Most amigurumi heads start from a magic ring and come out round. This bear's head starts from a short chain instead, which gives an oval, and then grows only at its two sides. The result is a wide face with full cheeks, the "squishy" look of many popular plush bears. Elise calls hers the Loomi bear in her video on the lilthings channel.
The counts look long, but they follow a simple pattern: the 4 stitches along each straight side of the oval stay plain, and all the increases go into the curved ends.
Video tutorial by Elise on her YouTube channel, lilthings: watch "crochet loomi bear beginner tutorial🧸☁️ crochet cute amigurumi bear" on YouTube.
Written from the video. Every round below has been checked to use up all the stitches of the round before.
Materials
- 5-ply milk cotton in cream, white or brown
- 3.0 mm hook
- Felt for the eyes and snout, and glue
- Stuffing, a stitch marker, scissors and a darning needle
Head
Round 1 (oval): chain 7. Starting in the 2nd chain from the hook, work 5 sc along the chain, 3 sc in the last chain, then turn to the other side and work 4 sc, and 2 sc in the end stitch. Join. (14)
Joined rounds from here. Brackets show the curved ends; the plain "4 sc" or "7 sc" are the straight sides.
Round | Instructions | Stitches |
|---|---|---|
2 | inc, 4 sc, inc × 3, 4 sc, inc × 2 | 20 |
3 | [sc, inc], 4 sc, [sc, inc] × 3, 4 sc, [sc, inc] × 2 | 26 |
4 | [sc, inc, sc], 4 sc, [sc, inc, sc] × 3, 4 sc, [sc, inc, sc] × 2 | 32 |
5 | 14 sc, inc, 15 sc, inc, 1 sc | 34 |
6 | 14 sc, inc, 16 sc, inc, 2 sc | 36 |
7 | 1 sc in each st | 36 |
8 | 15 sc, inc, 17 sc, inc, 2 sc | 38 |
9 | [3 sc, inc], 7 sc, [3 sc, inc] × 3, 7 sc, [3 sc, inc] × 2 | 44 |
10 to 13 | 1 sc in each st | 44 |
14 | [3 sc, dec], 7 sc, [3 sc, dec] × 3, 7 sc, [3 sc, dec] × 2 | 38 |
15 | [sc, dec, sc], 7 sc, [sc, dec, sc] × 3, 7 sc, [sc, dec, sc] × 2 | 32 |
16 | [sc, dec], 7 sc, [sc, dec] × 3, 7 sc, [sc, dec] × 2 | 26 |
Rounds 5, 6 and 8 add only two stitches, one at each side: that's what pushes the cheeks out. Use the invisible decrease (front loops only) for rounds 14 to 16.
Stuffing: push small tufts into the left and right cheeks first, then fill the middle. If you fill the middle first, the cheeks stay flat. Close the head as Elise shows.
Ears (make 2)
6 sc in a magic ring; then inc × 6 (12); then [3 sc, inc] × 3 (15). Fold the circle in half and work 7 sc through both layers along the fold. The ears are little semicircles.
Hands (make 2)
6 sc in a magic ring; inc × 6 (12); then 3 rounds of 12 sc.
Tail
6 sc in a magic ring; inc × 6 (12); then 6 invisible decreases (6). Tuck the yarn ends inside to stuff it.
Finishing
Cut eyes and a snout from felt and glue them on. Sew the ears to the top of the head, and the hands and tail where you like.
Tips
- Mark the curved ends. Put markers at the start of each curved section, so you always know where the increases go.
- Count every round. With this many different rounds, a quick count catches mistakes early.
- Felt face, embroidered face. Felt is quick and neat; embroidered features are better for a toy that will be handled a lot.
Frequently asked questions
Why start from a chain instead of a magic ring?
A chain gives you two straight sides and two curved ends, so the head is an oval from the very first round.
Why increase only at the sides in rounds 5 to 8?
Increases at the sides make the head wider without making it taller, which is what gives the bear its round cheeks.
Can I make a body too?
Yes: a simple amigurumi ball works well. Our amigurumi ball pattern explains the basic shape.
Questions & notes
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