A baby sunflower is a small amigurumi whose head is the flower: a brown disc of 36 stitches, two rows of twelve petals, and a ruff of mustard chain loops under them. The body and limbs are green, so the whole thing reads as a sunflower standing on two little legs, about 12 cm tall.
Two details make it work. The head is closed with the “straight edge” method rather than a running stitch, which hides every end at the back of the flower; and the petals are worked into the front loops of the brown disc while the head continues in the back loops, so nothing is sewn on afterwards.
Every round is written out below.
What you need
- Yarn: sport weight cotton, green 30 g, brown 15 g, yellow 10 g, a little mustard, black and white for the face
- Hook: 1.75 mm
- Safety eyes: 6 mm
- Notions: fibre fill, tapestry needle, stitch marker, pins, strong thread
Abbreviations
MR magic ring, sc single crochet, hdc half double crochet, dc double crochet, ch chain, slst slip stitch, inc increase, dec decrease, FLO / BLO front and back loops only. All parts are worked in continuous spirals unless stated.
Arms (make 2)
Green, not stuffed.
- R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
- R2–4: 6 sc — 3 rounds
- R5: inc, 5 sc (7)
- R6: 3 sc in one stitch, 2 sc, dec, 2 sc (8)
- R7: (inc, sc) x2, dec, 2 sc (9)
- R8: (dec, sc) x2, 2 inc, sc (9)
- R9–11: 9 sc — 3 rounds
- R12: (dec, sc) x3 (6)
Close the opening through the front loops of the six stitches and weave the end in.
Legs (make 2)
Green. Ch 5, then work from the second chain.
- R1: inc, 2 sc, 4 sc in one stitch, 2 sc back along the chain, inc (12)
- R2: inc, 4 sc, 2 inc, 4 sc, inc (16)
- R3: 16 sc (16)
- R4: 4 sc, 4 dec, 4 sc (12)
- R5: 3 sc, 3 dec, 3 sc (9)
Stuff the foot.
- R6: 9 sc (9)
- R7: (inc, 2 sc) x3 (12)
- R8: (inc, 3 sc) x3 (15)
- R9–10: 15 sc — 2 rounds
- R11: (dec, 3 sc) x3 (12)
- R12: 6 dec (6)
Stuff the top of the leg only lightly so it stays almost flat against the body, then close.
Head
Brown. This is the flower, so read rounds 9 to 13 before starting.
- R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
- R2: 6 inc (12)
- R3: (inc, sc) x6 (18)
- R4: (inc, 2 sc) x6 (24)
- R5: (inc, 3 sc) x6 (30)
- R6: (inc, 4 sc) x6 (36)
- R7–8: 36 sc — 2 rounds
- R9–10: FLO 36 sc — 2 rounds
Cut the yarn leaving 15–20 cm and close with the straight edge method: skip one stitch, bring the needle out of the second, then out of the last stitch between its front and back loops. Pull tight. Turn the piece inside out so the MR tail sits outside.
- R11: join green to the back loop of the last stitch and work clockwise: BLO 36 sc (36)
Mark the back loop of the first stitch of R11 — you will need it in R13.
- R12 (FLO): per stitch group — (slst, ch 2, hdc, dc, ch 2, slst in the second chain from hook), next stitch (dc, hdc, ch 2, slst), next stitch (slst) — x12, giving 12 leaves
- R13: back into the BLO of R11, from the marked loop: 36 sc (36)
- R14–16: 36 sc — 3 rounds
Fit the safety eyes between R4 and R5, after widening the hole with a wooden skewer.
- R17: (dec, 4 sc) x6 (30)
- R18: (dec, 3 sc) x6 (24)
- R19: (dec, 2 sc) x6 (18)
- R20: (dec, sc) x6 (12)
- R21: 6 dec (6)
Stuff as you go, then close.
Petals
Yellow, worked into the front loops of the brown disc left free by R9–10. The first row of twelve petals starts with one sc and a chain of six.
- 1. sc, ch 6, turn, work into the wrong side of the chain
- 2. from the second chain: 5 sc, slst into the back loop of the base sc, turn
- 3. from the second stitch: sc, 3 hdc, 2 sc in one stitch, ch 3, slst in the third loop from the hook, sc in the same stitch; down the other side of the chain: sc, 3 hdc, sc; slst into the front loop of the base sc
- 4. 2 slst into the next front loops
Repeat 1–4 eleven more times: twelve petals on the first row. The second row is worked the same way but starts at instruction 4, so its petals sit in the gaps. Then join mustard, ch 4 and slst into the next front loop, 36 times, for the ruff.
Body
Green.
- R1: 6 sc in MR (6)
- R2: 6 inc (12)
- R3: (inc, sc) x6 (18)
- R4: (inc, 2 sc) x6 (24)
- R5: (inc, 3 sc) x6 (30)
- R6: (inc, 4 sc) x6 (36)
- R7–11: 36 sc — 5 rounds
- R12: 14 sc, (dec, sc) x3, 13 sc (33)
- R13: 12 sc, (dec, sc) x3, 12 sc (30)
- R14: (dec, 3 sc) x6 (24)
- R15: 24 sc (24)
- R16: (dec, 2 sc) x6 (18)
- R17–19: 18 sc — 3 rounds
Stuff firmly and leave 20–30 cm for sewing the body to the head.
Assembly
- Embroider the nose over the MR with the face yarn, three or four stitches.
- Embroider the whites of the eyes in white, then the lashes in black, splitting the yarn to two threads.
- Pull every end out at the back of the head, tie them and weave in.
- Pin the head to the body as close to the green leaves as possible, face tilted slightly up, and sew with the body tail: one stitch on the head, one on the body.
- Add stuffing at the neck before closing, then weave in.
Notes
The petals are the only fiddly part. If they curl forward, you worked instruction 3 into the wrong side of the chain — the petal must be flat, with the chain edge on the outside. A 0.75 mm hook with lace cotton gives a 7 cm sunflower; 1.5 mm with 8/6 cotton gives 16 cm.
More flowers and small makes: Mini Ribbed Pumpkin is the autumn one, Penny is the palm-sized plush, and Cat Rattle is the baby toy. Everything is on the patterns page.
Pattern source: Baby Sunflower, crochet PDF pattern.
For a small toy that fits a baby hand, Bunny Teether Rattle is 6 cm of head and two flat ears.
A small figure that sits in the hand: 2 in 1 Frog, 7 cm on a 2 mm hook.
The 10 cm figure in the collection is Baby Alien, 42 stitches at the widest on a 2.5 mm hook.
A food-shaped make with a face: Avocado Family and its removable seed.
The sunflower with legs is Baby Sunflower; the flat potted version is in Three Potted Flowers.
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