A free crochet pufferfish pattern for a round, spiky amigurumi ball fish with big shiny eyes and puckered coral lips. This pufferfish plushie is sunny yellow with a cream belly, little cream spikes all over, caramel spots on its back and orange fins at the sides. The body is one ball worked in the round in single crochet with DK yarn and a 2.5 mm hook, with 14 mm safety eyes; the spikes, spots, fins and lips are sewn on, and it ends up about 9.5 cm (3.7 in) tall. Follow the row-by-row pattern with stitch counts and turn the interactive 3D model to see where every spike goes.

What you'll need

Tick things off as you gather them.

0 of 11 gathered

yellow yarnDK weight25 m
cream yarnDK weight30 m
orange yarnDK weight10 m
caramel yarnDK weight10 m
pink yarnDK weight5 m
coral yarnDK weight5 m
Crochet hooksize 2.5 mm1
Safety eyesor embroider them for small kids2
Fiberfillpolyester stuffing30 g
Stitch markerfor spiral rounds1
Tapestry needlefor sewing parts1

Gauge

1 sc ≈ 4 mm wide, 1 round ≈ 3.6 mm tall (10 cm ≈ 25 sc × 28 rounds); yarn about 1.9 mm thick. The gauge sets the size of the toy; crochet tightly so the stuffing does not show.

Worked in

Continuous spiral rounds. Don't join. Move a stitch marker up every round.

Parts

Pattern languageen ru Download PDF

0 of 50 rounds done

R1with yellow: 6 sc in MR(6)
R2inc ×6(12)
R3(1 sc, inc) ×6(18)
R4[yellow] 1 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc, 1 sc [cream] 1 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc [yellow] 2 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc, 1 sc(24)
R5[yellow] (3 sc, inc) ×2 [cream] 3 sc, inc, 4 sc [yellow] 1 sc in same st, 3 sc, inc, 3 sc, inc(30)
R6[yellow] 2 sc, inc, 4 sc, inc, 2 sc [cream] 2 sc, inc, 4 sc, inc, 1 sc [yellow] 3 sc, inc, 4 sc, inc, 2 sc(36)
R7[yellow] (5 sc, inc) ×2 [cream] 5 sc, inc, 6 sc [yellow] 1 sc in same st, 5 sc, inc, 5 sc, inc(42)
R8[yellow] 3 sc, inc, 6 sc, inc, 3 sc [cream] 3 sc, inc, 6 sc, inc, 2 sc [yellow] 4 sc, inc, 6 sc, inc, 3 sc(48)
R9[yellow] (7 sc, inc) ×2 [cream] 7 sc, inc, 7 sc [yellow] inc, 7 sc, inc, 7 sc, inc(54)
R1018 sc in yellow, 16 sc in cream, 20 sc in yellow(54)
R11[yellow] (8 sc, inc) ×2 [cream] 8 sc, inc, 8 sc [yellow] inc, 8 sc, inc, 8 sc, inc(60)
R12–1320 sc in yellow, 18 sc in cream, 22 sc in yellow(60)
R14–1719 sc in yellow, 19 sc in cream, 22 sc in yellow(60)
R18–1919 sc in yellow, 18 sc in cream, 23 sc in yellow(60)
R20[yellow] 4 sc, dec, 8 sc, dec, 3 sc [cream] 5 sc, dec, 8 sc, dec, 1 sc [yellow] 7 sc, dec, 8 sc, dec, 4 sc(54)
R2117 sc in yellow, 16 sc in cream, 21 sc in yellow(54)
R22[yellow] 4 sc, dec, 7 sc, dec, 2 sc [cream] 5 sc, dec, 7 sc, dec [yellow] 7 sc, dec, 7 sc, dec, 3 sc(48)
R23[yellow] 6 sc, dec, 5 sc [cream] 1 sc, dec, 6 sc, dec, 4 sc [yellow] 2 sc, dec, 6 sc, dec, 6 sc, dec(42)
R24[yellow] 3 sc, dec, 5 sc, dec [cream] 5 sc, dec, 5 sc [yellow] dec, 5 sc, dec, 5 sc, dec, 2 sc(36)
R25[yellow] 4 sc, dec, 3 sc [cream] 1 sc, dec, 4 sc, dec, 2 sc [yellow] 2 sc, dec, 4 sc, dec, 4 sc, dec(30)
R26[yellow] 2 sc, dec, 3 sc [cream] dec, 3 sc, dec, 2 sc [yellow] 1 sc, dec, 3 sc, dec, 3 sc, dec, 1 sc(24)
R27[yellow] 2 sc, dec, 1 sc [cream] 1 sc, dec, 2 sc, dec [yellow] (2 sc, dec) ×3(18)
R28[yellow] 1 sc [cream] (dec, 1 sc) ×2 [yellow] dec, 1 sc, dec, 1 sc, dec, 1 sc, dec(12)
R29[cream] dec [yellow] dec ×4 [cream] dec(6)
Size before assembly: about 8.5 cm at the widest, 7.3 cm long; 29 rounds. Multi-colour rounds are listed stitch by stitch from the round-start marker; keep the round start on the piece's centre top line (as it sits on the finished toy). The order is for right-handed crocheting (right to left on the outside); left-handed: reverse it.
→ Insert the safety eyes now (positions: see “Face”) and fix the backs. Start stuffing (firmly) and keep adding as you decrease.
Top up the stuffing if needed. Fasten off leaving a 15 cm tail; with the needle weave it through the front loops of all 6 stitches of the last round, pull tight and hide the end inside.

R1with coral: 5 sc in MR(5)
R2inc ×5(10)
R310 sc(10)
R42 sc, dec, 3 sc, dec, 1 sc(8)
Size before assembly: about 2.3 cm at the widest, 1.2 cm long; 4 rounds.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing. Do not stuff. Shape it into a dish: rounds 1–2 are the front of the piece, the magic ring its centre. Push the centre in so the front is concave (about 2.7 mm at the centre) and turn rounds 3–4 to the back: they make a thick rounded rim (about 8 mm thick) and lie behind as a second layer; the piece is about 23 mm across.

R1with orange: 6 sc in MR(6)
R2(1 sc, inc) ×3(9)
R3(2 sc, inc) ×3(12)
R42 sc, (inc, 3 sc) ×2, inc, 1 sc(15)
R5(4 sc, inc) ×3(18)
R63 sc, (inc, 5 sc) ×2, inc, 2 sc(21)
R7(6 sc, inc) ×3(24)
R84 sc, (inc, 7 sc) ×2, inc, 3 sc(27)
R927 sc(27)
Size before assembly: about 3.6 cm at the widest, 2.8 cm long; 9 rounds.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing. Stuff lightly only and press it flat to about 1.4 cm thick.

R1with orange: 4 sc in MR(4)
R2inc ×3, 1 sc(7)
R31 sc, inc, 1 sc, inc, 1 sc, inc, 1 sc(10)
R41 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc, 2 sc, inc, 2 sc(13)
R53 sc, inc, 3 sc, inc, 3 sc, inc, 1 sc(16)
R616 sc(16)
Size before assembly: about 3 cm at the widest, 1.7 cm long; 6 rounds.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing. Do not stuff. Shape it into a spoon: push the front wall into the back wall (not down to a thin plate) — a concave spoon about 2.2 mm deep in front, a rounded back, and rounded folds of two layers at the sides (about 5.7 mm thick); about 30 mm wide. Keep the opening a curve, hollow side forward, not a straight line.

R1with cream: 4 sc in MR(4)
R2(1 sc, inc) ×2(6)
R3(2 sc, inc) ×2(8)
Size before assembly: about 1 cm at the widest, 0.8 cm long; 3 rounds.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing. Stuff lightly just before sewing it on; a little less near the edge, then add a pinch when the seam is nearly done.

R1with caramel: 6 sc in MR(6)
R2(inc ×2, 1 sc) ×2(10)
A flat circle about 1.5 cm across; 2 rounds.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing. Do not stuff.

R1with pink: 6 sc in MR(6)
R2inc ×6(12)
A flat circle about 1.5 cm across; 2 rounds.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing. Do not stuff.

Safety eyes and noses go in before the piece is stuffed and closed (see the pieces above); embroidery is easier before the piece is sewn on.

Safety eyes with a printed glint 14 mm (on the ball body): between rounds 25 and 26, 9 st apart (count along round 25: about 4.5 st each side of the centre top line).
Satin stitch (on the lips): in maroon thread, a oval about 4 mm wide and 3 mm tall, horizontal stitches; centred in round 1, on the centre top line.

Ball body · R1–R3

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Pufferfish