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25 Easy Crochet Animal Patterns for Beginners

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Crochet animals and amigurumi are so much fun to make! They’re cute, quick, and portable projects that can be whipped up in a short amount of time. Plus, they’re perfect for beginner crocheters.

In this post, we’ll share 25 of our favorite beginner-friendly crochet animal patterns. So whether you’re looking for a little project for yourself, or want to make a handmade gift, you’ll find the perfect pattern right here.

pin image with background photo collage of crochet animals with the text "25 crochet animals"

Crochet Softies and Amigurumi

Want to try your hand at making cute crochet animals? You’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll tell you how to get started making crochet plushies and amigurumi, and share our favorite easy animal patterns for beginners.

What is amigurumi?

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting yarn creatures. It comes from two Japanese words: “ami”, meaning “crocheted or knitted”, and “nuigurumi”, which means “stuffed doll”.

Amigurumi only became popular in the US in the early 2000s. Japan, however, has practiced this fun, adorable art for decades.

There’s a lot of variety when it comes to amigurumi – you can make your plushie as big or as small as you’d like. Still, most amigurumi patterns you will find are for small creatures (Don’t worry – we have a couple of jumbo, huggable critters included in this post!).

Everyone seems to love these cute crochet animals. Amigurumi projects make perfect gifts, especially for babies and kids.

Can beginners do amigurumi?

Absolutely! Amigurumi can be a wonderful project for those just beginning their crochet journey. To make most beginner-level amigurumi patterns, you’ll need to know a handful of simple crochet stitches, like single crochet, increases, and decreases. You also need to know how to sew pieces together and embroider facial features to bring your amigurumi critters to life.

Stitches and Techniques You’ll Need to Know

There are a few stitches and techniques that you’ll find in nearly every amigurumi pattern. Here are the most popular ones that you will see.

Single crochet

Many patterns use short single crochet stitches to keep the fabric tight and close. You don’t want any of that stuffing popping out of your squishy creature.

Increases and decreases

You’ll also need to know how to sc increase and sc decrease. You’ll use increases and decreases to create curves and volume in your amigurumi patterns.

Crocheting in spiral rounds

Most crochet amigurumi and made in spiral rounds. That means you’ll be crocheting around and around in a circle. Make sure you have stitch markers on hand in order to keep track of your rounds!

Changing Colors

Crochet animals are often quite colorful. Check out this post to learn more about how to change colors in crochet projects.

Best Yarn for Making Crochet Animals

Most amigurumi patterns suggest using cotton yarn in either a DK or worsted weight. Cotton yarn is easy for beginners to use, and gives your projects great stitch definition, too!

Don’t have cotton? Not a problem. You can use worsted-weight acrylic or even bulky-weight chenille yarns to make crochet animals, too.

What Other Supplies Do You Need for Amigurumi?

As with all crochet projects, amigurumi projects require yarn and a crochet hook. You’ll also want to have a yarn needle and scissors. Other tools that are often needed for amigurumi projects include:

  • stitch markers
  • embroidery thread (for details)
  • polyester filling (stuffing)
  • and safety eyes 

Check the beginning of each pattern for the supplies you will need before getting started.

25 Easy Crochet Animal Patterns for Beginners

Start your amigurumi collection with these 25 free crochet animal patterns!

More Crochet Patterns

If you love to crochet, you may be interested in these related pattern collections.

pin image with background collage of crochet animals

What’s Next?

Pin this post: Save this tutorial to your Pinterest boards so that you can come back to it later.

Leave a comment: We love to hear your feedback. Tell me in the comments below!

Share on Instagram or Facebook: When you make this project, share it on social media and tag me @sarahmaker. We love to see what you make!

Have questions? Join the Facebook Group!

We hope this article was useful for you! If you have any additional questions, feel free to join my Facebook Group. We created this group for you to share pictures, ask questions, and help each other out.

Courtney

Friday 3rd of February 2023

The page says "patterns for beginners" yet, a lot of the patterns are for intermediate. Sad face!

Mia

Tuesday 25th of October 2022

Am I able to sell the things I male from these patterns?

Sarah Stearns

Wednesday 26th of October 2022

Hi Mia, in many cases yes. You'll want to check with the designer whose pattern you are making.

Mary Parsons

Sunday 26th of June 2022

How do I get the 25 free critters patterns? I need them for a friend in prison to do something with his time.

Sarah Stearns

Monday 27th of June 2022

Hi Mary, Click on the links below each pattern to get the patterns that you are interested in.