Floppy Cat

A big round head on a soft little body - a sitting cat with stubby arms and a long tail.

Amigurumi · Beginner · 5–6 hours · Head about 10 cm across; about 17 cm tall sitting as an estimate from the stated gauge - measure your own pieces

Yarn and tools

weight: Aran / Worsted (CYC 4)
fibre: Cotton or acrylic - a smooth yarn shows the stitches so beginners can spot mistakes
amount: 60 g Ginger, 12 g Cream, scraps of Rose and Cocoa
examples: Drops Paris, Paintbox Cotton Aran, Hobbii Cotton 8/8
hook: 3.5 mm
gauge: 36-st round = about 10 cm across (estimate); work tightly so no stuffing shows

Notions

Fibrefill 40 g
2 x 8 mm safety eyes (or embroider the eyes)
Stitch marker
Tapestry needle
Black or dark brown yarn for nose and whiskers

Stitches used

Magic Ring (MR)
Single Crochet (sc)
Increase (inc)
Invisible Decrease (inv dec)
Whip Stitch & Mattress Seam (seam)
Safety Eyes & Embroidered Eyes (eyes)

Notes

Everything is worked in a continuous spiral. Mark the first stitch of each round and move the marker up as you go.
The head is deliberately wider than the body (36 sts against 30), which is what gives the cat its floppy, chunky look.
Safety eyes can be a choking hazard for children under 3. Embroider the eyes instead for any toy a small child will handle; embroidered eyes do not by themselves make a toy safe.

Pattern

Head - Ginger

Rounds 1-6 form a flat disc; round n has 6n stitches.

MR, 6 sc into the ring. (6 sts)
Inc x6 (12 sts)
[Sc 1, inc] x6 (18 sts)
[Sc 2, inc] x6 (24 sts)
[Sc 3, inc] x6 (30 sts)
[Sc 4, inc] x6 (36 sts)
Sc around. (36 sts)
Sc around. (36 sts)
Sc around. Place the safety eyes now between this round and the next, 12 sts apart. Embroider the nose and mouth later. (36 sts)
Sc around. (36 sts)
Sc around. (36 sts)
Sc around. (36 sts)
[Sc 4, dec] x6 (30 sts)
[Sc 3, dec] x6 (24 sts)
[Sc 2, dec] x6. Stuff the head firmly before the next round. (18 sts)
[Sc 1, dec] x6 (12 sts)
Dec x6. Fasten off and close the hole. (6 sts)

Body - Ginger

Start at the base. Rounds 1-5 form the flat bottom; round n has 6n stitches.

MR, 6 sc into the ring. (6 sts)
Inc x6 (12 sts)
[Sc 1, inc] x6 (18 sts)
[Sc 2, inc] x6 (24 sts)
[Sc 3, inc] x6 (30 sts)
Sc around. (30 sts)
Sc around. (30 sts)
Sc around. (30 sts)
Sc around. (30 sts)
Sc around. (30 sts)
Sc around. (30 sts)
[Sc 3, dec] x6 (24 sts)
[Sc 2, dec] x6 (18 sts)
[Sc 1, dec] x6. Stuff the body firmly before the next round. (12 sts)
Dec x6. Fasten off, leaving a 40 cm tail, and close the hole. (6 sts)

Ears (make 2) - Ginger

MR, 6 sc into the ring. (6 sts)
[Sc 1, inc] x3 (9 sts)
Sc around. (9 sts)
Sc around. (9 sts)
Flatten the ear. Fasten off, leaving a 20 cm tail. Do not stuff. (— sts)

Arms (make 2) - Ginger

MR, 6 sc into the ring. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Stuff lightly. Fasten off, leaving a 20 cm tail. (— sts)

Muzzle - Cream

MR, 6 sc into the ring. (6 sts)
Inc x6 (12 sts)
Sc around. (12 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a 20 cm tail. Stuff lightly. (— sts)

Tail - Ginger

MR, 6 sc into the ring. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Sc around. (6 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a 20 cm tail. Stuff lightly. (— sts)

Assembly

Sew the head to the top of the body, with the neck join on the back and the face tilted very slightly up. (— sts)
Pinch each ear flat into a triangle and sew it to the top of the head, 7 sts apart at the centre, angled outwards. (— sts)
Sew the muzzle centred between and just below the eyes, then embroider a small nose and a mouth with Cocoa. (— sts)
Sew an arm to each side of the body just under the head. Sew the tail to the back of the base. (— sts)
Embroider three whiskers on each side of the muzzle and add rose blush circles under the eyes with Rose. (— sts)

Stitch counts are checked by calculation. This pattern has not been physically crocheted, and sizes are estimates from the stated gauge — make a swatch first.