Independent craft blog since 2007
With Easter coming up in a couple days, I’m excited about everything spring. Garden Therapy has a candle idea I am very excited about making and gifting to friends. This project begins with making soy and beeswax candles in a half pint jar. When that’s done, you make and layer petals on top using a couple colors of beeswax. Visit the tutorial for step-by-step photos.
There are some animals that seem almost too wonderfully odd to be real, and the axolotl is certainly one of them. With those feathery little gills, tiny feet and permanently cheerful expression, it is hardly surprising that axolotl crochet patterns have become so popular with amigurumi makers.
My teenagers seem to know every cute creature on the internet long before I do, and axolotls have been popping up everywhere—from games and backpacks to plush toys and bedroom décor. Thankfully, they also translate beautifully into crochet. Their long bodies and simple shapes make them especially well suited to amigurumi, while those frilly external gills give you plenty of opportunity to play with contrasting colours.
This collection includes free axolotl crochet patterns, no-sew axolotl patterns, tiny keychain-sized creatures and larger squishy plushies made with chenille or blanket yarn. Some can be completed in an hour, while others have separate legs, tails and gills for crocheters who enjoy a slightly more detailed project.
Pink may be the traditional choice, but please do not feel tied to it. Crochet your axolotl in lilac, aqua, speckled yarn, rainbow stripes or whatever happens to be sitting in your yarn basket. Real axolotls may have rules about colouring, but the ones living on our craft tables certainly do not.
Lucy is a sweet beginner-friendly axolotl amigurumi with very little sewing required—the tail fin is the only piece that needs to be attached. The pattern can be made with sport-weight cotton for a small toy or super-bulky chenille for a much larger plushie, and there is a full video tutorial to help visual learners through each stage.
This wonderfully floppy axolotl is made from the tail upwards, with the head, body and tail worked as one main piece. Blanket yarn creates a soft, approximately 10-inch cuddle toy, while worsted-weight yarn produces a smaller five-inch version that would make a charming backpack companion.
Here is a quick little no-sew axolotl crochet pattern worked in one piece, making it ideal when you want something cute without an evening of attaching tiny limbs. Change the yarn weight to turn the same design into either a velvety plush toy or a petite keychain-sized axolotl.
This clever no-sew pattern is worked in a continuous spiral from the top down and uses bobble stitches to form the little legs. It mainly relies on single crochet and can reportedly be finished in under an hour, so it is a particularly good choice for craft stalls, party favours or last-minute gifts.
Loops and Love Crochet’s axolotl has a more traditional amigurumi shape, complete with a rounded head, curled tail, four little legs and beautifully noticeable gills. I particularly like this design for experimenting with colour combinations—you could keep the body neutral and make each set of gills a different bright shade.
Made with super-bulky chenille yarn, this plump little axolotl looks deliciously squishable and has no seams to sew. It works up in around one or two hours and is small enough to adapt into a keychain, making it a useful pattern for market sellers who need quick crochet projects that stand out on the table.
This detailed baby axolotl pattern has a rounded cartoon-style body, expressive face and plenty of character. It is a lovely option for crocheters who enjoy building an amigurumi from several shaped components rather than using a completely no-sew construction.
Using mostly single crochet with a little double crochet around the tail fringe, this free pattern is very approachable once you are comfortable working in the round. The designer used acrylic yarn, but you could switch to cotton for a neater stitch definition or chunky yarn when a larger cuddly axolotl is required.
At around 5.5 centimetres tall, this miniature axolotl is ideal for keychains, desk companions, tiny gifts or using up those precious scraps of cotton yarn. The design is worked with fine sport-weight cotton and includes enough shaping to give the finished creature a surprisingly detailed little silhouette.
This generous free pattern includes written instructions, a video and a printable PDF available from the post. The finished axolotl has a large rounded head and soft, huggable appearance, making it a good choice when you want a substantial toy rather than a tiny pocket-sized project.
This second design from The Friendly Red Fox has a compact, rounded squishy shape with tiny fins and feet. Blanket yarn helps it work up quickly and gives the finished toy the soft texture children tend to make a beeline for the moment it appears on the sofa.
Paid PDF pattern. Instead of making only one axolotl, this Etsy pattern lets you create an entire no-sew plush family. It is a fun choice for sibling gifts, matching parent-and-baby toys or a colourful collection for a craft-market display.
Cotton and smooth acrylic yarns are easiest when you want clearly defined stitches and a smaller, more traditional amigurumi. They are also less likely to hide your increases, decreases and stitch placement, which makes them friendlier for newer crocheters.
Chenille and blanket yarn create the irresistibly soft, chunky axolotls that are currently popular as plush toys. The downside is that fluffy yarn can make stitches difficult to see, particularly around a magic ring. A stitch marker is essential, and it can help to practise the first few rounds with ordinary yarn before moving to chenille.
You can generally make an axolotl larger or smaller simply by changing the yarn weight and using a suitable hook. Keep in mind that changing yarn may also change how firmly the toy holds its shape, so adjust your stuffing as you go rather than pushing it all in at the end.
The classic combination is a pale pink body with darker pink or raspberry gills, but there are plenty of other possibilities:
A variegated yarn can be quite busy across a small amigurumi, so I usually pair it with solid-coloured gills and feet. Conversely, a plain body gives you room to use scraps of novelty, glitter or fluffy yarn around the gills.
Safety eyes are convenient, but they are not considered suitable for babies or children who may pull, chew or mouth their toys. For younger recipients, embroider the eyes securely with black yarn or embroidery thread instead.
Check that all tails, gills and limbs are firmly attached, particularly when the axolotl will be played with rather than displayed. Washable yarn is also a sensible choice for children’s toys because, as every parent knows, soft toys have an uncanny ability to find sticky substances even when no sticky substances were supposedly present.
Axolotls have also found their way into the Minecraft world. For another project featuring this quirky little creature, take a look at CraftGossip’s Minecraft cross-stitch pattern roundup, which includes a blue Minecraft-style axolotl design.
Whether you make a tiny cotton axolotl for a keyring or a great big chenille one for cuddling, these patterns are a cheerful way to use colourful yarn and practise amigurumi shaping. Just be warned: once you have made the first one, it is very difficult not to start creating an entire rainbow axolotl family.