Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Amigurumi 46 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Amigurumi cat pattern with folded ears and safety eyes
Amigurumi cat, 24-round head, 2.5 mm hook, folded ears sewn closed with connecting columns.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 18 mm
- Rounds
- 46
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
46
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This cat is built in seven separate pieces worked in continuous rounds, then assembled by sewing: a 24-round head knit from the top down with eyes set between rounds 11 and 12, a 14-round body that shifts through three colors as it rises from the bottom, two 6-round ears folded and closed with connecting columns, and short front legs, hind feet, and a tail. Before picking up the hook, have DROPS Muskat cotton in color A with small amounts of B and C, 18 mm safety eyes with slit pupils, polystyrene filler, pink embroidery floss, and a 2.5 mm hook on hand.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Losing count through the increase rounds
- Move the row marker every round and check the stitch count in parentheses before starting the next one. A miscount in an early increase round throws off every round that follows.
- Placing the safety eyes too early
- Insert the eyes only between rounds 11 and 12 as directed, with 7 holes left between them. Pushing them in earlier or without counting the gap leaves the face asymmetrical once the head is stuffed.
- Sewing the ear seam without folding first
- Fold the ear flat before working the 8 connecting columns through both front walls together. Skipping the fold or working through one layer only leaves the hole open instead of closed.
The materials list
- This toy was knitted with DROPS Muskat cotton yarn (50 g/100 m). You will need approximately:
- 70 m of color A
- 9 m of color B
- 9 m of color C
- pink floss
- green safety eyes with slit pupil (18 mm)
- polystyrene filler (or another of your choice)
- 2.5 mm hook
- row marker, scissors, sewing pins and a needle
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 12 short forms
Ears
Color A.
Fold the ear and knit 8 connecting columns behind the front walls of the loop through both layers, covering the hole. Fasten the thread and leave a long end (20 cm) for sewing.
Round 1
Amigurumi ring with 3 sc and slip a loop. (3)
Round 2
[inc.] x3. (6)
Round 3
[inc., sc] x3. (9)
Round 4
[2sc, appr.] x3. (12)
Round 5
[sc, appr., 2sc] x3. (15)
Round 6
[appr., 4sc] x3. (18)
Head
Color A. Knitting of the head starts from the top.
Insert safety eyes between rows 11 and 12, leaving 8 sts (7 holes) between the eyes. Securely fasten the eyes with washers inside the head.
Stuff the head after row 22.
Place the ears on the sides between rows 4 and 11 and attach them with sewing pins to determine the correct position. Sew ears to head.
Embroider the nose between the eyes with embroidery silk. Make small horizontal stitches, keeping them the same length and close together, with the thread tension even.
Start embroidering the mouth below the nose, from the middle.
Add more filler if necessary before continuing to row 23.
Fasten the thread and hide the end inside the head after row 24.
Round 1
Amigurumi ring with 6 sc and slip a loop. (6)
Round 2
[inc.] x6. (12)
Round 3
[inc., sc] x6. (18)
Round 4
[2sc, inc.] x6. (24)
Round 5
[sc, inc., 2sc] x6. (30)
Round 6
[inc., 4sc] x6. (36)
Round 7
[2sc, inc., 3sc] x6. (42)
Round 8
[4sc, inc., 2sc] x6. (48)
Rounds 9–17
Row 9 – Row 17: sc in each n. (48)
Round 18
[dec, 6sc] x6. (42)
Round 19
[2sc, dec, 3sc] x6. (36)
Round 20
[4sc, dec] x6. (30)
Round 21
[sc, dec, 2sc] x6. (24)
Round 22
[dec, 2sc] x6. (18)
Round 23
[sc, dec] x6. (12)
Round 24
[dec] x6. (6)
Body
Color A. Knit the body from the bottom.
Change the color of the yarn to B in the last sc of row 6. To do this, insert the hook into the last loop, pull up the loop in color A, work yarn in color B over and pull it through the loops in color A.
Change color to C in the last sc of row 8.
Change color to B in the last sc of row 10.
Change color to A in the last sc of row 12. Fasten all the free ends of the threads inside the body.
Fill the body after row 14.
Fasten the thread and leave a long end (30 cm) for sewing.
Round 1
Amigurumi ring with 6 sc and slip a loop. (6)
Round 2
[inc.] x6. (12)
Round 3
[inc., sc] x6. (18)
Round 4
[2sc, inc.] x6. (24)
Round 5
[sc, inc., 2sc] x6. (30)
Round 6
[inc., 4sc] x6. (36)
Rounds 7–8
Row 7 – Row 8: sc in each n. (36)
Round 9
[dec., 4sc] x6. (30)
Round 10
sc in each n. (30)
Round 11
sc in each n. (30)
Round 12
[2sc, dec, sc] x6. (24)
Round 13
sc in each n. (24)
Round 14
[dec., 6sc] x3. (21)
Front legs
Color A.
Stuff the foot. Use scissors or something long and thin to stuff the foot with stuffing. Do not fill the foot to the very edge (Row 8).
Fold the top of the foot and knit 3 sc, closing the hole. Fasten the thread and leave a long end (20 cm) for sewing.
Round 1
Amigurumi ring with 6 sc and slip a loop. (6)
Round 2
[inc., 2sc] x2. (8)
Rounds 3–8
Row 3 – Row 8: sc in each n. (8)
Round 9
[dec, 2sc] x2. (6)
Hind feet
Color A.
Stuff the foot. Use scissors or something long and thin to stuff the foot with stuffing. Do not fill the foot to the very edge (Row 8).
Fold the top of the foot and knit 3 sc, closing the hole. Fasten the thread and leave a long end (20 cm) for sewing.
Round 1
Amigurumi ring with 6 sc and slip a loop. (6)
Round 2
[inc., sc] x3. (9)
Rounds 3–8
Row 3 – Row 8: sc in each n. (9)
Round 9
[dec, sc] x3. (6)
Tail
Color A.
Do not stuff the tail. Fold the top of the tail and knit 3 sc, closing the hole. Fasten the thread and leave a long end (20 cm) for sewing.
Round 1
Amigurumi ring with 6 sc and slip a loop. (6)
Rounds 2–10
Row 2 – Row 10: sc in each n. (6)
Bow
Color B. Knit on both sides of the warp chain.
Fasten the thread and hide the end inside.
Round 1
(starting with ch 11, the slip knot counts as the 1st ch): dc in the 4th ch from the hook, dc, sc, conn. Art., sbn, psn, ssn, 3 ch and conn. Art. in the 1st ch (pull the first ch well by pulling the end of the thread, and continue to knit from the back of the chain), ch 3, dc, dc, sb, conn. Art., sbn, psn, ssn, 3 ch and conn. Art.
Assembly, in order
Step 1Front Legs: Place the front legs on the front of the body (the back of the body is where you did the color change) between rows 12 and 14. Sew on the legs. Attach the legs to the body with a few stitches down the middle so they don't protrude forward. Fasten the thread and hide the ends inside.
Step 2Hind legs: Place the hind legs on the sides of the body between rows 4 and 7. Sew on the legs. Attach the legs to the body with a few stitches down the middle so they don't protrude forward. Fasten the thread and hide the ends inside.
Step 3Tail: Place the tail in the center of the back of the body. Sew on the tail. Fasten the thread and hide the end inside.
Step 4Head: Attach the head to the body with a few sewing pins to determine the correct position. If you are satisfied with the result, sew on the head. Fasten the thread and hide the end inside.
Step 5Sew a bow on the head (or under the chin to make a cat-boy) with thread color C. Sew the bow to the head with a few stitches over the middle of the bow. Fasten the thread and hide the end inside.
Check these before you start
- Keep gauge tight and even throughout; loose stitches let the stuffing show through, especially on the head and body where filler is packed firmly.
- Carry color B loosely inside the body rather than cutting it at every change, since it returns a few rounds later in the Body sequence; color C is used only once and can be cut after its band.
- Stuff the head only after round 22 and the body only at closing, not before, so the eye washers stay accessible from inside while you work.
- Design by @freeamigurumii
On one line
| Rounds | 46 |
|---|---|
| Parts | 7 |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 18 mm |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Weigh out yarn before starting the body: color A runs the longest stretch, with B and C needed only for short bands near rounds 6 and 8.
- Set a row marker at round 1 of every part and move it up each round; amigurumi rounds have no turning chain to mark the start for you.
- Work a small test ring first to confirm your 2.5 mm hook gives a fabric tight enough to hide the polystyrene filler.
- Read through Head rounds 11-12 and the eye placement note before you begin the head, since the eyes go in mid-round rather than at the end.
Finishing
- Weave in all color-change ends from the Body first, working them into the inside of the fabric so no color shows through on the right side.
- Stuff the head firmly after round 22 and the body at its final round, packing polystyrene filler evenly into the rounded sections before closing.
- Sew the front legs, hind feet, and tail into place using the long ends left for that purpose, then fold each ear closed with connecting columns before attaching it to the head.
Construction
Both the Head and Body open with the same increase sequence, [inc.] x6 through [sc, inc., 2sc] x6, spreading each round's increases evenly around the ring so the piece grows as a flat, even circle before the sides rise straight.
The Ears are worked flat-topped rather than closed at the last round, then folded and joined with 8 connecting columns through both layers; this seam closes the hole and gives the ear its curved, doubled edge instead of a single-layer point.
Time per section
| Head | about 60-75 minutes, because 24 rounds include steady increases, an eye placement step, and stuffing partway through |
|---|---|
| Body | about 45-60 minutes, because 14 rounds carry two color changes that need careful joining to keep the color blocks even |
| Ears, legs, feet, tail, and bow | about 60-90 minutes total, because each small piece is quick to work but the ear fold-and-seam step and the sewing-on of six limbs take longer than the stitching itself |
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.