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Frosty Amigurumi CAL Week 2: Flippers and Belly

It’s officially week 2 of our Frosty Amigurumi Crochet Along (CAL) and we are continuing by crocheting the flippers and belly for Papaya the Christmas Penguin!

Haven’t heard of the Frosty Ami CAL yet? Check out the Frosty Ami CAL post that explains what a CAL is, the pattern release schedule, and how you can join in all the fun! You can also always find all the CAL posts in the CAL menu, which is in the Free Patterns drop down.

How do I participate?

This CAL will be a structured event, with a segment of the pattern released every week on my blog (click here for part one, two, three and four). It will officially begin on November 4th with the first part of the pattern, but once each segment is released you will always be able to access it, so don’t worry if you miss a week or start late. Scroll down for the pattern release schedule — it’s a good idea to bookmark this page for later so you can always check back!

The main hub for the CAL will be the Little World of Whimsy Facebook Group where those who use my patterns can share and help each other. In this Facebook group, you’ll be able to post updates and WIP shots of your projects, ask questions, and cheer for the other makers participating. It’s a great place to house the CAL because everyone can post, comment, and share in one place. On Instagram, you can use and follow the hashtag #FrostyAmiCAL to post your updates and search for others doing the same. Throughout the month of November I’ll be offering support when I can in the Facebook group and commenting on your photos on Instagram.

How do I join the giveaway?

To thank you all for joining the CAL, I’m running a giveaway in collaboration with Clover USA. To enter the giveaway, these are the guidelines:

  • Post a photo of your finished Papaya the Christmas Penguin in the Facebook group or on Instagram with the hashtag #FrostyAmiCAL by November 30th, midnight
  • I will choose one winner and three honorable mentions based on creativity and customization of your creations!
  • The winner will receive a bundle of goodies from Clover USA, including my favorite sizes of Clover Amour hooks (3.25mm, 3.5mm, 3.75mm), as well as a free PDF pattern from Little World of Whimsy
    • Note: I can only ship within the continental US, so if you are an internationally based crafter, you can chose three patterns as your award 🙂
  • The three honorable mentions will each receive a free PDF pattern from Little World of Whimsy
  • Winners will be chosen and announced by Sunday, December 4th.
Giveaway bundle from Clover!

Where can I get a printable copy of the pattern?

This pattern will be viewable on my blog as it is released, for free. If you wish to print out the pattern, printable versions can be purchased for a small fee from my Etsy shop here, and you can access the entire pattern now!

How do I share my amigurumi project?

One of my absolute favorite parts of hosting a crochet along is seeing all of your projects and the different ways that you customize them. Share your projects with me on social media by tagging me @littleworldofwhimsy or using the hashtag #FrostyAmiCAL in your posts. You can also join The Little World of Whimsy Crochet Community on Facebook and share your projects there, chat with other participants and see their work as well.

What materials do I need to get ready?

I’m glad you asked! Here’s the full list of materials that you’ll need. I’ll link to the exact yarn that I used, as well as some substitutes that I think would work well. If you ever want more details or personal recommendations of my favorite supplies, check out my recommended supplies list here — it has all the information you could ever want!

Yarn
  • (1 skein each) Hobbii Amigo Yarn (Sport Weight) in Delicate Rose, White, Egg Yolk, and Christmas Red
    • I ordered this yarn from hobbii.com, and it is an extremely inexpensive acrylic yarn that arrives fairly quickly from Denmark, where the company is based.
    • Using this yarn, my finished product was 4 inches tall
  • Sub #1: (1 skein each) WeCrochet Brava Sport (Sport Weight) in Blush, White, Canary, and Red
    • This yarn is from WeCrochet, my favorite online yarn shop based in the US. This yarn can be ordered online for a fairly inexpensive price as well。
    • Although this yarn is labeled sport weight, it runs closer to a worsted weight, so your finished product will be slightly larger than my sample.
  • If you prefer not to order online or to be able to see your yarn in person, feel free to go to your local Michael’s, Joann’s, Hobby Lobby, Daiso etc. and pick out four skeins of yarn in pink, white, dark yellow, and red.
Crochet Hook
  • We’ll be using a 3.25mm hook (my favorite hook is the Clover Amour, but you can use whatever works best for you)
  • If you’re using a different weight of yarn than the one I’m using, always remember to size down your hook 1.0mm from what the yarn label says to avoid gaps (read my blog post here about choosing crochet hooks)!
Notions

Abbreviations

  • BLO: back loop only
  • ch: chain
  • CC: contrast color
  • MC: main color
  • MR: magic ring
  • sc: single crochet
  • x sc: work x number of single crochets
  • dec: decrease
  • inc: increase (work two single crochets in one stitch)
  • sl st: slip stitch
  • st(s): stitch(es)
  • (x sts): total number of stitches for the round
  • rnd: round
  • (…) x: work all steps within parentheses x number of times

Technical notes:

1.Crochet in continuous spiral rounds, unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker or piece of yarn to keep track of the last stitch in each round.

2.When filling with polyester stuffing, pull apart each large chunk into many smaller chunks. This ensures an even distribution of firmness within the amigurumi.

3.To avoid large holes in the crochet fabric, increase tension until the holes cannot be seen, or choose a crochet hook a size down.

4.Use sewing pins to secure limbs of the amigurumi before you sew them.

Special stitches:

Invisible finish off: Follow the photo tutorial below, or the video tutorial here to finish off invisibly and avoid leaving a bump.

Final size:

  • 3″/7.5cm x 4″/10cm
  • The size can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the weight of yarn and hook size.

Color coding:

  • In this pattern, the MC is pink, CC1 is white, CC2 is yellow, and CC3 is red.
  • Why do I use color coding instead of just stating the colors? Because this way, you can choose to use whatever colors you like, and you won’t get confused by the ones I’ve chosen to use! So feel free to go all out with whatever crazy color combo your heart desires!

Flippers & Belly Pattern:

FLIPPERS (work in MC)

  • Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
  • Round 2: (2 sc, inc) x2 (8 sts)
  • Round 3-4 (2 rnds): sc all around (8 sts)
  • Round 5: (3 sc, inc) x2 (10 sts)
  • Round 6: sc all around (10 sts)
  • Round 7: (4 sc, inc) x2 (12 sts)
  • Do not stuff. Fold the piece flat, and crochet 6 single crochet stitches across the top to close the seam (see fig. 2, and this video tutorial). Finish off and leave a short tail for sewing. Make another one identically.
Figure 2: What the flipper looks like after round 7. You should have a round piece that’s folded flat.
Insert your crochet hook through both layers of the flipper, and work a single crochet. Continue until you’ve worked six scs.
Make another flipper identically.

BELLY (work in CC1, see Color Coding for what this means)

  • Begin: Chain 7
  • Round 1: Beginning in the second chain from hook, sc 12 all around the foundation chain. There will be 2 stitches in each chain stitch, skipping the first one. For more information on crocheting around a foundation, see here. (12 sts)
  • Round 2: inc x12 (24 sts)
  • Round 3: (3 sc, inc) x6, sl st to first stitch (30 sts)
  • Invisible finish off (see Special Stitches), leaving a long tail for sewing. See figure 3 for finished belly.
Fig. 3: Finished belly.

Great job! The flippers and belly are done! We’ll stop here for this week — come back next week to work on the the beak, hat, and scarf!

Don’t want to wait to finish crocheting your penguin?

  • Purchase the PDF version of this pattern which includes the full pattern for Papaya the Christmas Penguin in my Etsy shop!

Ready for week three of the Frosty Ami CAL? Click this link! (TODO)

More like this:

I hope that you enjoyed this easy crochet doll tutorial. I’d love to see your progress you’ve made on your dolls!  Share your projects with me on social media by tagging me @littleworldofwhimsy or using #FrostyAmiCAL in your posts. You can also join the Little World of Whimsy Crochet Community on Facebook and share your projects there, chat with other participants and see their work as well.