds and 6. Each fluke: 6, 9, 9, 9, 9.

Single crochets by round, main piece6 · 12 · 18 · 24 · 30 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 36 · 30 · 24 · 18 · 12 · 12 · 12 · 12 · 12 · 6
  • If the tail droops, add a little stuffing before you close it; a shorter tail (one fewer round) also stands up more.
  • If the flukes curl, steam them lightly flat if the yarn label allows, or sew them flatter.

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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