Kawaii Crochet: 40 Super Cute Crochet Patterns for Adorable Amigurumi

TOOLS AND MATERIALS

COLOR THEORY

Color influences us in so many ways! I have always felt a love for color, but my fascination with it really began in college when I took a class on color theory. Learning how color affects us was eye opening, and from that point on I found myself paying more attention to how I felt around certain colors.

We are all drawn to different colors for different reasons, because it is personal and is the culmination of memories, experiences, and surroundings. Consequently, color plays such an important part in our lives and is the source of so much inspiration!

When choosing color for a crochet project, my best advice is to pay attention to colors you find yourself drawn to. This can be done while you go about your day; make a note of what catches your eye. Then collect these colors by taking a photo or by collecting samples of fabric, paint swatches, etc. You will begin to notice you gravitate toward certain colors.

If you love a particular color, but are not sure exactly how to use it in a color scheme, then think about where you see the hue in nature and emulate that. Nature makes it work every time! The chances are that the colors you are drawn to will all coordinate, but if you are like me and find yourself drawn to a huge range of color schemes, or perhaps you are wanting the fun and creative challenge of working with a color you are not naturally drawn to, then this is when a basic knowledge of color theory can be very helpful.

COLOR TERMS

PRIMARY COLORS

The color wheel is made up of three primary colors that cannot be made from any other colors. They are Red, Yellow, and Blue.

SECONDARY COLORS

These are Orange, Green, and Purple and are created by mixing two primary colors together.

Red + Yellow = Orange;

Yellow + Blue = Green;

Blue + Red = Purple.

TERTIARY COLORS

These are created by mixing one primary and one secondary color together, and include blue-green, yellow-green, yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, and blue-purple.

COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

These consist of any two colors which are directly opposite each other on the color wheel.

SPLIT-COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

These consist of any color on the wheel plus the two that flank its complement.

ANALAGOUS COLORS

These consist of any two to four colors which are side by side on the color wheel.

TRIADIC COLORS

These consist of any three colors evenly spaced around the color wheel.

TETRADIC OR DOUBLE COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

These consist of four colors arranged into two complementary pairs.

MONOCHROMATIC COLORS

These consist of one hue plus white, black, or grey to create tints, tones, and shades.

NEUTRAL COLORS

These consist of colors not associated with any single hue, like blacks, whites, and grays.

OTHER COLOR TERMS

HUE

The name of a color.

SATURATION

The intensity or purity of a hue.

VALUE

The degree of lightness or darkness of a hue.

SHADE

A hue produced by adding black.

TINT

A hue produced by adding white.

TONE

A hue produced by adding gray.

APPLE

Materials

3.25mm (D/3) crochet hook

Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran yarn: one 50g (1.75oz) ball each of Pillar Red (red), Coffee Bean (brown), and Grass Green (green)

8mm safety eyes

Scraps of orange and black yarn

Fiberfill stuffing

Yarn needle

Stitch marker

Finished Size

9cm (3¹⁄2in) tall by 9cm (3¹⁄2in) wide

Gauge

5 sc sts and 6 rows = 2.5cm (1in)

APPLE

Rnd 1: with red yarn, sc 8 in magic loop [8]

Rnd 2: sc in each st around [8]

Rnd 3: (sc 1, 2 sc in next st) 4 times [12]

Rnd 4: sc in each st around [12]

Rnd 5: (sc 1, 2 sc in next st) 6 times [18]

Rnd 6: (sc 2, 2 sc in next st) 6 times [24]

Rnd 7: (sc 3, 2 sc in next st) 6 times [30]

Rnd 8: (sc 4, 2 sc in next st) 6 times [36]

Rnd 9: (sc 5, 2 sc in next st) 6 times [42]

Rnd 10: (sc 6, 2 sc in next st) 6 times [48]

Rnd 11: (sc 7, 2 sc in next st) 6 times [54]

Rnds 12–16: sc in each st around [54]

Rnd 17: (sc 25, sc2tog) twice [52]

Rnd 18: sc in each st around [52]

Rnd 19: (sc 11, sc2tog) 4 times [48]

Rnd 20: sc in each st around [48]

Rnd 21: (sc 10, sc2tog) 4 times [44]

Rnd 22: (sc 9, sc2tog) 4 times [40]

Rnd 23: (sc 8, sc2tog) 4 times [36]

Attach the stem and leaf to the top of the apple. Place 8mm safety eyes between Rnds 16 and 17 with 5 sts in between. Begin to stuff with fiberfill.

Rnd 24: (sc 4, sc2tog) 6 times [30]

Rnd 25: (sc 3, sc2tog) 6 times [24]

Rnd 26: (sc 2, sc2tog) 6 times [18]

Rnd 27: sc in each st around [18]

Rnd 28: (sc2tog) 9 times [9]

Finish stuffing. Fasten off and leave a long yarn tail.

With a yarn needle, weave the tail through FLO to close the opening.

Begin shaping by inserting the needle from the center bottom to the center top. Insert the needle back down from slightly off the center top to slightly off the center bottom. Pull the yarn to create an indentation in the top of the apple.

Insert the needle from the center bottom to the center top. Pull to create an indentation in the bottom of the apple. Finish off and weave in all ends.

Add stitches for the mouth and cheeks using black and orange yarn (see Making Up: Stitching Facial Details).

LEAF

With green yarn, ch 10.

Rnd 1: sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sc 1, hdc 1, dc 4, hdc 1, sc 3 in last st, working on the other side of the foundation ch, hdc 1, dc 4, hdc 1, sc 1, sl st 1, sl st in beginning skipped ch st.

Invisible fasten off (see Finishing: Invisible Fasten Off) and weave in all ends. Attach to the top of the apple.

Leaf Chart

STEM

With 2 strands of brown yarn, ch 9.

Row 1: working in back bump loops (see Special Stitches: Back Bump), sc in 2nd ch from hook, sl st 7.

Fasten off and weave in all ends. Attach to the top of the apple.

AN APPLE A DAY…

Model your creation on your favorite type of apple, whether it's a bright green Granny Smith, a sweet Gala, a pretty Pink Lady or a Red Delicious.

CHRISTMAS LIGHT

Materials

3.25mm (D/3) crochet hook

Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran yarn: one 50g (1.75oz) ball each of Pillar Red (red) and Grass Green (green)

6mm safety eyes

Scraps of orange and black yarn

Fiberfill stuffing

Yarn needle

Stitch marker

Finished Size

10cm (4in) tall by 5cm (2in) wide

Gauge

5 sc sts and 6 rows = 2.5cm (1in)

CHRISTMAS LIGHT

Rnd 1: with red yarn, sc 6 in magic loop [6]

Rnd 2: sc in each st around [6]

Rnd 3: (sc 1, 2 sc in next st)