These whales are a pair: one blue, one pink, each with a small magnet glued inside the face. Hold them near each other and they snap together in a kiss, which makes them a sweet Valentine's or anniversary gift. Each whale is a small amigurumi ball, worked in spiral rounds of single crochet, with a white belly, two little fins and a tail sewn on at the back.
The pattern is from Elise's video on the lilthings YouTube channel, which walks through every round slowly.
Video tutorial by Elise on her YouTube channel, lilthings: watch "crochet kissing whales ♡ valentines gift diy | amigurumi whale" on YouTube.
The rounds below were written from the video. When in doubt, follow what Elise does on screen.
Materials for two whales
- 5-ply milk cotton in blue, pink and white
- 3.0 mm hook
- Four 6 mm safety eyes
- Two 10 × 5 mm neodymium magnets and strong glue
- Stuffing, a stitch marker and a darning needle
Safety: small strong magnets are dangerous if swallowed. These whales are a gift for adults and older children, not a toy for little ones.
Body (make one in each colour)
Work in continuous spirals: don't join the rounds, and move a marker up to the first stitch of each round.
Round | Instructions | Stitches |
|---|---|---|
1 | 6 sc in a magic ring | 6 |
2 | inc in each st | 12 |
3 | [1 sc, inc] × 6 | 18 |
4 to 6 | 1 sc in each st (main colour) | 18 |
7 to 8 | change to white on the last pull-through of round 6; 1 sc in each st | 18 |
Eyes and magnet. Before you close the whale, fit the safety eyes between rounds 5 and 6, five stitches apart. Glue a magnet to the inside of the front, between the eyes. Before the glue sets, test it against the other whale's magnet: the two must attract, so turn one over if they push apart.
Round | Instructions | Stitches |
|---|---|---|
9 | [1 sc, invisible dec] × 6 | 12 |
Stuff the whale firmly, then thread the tail through the front loops of the last 12 stitches and pull it closed.
Fins and tail
- Fins: join the main colour at the side of the body on round 6. Chain 2, work 2 hdc in the same stitch, chain 2 and slip stitch in the same place. Repeat on the other side.
- Tail: make a magic ring and work [2 sc, 1 dc, 2 sc, sl st] twice into it, then pull it closed. Each repeat makes one lobe of the tail. Sew it to the back of the whale.
Tips
- Magnet first, stuffing second. Once the stuffing is in, you can't reach the front wall to glue the magnet.
- Keep the stuffing off the magnet. A thick layer of stuffing in front of it weakens the pull.
- The invisible decrease goes through the front loops only of two stitches; it leaves a much smoother surface than a standard decrease. Our single crochet guide covers the basic stitch the whole body uses.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make them without magnets?
Yes. They're cute on their own, or as a keychain: add a keyring through the top before you close the body.
My spiral rounds look slanted. Is that normal?
Yes, spirals drift slightly to one side. That's why the eyes are placed by round and by stitch count, not by eye.
Can I make a bigger whale?
Use a thicker yarn and larger hook. The amigurumi size calculator estimates the finished size for a given yarn and hook.
Questions & notes
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