Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Amigurumi 12 Laid out for paper No account, no download
No-sew crochet squid amigurumi with tentacles and fin
No-sew squid amigurumi: 12-round body, 5.5mm hook, 8 tentacles, fin spine, 16mm eyes.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- Bulky
- Hook
- 5.5 mm
- Rounds
- 12
Bulky
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
12
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This squid builds from a 12-round body worked in continuous single crochet, starting at a magic ring of 8 stitches and shaping outward through a series of increase and decrease rounds. Eight standard tentacles and two long tentacles are worked flat in rows of chains and double crochet, then slip stitched directly to the body, which is what makes the piece no-sew. A separate triple-to-single crochet spine runs along the top for the fin, and black medium weight yarn with a darning needle shapes the eye area and smile after stuffing. Have bulky yarn, a 5.5 mm hook, 16 mm safety eyes, and fiberfill ready before starting.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Losing track of the round start
- Since the body has no joining slip stitch, move the stitch marker up at the start of every round; without it, increase and decrease counts become impossible to verify.
- Uneven stitch heights along the fin
- Count each segment of the fin on both sides — 3 tr, 3 dc, 2 hdc, 6 sc — before mirroring it, since an off-count segment will make the curve lopsided.
- Adding safety eyes after stuffing
- Insert the 16 mm safety eyes before the body is stuffed and closed; once fiberfill is packed in, the posts cannot be pushed through cleanly.
The materials list
- Size 6 bulky yarn (Honey Bunny Shine yarn with a sparkle recommended)
- 5.5 mm crochet hook
- Scissors
- Stitch marker or scrap yarn
- Fiberfill stuffing
- ~12-16 inches of medium weight yarn (color does not matter)
- Safety eyes (16 mm recommended)
- Darning needle
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 7 short forms
Body
Round 1
Create a magic ring and sc 8 inside the ring. Tighten the ring.
Round 2
Increase (2 sc in the same stitch) around. (16 sts) In Row 3: Sc, increase repeat 8 times. (24 sts)
Round 4
Sc in each stitch around. (24 sts)
Round 5
Sc in next 2 sts, increase repeat 8 times. (32 sts) For Rows 6-11: Sc in each stitch around. (32 sts for each row)
Round 12
Sc in the next 6 sts, decrease repeat 4 times. (28 sts)
Round 13
Sc in each stitch around. (28 sts) In Row 14: Sc in the next 5 sts, decrease repeat 4 times. (24 sts)
Rounds 15–20
Sc in each stitch around. (24 sts for each row) After Row 20, stuff the body and place safety eyes between rows 9 and 10, ensuring 6 stitches gap between the eyes.
Round 21
Sc in next 4 sts, decrease repeat 4 times. (20 sts) In Row 22: Sc in each stitch around. (20 sts)
Round 23
Sc in next 3 sts, decrease repeat 4 times. (16 sts)
Round 24
Sc in each stitch around. (16 sts) For Row 25: Sc in next 2 sts, decrease repeat 4 times. (12 sts)Stuff the squid firmly.
Round 26
Sc in each stitch around. (12 sts)
Round 27
Final Row Sc, decrease repeat 4 times. (8 sts) Finish stuffing and close the opening with a yarn tail.
Shaping the Face and Smile: Use black medium weight yarn and a darning needle to shape around the eyes and create a smile.
Stitches Used
Magic ring Slip stitch (sl st)
Single crochet (sc)
Half double crochet (hdc)
Double crochet (dc)
Treble crochet (tr)
Tentacles
Standard Tentacles (Make 8): Attach yarn to row 4 at the bottom.
Chain 22, skip first 2 chains, and work back down with 2 dc in the third chain from the hook (count this as chain #1) followed by 1 dc in the next chain (count this as chain #2).
Continue alternating 2 dc and 1 dc for the first 10 chains, then 1 dc in each remaining chain for a gentle curl at the end.
Attach each tentacle by slip stitching to the body, skipping 2 stitches between each tentacle.
Long Tentacles (Make 2): Attach yarn to row 2 under the body, parallel to the eyes.
Chain 27, then work back down the chain, starting with a hdc, dc, 3 tr, dc, hdc, then 19 sc for a longer tentacle.
Finish with a slip stitch to the body.
Check these before you start
- The 5.5 mm hook paired with bulky yarn should produce a fabric tight enough that fiberfill does not show through; check tension on the first few rounds of the body before continuing.
- Because the body is worked in continuous rounds rather than joined rounds, a stitch marker is not optional — move it up every round or the increase and decrease counts will drift.
- The black medium weight yarn is a separate working yarn used only with the darning needle for the eyes and smile; it is not part of the main color scheme and should not be joined into the body rounds.
On one line
| Rounds | 12 |
|---|---|
| Parts | 3 |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 5.5 mm |
| Yarn | Bulky |
Set-up
- Confirm there is enough size 6 bulky yarn on hand for the full 12-round body plus all 8 standard and 2 long tentacles, since none of it is interchangeable mid-piece.
- Set aside the 12-16 inches of black medium weight yarn separately from the main color so it is not mistaken for body yarn during the eye and smile shaping.
- Place a stitch marker in round 1 before working round 2, since the body is worked in continuous rounds with no joining stitch to mark the start.
- Read through the fin instructions (the 3 tr to 3 dc to 2 hdc to 6 sc sequence) once before beginning row 17, since the stitch height changes partway through each side.
Finishing
- Weave in all loose ends from the 8 standard tentacles and 2 long tentacles once each has been slip stitched to the body.
- Insert the 16 mm safety eyes before the final body rounds close, then stuff firmly with fiberfill so the shape holds before sealing the opening.
- Thread the darning needle with black medium weight yarn and shape around the eyes and stitch the smile after stuffing is complete, while the surface is taut enough to hold a clean line.
Construction
The body doubles its stitch count in the first two rounds (8 to 16 to 24), then adds a slower increase round at round 5 to reach 32 stitches before working flat rounds 6 through 11 — a standard sphere shaping that front-loads the increases so the later rounds can run even.
The fin is worked as a flat strip rather than in the round because its stitch heights step down from treble to double to half double to single crochet on each side, a graduated shape that continuous round crochet cannot produce.
Time per section
| Body | about 1 to 1.5 hours because it runs 12 rounds through two increase sections and one decrease section |
|---|---|
| Tentacles | about 2 hours because 8 standard tentacles plus 2 long tentacles are each worked flat and then slip stitched on individually |
| Fin and face | about 1 hour because the graduated tr-to-sc fin and the darning-needle eye and smile shaping are both fiddly, detail-level work |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.