Beginner Amigurumi Peanut Animal Pattern Tutorial with Videos
Nerdigurumi Peanut Tutorial Bear
This pattern was the basis for the 2010 Amigurumi Workshops I did at Anime Evolution and Tsukino Con and is also the mascot for my website. It’s a fairly small and simple no-sew (for the body, the ears are sew on) pattern great for beginners that has step by step videos to help you on your way.
The videos were made to be shown at an in-person panel so they make references to “your kit” and things of that nature, but the techniques displayed remain relevant. There are different optional ears so you can make your peanut a cat, bear, dog or bunny or improvise things like hairdos or antennae to make any sort of weirdo or creature you like!
The pattern calls for a 3.5 mm hook and worsted weight yarn and is worked in both loops. It covers how to differ the right side from the wrong side, how to do an invisible decrease and pretty much everything else you need to know to make the peanut.
SC = Single Crochet
INVDEC = Invisible Decrease
INC = Increase (2 SC in one stitch)
Body Pattern
CH 2 or Ch 5 or Magic Ring (start!)
1. SC x 5 in 2nd CH from hook or in magic ring; (5)
2. INC in each stitch; (10)
3. SC then INC; repeat around; (15)
4. 2 SC then INC; repeat around; (20)
5 – 9. SC around (20); (repeat 4 times for rounds 6 to 9); (apply safety eyes);
10. INVDEC x 2 then SC; repeat around; (12)
11. SC around; (12)
12. INC in each stitch; (24)
13 – 15. SC around (24); (repeat 2 times for rows 14 and 15)
16. SC x 2 then INVDEC; repeat around; (18)
17. SC then INVDEC; repeat around; (12) (stuff)
18. INVDEC x 6; (6)
Finish off and weave in tail with yarn needle.
Optional Ears
Bunny (make 2)
CH 2 or Ch 5 or Magic Ring (start!)
1. SC x 6 in second CH from hook; (6)
2. SC then INC; repeat x 2; (9)
3. SC then INC then SC; repeat x 2; (12)
4. SC x 12; (12)
5. SC then INVDEC then SC; repeat x 2; (9)
6. SC x 9; (9)
Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing to head. Pin in place before sewing to ensure exact placement.
Dog (make 2)
CH 2 or Ch 5 or Magic Ring (start!)
1. SC x 6 in second CH from hook; (6)
2. SC then INC; repeat x 2; (9)
3. SC then INC then SC; repeat x 2; (12)
4. SC then INVDEC then SC; repeat x 2; (9)
Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing to head. Pin in place before sewing to ensure exact placement.
Cat
CH 3
1. SC x 2
Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing to head. (makes tall pointy ears that aren’t too thick).
Bear
CH 2 or Ch 5 or Magic Ring (start!)
1. SC x 6 in 2nd CH from hook; (6)
2. SC then INC then SC; (4)
Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing to head.
Tutorial Videos
Row 1
Row 2
Row 3
Row 4
Rows 5 through 9
Supplemental Stitch Marking Info
Row 10
Safety Eyes
Stuffing
Row 12
Rows 13 through 15
Row 16
Row 17
Row 18
Hi! Just wanted to say a slightly belated thank you, I’d always wanted to try amigurumi and this is a perfect first pattern. For your amusement here’s a pic of my Critter in the wild, complete with custom ears and with his eyes and nose done in French knots because I didn’t have any plastic eyes: https://twitter.com/navigatorsghost/status/477157459564691456
(He seems to have been a hit with my friends and family too. I’ve already had one “Can you make me one of those?!” 😀 )
[…] Beginner Amigurumi Peanut Animal Pattern Tutorial with Videos […]
[…] de famÃlia (?) Sir Cupcake, sapo, coelho, a coruja […]
[…] Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â […]
I’m confused about what you mean by ” working in both loops.” That should mean that you put both loops on your hook, right? But then I saw your tutorial and you just did one loop.
For regular stitches and increases and unless otherwise noted it is all in both loops. I have no tutorials where I am working in only one loop except when working in a Chain or when doing the invisible decrease. I’m not sure what you saw but perhaps the video quality made it look like one loop.
Hey, thanks for making such great tutorial videos. I have just about finished my peanut. It’s white, so I’m going to call it a snowman. LOL. I just need to get a yarn needle so I can finish it.
Next I’m going to try the Chibi animal…
Another question. I am not understanding step two of the bear ear…can you clarify.
Did you watch the tutorial videos?
I have watched all the videos of the tutorial for the peanut creature. I did not see anything about the ear or mouth parts??
There is no tutorial for the ear, it’s just basic crochet. Follow the pattern. The tutorial for embroidering mouths is listed on the tutorials and help page and can be found here.
How do you make the mouth?
Go to the help and tutorials page, there is a video tutorial on how to embroider the mouths.
Yes I seen that video it was very helpful thanks for posting it! Is there another one somewhere for the specific mouth of the peanut ( it has white and a cute little nose)
Yes it’s on the tutorials and help page. Please go there and find it.
I watched the embroidering mouths tutorial that is posted on the help page, but it does not say how to make the triangle noise section of the bear nose, or how to make the cute white part that is also on the peanut bear….
The mouth is a piece of felt glued on with fabric glue and the nose is the stitches in a triangle shape. The same principle as the embroidering of the mouth applies only make a triangle shape and then fill it in. It’s not complicated.
Thank you so much for awsome step to step tutorials!
I dream of making an chtulhu plushie one day, andyou are giving me a great place to start!
I only wish that you would make a video explaining how to stich on ears and mouth pieces…
Still, simply amazing. Thank you!
Loads of affection
– Paxie
Hi! I’m very new to amigurumi, and while I did this, instead of the top curving in, it just got really wavy! Am I doing something wrong? Thanks in advance~
Are you able to post a picture of your result? If you can upload a photo to imgur.com and link it in a reply comment, that would help me to figure out what is happening. Thanks!
Here; I’m on row 8 in this
http://i.imgur.com/bNUQE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/tecYk.jpg
I think a primary problem is that I get lost very easily when doing single crochets and increases. All the ‘V’s look the same to me, and I don’t know which to do!
It looks like you are making more increases than the pattern calls for. In order not to have to worry about counting finished stitches, try to count as you go, if you have to, use a piece of paper and pen to track eash stitch with a hash mark.
SC = Insert hook into stitch from the previous round, yarn over hook, pull yarn through stitch from the previous round, now there are two loops on your hook, yarn over and pull through both loops.
INC = Insert hook into stitch from the previous round, yarn over hook, pull yarn through stitch from the previous round, now there are two loops on your hook, yarn over and pull through both loops. Once the first SC is completed, insert hook back into the same stitch from the previous round and yarn over, pull yarn through the stitch from the previous round, now there are two loops on your hook, yarn over and pull through both loops.
When you work a pattern, track what you are doing every time you make a stitch like this (imagine | = a single crochet and V = an increase) :
1. | | | | | | | |
2. V V V V V V V V
3. | V | V | V | V | V | V | V | V
This isn’t for this pattern by the way, but it illustrates how you could keep track of what you have done without having to try to interpret was this a regular SC or an INC by looking at the finished stitches.
Thank you for the clarification! I think my biggest problem out of all of this now, is that I can’t tell which ‘V’ stitch is next — Sometimes there are big obvious ones, and small ones. I’m obviously new to this!
You’ll get the hang of it 🙂
This project with videos was the perfect tutorial! Thank you so much for posting the row by row instructions. Actually your whole site is extraordinarily helpful and interesting. I completed this project last weekend (my first ever crochet anything). Thanks to this tutorial and the rest of your site, I now know some basic stitches, the differences between hooks, and why things were not going well with that cheap yarn I bought the last time I tried to teach myself to crochet.
[…] | Tags: amigurimi, craft, crochet, nerdigurimi my first amigurimi project Thanks to Nerdigurimi, I completed this adorable mouse amigurimi. I tried to make a bear, but the ears came out too big, […]
[…] first thing I ever crocheted. It’s “Peanut Bear” (more like Amputated Bear) from Nerdigurumi, which is a great beginner pattern (with videos). I later added arms and legs to this pink bear, so […]
Thanks for this tutorial 🙂 It really helped me out. ^_^ enjoying looking at the rest of the patterns while I figure out how to get better at this yarn art 😉
Hi 🙂
Thank you so much for these :). Couple of questions though:
Surely rows 5 – 9 is five rows of single crochets, not 4, as you crochet row 5, row 6, row 7, row 8 and row 9 (5 rows)?
Also please can someone explain the anti-clockwise/clockwise thing? I don’t see any difference in how the crochet is being done? It’s still crocheting in a anti-clockwise direction. Please help :)!
Thank you,
Elibump
That was a mistake from a previous miscount that as fixed but not completely. Either way, surely, it is.
With regard to the clockwise or counter-clockwise thing, trying to explain to people how to make sure their crocheting is being done right side out is no easy feat. It really doesn’t matter what direction you crochet in, but it really DOES matter if your stitches are right or wrong side out, because it will have a visible effect on the final appearance of your amigurumi. You want to make sure the side that is all neat little V shapes is facing outward (when you put your hook in through a loop, the right side will be the side which you insert your hook).
Thank you Emjay :)!
Keep up the awesomeness :). Can’t wait to crochet a Big Daddy :). And one day a Wheatley :D.
Happy crochet!
🙂
[…] esse mesmo pattern dá para fazer esse cachorro (esq.) e urso (?) (dir.). O pattern é do Nerdigurumi (e como sou hardcore, uso patterns em inglês… apelando para uma tradução básica, claro). […]
Hi! Thank you so much for the step-by-step videos! I’m new to crocheting and they made everything so clear. The supplemental videos are especially helpful. I just love your blog and can’t wait to try some of your more complicated patterns. The Sackboy is especially great!
I did notice that according to the video, it looks like there’s a typo in row 16 of the body, where it should say “2 SC then INVDEC” but it only says one SC.
Anyway, thank you again for providing all this free and helpful nerdy goodness!
[…] Beginner Amigurumi Peanut Tutorial […]
Hi, I’m a bit confused.
I noticed you switching back and forth between two different methods when doing the single crochet.
Method A
———————–
1 loop on hook
put hook through stitch (2 loops on hook)
yarn over, pull through one loop (2 loops on hook)
yarn over, pull through both loops ( 1 loop on hook)
Method B
———————–
1 loop on hook
put hook through stitch (2 loops on hook)
yarn over, pull through both loops (1 loop on hook)
When my g/f taught me how to do single crochet, she showed me method A. I found it really hard to work in the round that way. I noticed in several videos on other sites, people were using method B and I found it much easier.
What is the difference between these two methods? Am I seeing you alternate between them, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?
Thanks!
I am pretty sure my single crochet technique is always the same so perhaps your eyes are playing tricks on you. I am not familiar with “method B” as a single crochet and have not seen people using it as such, but I would imagine, since you are not drawing a loop through each stitch before the last pull through both loops, the stitches would have less bulk and would not structurally be the same as a single crochet. What you described seemed eerily identical to a slip stitch, I just tried it and the stitches aren’t as tall as a normal SC and don’t have v’s on the right side, and they are a slip stitch in every sense of the word. If you can show me a video of someone demonstrating this method and purporting it to be single crochet I can check and see if I am understanding your description of it correctly.
Hi, thank you so much for your workshop at Anime Evolution. Today I finally completed the amigurumi I started there, and now I feel the urge to make even more. Like Andrea, I think I have a new hobby, and new Christmas present ideas, so I just wanted to say thank you.
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It was too bad about all the problems… oh well, maybe next year 😀
Many thanks for clarifying a couple of techniques. I’ve been crocheting for many years but have always prefered knitting. I was so over doing blankets and baby things that when I discovered amigurumi I fell instantly in love with doing something different. I was actually wondering where the catch was since I found them so easy, and found I didn’t need a pattern I could make them up as I went along. I always find the decrease hard to make look neat and I go down a hook when it comes to decreasing the last two or three rows where you are decreasing every other stitch or so (this might not be right but its my personal preference) but using your technique does make it look neater. Also I have found that when I am using a brushed yarn or a fluffy one the fluffier bit always ends up on the inside (wrong side) of the work. I find then I’m ending up having to make up the ami with the wrong side out just to get the fluffy effect. I’ve never had any problems with the shaping between wrong and right side and for some ami’s I find the wrong side is preferable – such as in a dog or bear muzzle or the base of a foot or paw.
jan
Just came across your site today and I wanted to say thank you! I only started crocheting about 3 weeks ago (and learned how to knit a couple of weeks before that @.@) and the only reason I learned was so that I could make amigurumi. In all honesty, I really had to force myself to learn to crochet because I have always hated it, lol. Earlier attempts to learn always ended in despair because of my tight stitches. But now I am actually enjoying crocheting because the tight stitches are generally a good thing and I get to make awesome handmade critters as well!
Thank you for all the instruction and videos. Next project I’m going to try the right side out as well as the invisible decrease. At this point, I’ve only made 2 amigurumi and I hated how noticeable my decreases were.
I also appreciate the patterns you have done- I too am a nerd, and I love the video game and anime amigurumi! Really want to try my hand at the Big Daddy– that looks so awesome, great job!
Thanks again and I look forward to following your blog. (^.^)b
Hello! I was in your workshop at Anime Evolution and had a blast. I had only tried a bit of crocheting before but now I have a new hobby. Hoping to attempt something like a Totoro for my hubby for Christmas. Thanks!
Hooray! Thanks so much for coming. It was really awesome although the technical difficulties and more than expected turnout was a bit of a shock. It seemed like most folks enjoyed it well enough 🙂 I plan to attend next year and do another panel and perhaps see about having an informal stitch & bitch of sorts off in one of the communal areas because there are a lot of knitters and crocheters around and it would be nice to get together for a bit. If you run into any problems or have any questions let me know, I might be able to help 🙂