How to Crochet a Sloth (Amigurumi Pattern for Beginners)

1. 1

   Step 1: Start the Head with a Magic Ring

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   The head begins with a brown magic ring holding six single crochet. From there you work increase rounds, adding stitches evenly until the circle grows wide. This flat disc is the crown of the head and the base every other round builds on.

   Drop a stitch marker into the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go. You are crocheting in a continuous spiral with no join, so that marker is the only thing telling you where a round starts and ends.

   Tip:

   Watch this step A 2.5mm hook with cotton yarn gives tight stitches so the stuffing stays hidden. Pull each stitch snug rather than loose.

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   Used in this stepamigurumi cotton yarn2.5mm crochet hooklocking stitch markers

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2. 2

   Step 2: Shape and Stuff the Head

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   Work a few even rounds so the disc curves up into a ball, then start decreasing to draw the top back in. As the opening shrinks, that is your cue to fill it. Push polyester fiberfill inside and pack it firm before the gap gets too small to reach.

   Firm stuffing matters more here than anywhere else. A well-packed ball keeps its round shape and stops the stitches from spreading and showing the white filling through the brown yarn.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Add stuffing in small pinches, not one big lump. Little bits pack evenly and keep the head from ending up lopsided.

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   Used in this steppolyester fiberfill stuffingamigurumi cotton yarn

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3. 3

   Step 3: Crochet the Body the Same Way

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   The body is the head's twin. Start it with a brown magic ring, increase to a ball, then decrease and stuff it firm the same way you just did. Making the two pieces back to back keeps them a matching gauge, which reads as a tidier toy in the end.

   When both brown balls are done, set them side by side. Even at this early stage you can see the sloth forming - one round part for the head, one for the chunky body underneath.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Count your rounds on the head and repeat the exact same number on the body. Matched gauge is what makes the two balls sit together cleanly.

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   Used in this stepamigurumi cotton yarnpolyester fiberfill stuffing

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4. 4

   Step 4: Make the Cream Face Patch

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   The face is a flat cream disc, not a ball. Switch to cream yarn, start with a magic ring, and increase for four or five rounds until you have a circle a little smaller than the head. Keep it flat as you work so it sits against the front of the face later.

   Finish with a slip stitch, then cut the yarn and leave a long tail. That tail is what you will use to sew the patch on, so give yourself plenty of length to work with.

   Tip:

   Watch this step If the disc starts to cup instead of lying flat, your increases are too few. Add one more increase round and it will relax.

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   Used in this stepcream amigurumi cotton yarnyarn needle

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5. 5

   Step 5: Crochet the Four Limbs

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   A sloth needs two long arms and two legs. Work each one in brown from a small magic ring, then keep going in a spiral to make a short tube. Leave the top open and finish with a long tail so you have something to sew with.

   These stay unstuffed, or barely stuffed, so the limbs can bend into that hanging sloth pose. Make all four before you sew anything, and lay them next to each other to keep the lengths matched.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Want a longer-armed sloth? Add a couple more rounds to each limb before you close it. Longer arms are what give a sloth its signature look.

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   Used in this stepamigurumi cotton yarn2.5mm crochet hook

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6. 6

   Step 6: Add the Eyes and Face

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   This is where the sloth comes alive. Sew the cream patch onto the front of the head so it sits centered. Then push a safety eye through the fabric on each side of the patch and clip the washer onto the inside. Check the placement from every angle first, because those washers do not come back off.

   Finish the face with a scrap of dark yarn. Embroider a small triangle nose between the eyes and a short curved line under it for the smile. Two eyes and a stitched grin, and it is unmistakably a sloth.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Set the eyes lower and closer together than feels right. Low, close eyes read as sweet and sleepy - exactly the sloth look you want.

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   Used in this step6mm safety eyesdark embroidery yarnyarn needle

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7. 7

   Step 7: Assemble the Sloth

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   Now put it together. Sew the head to the top of the body, lining up the face so it looks straight ahead. Then attach the two arms high on the sides and the two legs lower down, positioning them in a relaxed sloth pose before you stitch them fast.

   Weave the loose tails back inside the body so nothing shows, and give the whole toy a gentle squish to settle the stuffing. Your crochet sloth is finished and ready to hang around.

   Tip:

   Watch this step Pin every piece in place and hold the sloth at arm's length before you sew. It is much easier to nudge a pin than to unpick a stitched-on arm.

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   Used in this stepyarn needlepolyester fiberfill stuffing

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Keep going

How to Crochet a Penguin (Amigurumi Pattern, Step by Step)

7 steps · about 13 minutes

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Tools we recommend

• Clover

  Clover Amour Crochet Hook Set (10 sizes)

  Soft, easy-grip handles that warm to the touch and a full size range in one case. The set most crocheters upgrade to and never look back.

• Lion Brand

  Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton Yarn

  Mercerized cotton with crisp stitch definition and a subtle sheen. Machine washable, and the go-to for amigurumi, bags, and dishcloths.

• Clover

  Clover Locking Stitch Markers (20-pack)

  Lock onto stitches so they never slip while you mark rounds, increases, and repeats. A dollar-store fix that actually holds.

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