Swan Amigurumi Free Crochet Pattern

A while back, I picked up a bunch of velvet yarn on clearance without any particular project in mind. But once I had them all lined up together, the Black and Blissful Greige colours together really started to speak to me and I couldn’t get the image of a fuzzy baby swan out of my head. Have you ever seen a baby swan? They are called cygnets and they are little balls of grey fluff with black beaks. They really don’t resemble fully grown swans all that much. I thought the smooth, luxurious feel and look of the velvet yarn would be perfect to replicate the soft down of a cygnet so I decided to design one!

And what is a baby without his momma? I had happened to pick up a skein of white velvet too, so the stars aligned.

I have to say, I am really proud of these designs. I don’t say that often, but I really, really enjoyed creating these beauties, from the design to the actual construction with the lovely velvet. I am so pleased with the elegant shapes I was able to achieve on the neck of the swan and the shape of the bodies. Additionally, I love how simple they are. There is no colour-work involved and absolutely no sewing (!!!), so they are a breeze to make but, in my opinion, have a big visual impact. For that reason, I decided not to make wings because I felt the simplicity really allowed the designs to shine. 

These amigurumi would make a really sweet addition to a nursery or as a baby shower gift (or even a Mother’s or Father’s Day gift?). But I also think you could make two swans and put them together as a beautiful, handmade wedding or bridal shower gift. Did you know that swans mate for life? It’s no coincidence that, when next to each other, their necks make the shape of a heart. See my mirrored pic below to see!

So, all of that is to say, I really hope you enjoy making these as much as I did. 

The patterns will be done in two separate posts. You can find the Cygnet pattern here.

As usual, this pattern is made in the same style as my Ragdoll patterns; separate pieces worked in flat rows and then joined together to give them that unique 2-D look. This pattern has just 2 separate pieces; front and back. 

The finished measurements are approximately 30cm/12″ high.

Let’s get started! (Or Pin/Shop for later!)

If you’d prefer a downloadable or printable version of this pattern, an inexpensive, formatted, and ad-free PDF can be purchased HERE or through the “Shop It” button above!

Materials:

• 3.25mm hook (I use THESE hooks!);
• Bernat Velvet in White Sand (less than one 300g skein);
• Bernat Velvet in Blackbird (small amounts);
• Loops & Threads Impeccable in Orange Crush (small amounts);
• Bernat Handicrafter Crochet Thread in black for eyes;
• Black sewing thread and sewing needle (for eyes – optional)
• Stuffing;
• Tapestry needle;
• Stitch markers.

Terms and Stitches:

Ch – Chain

Slst – Slip stitch

Sc – Single crochet 

Inc – Increase. Work a regular sc increase.

Dec – Decrease. Work a regular sc decrease.

Hdc – Half double crochet

Reading this Pattern:

The panels are worked from the bottom up. The beak is crocheted onto each panel first and then the panels are crocheted together.

At the beak, you will need to switch from black to orange from one row to the next. When switching to a new colour, insert your hook into the stitch for the last stitch of Colour A and pull up a loop, then, with Colour B, yarn over and complete the stitch by pulling through both loops with Colour B. Drop your working yarn in Colour A and continue with Colour B.

Body:

Using a 3.25mm hook and White. Ch 1 and turn at the end of each row, unless specified otherwise. 

Row 1: Ch 21, sc 20, ch 6, turn (20 sts + 6 chs)

Row 2: Starting in 2nd ch from hook, sc 5 along chs, continue across row, sc 20, ch 4, turn (25 sts + 4 chs)

Row 3: Starting in 2nd ch from hook, inc in first ch, sc 2 across rem chs, continue across row, sc 23, inc twice (31 sts)

Row 4: Inc twice, sc 29 (33 sts)

Row 5: Inc, sc 30, inc twice (36 sts)

Row 6: Inc, sc 35 (37 sts)

Row 7: Inc, sc 35, inc (39 sts)

Row 8: Inc, sc 38 (40 sts)

Row 9: Sc 39, inc (41 sts)

Row 10: Inc, sc 40 (42 sts)

Row 11: Sc 41, inc (43 sts)

Row 12: Sc across (43 sts)

Now we will start the neck. You will be crocheting only part way across the previous row before chaining and turning.

Row 13: Sc 8 (8 sts)

Row 14: Sc 6, dec (7 sts)

Row 15: Sc across (7 sts)

Row 16: Inc, sc 6 (8 sts)

Row 17: Dec, sc 6 (7 sts)

Row 18: Inc, sc 6 (8 sts)

Row 19: Dec, sc 6 (7 sts)

Row 20: Inc, sc 4, dec (7 sts)

Row 21: Sc 6, inc (8 sts)

Row 22: Inc, sc 5, dec (8 sts)

Row 23: Dec, sc 5, inc (8 sts)

Row 24: Inc, sc 5, dec (8 sts)

Row 25: Dec, sc 5, inc (8 sts)

Row 26: Inc, sc 5, dec (8 sts)

Row 27: Dec, sc 5, inc (8 sts)

Row 28: Inc, sc 5, dec (8 sts)

Row 29: Dec, sc 5, inc (8 sts)

Row 30: Sc 6, dec (7 sts)

Row 31: Dec, sc 4, inc (7 sts)

Row 32: Inc, sc 4, dec (7 sts)

Row 33: Dec, sc 5 (6 sts)

Row 34: Inc, sc 3, dec (6 sts)

Row 35: Dec, sc 4 (5 sts)

Row 36: Inc, sc 2, dec (5 sts)

Rows 37-41: Sc across (5 sts)

Row 42: Dec, sc 2, inc (5 sts)

Row 43: Inc, sc 4 (6 sts)

Row 44: Dec, sc 2, inc twice (7 sts)

Tie off.

Head:

With 3.25mm hook and white. Ch 1 and turn at the end of each row.

Row 1: Ch 4, sc 3 (3 sts)

Row 2: Inc, sc 1, inc (5 sts)

Row 3: Inc, sc 3, inc (7 sts)

Row 4: Sc across (7 sts)

Row 5: Sc 6, inc (8 sts)

Row 6: Sc across (8 sts)

Now we will join both the head and the neck together by crocheting across both in the next row. Ch 1 and turn.

Row 7: Sc 7, inc, continue crocheting across neck, sc 7 (16 sts)

Row 8: Dec, sc 12, dec (14 sts)

Row 9: Dec, sc 10, dec (12 sts)

Row 10: Dec, sc 8, dec (10 sts)

Row 11: Dec twice, sc 2, dec twice (6 sts)

Row 12: Dec three times (3 sts)

Tie off.

Finish Body:

Now we will go back and finish the body (we’re starting at row 13 because that’s where we stopped previously before starting the neck). With 3.25mm hook and white yarn. Ch 1 and turn at the end of each row.

With the neck on the right, skip 1 st next to the neck and join your yarn into the next st.

Row 13: Sc 33, inc (35 sts)

Row 14: Sc 1, slst 4, sc 30 (35 sts)

In the next row, we will crochet only part way across the previous row before chaining and turning.

Row 15: Dec, sc 26 (27 sts)

Row 16: Dec, sc 25 (26 sts)

Row 17: Dec, sc 22, dec (24 sts)

Row 18: Dec, sc 20, dec (22 sts)

Row 19: Dec, sc 16, dec twice (19 sts)

Row 20: Dec, sc 13, dec twice (16 sts)

Row 21: Dec twice, sc 10, dec (13 sts)

Row 22: Dec twice, sc 5, dec twice (9 sts)

Tie off. 

Beak:

With 3.25mm hook and black velvet yarn, join your yarn in a stitch at the bottom of the head.

Row 1: Sc 4 (4 sts)

Row 2: Sc 1, dec, sc 1 (3 sts)

Switch to Orange (NOTE: I used a worsted weight yarn and DOUBLED it up so that it was as thick as the velvet yarn).

Rows 3-4: Sc 3 (3 sts)

Row 5: Sc, dec (2 sts)

Row 6: Dec (1 st)

Row 7: Sc 1 (1 st)

Tie off.

Repeat all of the above for the back panel. When crocheting the beak on the back panel, make sure you crochet it in the SAME four stitches as you did for the front panel so that they line up perfectly.

Move on to assembly below!

Assembly:

Step 1: Eye

The first thing we need to do is stitch on the eye. I used a sewing needle and black sewing thread to stitch crochet thread in place to give the eye a nice curve. 

Feel free to add eyelashes or use a safety eye instead. 

Step 2: Body 

These are the pieces you’ll have at this step:

Place the two panels together matching up all sides. Make sure the front is facing you as you crochet around.

Starting on the left side of the body, begin attaching the panels together. Insert your hook into both panels, chain 1, and then single crochet around the outside of the panels starting in white. 

When crocheting around, try to crochet with a looser tension than usual. Crocheting loosely, especially around the curved areas, helps keep all the edges curved. 

[Sc, ch 1, sc] in the tip of the tail. 

Continue to crochet down around the bottom and up the other side. Begin stuffing the body, particularly at the bottom of the neck.

Crochet all the way up the neck and around the bottom of the head. Switch to black and then orange yarn when crocheting around the beak. [Sc 1, ch 1, sc} in the tip of the beak. Remember, if you are using a worsted weight for the orange yarn, you will need to double it up!

Switch back to white. Stuff the beak and head. Continue to crochet around the top of the head, stuffing as you go. 

Continue crocheting down the neck. You will need to stop and stuff after every 4 or 5 stitches (trust me on this). Make sure the stuffing is very firm so that the neck is strong enough to withstand its own weight.

When you reach the bottom of the neck, top up stuffing in the body. Continue crocheting across the top of the body, topping up stuffing as you go.

When you are satisfied with the stuffing, close with a slst and tie off. Poke yarn tails back inside the piece.

You’re done!

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