Jun
Getting Started With The Demogorgon Thing
So I made this demogorgon back in spring 2022 when I was rewatching season 3 for like the fourth time and honestly it was way easier than I thought it’d be but also had some annoying parts I’ll get to. The basic structure is just a really fat amigurumi body with those creepy petal head things that open up.
You’re gonna need worsted weight yarn in mostly dark colors. I used Red Heart Super Saver in that Coffee color for the body because it was literally the only brown I had lying around and some peachy pink stuff for the inside of the mouth. The teeth I did with white obviously. I think the white was also Red Heart but maybe it was Caron Simply Soft? Can’t remember exactly but it doesn’t really matter as long as the weight matches.
For the hook size I went with a 4.0mm because that’s what works with worsted weight to get a tight enough stitch that the stuffing doesn’t show through. You definitely want tight stitches on this one or it looks weird with polyfil poking out between the mouth petals.
The Body Part
Start with a magic ring and work in continuous rounds. The body is basically just an oval shape that’s fatter in the middle. I started with 6 single crochets in the ring then increased every round for about 4-5 rounds until I had maybe 30 stitches? I wasn’t counting super carefully because I never do honestly.
Work straight without increases for maybe 15-20 rounds depending on how tall you want your demogorgon. Mine ended up being about 8 inches tall which felt right. Then start decreasing every other round until you’re back down to like 12 stitches. Don’t close it off completely yet because you gotta stuff it first.
The annoying thing about this whole project was definitely the stuffing situation because you need it pretty firm so the head petals have something solid to attach to but if you stuff it TOO much the whole thing gets lumpy and misshapen. I had to pull out stuffing and redo it twice before it looked right.
Arms and Legs
The limbs are super simple just skinny tubes. Magic ring with 4 or 5 sc then work straight for however long you want them. I made the arms a bit longer than the legs to match how the demogorgon looks in the show with those creepy long reaching arms.
For each arm I did about 20 rounds and for legs maybe 12 rounds? You can add little claws at the ends by doing 3 chain stitches and slip stitching back down for each claw. I did three claws per hand and foot. My cat kept trying to attack the demogorgon while I was making the claws which was really distracting but also kind of funny because she was treating it like the actual monster.
Attach the limbs to the body using a yarn needle and really make sure they’re secure because if you’re giving this to someone they’re gonna pick it up by the arms probably. I whip stitched around each limb opening twice to make sure.
The Head Petals Which Are The Whole Point
Okay so this is where it actually starts looking like a demogorgon instead of just a brown blob with arms. The head is made of separate petal pieces that you attach around the top opening of the body.
Each petal is worked flat back and forth in rows not rounds. Chain about 8 or 9 to start then single crochet back across. The shape needs to be kind of oval or petal-like so you’ll increase on both sides for the first few rows then work straight for a bit then decrease to make it taper at the tip.
I made 6 petals total which seemed like enough to go around the opening. Some patterns say to do 8 but that felt like too many and they’d be too crowded. The inside of each petal needs to be that gross pink fleshy color so you switch colors partway through or you could just make the whole inner surface pink.
What I did was make the outer 2/3 of each petal in the brown then switched to the pink yarn for the inner part. You could also make them entirely brown then sew pink pieces on top but that’s more work and I was trying to finish this in like two days because I impulsively decided I wanted to make it.
The Teeth Situation
The teeth are what make it actually scary looking instead of just weird. I used white yarn and made tiny little triangle shapes. Chain 4 then single crochet 3 slip stitch back down or you could just do chain stitches and leave them loose for a more uneven tooth look.
You need A LOT of teeth like way more than seems reasonable. I probably made 30-40 little teeth total. Sew them onto the inner edges of the petals in random clusters because demogorgon teeth aren’t neat and organized they’re all chaotic and nightmare-fuel-ish.
This part took forever and my fingers hurt from weaving in all those tiny yarn ends. There’s gotta be a faster way to do teeth but I haven’t figured it out. Maybe fabric glue and felt triangles? But that seems like cheating and also might not hold up as well.
Assembling Everything
Once you have all your petals with teeth attached you need to sew them around the top opening of the body. Space them evenly which I did by holding them up and eyeballing it rather than measuring like a normal person would.
Sew the bottom/outer edge of each petal to the body opening using matching brown yarn. Make sure they’re attached firmly because the petals are kinda heavy with all those teeth and they’ll droop if they’re not secured well.
The petals should overlap slightly at the base so there’s no gaps showing. When they’re all attached you can position them to either be closed up or opened wide to show the mouth which is fun for posing.
Optional Details That Make It Better
I added some texture to the body by doing random surface crochet lines in slightly darker brown to make it look more organic and less like a smooth stuffed toy. Just take your hook and yarn and slip stitch along the surface in wandering lines.
You could also add more detail to the face area like… actually I’m not sure what else because the demogorgon doesn’t really have eyes or anything it’s just mouth. But maybe some darker shading around where the petals attach?
Some people add wire to the petals so they can pose them opening and closing but I didn’t do that because it seemed complicated and also I was worried about the wire poking through eventually. The petals on mine just kind of stay in whatever position you put them in because of how they’re attached.
Yarn Amounts You’ll Need
I used almost a whole skein of the brown which for Red Heart Super Saver is 364 yards. You might use less if you make yours smaller or more if you go bigger.
The pink was maybe a quarter of a skein? Not much since it’s just accent color. White for teeth was barely anything maybe 20 yards total.
Get more yarn than you think you need though because running out halfway through and having to match dye lots is the worst. I learned this the hard way on a different project not the demogorgon but still.
Time Investment
The body and limbs took me maybe 3 hours total because they’re straightforward. The petals and teeth took another 4-5 hours because of all the detail work and sewing. So figure on a full day of crocheting if you’re doing it in one go or spread it over a few days.
I worked on mine mostly while watching TV which meant I kept losing count of my stitches and having to frog rows but whatever it’s not like this needs to be perfectly symmetrical. The demogorgon is supposed to look kinda weird and organic anyway.
Problems I Ran Into
Besides the stuffing issue I mentioned earlier the other annoying thing was getting the petals to lay right. The first time I attached them they were too loose and just flopped down flat which looked sad and not monster-like at all.
I had to take them off and reattach them tighter with more stitches holding each one. Now they stand up properly and look threatening. Well as threatening as a crocheted monster can look.
The proportions are also kinda tricky to get right without a specific pattern. My first demogorgon attempt back in… wait was it 2022 or 2021? Pretty sure 2022. Anyway the first one had arms that were way too short and it looked stubby. This is why I’m saying make the arms longer than seems necessary.
Variations You Could Try
You could make a tiny keychain version using thread weight yarn and a tiny hook. That would be cute in a creepy way.
Or go huge and use bulky weight yarn with a big hook for like a 2 foot tall demogorgon. That would take forever though and so much stuffing.
Color variations could be interesting too like what if you did it in brighter colors for a more stylized look? Pink body with yellow teeth or something weird. Wouldn’t be show accurate but might look cool.
Someone online did one with glow in the dark yarn for the teeth and mouth which seemed really cool for display purposes. I haven’t tried that because glow in the dark yarn is expensive and I’m cheap.
Display and Care
Mine sits on my bookshelf with the mouth petals open looking menacing. It’s held up pretty well over the past couple years no falling apart or anything.
If it gets dusty you can spot clean with a damp cloth or maybe throw it in a mesh bag in the washing machine on gentle? I haven’t washed mine because it hasn’t gotten dirty but acrylic yarn usually handles washing fine.
The teeth are the most delicate part so be careful not to snag them on stuff. A few of mine have gotten a little fuzzy from handling but it’s not super noticeable.
Making It Your Own
The nice thing about not following a strict pattern is you can adjust as you go based on what looks right to you. If your body looks too fat make it skinnier. If the petals seem too small make them bigger.
I’ve seen people add extra details like shading with fabric paint or embroidering texture details. You could get really elaborate with it if you wanted.
Or keep it simple like mine which is just the basic shapes and colors. It still reads as demogorgon even without being super detailed because the petal head thing is so distinctive.
The main thing is getting those proportions close enough that people recognize what it is. The head petals need to be substantial enough to be the focal point and the body should be chunky not skinny.
Honestly just start crocheting and see what happens. You can always frog it and start over if it’s not working which I’ve definitely done more times than I want to admit on various projects. That’s how you learn what works and what doesn’t without needing someone else’s pattern to follow exactly.
