Your Instagram feed may be filled with it, your Pinterest boards full of it, or you may even have attempted to start an Amigurumi project at some point.

Amigurumi is typically thought of as a crochet technique or design, but did you know that this ancient Japanese art actually refers to knitting also?

Today we chat a little about the beautiful art of making objects we can stuff and find out a little more about Clare Cooper, the very talented crochet designer behind the Oche Pots label. Furthermore, Clare has designed a very special project for Adelaide Hills Yarn Co using a favourite of mine, Little Cotton.

My personal love affair with Amigurumi started about 10 years ago when I first started learning to crochet. Beautiful Amigurumi dolls were pinned to my Pinterest boards in the hope that one day I would master the art and have a collection of beautiful stuffed creations of my very own.

Fast forward 10 years, and I have finished many creations for loved ones and after painstakingly sewing on limbs of all shapes and sizes, having vowed this would be my last one, here I am again, this time guided by a master of the art Clare Cooper.

A little bit about Clare

Clare is a crochet designer who resides in the extremely arty city Melbourne, and the creator behind the label Oche Pots (pronounced ot-chee pots).

When Clare was first learning to crochet, she loved making small baskets and planters and selling them at local markets, where she called them her ‘oche pots’. The name stuck, and Clare ventured into making Amigurumi by starting with a simple Bunny design for her daughter.

“One of the things I love about amigurumi is that most designs use only a handful of basic crochet stitches” says Clare. “ The ability to transform a ball of yarn into a child's toy or special doll is kind of magical! I'm also a big believer in the meditative nature of crochet in general; "busy hands, quiet mind".

I think we can agree, Clare has certainly mastered the art of designing the most stunning Amigurumi pieces covered in the most intricate details.

I have been a huge fan of Clare’s work for some time, and when the opportunity arose recently to work with Clare, my fan girl enthusiasm hit an all time high!

Some of my favourite designs include Clare’s WORRY DOLL, YOGI DOLL and most certainly her DOLLS OF THE WORLD series.

            

Clare recently spent some time designing a special doll using Adelaide Hills Yarn Co. Little Cotton. Little Cotton is a 5ply blend of recycled fibres, mainly cotton, and makes the perfect fibre for any Amigurumi project.

The result of Clare’s recent tinker with Little Cotton is beautiful ADELINE, pictured below.

                                            

Adeline is sweet little vintage rag doll with her very own darling granny square pinafore and head scarf, reminiscent of little rag dolls of old, made from linen fabric.

She has turned out beautifully, and Clare has very generously provided readers with access to the full pattern, (see below) so you too can make your very own Adeline.

Adeline has been crafted using Little Cotton in Ecru, Almond, Golden Mustard, Tea Rose and Olive, and a 3mm crochet hook.

Thank you to Clare for the time and care taken in designing Adeline.

You can find all of Clare’s gorgeous designs in her Etsy store, and you can follow her Amigurumi journey on Instagram. 

We would ask that any finished products are promoted on social media using the @ochepots tag as credit to the designer and that the pattern is used only for personal use.

PATTERN:

Designed by Clare Cooper for Adelaide Hills Yarn Co.

Instagram: @ochepots

Shop patterns: ochepots.etsy.com

Materials & Tools

Yarn

• Adelaide Hills “Little Cotton” (70% recycled cotton fibres) in Ecru, Almond, Golden Mustard, Tea Rose and Olive (1 ball of each)

Crochet Hook

• 3 mm

Other

• Toy stuffing
• Yarn (tapestry) needle
• Embroidery needle and black embroidery floss (for face details)
• Stitch marker (optional)

Finished size

Approximately 29 cm

Pattern Notes

• Adjust hook size to suit yarn weight and individual stitch tension, ensuring a tight fabric through which stuffing will not show.
• Work in continuous (spiral) rounds unless otherwise indicted, marking the start of each round with a stitch marker.
• Colour changes are made on the last step of the previous stitch.
• Use an “invisible decrease” for decrease stitches worked in the round; insert hook in front loop of first stitch, without yarning over, insert hook in front loop of second stitch, yarn over and pull yarn through 2 front loops (2 loops on hook), yarn over and draw through both loops on hook.

Abbreviations

Note: This pattern uses US crochet terminology.

ch - chain

st(s) - stitch(es)

sl st - slip stitch

sc - single crochet

hdc - half-double crochet

dc - double crochet 

inc - increase (work 2 single crochet in same stitch)

dec - decrease (work 2 single crochet stitches together) 

Special Stitch Instructions

3-hdc-cluster - Work 3 unfinished half double crochet stitches together in the same stitch; yarn over, insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop (3 loops on hook). Tug on hook to lengthen loops. Working into the same stitch, repeat this step twice more (total of 5 loops on hook). Yarn over and draw through all 5 loops. Cluster stitch complete.

Doll Pattern

ARMS (Make 2)

Round 1: With Ecru (skin colour), make a magic ring, 6 sc in ring. (6 sc)

Round 2: [Sc in next st, inc in next st] x 3. (9 sc)

Rounds 3-20: (18 rounds) Sc in each st around. (9 sc)

*Lightly stuff lower third of Arm, leaving remainder of Arm unstuffed.

Round 21: Sc in next st, [dec, sc in each of next 2 sts] x 2. (7 sc)

 Flatten top of Arm and work 3 sc through both layers to close opening.

• Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

LEGS (Make 2)

Round 1: With Ecru, make a magic ring, 6 sc in ring. (6 sc)

Round 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sc)

Rounds 3-29: (27 rounds) Sc in each st around. (12 sc)

 

• Lightly stuff lower two thirds of Leg, leaving upper third unstuffed.
• Flatten top of Leg and work 6 sc through both layers to close opening.
• Fasten off and weave in ends.

BODY

With back of first Leg facing towards you (i.e. wrong-side of the 6 closing stitches), join Tea Rose yarn to the front loop of first stitch on your right.

Round 1: (Joining Legs) Inc in joining stitch, sc in each of next 5 front loops, ch 2; working on back of second Leg, sc in each of next 5 front loops, inc in next front loop; turn and continue around front of Legs by working into remaining loops of closing stitches, inc in first front loop, sc in each of next 5 front loops, sc in back bumps of each of next 2 ch sts; continue on first Leg, sc in each of next 5 front loops, inc in last front loop. (30 sc + 2 ch)

 

• Continue in spiral rounds.

Rounds 2: Sc in each of next 7 sts, sc in other side of each of next 2 ch sts, sc in each of next 23 sts. (32 sc)

Rounds 3-8: (6 rounds) Sc in each st around. (32 sc)

 

• Make an additional 16 sc to move end of round to other side of back Body.
• Change to Ecru.

Round 9: Sc in each st around. (32 sc)

Round 10: Dec, sc in each of next 15 sts, dec, sc in each of next 13 sts. (30 sc)

Round 11: Sc in each st around. (30 sc)

Round 12: Dec, sc in each of next 14 sts, dec, sc in each of next 12 sts. (28 sc)

Round 13: Sc in each st around. (28 sc)

Round 14: Dec, sc in each of next 13 sts, dec, sc in each of next 11 sts. (26 sc)

Round 15: Sc in each st around. (26 sc)
Round 16: Dec, sc in each of next 12 sts, dec, sc in each of next 10 sets. (24 sc)

Round 17: Sc in each of next 22 sts, dec. (23 sc)

Round 18: Dec x 2, sc in each of next 8 sts, dec x 3, sc in each of next 5 sts. (18 sc)

Round 19: Dec, sc in each of next 8 sts, dec, sc in each of next 6 sts. (16 sc)

Rounds 20-21: (2 rounds) Sc in each st around. (16 sc)

 

• Do not fasten off.
• Firmly stuff the Body and continue on to make the Head.

HEAD

Notes:

• The sets of increase stitches in Rounds 1 to 3 should be positioned at the sides of the Head. If required, add or remove stitches at end of Round 21 of Body to ensure correct Head shaping.
• Rounds 3 to 12 use colour work to create the hairline (i.e. alternating between skin colour and hair colour). TIP: Work colour changes using a "cut and tie” method, avoiding the need to strand (float) the non-working yarn over large gaps in colour work.

Round 1: (Continued from Body) Inc x 3, sc in each of next 6 sts, inc x 3, sc in each of next 4 sts. (22 sc)

Round 2: Sc in next st, inc x 4, sc in each of next 8 sts, inc x 4, sc in each of next 5 sts. (30 sc)

Round 3: Sc in each of next 3 sts, inc x 4, sc in each of next 12 sts, inc x 4, change to Almond (hair colour), sc in each of next 7 sts. (38 sc)

Round 4: Sc in each of next 3 sts, change to Ecru, sc in each of next 26 sts, change to Almond, sc in each of next 9 sts. (38 sc)

Round 5: Sc in each of next 5 sts, change to Ecru, sc in each of next 24 sts, change to Almond, sc in each of next 9 sts. (38 sc)

Round 6: Sc in each of next 6 sts, change to Ecru, sc in each of next 22 sts, change to Almond, sc in each of next 10 sts. (38 sc)

Round 7: Sc in each of next 8 sts, change to Ecru, inc in next st, sc in each of next 18 sts, inc in next st, change to Almond, sc in each of next 10 sts. (40 sc)

Round 8: Sc in each of next 10 sts, change to Ecru, sc in each of next 18 sts, change to Almond, sc in each of next 12 sts. (40 sc)

Round 9: Sc in each of next 10 sts, change to Ecru, sc in each of next 17 sts, change to Almond, sc in each of next 13 sts. (40 sc)

Round 10: Sc in each of next 11 sts, change to Ecru, sc in each of next 16 sts, change to Almond, sc in each of next 13 sts. (40 sc)

Round 11: Sc in each of next 10 sts, inc in next st, change to Ecru, sc in each of next 16 sts, change to Almond, sc in next st, inc in next st, sc in each of next 11 sts. (42 sc)

Round 12: Sc in each of next 13 sts, change to Ecru, sc in each of next 15 sts, change to Almond, sc in each of next 14 sts. (42 sc)

 

• Embroider face details using black embroidery floss. For the Mouth, make a short straight stitch, centred on face between Rounds 3 and 4. Eyes are positioned over Rounds 6 and 7, approximately 4 stitches wide and 4 stitches apart.
• Use a length of Tea Rose yarn and yarn needle to add small cheeks markings below the outer edge of each eye, between Rounds 4 and 5.
• Continue in Almond.

Round 13: Sc in each st around. (42 sc)

Round 14: Sc in each of next 8 sts, dec x 3; working in back loop only, sc in each if next 15 sts; dec x 3, sc in each of next 7 sts. (36 sc)

Round 15: Sc in each st around. (36 sc)

Round 16: [Sc in next st, dec, sc in next st] x 9. (27 sc)

 

• Start stuffing the Head, and continue to stuff firmly as you close.

Round 17: [Sc in next st, dec] x 9. (18 sc)

Round 18: Dec x 9. (9 sc)

Round 19: Dec x 3, end round here. (6 sc)

 

• Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
• Use yarn needle to weave long tail through the front loops of 6 remaining stitches and pull firmly to close hole. Weave in end.

HEADSCARF  

Row 1: With Golden Mustard, ch 2, sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1, turn. (1 sc)

Row 2: Inc, ch 1, turn. (2 sc)

Row 3: Inc, sc in next st, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)

Row 4: Inc, sc in each of next 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (4 sc)

Row 5: Sc in each st across, ch 1, turn. (4 sc)

Row 6: Skip first st, sc in each of next 3 sts, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)

Row 7: Skip first st, sc in each of next 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (2 sc)

Rows 8-9: (2 rows) (Short end) Sc in each st across, ch 1, turn. (2 sc)

Row 10: Inc, sc in next st, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)

Row 11: Inc, sc in each of next 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (4 sc)

Rows 12-46: (35 rows) Sc in each st across, ch 1, turn. (4 sc)

Row 47: Skip first st, sc in each of next 3 sts, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)

Row 48: Skip first st, sc in each if next 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (2 sc)

Rows 49-52: (4 rows) (Long end) Sc in each st across, ch 1, turn. (2 sc)

Row 53: Inc, sc in next st, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)

Row 54: Inc, sc in each of next 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (4 sc)

Row 55: Sc in each st across, ch 1, turn. (4 sc)

Row 56: Skip first st, sc in each of next 3 sts, ch 1, turn. (3 sc)

Row 57: Skip first st, sc in each of next 2 sts, ch 1, turn. (2 sc)

Row 58: Skip first st, sc in next st. (1 sc)

Fasten off and weave in ends.

DRESS

Notes:

• Dress consists of a front bib with shoulder straps and a skirt worked from the waistband down.
• TIP: To attach a new colour (or to rejoin yarn), insert hook into stitch (or space) indicted, pull up a loop and chain 1 to secure.

Front Bib

Round 1: With Golden Mustard, make a magic ring, 8 sc in ring, sl st in first sc to join round. (8 sc) - Fasten off.

Round 2: With Tea Rose, attach yarn to any stitch on Round 1 (tug hook to extend loop up to height of hdc), 3-hdc-cluster in joining st, ch 1, [3-hdc-cluster in next st, ch 1] x 7, sl st in first cluster to join round. (8 cluster sts + 8 ch-1 spaces) - Fasten off. {image 1}

Round 3: With Olive, attach yarn to any ch-1 space on Round 2 (tug hook to extend loop up to height of hdc), 3 hdc in joining ch-1 space, [2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] in next ch-1 space, (3 hdc in next ch-1 space, [2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] in next ch-1 space) x 3, sl st in first hdc to join round.  (28 sts + 4 ch-2 corners) - Fasten off.  {image 2}

First Side of Bib and Shoulder Strap

Attach Olive yarn to any ch-2 corner on Round 3 of Front Bib.

Row 1: Ch 3 (counts as first st), working up first side of Bib, dc in each of next 2 dc sts, hdc in each of next 3 hdc sts, sc in each of next 2 dc sts, sc in next ch-2 corner, ch 6. (9 sts + 6 ch) - Fasten off, leaving a 15cm yarn tail. {image 3}

Second Side of Bib and Shoulder Strap

With Olive yarn, make a slip knot with a 15cm starting yarn tail.

Row 1: Ch 6, sc into next ch-2 corner on Round 3 of Front Bib to join chain to top corner of Bib. {image 4} Continue down second side of Bib, sc in each of next 2 dc, hdc in each of next 3 hdc, dc in each of next 2 dc, dc in next ch-2 corner. (6 ch + 9 sts) - Do not fasten off. {image 5}

Skirt

Continued from Second Shoulder Strap.

Round 1: Ch 1, rotate Front Bib and work 2 sc into side of last dc; continue along base of Front Bib, sc in each of next 7 sts, sc in each of next 3 ch sts (starting ch 3 from First Shoulder Strap)

{image 6}, ch 24 (waistband), sl st in first sc to join round (making sure chain is not twisted). (12 sc + 24 ch) {image 7}

Round 2: Ch 1, hdc in each of next 12 sts, hdc in each of next 24 ch, sl st in first hdc to join round. (36 hdc)

Note: Work all of the hdc stitches in Round 3 to 6 of Skirt by inserting hook between the posts of the stitches (rather than into the top loops).

Rounds 3-5: (3 rounds) Ch 1, working between stitch posts, hdc in each stitch around, sl st in first hdc to join round. (36 hdc)

Round 6: Ch 1, 2 hdc in next st, hdc in each of next 12 sts, 2 hdc in next st, hdc in each of next 4 sts, 2 hdc in next st, hdc in each of next 12 sts, 2 hdc in next st, hdc in each of next 4 sts, sl st in first hdc to join round. (40 hdc)  

Round 7: (Edging round) (Ch 2, sc in 2nd ch from hook, skip next st, sl st in next) x 19, ch 2, sc in 2nd ch from hook, skip last st, sl st in back of joining sl st from previous round to finish. (20 points)

       

FINAL ASSEMBLY

1. Using long tails and yarn needle, sew Arms to either side of Body, between Rounds 18 and 19 (3 rounds below start of Head).
2. Place centre of Headscarf at nape of neck. Wrap long end around short end to secure at top of Head, just above unworked front loops from Round 13. Adjust Headscarf placement to cover hairline colour changes. After adding the Fringe, secure Headscarf in position with a few discrete stitches at top and sides of Head.
3. To add the Fringe, cut approximately 8 strands of Almond yarn (or at least sufficient strands for the number of front loops visible below the Headscarf), each 20 cm in length.

• With doll’s legs pointing upwards, use your crochet hook to attach strands to front loops.
• To do this, insert hook into a stitch, catch centre of strand and draw a small loop of yarn part way through the stitch, yarn over with both yarn tails and draw tails through the loop. Pull tails to tighten.)
• Style Fringe as desired (e.g. side or centre part) and tuck ends of hair under side(s) of Headscarf. Trim excess length.

4. Dress Adeline in her Dress, placing the shoulder straps across the tops of the arms and securing together with a small bow at the back of the neck. Trim ends of straps as required.

 

Congratulations! Your little Adeline doll is complete!