Introduction: a chubby little cyclops you can finish in an evening
Say hello to your new desk buddy—a palm-sized, one-eyed monster with tiny horns, stubby arms and legs, and a giant layered eye that steals the show. It’s a fast, beginner-friendly amigurumi project that uses simple stitches and small scraps of yarn. The body is a classic crochet ball; the limbs are quick tubes; the horns are mini cones; and the oversize eye can be crocheted or made from felt for a super crisp look.
This tutorial is written step by step with clear stitch counts so even first-time makers can follow along. The finished plush makes a cute keychain, bag charm, or desk mascot. We’ll also include safety notes, customization ideas, and easy troubleshooting tips so you can confidently finish and share your monster while keeping everything friendly to platform policies.
Materials & Tools
Yarn (Worsted/Aran weight #4)
- Main color (MC): bright monster green, ~40–50 g
- Horn color (HC): beige/tan, ~5 g
- Eye colors (choose one method):
- Crocheted eye: White (W), Sky Blue (SB), Black (BK), small scraps of each
- OR Felt eye: White, blue, and black felt circles + tiny white felt dot (or embroidery)
Hook
- 3.5 mm–4.0 mm (US E/4–G/6). Use a smaller size than you normally would for worsted yarn to create a tight fabric that holds stuffing.
Notions
- Fiberfill stuffing
- Tapestry needle & scissors
- Stitch marker or scrap yarn to mark rounds
- Straight pins for positioning
- Optional: 10–12 mm safety eye (if you want a one-piece eye instead of layered crochet/felt), craft glue for felt, keychain hardware if making a bag charm, black embroidery thread for mouth
Sizing & Gauge
- With worsted yarn and a 3.5 mm hook, the monster sits about 7–9 cm (3–3.5 in) tall, not including horns.
- Gauge isn’t critical; aim for a firm fabric so stuffing doesn’t show through.
Skill Level & Time
- Confident beginner. If you can single crochet in the round, increase, and decrease, you’re set.
- 2–3 hours for most makers.
Abbreviations (US crochet terms)
- MR – magic ring (magic circle). (Alt: ch 2, work first round into 2nd ch from hook.)
- ch – chain
- sc – single crochet
- sl st – slip stitch
- inc – increase (2 sc in same stitch)
- dec – invisible decrease (work the front loops of next 2 sts together as 1 sc)
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- FO – fasten off
- ( ) – stitch count at end of round
- [ … ] x N – repeat what’s inside brackets N times
All pieces are worked in a continuous spiral unless a join is specified. Use a marker for the first stitch of each round.
📌Thank you for reading the article.
Helpful Notes Before You Start
- Keep your tension snug. If you see stuffing through the gaps, go down a hook size.
- Invisible decreases make smooth shaping. If you’re new to inv-dec, a normal sc2tog works too.
- Stuff as you go, firm but not rock hard; over-stuffing can distort the circle.
Pattern Overview
You’ll crochet the body first, then make arms (2), legs (2), horns (2), and the big eye. After that, you’ll assemble, embroider a smile, and finish with optional keychain hardware.
Body (make 1 in MC)
R1. MR, 6 sc (6)
R2. inc around (12)
R3. [sc, inc] x6 (18)
R4. [2 sc, inc] x6 (24)
R5. [3 sc, inc] x6 (30)
R6. [4 sc, inc] x6 (36)
R7–R11. sc around (36 each round)
Tip: This gives your monster a pleasantly round belly. If you prefer a flatter ball, work only R7–R10.
R12. [4 sc, dec] x6 (30)
R13. [3 sc, dec] x6 (24)
R14. [2 sc, dec] x6 (18) — begin stuffing
R15. [sc, dec] x6 (12) — stuff firmly, shaping as a sphere
R16. dec around (6)
FO. Use a needle to weave the tail through the front loops of the remaining 6 sts and pull tight to close.
Arms (make 2 in MC)
R1. MR, 6 sc (6)
R2–R5. sc around (6)
FO with a long tail for sewing. Lightly stuff if you want chubby arms; leaving them unstuffed keeps them soft and posable.
Make them longer? Add extra plain rounds before fastening off.
Legs (make 2 in MC)
R1. MR, 6 sc (6)
R2. inc around (12)
R3–R4. sc around (12)
R5. [sc, dec] x4 (8)
FO with a long tail for sewing. Lightly stuff the legs; keep the base a little flatter so your monster can “sit.”
Simpler option: Skip R2–R5 and make legs identical to arms for tiny nubs.
Horns (make 2 in HC)
R1. MR, 4 sc (4)
R2. [sc, inc] x2 (6)
R3. sc around (6)
R4. [2 sc, inc] x2 (8) — optional if you want slightly wider horns
R5. sc around (8)
FO leaving a long tail. Lightly stuff the cone or leave unstuffed for a softer look.
Giant Eye – Two Ways
You can crochet a layered eye (most durable), or cut felt circles (fast and very crisp). Both give that big, adorable cyclops aesthetic.
Option A: Crocheted Layered Eye
Pupil (Black) – make 1 in BK
- R1. MR, 6 sc, sl st to first sc to join (6). FO, leaving a short tail to sew to the iris.
Iris (Blue) – make 1 in SB
- R1. MR, 6 sc (6)
- R2. inc around (12)
- R3. [sc, inc] x6 (18)
Sl st to join, FO with a long tail for sewing.
Eye White – make 1 in W
- R1. MR, 6 sc (6)
- R2. inc around (12)
- R3. [sc, inc] x6 (18)
- R4. [2 sc, inc] x6 (24)
Sl st to join, FO with a very long tail (you’ll use this to sew the entire eye onto the head).
Highlight Dot
- With white embroidery thread, stitch a small crescent or French-knot dot on the pupil after assembly or crochet MR, 4 sl st, FO and sew the tiny circle on.
Assembly of the eye piece (off the head): Center the pupil on the iris and sew in place with a few small stitches. Then center the iris on the white and sew in place. Leave the long white tail attached for mounting the finished eye to the head.
Option B: Felt Eye (fast)
Cut three circles: white ~4.5–5 cm, blue ~3–3.5 cm, black ~2–2.5 cm, plus a tiny white highlight. Layer and glue or sew the layers together. If gifting to a child, sewing is recommended. You can blanket-stitch the perimeter for extra charm.
📌Thank you for reading the article.
Placement Guide (before sewing)
- Hold the body with the closing circle at the bottom.
- Pin the eye centered on the upper front half, slightly above middle height.
- Pin horns on the top left/right about 3–4 stitches away from center.
- Pin arms on round R10 (count from the top), one on each side, pointing slightly down.
- Pin legs low on the body (near R14–R15), spaced apart to help the plush sit steadily.
Take a step back and check the proportions. Adjust as needed until your monster’s expression feels right.
Sewing & Assembly
- Attach the eye. Using the long white tail (crocheted version) or matching thread (felt version), sew the eye to the head with small, even stitches. Keep the shape circular as you go. Knot securely and hide the tail inside the body.
- Sew the horns. Whipstitch around the base of each horn, angling them slightly outward. If you want a sturdier look, add a pea-sized bit of stuffing to each horn before closing the last stitches.
- Sew the arms. Flatten the open end slightly and stitch to the body along 2–3 stitches. Arms look cutest angled slightly forward like a hug.
- Sew the legs. Position low on the body so your monster can rest on its “feet.” Use several stitches and go around the base twice; these take more pressure when the plush is set down.
- Embroider the smile. With black embroidery thread or a few strands of black yarn, stitch a curved smile under the eye. Three backstitches make a clean curve. Secure inside.
- Final shaping. Roll the body gently in your hands to smooth any bumps. If needed, add one or two extra invisible stitches under the eye to keep it perfectly flat.
Finishing Touches
- Weave in all ends securely inside the body.
- Safety check: If the plush is for a child under 3, replace any beads or safety eyes with embroidery and avoid glue.
- Optional keychain: Sew a small split ring or lobster clasp to the top between the horns, catching multiple stitches for strength.
Round-By-Round Recap (Quick Reference)
- Body: 6 → 12 → 18 → 24 → 30 → 36; five plain rounds at 36; then 30 → 24 → 18 → 12 → 6, close.
- Arms: MR6; 4 rounds plain; FO.
- Legs: MR6; inc to 12; 2 rounds plain; dec to 8; FO.
- Horns: MR4; to 6; plain; to 8; plain; FO.
- Eye (crochet): Pupil MR6; Iris 6→12→18; White 6→12→18→24.
Keep this mini map beside you while crocheting.
Troubleshooting Tips
- My circle looks hexagonal. That’s normal with repeated increase points. A light roll between your palms rounds it out.
- Gaps show between stitches. Drop one hook size and keep tension even.
- The eye edges ripple. You may be pulling stitches too tight while sewing. Relax your stitch, smooth the edge with your fingers, and add a stitch only where needed.
- Monster won’t sit. Move the legs slightly forward and flatten their bottoms with a few extra stitches attaching more surface area to the body.
