This amigurumi plant friend is a great desk companion, perfect for holding notes or just adding a bit of “greenery”!
While I am very familiar with knitting, crochet is still in the unknown realm for me. One might think that they are similar enough to swap between, but I do not find that true at all. I really like crochet because the tight stitch look makes me happy. Amigurumi is a style I adore. And one thing I absolutely clueless about how to do well. But that doesn’t stop me from trying!
I decided to place a plant because, to my mind, that would be an easy start. It is just a cylinder with a lot of strands coming out of the top, right? Well… the answer ended up being yes and no. While I did make a cylinder for the base, I ended up getting a little more complex with the leaves which ended in a better result.
But! Either way, it turned out to be quite adorable. I really love having button eyes to make everything look chibi. And I have seen made a small amigurumi holding some sort of sign so I figured that would be the best way to finish off my new friend.
Check out the Craft section of MCG for more fun patterns in strings and things or more unlimited ideas.
Supplies
For the amigurumi plant, I ended up using a thin yard for the body and a standard for the leaves. The cylinder was made from a color changing yarn because that was what I packed when I started this project. The standard yarn was only because that was what I had in hand. Sometime, making use of what you already have is a great way to make sure things get used.
The crochet needle I ended up using was a size 4.0 which I feel is a standard size. Why do I feel this? I think it’s because the needle is similar to a US 6 knitting needle which is what I fall back on for knitting so my mind conflates the two. I did end up using a needle to sew everything together as well as some cotton filling but the thread a needle was the main need.
Process
Making the Body
I started with the body, and I thought this would be the harder section. Which was kind of true. Looking back, I think both parts were difficult in different ways, so it is hard to compare them, Any, I decided to approach this by starting at the base and building up.
I started by casting on three to four stitches and then connecting the loop back to the original stitch. I continued adding stitches on the outside of these rings to create a circular piece. Stitches did get added when I went to pick up a stitch that was too far away. Then one stitch had two branches off it. There is probably an exact science for this approach, but I went with a more unscripted method. Sometimes, I just like feeling these things out.
Once I got the base ring to a good diameter, I stopped doing the increase. By holding the pattern at the same number of stitches, a tube formed off the circle. This is effectively the side for my amigurumi plant pot. I wanted this tube to be as long, if not a bit longer, than the diameter of the base. I felt like that ended up being the right proportion.
Lastly, I added some eyes to make it cute. I really love the trend of putting eyes on random things that shouldn’t have eyes. But, funnily enough, I am not a fan of putting mouths on things as well. I only want eyes for some reason. And the buttons that I have clipped in easily.
The Fern
I did not have a plan before starting the amigurumi plant. I started by casting on a line and then doubling back. And with one line cast, I had to decide. It was a debate between binding off and starting another cast or continuing onto this one. I ended up adding on because I through it would save me sewing in the future.
I kept adding more and more but I felt that I was missing some cohesion at the base to make it a bit less scattered. And that made the piece go a little messy. It was at this point I decided to do levels of wrapping leaves to hide this very messy base.
On the next layer, I had a bit more of an idea of what I was doing. The section started the same, I did a cast up and down in a straight line for the first leaf. Then I started the third row, still attached to the second for the first 5 to 6 stitches. After, I cast on new stitches to create the new leaf going to the end and then back to the base.
Repeating this section resulted in a 5 cm flat panel of leaves. Instead of binding off, I wrapped this section around the original section and crocheted the sides together. This added an extra layer to the plant and hid the really messy base. But it still wasn’t enough to fill the whole amigurumi plant.
So! I made another layer that was the same as the second but closer to 7.5 centimeters. This length was just about right for encasing the first and second layer. To ensure there was no movement, I did use the tails from the pieces to roughly sew them together. This made a rather full plant!
Finishing Touches
Then it was time to bring everything together! I only needed a little bit of fiber filler to fill the center. This was also because I didn’t really cut any of the tails. Why throw away the excess yarn when I can use it as filling?
After putting some stuffing in the center, I put the plan on top and used the extra yarn from the pot to sew everything together. I probably could have crocheted the pieces together, but I am more comfortable with sewing. And falling back on what you know is not a bad thing.
The last touch for the amigurumi plant was a little sign. I didn’t really know where to put this since the plant doesn’t really have arms. And I didn’t feel like it made sense to give the piece arms either. Instead, I decided to nestle the sign within the strands of the plant. They held the sign quite well without any extra reinforcement.
Reflections
My work desk has a cute new friend! I am quite worried that as I get more and more into crocheting that I will gain more and more friends on my desk. Not actually sure if that’s a bad thing but I will probably run out of room at some point.
This first project turned out quite well! I do think I was able to keep the pattern on the simpler side, but I really love how it turned out. Buying buttons that had a specific layout for the eye felt like the right choice for me. There is something charming about having an expressionless face.
Lessons
Go with Change
I think one thing that is important for me to remember is not to be too committed to plans that I have made. Forcing myself to do a project with a certain approach can work out but it is more likely to lead to frustration. Having an outline of what to do is great but being too rigid can cause more harm than good.
Pattern
Amigurumi Plant
Equipment
- 1 4.0 mm Crochet Needle
- 1 Yarn Needle
Ingredients
- Thin Yarn color changing
- Medium Yarn green
- 2 Eye Buttons
- Polyfiber Fill
Instructions
Glossary
- INC – Increase (2 Single Crochet from the same Stitch)
- SC – Single Crochet
- ST – Stitch
- CO – Cast On
Body
- Round 1: Start 6 SC in magic ring
- Round 2: INC in all ST [12]
- Round 3: (SC1, INC in next ST) repeat 6 times [18]
- Round 4: SC1, INC, (SC2, INC in next ST) repeat 5 times [24]
- Round 5: (SC3, INC in next ST) repeat 6 times [36]
- Round 6 and on: SC36 continue until 1 ½ – 2 inches high
Leaves – Center
- Round 1: CO12
- Round 2: SC12
- Round 3: SC5, CO7
- Round 4: SC12
- Repeat round 3 & 4 until there are 5 strands.
- Final Round: Connect Round 1 and last Round by SC5 on the base to make a ring.
Leaves – Second Layer
- Round 1: CO12
- Round 2: SC12
- Round 3: SC5, CO7
- Round 4: SC12
- Repeat rounds 3 & 4 until 5 cm long or wrap around the center piece
- Final Round: Connect Round 1 and last Round by SC5 on the base to make a ring. Placing the center leaves inside the connection is easier for final connection.
Leaves – Third Layer
- Round 1: CO12
- Round 2: SC12
- Round 3: SC5, CO7
- Round 4: SC12
- Repeat rounds 3 & 4 until 7.5 cm long or wrap around the second layer.
- Final Round: Connect Round 1 and last Round by SC5 on the base to make a ring. Placing the center leaves inside the connection is easier for final connection.
Final Connections
- Using the tail yarn from the leaves, secure each layer to another layer to prevent movement.
- Attach buttons on the halfway line of the body. Fill with a small amount of polyfiber. Place leaves on top. Use the tail yarn from the body to connect the leaves and body.
- Top with a note!
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