Crochet Crocodile Amigurumi Free Pattern In Grey

Every leg and spike lands on a set stitch within its round in this grey crochet crocodile amigurumi, so keep a stitch marker close from the snout onward. Worsted cotton on a 3.5 or 4 mm hook and two 12 mm safety eyes turn it into a hand span soft toy in about three hours.

Bobble ridges along the spine make this Crochet Crocodile Amigurumi read as reptile straight away. One colour, no colour changes. Long flat body, four short legs, bead eyes. Anyone who has done a bobble stitch can finish a crochet crocodile amigurumi without extra help.

Crochet Crocodile Amigurumi

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Nothing gets sewn on in this crochet crocodile amigurumi, because the legs and the back spikes are worked directly into the rounds as popcorn and bobble stitches. Starting at the snout, the whole animal grows in one continuous piece from nose to tail tip. Mine uses smooth grey cotton rather than chenille, which keeps the bobbles sharp and the spine ridge clearly defined. Black safety eyes sit inside built in sockets formed by clusters of half double crochet. Length runs to about a hand span. Light stuffing keeps it lying flat the way a crocodile should.

Materials

• Smooth worsted weight cotton or acrylic in grey
• Hook to suit your yarn, around 3.5 mm or 4.0 mm for worsted weight and 5.0 mm for chunky
• Two 12 mm black safety eyes, sized down if you use thinner yarn
• Fiberfill
• Stitch marker, or leave a long tail at your starting slip knot and carry it up as a running marker
• Tapestry needle and scissors

Expect around three hours once you are comfortable with bobbles, and longer on a first attempt. The stitches are all standard. What makes this one intermediate is that every leg and spike is placed at a specific stitch within a round, so losing your count costs you real ground.

Stitch Guide

• Single crochet (sc), half double crochet (hdc), double crochet (dc), increase (inc), and invisible decrease (dec) are used throughout.
• 3 dc bobble, used for the nostrils and all the back spikes: yarn over, insert the hook in the stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through two loops. Repeat that twice more in the same stitch until four loops sit on the hook, then yarn over and pull through all four.
• 5 dc popcorn, used for the legs: work five double crochets into the same stitch, drop the loop from your hook, insert the hook into the top of the first dc you made, pick the dropped loop back up, and pull it straight through.

The Pattern

Snout And Head

• Foundation: Chain 5.
• Round 1: Starting in the second chain from the hook, work 3 sc, then 1 inc in the last chain. Turn and work down the opposite side of the chain with 3 sc and 1 inc in the last chain. [10]
• Round 2: Work 1 sc, then a 3 dc bobble in that same stitch. Work 3 sc. In the next stitch, work a 3 dc bobble and 1 sc in the same stitch. Work 5 sc. [12] The two bobbles are the nostrils and should sit close together at the tip of the snout.
• Round 3: Work 12 sc. [12]
• Round 4: Work 2 sc, 1 inc, 1 sc, 1 inc, 7 sc. [14]
• Rounds 5 and 6: Work 14 sc in each round. [14]
• Round 7: Work 3 sc, 2 inc, 1 sc, 2 inc, 6 sc. [18]
• Round 8: Work 18 sc. [18]
• Round 9: Work (2 sc, 1 inc) six times. [24]
• Round 10: Work 7 sc, then 4 hdc into the next stitch, then 5 sc, then 4 hdc into the next stitch, then 10 sc. [30] Each hdc cluster bulges outward into an eye socket, so keep them loose rather than tight.
• Eyes: Push the safety eyes in at the base of each 4 hdc cluster and fix the backings before you go any further.
• Round 11: Work 8 sc, skip 3 stitches, 6 sc, skip 3 stitches, 10 sc. [24] Skipping those stitches folds the socket closed over the eye and gives the crocodile its hooded brow.
• Round 12: Work (2 sc, 1 dec) six times. [18]
• Round 13: Work (1 sc, 1 dec) six times. [12] The head is finished and the neck is at its narrowest point here.

Body And Legs

• Round 14: Work (1 sc, 1 inc) six times. [18]
• Round 15: Work (2 sc, 1 inc) six times. [24]
• Round 16: Work (3 sc, 1 inc) five times, then 1 popcorn, then 2 sc, 1 inc. [30] That popcorn is the first front leg.
• Round 17: Work 2 sc, 1 popcorn, 8 sc, 1 bobble, 5 sc, 1 bobble, 12 sc. [30] The second front leg goes in here along with the first pair of back spikes.
• Round 18: Work 30 sc. [30]
• Round 19: Work 10 sc, 1 bobble, 7 sc, 1 bobble, 11 sc. [30]
• Round 20: Work 30 sc. [30]
• Round 21: Work 10 sc, 1 bobble, 8 sc, 1 bobble, 10 sc. [30]
• Round 22: Work 30 sc. [30]
• Round 23: Work 10 sc, 1 bobble, 8 sc, 1 bobble, 10 sc. [30]
• Round 24: Work 30 sc. [30]
• Round 25: Work 11 sc, 1 bobble, 7 sc, 1 bobble, 10 sc. [30] Check from above that all your spike pairs line up in two straight rows before continuing.
• Round 26: Work 26 sc, 1 popcorn, 3 sc. [30] First back leg.
• Round 27: Work 3 sc, 1 popcorn, 8 sc, 1 bobble, 5 sc, 1 bobble, 11 sc. [30] Second back leg and another spike pair.

Tail

• Round 28: Work (3 sc, 1 dec) six times. [24]
• Round 29: Work 11 sc, 1 bobble, 2 sc, 1 bobble, 9 sc. [24]
• Round 30: Work (2 sc, 1 dec) six times. [18]
• Stuffing: Start stuffing now and keep it light. An overstuffed body rounds up into a sausage, and mine lies flat and low the way the shape intends.
• Round 31: Work 10 sc, 1 bobble, 7 sc. [18] The spikes drop to a single row from here as the tail narrows.
• Round 32: Work (1 sc, 1 dec) six times. [12]
• Round 33: Work 7 sc, 1 bobble, 4 sc. [12]
• Round 34: Work (1 sc, 1 dec) four times. [8]
• Round 35: Work 5 sc, 1 bobble, 2 sc. [8]
• Round 36: Work 8 sc. [8]
• Round 37: Work 5 sc, 1 bobble, 2 sc. [8]
• Round 38: Work 1 sc, 1 dec, 1 sc, 1 dec, 1 sc. [5]
• Round 39: Work 3 sc, 1 bobble, 1 sc. [5] The final bobble sits right at the tail tip.
• Finishing: Cut the yarn leaving a short tail and pull it through the last loop. Thread it on a tapestry needle, weave through the front loops only of all 5 remaining stitches, and cinch gently to close. Knot securely and bury the tail inside the body.

Tips

• Bobbles and popcorns pull the round tight. Work the stitch on either side of each one a little looser so the surface does not pucker around the raised stitch.
• Push every bobble and popcorn firmly to the outside as you complete it. They have a habit of collapsing inward, and once you crochet past them they stay that way.
• Stuff through the open rounds as you narrow the tail rather than all at once at round 30. Small amounts pushed forward with a chopstick fill the snout and the legs evenly.
• Count before every leg and spike round. Those placements are the whole design, and a single stitch drift shifts a leg off centre in a way you will see immediately.

Customization

• Work it in classic green, or in sandy tan for a more realistic look.
• Add a pale belly by changing colour for the stitches along the underside as you go.
• Embroider a mouth line along the snout in a darker thread.
• Skip the tail bobbles from round 31 onward for a smoother tail.
• Scale up with chunky chenille and a 5.0 mm hook for a soft toy version.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my back spikes not lining up in two rows?

The bobble positions shift slightly round to round by design, but they should still read as two parallel lines down the spine. If yours wander, the cause is a drifting round start. Move your marker diligently and count from it rather than from the last spike.

Can I use chenille yarn like the original suggests?

Yes, and it makes a softer toy. Be aware that chenille swallows bobble definition, so the spikes and nostrils will read as soft bumps rather than crisp points. I used smooth cotton for exactly that reason.

Do the popcorn legs need stuffing?

No. A 5 dc popcorn is dense enough to hold its own round shape, and pushing filling into one distorts it. Leave them as they come off the hook and they will stay plump.