Penny – Free Mini Amigurumi Crochet Pattern

Penny is a palm-sized plush creature — a round orange body, two pointed ears, a curly tail and a frill of half double crochets around the base. She sits in your hand at about 10 cm, and she is made in three small pieces plus a flourish: body, two ears, a tail, then the frill worked into the front loops of the body.

The shaping is unusual for such a small toy. The body narrows with slip stitch decreases rather than single crochet decreases, which is what gives the top of her head that soft, closed dome instead of a visible spiral. It is worth reading round 11 and 12 twice before you start.

Every round is written out below.

What you need

• Yarn: plush or chenille in orange, plus a little contrast for the ears and tail
• Hook: 4 mm to 5 mm, matching your yarn
• Safety eyes: 12 mm glitter eyes, or two buttons
• Notions: stuffing, yarn needle, stitch marker, scissors

Abbreviations

• MR magic ring, sc single crochet, hdc half double crochet, dc double crochet
• slt slip stitch, slt dec slip stitch decrease, inc increase, dec decrease
• BLO back loop only, FLO front loop only, ch chain

Ears (make 2)

Ch 3, starting in the second chain from the hook.

• R1: slt, dc, ch — do not turn
• R2: slt along the chain of the dc

Fasten off leaving a long tail. The chain sits on the outside edge and the slip stitches close the ear along the other side.

Tail

• R1: 7 sc in MR (7)
• R2–3: 7 sc (7) — 2 rounds
• R4: dec, 5 sc (6)

Pause and stuff the tip of the tail.

• R5–7: 6 sc (6) — 3 rounds
• R8: dec, 4 sc (5)
• R9: 5 sc (5)
• R10: dec, 3 sc (4)

Fasten off with a short tail: this piece is crocheted into the body, not sewn.

Body

• R1: 8 sc in MR (8)
• R2: inc x8 (16)
• R3: (sc, inc) x8 (24)
• R4–6: 24 sc (24) — 3 rounds

R7 and R8 are where the tail goes in: hold the tail against the side of the body and work one stitch through both pieces.

• R7: 23 sc, sc through the tail (24)
• R8: sc through the tail, 23 sc (24)
• R9: BLO 24 sc (24)

Mark the first and last back-loop stitch — these are the back of the body and the base of the frill. Secure the eyes between R5 and R6, with 3 visible stitches between them.

• R10: (2 sc, dec) x6 (18)

Stuff the body.

• R11: (slt, slt dec) x6 (12)
• R12: slt dec x4 (4) — an incomplete round

Fasten off, sew through all the loops of the hole, pull closed and tuck the ends inside.

Frill

Turn the body upside down, facing away from you. Slip stitch into one of the marked front loops of R9, then work 3 hdc in each front loop all the way around, and slip stitch into the first hdc to join. Fasten off and tuck the tails in.

The frill is what makes her look like she is wearing a little skirt; it also hides the seam where the body was closed at the bottom.

Assembly

• Attach the ears between R2 and R4, about 2 stitches back from the eyes.
• Embroider the nose between R5 and R6, in the gap between the eyes.
• Secure the tail to the side of the body with a stitch of the same yarn.

Notes

Plush yarn hides the slip stitch decreases, which is the point of using them here: the top of the head closes without a hard line. If you work Penny in smooth cotton, the same rounds give a rounder, more graphic toy — and the frill stands up much more.

For other small makes, Purple Zombie Bunny is the plush rabbit, Cat Keychain with a Donut is the 7 cm one, and One-Eyed Monster is the same silhouette at 22 cm. Everything is on the patterns page.

Pattern source: Penny, as shared by the original designer on the amigurumi pattern blogs.

The back-loop trick in Slice Handbag is the same one that makes Penny’s frill stand out.