Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Amigurumi 53 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Plush penguin crochet pattern with round belly and bow
Amigurumi penguin: head, body, legs, wings, collar & bow. 15-round head, E-4/3.5mm hook. Beginner-ready.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 3.5 mm
- Rounds
- 53
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
53
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This penguin builds from six worked pieces — a 15-round head with a separate face stripe, a round body, two legs, two wings, a collar, and a small bow — all in worsted weight and joined by hand at the end. The head starts in yellow for the beak before shifting to the body color, and the white belly patch is picked up later as a flat piece rather than crocheted in the round. Before starting, have yellow, white, a blue or purple main color, and a bow contrast color on hand, along with two 8–10 mm safety eyes and fiberfill. A tight gauge on an E-4 / 3.5 mm hook matters more here than exact stitch counts.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Losing the spiral round start point
- Place a locking stitch marker in the first stitch of every round on the head, legs, wings, and body, since these pieces are worked in continuous rounds with no join to orient you.
- Skipping the front-loop pickup for the face stripe
- Work Rnd 9 of the head loosely enough that the 6 front loops stay easy to find, then insert the hook into those exact loops to start Row 1 of the face stripe rather than the next full round.
- Stuffing the legs like the head and body
- Leave the legs unstuffed as instructed; overstuffing them will make them bulky and hard to sew flat against the underside of the body.
The materials list
Yarn
- Worsted weight (Category 4); colors needed — yellow (beak/nose), white (face/belly), blue or purple (head and body), and a contrast color for the bow
Hook
- E-4 / 3.5 mm crochet hook (or the size needed to achieve a tight, stuffing-concealing fabric)
Safety eyes
- 2 safety eyes, approximately 8–10 mm
Stuffing
- Polyester fiberfill
Stitch markers
- 1–2 locking stitch markers
- Yarn needle / tapestry needle
- Scissors
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 8 short forms
Head
Begin with yellow yarn (beak/nose color).
Round 1
4 sc in MR. (4)
Round 2
inc in each st around. (8)
Round 3
inc, 7 sc. (9)Cut yellow yarn and join white yarn (face/belly color).
Round 4
inc in each st around. (18)
Round 5
2 sc, inc repeat 6 times around. (24)
Round 6
3 sc, inc repeat 6 times around. (30)
Round 7
4 sc, inc repeat 6 times around. (36)
Round 8
sc in each st around. (36)Insert safety eyes between Rnds 6 and 7, spaced approximately 10 stitches apart.Cut white yarn and join blue or purple yarn (head color). Begin adding fiberfill now and continue as you work the decreases.
Round 9
sc in each st around. (36)For Rnd 9 note: work the first 15 sts through both loops as usual, the next 6 sts through the front loop only (FLO), then the remaining 15 sts through both loops again. This creates the subtle ridge that separates the white face from the head color.
Rounds 10–12
sc in each st around. (36)
Round 13
4 sc, dec repeat 6 times around. (30)
Round 14
3 sc, dec repeat 6 times around. (24)
Round 15
2 sc, dec repeat 6 times around. (18)
Round 16
1 sc, dec repeat 6 times around. (12)
Round 17
dec 6 times around. (6)Cut yarn, leaving a tail. Add a final pinch of fiberfill and shape the head into a round form. Pull the opening closed through the remaining 6 stitches and weave in the end.
Face Stripe
This piece is worked flat in turning rows, picking up from the front loops left open in Rnd 9 of the Head.
Round 1
Insert hook into the front loop of the first of the 6 exposed front loops from Rnd 9 and work 6 sc across those loops. (6)
Round 2
Turn, ch 1, 6 sc. (6)
Round 3
Turn, 6 sc. (6)
Round 4
Turn, 5 sc. (5)
Round 5
Turn, 4 sc. (4)
Round 6
Turn, 3 sc. (3)
Rounds 7–8
Turn, 2 sc. (2)Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Use this tail to sew the stripe neatly onto the head.
Legs (Make 2)
Do not stuff the legs.
Round 1
6 sc in MR. (6)
Round 2
inc in each st around. (12)
Rounds 3–10
sc in each st around. (12)
Round 11
1 sc, dec repeat 4 times around. (8)
Round 12
dec 4 times around. (4)Fasten off and close. Do not stuff.
Wings (Make 2)
Do not stuff the wings.
Round 1
6 sc in MR. (6)
Round 2
inc in each st around. (12)
Round 3
inc, 5 sc repeat 2 times around. (14)
Rounds 4–9
sc in each st around. (14)
Round 10
2 sc, dec repeat 3 times, 2 sc. (11)
Round 11
1 sc, dec repeat 3 times, 2 sc. (8)Do not stuff. Fold the wing flat so the two sides align, then work 4 sc through both layers to close the opening. Leave a yarn tail for joining into the body.
Body
Round 1
6 sc in MR. (6)
Round 2
inc in each st around. (12)
Round 3
1 sc, inc repeat 6 times around. (18)
Round 4
2 sc, inc repeat 6 times around. (24)
Round 5
3 sc, inc repeat 6 times around. (30)
Round 6
4 sc, inc repeat 6 times around. (36)
Rounds 7–11
sc in each st around. (36)
Round 12
4 sc, dec repeat 6 times around. (30)
Round 13
sc in each st around. (30)
Round 14
3 sc, dec repeat 6 times around. (24)
Round 15
sc in each st around. (24)
Round 16
2 sc, dec repeat 6 times around. (18)
Round 17
1 sc, dec repeat 5 times, 3 sc. (13)
Round 18
Wing join round 4 sc working through the body stitch and the closed edge of the first wing simultaneously, 3 sc, 4 sc working through the body stitch and the closed edge of the second wing simultaneously, 2 sc. (13)Work 1 sl st for a neat closure. Stuff the body firmly with fiberfill before finishing.
Collar
The collar is worked in flat turning rows, picking up from the front loops of the 13 stitches at the neck opening of the body.
Round 1
Working into the front loops of the 13 neck sts, inc in each st across. (26)
Round 2
1 sc, inc repeat 13 times across. (39)
Round 3
sc in each st across. (39)Fasten off and weave in ends.
Bow
Round 1
ch 64. (64 ch)
Round 2
Starting in the 4th ch from the hook, work 1 double crochet in each ch across. (60 dc)
Round 3
Work 1 double crochet in each stitch across the reverse side of the foundation chain. (60 dc)Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Cinch the center of the bow piece tightly with the yarn tail and wrap it several times to form the bow knot. Secure firmly.
Assembly, in order
Step 1Sew the Head onto the Body , aligning the seam at the back. Use the yarn tail from the head and whipstitch around the full opening for a secure join.
Step 2Sew the Legs to the underside of the Body, positioning them symmetrically on either side of the base.
Step 3The Wings are already joined to the body at Rnd 18 — check that they are sitting evenly and tack down the yarn tails on the inside if needed.
Step 4Sew the Face Stripe down along the front of the head, using the long yarn tail left when you fastened off. The tapered end should point upward toward the beak.
Step 5Attach the Collar snugly at the neck junction between head and body.
Step 6Sew the Bow to the center front of the collar, positioning it where the collar meets the body.
Step 7Weave in all remaining yarn ends securely.
Check these before you start
- Work the head, legs, wings, and body in continuous spiral rounds with no joining slip stitch and no turning chain; only the collar and face stripe are worked flat in turning rows.
- Do not stuff the legs; every other piece takes fiberfill, but the legs are left unstuffed and simply attached flat.
On one line
| Rounds | 53 |
|---|---|
| Parts | 7 |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 3.5 mm |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Place a locking stitch marker at the start of Rnd 1 on the head and move it up every round; continuous spiral rounds have no join to mark your place otherwise.
- Read through Rnd 9 of the head before starting, since it leaves 6 front loops exposed for the face stripe to be picked up later.
- Test your gauge with a small swatch in the main color on the E-4 / 3.5 mm hook — fabric needs to be tight enough that stuffing will not peek through.
Finishing
- Stuff the head and body firmly with fiberfill before closing, keeping the legs unstuffed as noted, and stuff the wings only lightly enough to hold their shape.
- Whipstitch the head to the body around the full opening using the head's yarn tail, then sew the legs symmetrically to the underside and tack down any loose tails from the wings on the inside.
Construction
The face stripe is worked flat in turning rows rather than in the round because it is picked up from only 6 exposed front loops left open in Rnd 9 of the head — a partial opening that a spiral round cannot produce on its own.
The wings are joined directly into the body at Rnd 18 during construction rather than sewn on afterward, which is why the assembly step for wings is a check-and-tack rather than a full seam.
Time per section
| Head and face stripe | about 45-60 minutes, because the head runs 15 rounds plus color and loop-count shaping, and the face stripe adds 7 more turning rows picked up from it |
|---|---|
| Legs and wings (both pairs) | about 40-50 minutes, because each leg and wing is quick at 5-6 rounds but there are four pieces total to repeat |
| Body, collar, bow, and assembly | about 60-90 minutes, because the collar's 3 turning rows and the bow's 2 rounds are small but fiddly, and whipstitching the head, legs, and wing tails takes care |
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.