Crochet an Amigurumi Sheep

Amigurumi has taken the craft of crochet by storm in the past few years, and artists have gotten really creative with these cuddly animal projects. 

One of the most iconic animals you can create is the amigurumi sheep—after all, its fleece is often used to make yarn you’d use in crochet projects! Here’s a quick tutorial on how to crochet a sheep that is fun for beginners and veterans alike. 

Amigurumi projects can be quite complex since you are creating several pieces and sewing them together, so it’s best to work from a pattern and stick to it.

A crochet pattern uses abbreviations for its stitches and always includes an abbreviation guide. There will also be suggestions for yarn type and crochet hook size. There are so many resources online for amigurumi sheep patterns, so find the one that best fits your style. 

The most common type of yarn in any craft store is acrylic—it’s inexpensive and comes in a wide variety of colors. Other viable options would be cotton or wool, but they are a little harder to find.

Yarn is measured by its thickness. Each yarn label has a number on it from 1 to 7—1 being the thinnest yarn and 7 being the chunkiest. Many amigurumi projects use a size 4, but check with your pattern.  

The American sizing for crochet hooks uses a lettering system—A is the smallest and N is the biggest. Each yarn label has a suggested hook size that works best with that particular yarn. So when working with size 4 yarn, any hook from I to K is best.

A tip for making amigurumi: consider using a crochet hook one size smaller than you would normally use. Hook size affects the tension of the stitches, and you want yours to be on the tighter side so the stuffing doesn’t peek through any gaps.

You don’t want a flat amigurumi sheep, so you’ll have to fill it with something. The most common thing you can find in your craft store is called polyfill stuffing, but you can also use cotton batting or even cotton balls. Make sure you have enough to give your amigurumi sheep enough structure.

Plastic beads are used as eyes for your amigurumi sheep. Some patterns will use just black yarn to create the eyes and mouth of the animal, especially if the project is for a newborn or small child. 

The benefits of the beads are that they are uniform in size and shiny, making them stand out on the face. You can get beads at any local craft store.

There are a few other tools that are helpful with any crochet project:

Remember those English tests you took in high school without reading the book? That’s what it’s like when you start a crochet project without first reading the pattern. 

The pattern provides a detailed guide for how to crochet a mini sheep, which could include crochet techniques you’ve never encountered before. To avoid hitting any speed bumps during your project, give the pattern a once-over so you know what to expect.

In order to achieve that iconic sheep fluff, the body is going to be the biggest part of your project. At its core, the sheep’s body is a sphere, so you’ll need to use increases and decreases for this three-dimensional shape.

An increase is when you add two stitches into the same stitch in the row below them. Doing this increases the diameter of your circle. After you get it to its biggest point, you have to decrease the diameter. 

A crochet decrease involves doing one stitch in the row below it but, before you finish that stitch, you do another stitch in the next one below it. Then, you finish both stitches so that there are two stitch posts sharing the same top. Continuing decreases at the same pace you did your increases will make a symmetrical body.

A few rows before you finish your sphere, don’t forget to add the stuffing!

Similar to the body, the head is a sphere or egg shape, so the same rules apply with increases and decreases.

Amigurumi dolls have very simple faces, often with just eyes and a small smile. The eyes can be made with plastic beads that you thread through your yarn as you crochet. Alternatively, you can use black yarn and embroider the eyes and mouth onto the face using a tapestry needle. 

The legs and the tail are cylinders, so they require far fewer increases than the other parts. Since these parts are simpler, this is a step where you can experiment by changing colors to distinguish the hooves, or by adding little feet at the end of the legs.

It’s time to do your best Dr. Frankenstein impression and stitch this sheep together.

Thread your tapestry needle with the same yarn you used for the body parts. Your pattern will tell you the best place to attach each one. To aid you in this process, use the straight pins to hold the pieces in place as you sew them together.

An amigurumi sheep is just one of countless animals you can create with crochet. From bunny rabbits to bumblebees and everything in between, you’ll soon have an entire menagerie of cute, cuddly buddies thanks to your new amigurumi skills!