I just love amigurumi! According to Wikipedia: Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures. The word is a portmanteau of the Japanese words ami, meaning “crocheted or knitted”, and nuigurumi, meaning “stuffed doll”. And this time of year is the perfect time to make some. Amigurumi is perfect for Christmas, as gifts for children, as decorations for your home or tree, as gifts for co-workers. They work up pretty quickly and are really fun to make; you can also use up some of your odds and ends of yarn since they’re usually pretty small and you can customise their colours to whatever you have on hand! So many people are delighted by amigurumi, it makes the perfect whimsical addition to this festive season! Check out these adorable stuffed crocheted creatures and pick out a pattern to start working on today!
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How about this festive Little Christmas Deer Crochet Pattern? One pattern gives you all the instructions you need to make these little amigurumi deer dolls, with plenty of high-quality photos to walk you through it. Depending on the size of yarn you use, these little guys could be toys for kids or decorations for your tree!
How adorable are these gingerbread people? Again, here’s another pattern with instructions to make both tops: a Gingerbread Man and Girl Couple Amigurumi Pattern. How much fun would a set of these be for a newlywed couple for their first Christmas? They’re so sweet with all their decoration details!
I’m a sucker for gnomes! I love their big furry beards and festive hats on their squat, rotund bodies. Herbert the Christmas Gnome Amigurumi Pattern would make a great addition to my mantle (which is frankly looking a little sad this year… see my Instagram post about it). But I think this guy would spruce it right up!
Who can resist an adorable cartoon-ish Mr Santa Crochet Pattern? His cloud-like beard and little button eyes just draw you in. My kids were never really enamoured with Santa, and we never really forced them to sit on Santa’s knee because they always looked terrified of him. Besides, who wants to stand in line with kids for 20 minutes to traumatize your kids for an awful over-priced picture? My kids were slightly intrigued by the idea of the right jolly old elf, so I slightly regret not snapping a photo of them looking onto the spectacle of Santa visiting from a distance. I’m sure they would have been much more interested in a stuffed version of Santa like this cute little amigurumi doll.
Mr Pinny Crochet Amigurumi Pattern is a super cute, sweater-clad penguin doll ready to grace your Christmas tree with his chipper little face! It’s time for all the cold-weather creatures to come out and adorn our homes with their cuteness! I don’t know, though; do you think this little guy could use a hat? Or a scarf? He looks a little chilly. I think I’d make him a hat, too.
Of course, you don’t need to make Christmas themed Amigurumi to give out as a gift! You can make a stuffed toy that can be enjoyed year-round, like this Milo the Hipster Cat Amigurumi Pattern. What kid doesn’t want a stuffed cat in a hoodie? My kids love this kind of stuff and I’m sure yours would too!
Or if you have a princess-lover on your hands, this Princess Amigurumi Crochet Pattern Bundle would give you all the instructions you need to make a whole collection of princesses! These dolls are so adorable; how much more special will one of these dolls be to the recipient when they know it was made by your loving hands? That’s the beauty of handmade; so much pride involved in making and so much love felt in giving and receiving!
If you’re new to amigurumi, you could try something a little simpler, like this Crochet Star Amigurumi Pattern. Festive for the holiday season, but suitable to be displayed year-round. Make one with a thick, bulky yarn and you’d have a super fun pillow for a teen. It gets harder and harder to come up with good fun handmade gift ideas for teens as they get older. This would be a suitable option for an older kid and would make a fun addition to their bed.
Do you want a hippopotamus for Christmas? You can make one with this Crochet Hippo Amigurumi Pattern! This cuddly hippo would double as a super fun and functional pillow. Made with a big enough yarn, this friendly character would crochet up quickly and make a really snuggly stuffed friend for any kid. All this hippo needs is a cute little bow and to be displayed under the tree!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little introduction to various amigurumi characters you could make this Christmas. You’ve still got some time, so go pick up a pattern and get to work! What better things do you have to do as the weather turns colder than sit cosied up at home with your crocheting? Grab a pattern or pin it for later!
