Ren's 'Rumis!: 2013

Akamaru Amigurumi

Hey, everyone!!

Guess which cute little puppy dog now has a pattern!!

That's right ;)

Our cutie patootie Akamaru!!

Just be warned! This pattern has a lot of reading!

It's relatively simple though. (I'd say on an medium level)

So let's get started!!

A Shinobi’s weapons of choice:

size G hook

Regular skein of white, black, and brown yarn.

(also light or dull pink for paw pads)

Good ole bag of stuffing

Pins or something to clip facial feature on (optional but VERY helpful) You can also mark spots with a washable marker or sharpie (for the brave ones).

Notes:

terms: ch- chain

St- stitch

Sc- single crochet

Sl st- slip stitch

dc- double crochet (won’t be used much)

hdc- half double crochet (won’t be used much)

F/O- finish off

2tog- sc 2 chs together (also known as decrease)

Tail- the end string created when tying a not. Any string that you're not working with basically.

(_)- number in parenthesis is number of sts you will have at the end of the round or row

_- instructions in asterisks mean to repeat instructions until the end of the round is reached J

Be sure to stuff periodically as you go along. Stuffing is very important in this pattern because it defines the body shape and gives Akamaru his plumpy cheeks and big head :3

When the pattern says to attach or sew on a piece, I want to clarify and say that you don’t necessarily have to pull out the needle and thread. (and the thimble uggh) Just use the yarn and hook and pull the yarn through the same way you would with thread.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Be careful with your amigurumi!! Even though they are ridiculously cute and perfect for cuddling, like any other toy they are susceptible to wear and tear. PLEASE never pull on your amigurumi. If it gets stuck, gently amend the problem. DON’T EVER TUG. This causes the yarn to stretch (permanently) and then the stuffing starts seeping out and trust me it is not a pretty sight. IT CAN BE WASHED, but that if it absolutely needs it. Putting it in a washer always has the chance of getting caught and ripped.

And finally, if you mess up, don’t fret! It can always be undone or repaired~ J

Head:

(front view of head)

with white-

ch2

8 sc in 2^nd ch from hook (8) –this creates a circle, or magic ring as some call it-

2 sc in each st around (16)

*1 sc, 2 sc in next st* (24)

Sc around (24)

*2sc, 2sc in next* (32)

Sc around (32)

*3sc, 2sc in next* (40)

Sc around x 6 (6 rows) (stuff a little bit here, be sure to pull in the beginning tail from where you started crocheting so that is doesn’t stand out on top of akamaru’s head )

Cheeks: *sc 17, 2 sc in next 3* (46)

Sc around x2 (2 rows)

*sc 21, 2sc in next 2*

Sc around (stuff some more. I stuffed relatively firmly, enough that Akamaru’s features were accentuated well. I also added a bit more stuffing where I wanted the snout to be, so that the face wouldn’t appear so flat.)

*2 sc, sc2tog*

Sc around

*1 sc, sc2tog*

Sc around

*sc2tog around*

Weave string through the chs individually, which closes the hole nice and neat J

(Or thread it through two at once like above)

(Head from the side so you can see the snout. You can add more stuffing if you'd like, just not too much since it wasn't made to be a fully pronounced snout.)

Face:

Nose: with brown (I used black, but it doesn’t matter which you choose)

ch 2

6sc in 2^nd ch

Sl st

Ch 2

Sl st into next ch

Sc in next 2

Sl st in next 2

Sc in next 2

Sl st F/O

His nose should look kinda like a mushroom J

Attach nose

(I attach it by weaving the string through the nose itself rather than going around the edge. It gives it a cleaner look)

Ta-daa~!

Eyes:

Cut out two long strands of black yarn.

Tie on

Pull over and pull yarn through a ch

Pull string over and pull through ch below eye

pull ch up over eyeline and through ch above eyeline

Hide away tail and you're done

Ta-daa~

(the eye on the right has a thicker corner because I also pulled the beginning tail over the eye with the final tail. On the left I hid the tail in the head. You can do whichever you like)

Mouth:

ch 20

With attaching the mouth, be sure to either mark the spot on his face or attach the mouth with some sort of clip, pin, or whatever you please. It helps TREMENDOUSLY and could save your Akamaru’s face. Remember that.

Ears: Don’t stuff the ears! They need to be empty and flat.

With white-

ch 2, 5 sc in 2^nd ch (5)

*1 sc, 2 sc* (7)

*2 sc, 2sc* (9)

*3 sc, 2 sc* (11)

*3 sc, 2 sc again* (13)

Sc around x2 (2 rows)

*3 sc, 2 sc again*

Sc around x 18 (18 rows)

4 sl st

F/O with a semi long tail

Brown on ears: ON EACH OF THESE BE SURE TO CH 1 BEFORE TURNING TO WORK ON THE NEXT ROW

ch 4

Sc across x 2 (row)

Turn, sc across, 2sc in last sc, ch 1

Turn, sc across, 2sc in last, ch 1

Sc across x 12 (12 rows)

Turn 2 tog sc across

F/O sew onto ears then attach ears.

(sew on the same way you did with the mushroom nose)

(Attach the ears)

BODY:

with white:

Ch 2

8 sc in 2^nd ch (8)

2 sc around (16)

2 sc again (32)

Sc around x 3 rows

*1 sc, 2sc in next* (48)

Sc around x 11 rows (48)

Sc 20, 4 x sc2tog, sc 20

Sc around x 10 rows

*Sc 3, sc2tog*

Stuff firmly so that ribs are accentuated and back is nice and straight. Don’t attempt to do what I did and give Akamaru shoulders. It doesn’t work. I repeat, IT DOES NOT WORK @_@ it ends up giving him a really odd lump in his back that throws everything else off.

Sc around

*2 sc, sc2tog*

Sc around

*1 sc, 2 tog*

*sc 2tog*

F/O with long tail

Sew hole closed

To sew close, just pull the tail through each ch and pull and it slowly starts closing. I always thought that was the coolest thing ever. X3

ATTACHING THE HEAD: tie on long string to the head and pull it through chs on head in a circular fashion. This is very important because it gives more support to the head and doesn’t pull the head in one particular area. If the pull were localized in one point, the head would be floppy and weak and the chs would begin to pull and tear. Just be sure not to pull the string too taught as you weave it through the chs. You don’t want it to pull the chs close to each other like you do when closing a hole.

Remember to take it slow. One ch at a time….one ch at a time. And don’t jump around and skip chs.

(the pink dots are where I weaved my yarn through)

(go around once to tack it on then go around one more time to give it a cleaner look and more support)

HIND LEGS:

with white:

Ch 2

8 sc in 2^nd ch

*1 sc, 2sc*

*2sc, 2sc*

Sc around x 6 rows

*2sc, 2tog*

Sc around

*1 sc, 2tog*

Sc around x 13 rows

Sc 3, 2 sc in 3 sc, sc rest

Sc 3, 2 x 2sc in 2sc, sc rest

Sc 2, *1 sc, 2sc* x 4, sc rest

Sc around x 2 rows

*1sc, 2tog*
sc around

*sc2tog*

Add the toe lines: cut three long strands of yarn. Tie one end at the top of the foot (and pull the end tail from behind so that it is concealed) and pull the rest down the space between the rows. Tie at bottom. Be sure to keep tail ends long enough so that when you tuck them in they won’t creep back out. Definitely do not trim the ends.

Smoosh the paw every now and again to kinda loosen the stuffing and flatten the bottom so that Akamaru will have an easier time standing.

To get the hip shape: Bend the top part of the leg down at an angle then tie it to the rest of the leg with string. Weave it onto the leg as you have been doing with everything else. Pull the string taught to get the desired angle you want.

FRONT LEGS: ch 2

Sc 6 in 2^nd ch from hook

2 sc around

*2sc, 2 sc*

Sc around x 10 rows

Sc 3, 2sc in 3 sc,sc rest

Sc 3, 2x 2sc in 2sc, sc rest

Sc 2, 1, 2sc x 4, sc rest

Sc around x 2 rows

*2 sc, 2tog*

*1, 2tog*

Sc around

*2tog*

F/O

(Practice balancing akamaru on his front legs to pinpoint where they will be suited for the best support. Mark the middle of the area and line up the leg and attach. Also, have a good snack to munch on :] )

(just like the head, go around once to attach and a second time for support and aesthetic appeal)

Attach toe lines. Attach the legs. Attach the front legs first since they will be the main support for Akamaru (a lot of his weight is situated in the front of his body). Basically just make sure they are beneath his body. I situated his hind legs back some so that they resemble a real dog (I had a german shepherd in mind)

TAIL: with white:

Ch 2

4 sc in 2^nd ch from hook

Sc around x 2 rows

Ch 1, sc around x 4 rows

Sc around x 2 rows

Ch 1 sc around

Sc around

Ch 1, sc around

Sc around

Ch 1, sc around

Sc around x 10 rows

F/O and attach on

The tail is bendable and I usually adjust it into an upward curl. You can probably place a pipe cleaner in it to help control the shape better so that it doesn’t constantly unwind.

THE HAIR: With white: ch 8, (down the side now) sl st, sl st, sc, hdc, hdc, dc, dc, F/O

For mirrored version, ch 8 then do sequence in backwards order

Place two pieces back to back, tie not at top, take top end piece and go down right side, then take left side’s end piece and go up, then hide away the tails. Place on head and attach using bottom right tail end. Be sure to go slowly with attaching and weaving the string through the chs.

Pads: (these aren’t really necessary, I just really like them and they hide the toe lines on the bottom of the paw and that really bothered me. Just be sure that the pads aren’t noticeable when Akamaru’s standing and that they don’t disrupt his ability to stand)

With light or dull pink:

Ch 2,

Sc 5, sc tail (this will give you six in all. To sc a tail, drop the main yarn string and then take the pads tail string and treat it like the new string and sc.)

*1 sc, 2sc*

F/O

Toe pads: ch 2

Tie on. Hide ends