Author notes:
Please be advised that for this pattern, basic knowledge of crochet is a must. You will need to know the following terms:
Magic ring (MR) Front loops only (FLO) single crochet (sc) single crochet 3-increase (3sc) > put 3 single crochets into one st invisible single crochet 3-decrease (3dec) > put hook in the next 3 sts – front loops only, pull yarn through those three loops, yarn over and pull through. Simply put, it's like making an invisible single crochet decrease, except that you use up three sts. Surface single crochet (surface sc) > http://www.crochetspot.com/how-tocrochet-surface-crochet-or-surface-slip-stitch/ For this pattern, everything is worked in a continuous spiral, meaning no joining of rounds unless otherwise noted. For the body parts, it's up to you whether you want to go continuous spiral or not. But for the cube, it's strictly a must to work in a spiral fashion with only crocheting on the FRONT LOOPS. Not following this will result in your work being wonky and misaligned, which is the least desired result. All parenthesized numbers denote the total number of stitches per round. Preferably, use a long scrap of yarn as a stitch marker to mark the beginning of the rounds. Yarn scrap is easier to carry over than plastic stitch markers, making it easier to manage your work.
Yarn guide – worsted weight
For lion Red Heart Super Saver in Cafe Latte Red Heart Super Saver in Cormeal For bear Red Heart Super Saver in Cafe Latte Vanna's Choice in Honey Brown For red panda Vanna's Choice in Terra Cotta. Lily 'n Sugar Cotton in Chocolate Brown
Notions and other materials Sheets of craft felt in Taupe Yarn or darning needle Embroidery needle Scissors Polyester fiberfill for stuffing Erasable fabric pen (buy from Daiso) 9mm black rounded safety eyes Red brown or chocolate brown embroidery thread Fabric glue/super glue, toothpick (as applicator) Stitch markers (yarn scraps also work)
PATTERN CUBE BASE STRICTLY FRONT LOOPS ONLY THROUGHOUT FOR CUBE BASE PATTERN. Any color, 3.5mm hook RND 1: sc 4 into MR (4) RND 2: 3sc four times around (12) RND 3: sc, (3sc, sc in next 2 sts) three times, 3sc, sc in next st (20) RND 4: sc 2, (3sc, sc in next 4 sts) three times, 3sc, sc in next 2 sts (28) RND 5: sc 3, (3sc, sc in next 6 sts) three times, 3sc, sc in next 3 sts (36) RND 6: sc 4, (3sc, sc in next 8 sts) three times, 3sc, sc in next 4 sts (44) RND 7-15: sc in all 44 sts (44) [9R] RND 16: sc 4, (3dec, sc in next 8 sts) three times, 3dec, sc in next 4 sts (36) RND 17: sc 3, (3dec, sc in next 6 sts) three times, 3dec, sc in next 3 sts (28) If using safety eyes with a backing, don't forget to attach eyes at around Round 10-11. RND 18: sc 2, (3dec, sc in next 4 sts) three times, 3dec, sc in next 2 sts (20) RND 19: sc, (3dec, sc2) three times, 3dec, sc in next st (12) RND 20: 3sc four times around (4) Stuff the piece as you crochet, starting from Rnd 17. Be sure not to stuff in densely. The idea is to fill it up and shape it into a cube, so corners should definitely be visible. Try to stuff just the core, then fill up the sides according to how squishy you want the cube to be. F/O. Close gap with sewing tail and weave ends.
GUIDELINES for working and shaping the cube amigurumi 1. Prior to stuffing, pinch the corners and edges to form the cube. That will give a good idea on how much stuffing is need. 2. Good rule of thumb to achieve that angular sides is to 3sc on corners – meaning that in every round you've increased, you should be having a constant 12 sts worth of corner increase (3sc + 4 sides = 12 sts). 3. To achieve that cube look, you should not overstuff nor understuff the piece. One good technique to check is to hold the working cube in your hands in a diamond fashion – squishing the sides flat, and applying the process for all sides. That way, you can check and see which parts needed more or less stuffing. 4. On deciding where the critter's face should go, always pick the side directly across the side with the stitch markers on. I find that the stitches here appear the most even (given that you have stuffed it correctly and your crochet tension has been even throughout). 5. For my pattern, I decided to build a 2 x 2 inch cube – which is made up of 9 repeated rounds of 44 sts. To go larger, you would have to add increasing as well as repeated rounds; for instance, to build a 2.5 x 2.5 inch cube – make increases following the pattern scheme until you reach 52 stitches, then do 11 repeated rounds. 6. The repeated rounds (ex. Rnd 7-15) that build up the body determines how high or low you want your piece to be. You can easily adjust this part to build a prism (3D rectangle) by adding more repeated rounds. Or maybe decrease the number of repeated rounds to make a shorter rounded square. The sky's the limit.
SHORT POINTED EAR (x2) – Chocolate yarn, 3.5mm hook For red panda
SHORT ROUNDED EAR (x2) – Caffe Latte yarn, 3.5mm hook For bear
RND 1: sc 4 into MR (4) RND 2: inc 4 times (8) RND 3: sc in all 8 sts (8) RND 4: (inc, sc) 4 times (12) F/O. Leave a long tail for sewing.
RND 1: sc 6 into MR (6) RND 2: inc 6 times (12) RND 3-5: sc in all 12 sts (12) F/O. Leave a long tail for sewing.
DO NOT STUFF the piece. To assemble onto the cube, sew the DO NOT STUFF the piece. To assemble onto the cube, sew the ears onto the corners of the cube, slanted and angle it in a ears somewhat slanted and angle it in a way that the ears way that the ears point upward that goes outwards onto point upward (opposite effect of the pig ears) that goes Rounds 6-7. outwards onto Rounds 6-7. MANE – brown yarn, 3.5mm hook For lion RND 1: Start with one corner of the lion's face - slip knot into it. ch 1. surface sc around the face, approx 39 sts across. join to the beg of round. Counting the beg, you should have 40 working surface scs. RND 2: ch 2, 2dc in the same st, sl st in the same st. (sl st in the next st, ch 2, 2dc in the same st, sl st in the same st) rep across every surface sc. You should have 40 clusters by the end of the round. Join to finish. F/O and weave ends.
Pictures
assembly For the face, I usually place use 9mm black safety eyes and affix them between Rounds 10-11 with an interspace of 8 sts. Embellishments such as the mouth, nose or muzzle will go in between that space. For embellishments, you can use whatever you have in stock. Personally, I use craft felt for most of the decor, then use embroidery thread to fill in the intricate details. I generally use satin stitch to fill in the mouth and nose details. For the more experienced crafters, you can also dabble on needlefelting to give your animals a more eye-popping look. Usually with needlefelting, it allows you more access to 3D shapes that you can't lend from craft felt. In the end, it still depends on what your preference is and also your stock materials for embellishing the piece, so be creative! For the lion, cut two pieces of taupe felt: first should be shaped like a bean, and the second should be a smaller circle. Do a satin stitch in the center of the bean felt for a nose. Then using the fabric glue, attach the circle felt from underneath the bean-shaped felt. It should look like a proper muzzle afterwards (see picture for reference). Once done, attach the whole muzzle piece onto the cube with fabric glue, one round below the eyes. For the bear, cut a round piece of felt. Embroider a small triangle for nose and two slanted lines that go downwards for the mouth. Make sure you sew the embellishment on the center of the felt. Afterwards, glue the entire muzzle piece onto the cube, one round below the eyes. For the red panda's features, you will be using a total of 5 pieces: one for muzzle, two for the eyes-cheek and two for the eyebrows. All pieces are oblong/oval shaped, with the eye-cheek being the longest pieces. The eye-cheek should under the safety eyes and extending from approx. Round 11-13; then the eyerbrows should be glued or stitched in between Round 8-9.
credits & copyright This pattern is intended for personal use only. You may NOT sell or redistribute this pattern in any form without my permission. You may NOT sell the finished product. Please credit Diceberry Designs for this design, Cube Wild Animals. I’ll be happy to see what kind of critters you come up with. Feel free to share photos of your finished product through my e-mail: diceberry [dot] designs [at] gmail [dot] com, or tag me through Instagram @diceberry. Thank you! Got any questions about the pattern? Need some help on how to build the cube animals? See any corrections for this pattern? You can contact me via e-mail at: diceberry [dot] designs [at] gmail [dot] com.
Visit DICEBERRY DESIGNS at INSTAGRAM: @diceberrydesigns AP: amigurumipatterns.net/diceberrydesigns
