The Cutest Crochet Baby Monster Patterns For Beginners

The Baby Monster Beginner Amigurumi is a free crochet pattern by Allison Hoffman. It is a great beginner project as it teaches how to start crocheting in the round, how to single crochet, how to increase, and basic construction and customisation of amigurumi. The pattern is available on Allison Hoffman's blog, craftyiscool.blogspot.com, and on Ravelry.com.

Basic construction of a crochet baby monster

Materials

To make a crochet baby monster, you will need the following materials:

• Yarn (a small amount of worsted weight yarn, or medium weight/aran yarn)
• A crochet hook (size E, 3.5mm, or your favourite)
• Eyes (plastic safety eyes, or buttons)
• Stuffing (polyester fibre filling)
• Felt (for the mouth)
• Embroidery floss (for the eyebrows, eyelashes, and other features)
• Glue

Construction

Start by making a ring with your yarn. Insert the hook into the front of the ring and hook your working yarn. Pull up a loop through the ring, then wrap the working yarn around the hook and pull it through the loop – this is a chain stitch. You will now need to single crochet six stitches into the ring.

To make the circle grow, you will increase by crocheting two times into each stitch. Insert your hook under both loops of the next stitch, pull up a loop, wrap the yarn around the hook, and pull through the two loops – this is one single crochet stitch. Now, single crochet into the same spot again – this is an increase. Repeat this for every stitch until you have 12 total stitches in the round.

The next round, you will increase in every other stitch. This means that you will put two stitches in the first stitch, one stitch in the next, two stitches in the next, and so on. At the end of the round, you should have 18 stitches.

For the last increasing round, you will increase in every third stitch. This means you single crochet two times in the first stitch, then single crochet in the next two stitches, then single crochet two times in the next stitch, and so on around until you have a total of 24 stitches.

After you have finished increasing, you will have a flat circle with 24 stitches around. This circle will become a cylindrical shape as you single crochet around into each stitch for 9 rows (or more or less, depending on how tall you want your monster to be).

Finish the body off by slip stitching into the next stitch. Cut the yarn with a few inches left, insert your hook into the next stitch, pull up a loop, and pull the loop all the way through.

To make the base of the monster, repeat the steps above to make a circle of 24 stitches.

Before sewing the pieces of your baby monster together, attach the eyes. Cut a piece of felt as desired (one large circle, two small circles, etc.), and at the spot where you want to insert the eye, cut a tiny slit and insert the post of the safety eye. Place the eye where you want it on the body piece and push the post through. Put the washer inside the body and fit it over the post, then push hard and snap the washer onto the post all the way down.

Insert a small amount of stuffing into your monster. Fit the bottom piece over the bottom of the body. Use a long piece of yarn and a yarn needle to stitch the pieces together, lining up the stitches and sewing between them. As the hole closes up, add more stuffing as desired.

Now, it's time to design your monster's expression. Use an embroidery needle and embroidery floss to stitch a mouth, eyebrows, eyelashes, or any other features onto your monster's face. You can also give your monster a tooth or two by gluing a little piece of felt onto its mouth.

Finally, sew or glue down the edges of your monster's eyes.

How to crochet in the round

To crochet in the round, you will need to know two methods: the first is to close the round with a slip stitch, and the second is to work continuously in the round. The stitch you choose will determine how many stitches you will begin with. For example, for a single crochet, begin with six stitches; for a half double crochet, begin with eight stitches; and for a double crochet, begin with 10 stitches.

To start, you can either create a magic circle or chain three (for hdc) and work your stitches into the first stitch.

• Create your magic circle, chain two (the chain-two counts as a half double crochet).
• Round 1: 7 hdc into your circle. (You will have eight hdc total, including the chain two).
• Pull the tail to close the circle. Slip stitch to the top of the chain two. (Insert your hook into the top of the chain two, yarn over, pull the loop through the stitch and through the loop on your hook).
• Round 2: Chain two, one hdc into the same stitch as your slip stitch. [1 hdc into the very next stitch. Then repeat another hdc into the same stitch. (You will have two hdc in the same stitch – in some patterns, this will be labelled as an increase). Continue with two hdc into the next stitch and in each stitch around. Slip stitch to the top of the chain two. (16 stitches).
• Round 3: Chain two, one hdc into the same stitch as the slip stitch. 1 hdc into the next stitch. [2 hdc into the next stitch. 1 hdc into the next]. Repeat the sequence in the brackets around. Slip stitch to the top of the chain two. (24 stitches).
• Round 4: Chain two, 1 hdc into the same stitch as the slip stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next two stitches. [2 hdc into the next stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next two stitches]. Repeat the sequence in brackets around. Slip stitch to the top of the chain two. (32 stitches).
• Round 5: Chain two, 1 hdc into the same stitch as the slip stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next three stitches. [2 hdc into the next stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next three stitches]. Repeat the sequence in brackets around. Slip stitch to the top of the chain two. (40 stitches).
• Round 6: Chain two, 1 hdc into the same stitch as the slip stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next four stitches. [2 hdc into the next stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next four stitches]. Repeat the sequence in brackets around. Slip stitch to the top of the chain two. (48 stitches).
• Round 7: Chain two, 1 hdc into the same stitch as the slip stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next five stitches. [2 hdc into the next stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next five stitches]. Repeat the sequence in brackets around. Slip stitch to the top of the chain two. (56 stitches).

Continue increasing each round in this fashion until you feel comfortable crocheting in the round!

Now, for the continuous method:

• Some patterns require that you do not close your circle at the end of each round. This creates an invisible seam.
• Create a magic circle, chain two (counts as a half double crochet).
• Round 1: 7 hdc into the magic circle. Pull your tail tight to close the circle. Do not slip stitch or chain. (8 stitches).
• Round 2: 1 hdc into the very next stitch. Clip your stitch marker onto this stitch to mark as your first stitch. Now repeat one more hdc into the same stitch (2 hdc in the same stitch). Repeat 2 hdc into the next stitch and each stitch around. (16 stitches).
• Round 3: Take out your stitch marker, 1 hdc into the next stitch. Replace the stitch marker in the stitch you just made. 1 hdc into the same stitch. 1 hdc into the next stitch. [2 hdc into the next stitch. 1 hdc into the next]. Repeat the sequence in brackets around. (24 stitches).
• Round 4: Take out your stitch marker, 1 hdc into the next stitch. Replace the stitch marker in the stitch you just made. 1 hdc into the same stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next two stitches. [2 hdc into the next stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next two stitches]. Repeat the sequence in brackets around. (32 stitches).
• Round 5: Take out your stitch marker, 1 hdc into the next stitch. Replace the stitch marker in the stitch you just made. 1 hdc into the same stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next three stitches. [2 hdc into the next stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next three stitches]. Repeat the sequence in brackets around. (40 stitches).
• Round 6: Take out your stitch marker, 1 hdc into the next stitch. Replace the stitch marker in the stitch you just made. 1 hdc into the same stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next four stitches. [2 hdc into the next stitch. 1 hdc into each of the next four stitches]. Repeat the sequence in brackets around. (48 stitches).

And there you have it! You now know how to crochet in the round, which is the first step to crocheting your very own baby monster!

How to single crochet

To start crocheting Allison Hoffman's Baby Monster Beginner Amigurumi, you'll need to know how to single crochet. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

Firstly, you'll need to gather your supplies. For this tutorial, you'll need a 5.5mm crochet hook and a ball of worsted weight yarn (size 4) in any colour.

Now, you'll need to create a slip knot, leaving a tail of yarn that's about 4" long. To do this, hold the yarn between your thumb and finger, wrap it around your first two fingers, and then use your hook to pull the yarn to form a knot.

Next, you'll create a chain. This can be any length you like, but for this tutorial, we'll make 11 chains. To create a chain, wrap the yarn over the top of your hook and pull it through the slip knot, then keep wrapping the yarn and pulling it through to create more chain stitches.

Now, you'll insert your hook into the second chain from the hook, wrap the yarn around the hook, and pull the loop through the chain. You should now have two loops on your hook. Wrap the yarn over the hook again and pull it through both loops. Congratulations, you've just made your first single crochet stitch!

Repeat this step in each of the chains you created. You should now have 10 single crochet stitches.

To start your second row, yarn over the hook and pull through the loop to create a chain. Turn your work so that you're working from right to left again. Insert your hook under the first "V" and yarn over the hook, pulling the yarn through the stitch to the front of your work. You should now have two loops on your hook. Yarn over the hook again and pull through both loops. This is your first single crochet stitch of the second row. Continue this process across the row until all stitches have been worked.

And that's it! You now know how to single crochet. You can use this stitch to make edges, borders, and seams, as well as in rows, joined rounds, or spiral rounds. It's a very versatile stitch that's perfect for beginners.

How to increase

Increasing is a fundamental part of crochet and is essential to shaping your work. In the context of the baby monster crochet pattern, increasing is used to make the circle that forms the base of the monster's body grow bigger. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to increase when making a baby monster:

Start by making a ring with your yarn. Insert your crochet hook into the front of the ring and hook your working yarn. Pull up a loop through the ring. This is called a chain stitch. You will now single crochet six stitches into the ring.

To make the circle grow, you will increase by crocheting two times into each stitch. Insert your hook under both loops of the next stitch. Pull up a loop, you should now have two loops on your hook. Wrap the working yarn around your hook and pull it through the two loops. This is one single crochet stitch. Now, single crochet into the same spot again. This is an increase. Repeat this process for every stitch until you have 12 total stitches in the round.

For the next round, you will increase in every other stitch. This means that you will put two stitches in the first stitch and one stitch in the next, and so on. At the end of this round, you should have 18 stitches.

For the last increasing round, you will increase in every third stitch. This means that you single crochet two times in the first stitch, then single crochet in the next two stitches, and then single crochet two times in the next stitch, and so on, until you have a total of 24 stitches.

After you have finished increasing, you will have a flat circle with 24 stitches around. This circle will magically become a cylindrical shape as you single crochet around into each stitch for 9 rows. Using a stitch marker, crochet around the 24 stitches, move the marker to the loop on your hook, and then crochet around again. Repeat this process until you have 9 rows. You can adjust the height of your monster by crocheting more or fewer than 9 rows.

Finish the monster's body by slip stitching into the next stitch. Cut the yarn with a few inches left, insert your hook into the next stitch, pull up a loop, and pull that loop all the way through the loop on your hook.

Now that you know how to increase, you can apply this technique to make your own baby monster!

How to make a baby monster beanie

Materials:

• Sport Weight (2, Fine) Yarn
• 4.0 mm (G/6 USA, 8 UK) Crochet Hook
• 3.5 mm (E/4 USA, 9 UK) Crochet Hook
• 2 Buttons for the eyes (diameter 0.8″/2 cm)
• Stitch Markers or Pins (to hold things in place while assembling the beanie)
• Optional: Cotton Stuffing

Yarn Colour Reference:

• A – Katia Yarns Merino Bebe, Night Blue (57)
• B – Lang Yarns Merino 200 Bebe, Green (71.0316)
• C – DROPS Baby Merino, Off White (02)
• D – DROPS Baby Merino, Orange (36)
• E – DROPS Baby Merino, Red (16)

Abbreviations:

• BPhdc – Back Post Half Double Crochet
• Ch – Chain
• Dc – Double Crochet
• FPhdc – Front Post Half Double Crochet
• Hdc – Half Double Crochet
• Inc – Increase
• MC – Magic Circle
• Sc – Single Crochet
• Sk – Skip
• Sl St – Slip Stitch
• St – Stitch
• Tr – Treble crochet

Instructions:

• Increase (Inc) One increase consists of 2 sts worked in the same indicated st. The pattern indicates whether you need to work a sc, hdc, or dc inc.
• Magic Circle (MC) Learn how to make a MC in this step-by-step tutorial.
• Front and Back Post Half Double Crochet (FPhdc and BPhdc) For a free photo tutorial on how to crochet front and back post stitches, you can check out this blog post.
• The pattern is written for sizes 0

Frequently asked questions