May
Getting Started with Your Frog
okay so the main thing about making a crochet frog is you’re gonna start with the body and honestly I made one last spring 2024 while binge-watching that cooking show with the british judges and I kept losing count of my stitches because they were yelling about soggy bottoms or whatever
The body is basically just a sphere or like an egg shape. You start with a magic ring which if you dont know how to do that yet just youtube it because explaining it in text is impossible. I do 6 single crochet into the ring to start. Then you increase every stitch in round 2 so you have 12. Round 3 you do *sc, inc* around so that’s 18 stitches.
Keep going with increases but space them out more each round. So round 4 is *2sc, inc* which gives you 24. Round 5 is *3sc, inc* for 30 stitches. I usually go up to like 36 or 42 depending on how chunky I want the frog but honestly the pattern I used from some random pinterest pin said 36 so I stuck with that
Yarn Choices That Actually Matter
I used Red Heart Super Saver in Spring Green for my first one because it was cheap and I had it lying around. The thing that really annoyed me though was that the yarn was kind of stiff and squeaky? Like it made this weird noise when I was crocheting and my cat kept trying to attack it. But it held its shape really well which is good for amigurumi
Later I tried Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK in this really pretty sage green color and it was SO much softer but also it was more expensive and I kept thinking like… is this frog worth fancy yarn? But yeah it turned out really nice and less squeaky
You need green obviously for the body unless you wanna make like a fantasy frog or whatever. And then you need white or cream for the belly, black for eyes, and maybe pink or red for the mouth if you’re doing that. I’ve also seen people use yellow for the eyes which looks cool
The Body Construction Part
So after you get to your maximum width (let’s say 36 stitches) you work straight for a while. Like maybe 6-8 rounds of just single crochet with no increases or decreases. This gives you the middle chunky part of the body
Then you start decreasing. It’s basically the increases in reverse. Do *4sc, dec* around, then *3sc, dec*, then *2sc, dec*, and so on. Leave an opening before you close it completely because you need to stuff it
For stuffing I use polyfil from Walmart or wherever. Pack it in there pretty tight because if you don’t the frog will be all floppy and sad looking. I usually stuff as I go once I get to like the halfway point of decreasing because it’s easier than trying to shove it all in through a tiny hole at the end
The Belly Patch Thing
Okay so frogs have that lighter colored belly right? You can either crochet a flat oval shape and sew it on, or you can try to work it into the body as you go but that’s more complicated. I just make a separate piece
Start with a magic ring, do like 6sc, then increase to 12, then maybe one more round to 18 depending on how big your frog is. Then you can do a round or two of just sc to make it more oval shaped instead of circular. Or you can chain a foundation and work in rows back and forth which gives you more control over the shape but I always find that more annoying for some reason
Sew it onto the front of the body with a yarn needle. I use whip stitch around the edges and try to make it centered but honestly eyeballing it is fine
Legs Are Weirdly Difficult
The back legs are bigger and chunkier than the front ones because frogs are built like that. For back legs I start with a magic ring again, 6sc, then work increases up to maybe 12 stitches for the foot part
Work straight for like 3-4 rounds to make the foot, then start working on the leg. You can decrease down to 8 or 9 stitches for the leg part so it’s skinnier. Then work straight for however long you want the leg to be. I did like 8 rounds I think? But I wasn’t really counting carefully
The front legs are smaller. Same concept but start smaller and don’t make them as long. Maybe 6 stitches around and only 5-6 rounds for length
Don’t stuff the legs super tight or they won’t bend and pose well. I learned this the hard way because my first frog had these weird stiff legs that stuck straight out and it looked like a frog pancake when I tried to sit it down. Light stuffing is better, or you can use pipe cleaners inside if you want them to be poseable but that seems like extra work to me
Attaching the Legs Without Losing Your Mind
Position the back legs on the sides/bottom of the body angled out like the frog is sitting. Pin them first if you have pins. I just hold them and start sewing and hope for the best which sometimes means I have to redo it because they’re crooked
Use the same color yarn as the legs and a yarn needle. Sew around the opening of the leg where it meets the body, going through both the leg and the body. Do a few passes to make it secure because if a leg falls off that’s just sad
Front legs go on the front sides of the body, positioned like the frog is sitting up. They should point forward and down a little bit
Eyes Are Weirdly Important
You can use safety eyes which you can get on Amazon in like a million different sizes. For a frog I’d use 9mm or 12mm depending on how big your frog is. The thing about safety eyes is you have to put them in before you finish stuffing and closing up the body, otherwise you can’t get the backing on the inside
Or you can crochet eyes which is what I did because I didn’t have safety eyes when I made mine in 2024 and I didn’t want to wait for shipping. Make two small white circles (magic ring, 6sc, increase to 12, maybe one more round to 18). Then make smaller black circles for pupils (magic ring, 6sc, maybe increase to 9 or 12)
Sew the black pupils onto the white parts first, then sew the whole eye onto the top of the head. Frog eyes should be on top of the head not on the front like a person. Space them apart a bit, like on the sides of the head
You can add a little white french knot or just a stitch of white yarn on each pupil for that light reflection thing that makes them look more alive. Or don’t, whatever
The Mouth Situation
Some frog patterns have you embroider a smile with black or dark yarn. Just do a curved line across the front of the face below the eyes. You can also add a little tongue sticking out if you want to be extra
For the tongue make a tiny oval with red or pink yarn. Like magic ring, 4sc, increase to 8, then fasten off. Sew it peeking out from the mouth area
I didn’t do a mouth on mine and it still looked fine so this is optional. Sometimes less is more or whatever but also sometimes frogs look creepy without mouths so it depends on your preference
Optional Add-ons That Make It Cuter
You can make little toe details on the feet by doing some strategic stitches with darker green yarn. Just sew three or four lines on each foot radiating out from the center
Some people add spots or patterns on the back with darker green or brown yarn. You can either embroider these or crochet small circles and sew them on. I was gonna do this but then I forgot and it was already done so… yeah
If you want to make it hold something you can crochet a tiny lily pad or flower. I made a little pink flower once using Lily Sugar’n Cream cotton yarn because I had it from making dishcloths. Just make a small circle and add petals around it, then sew it to the frog’s hand or position it nearby
Size Variations and Yarn Weight
Most amigurumi uses DK or worsted weight yarn with a smaller hook than you’d normally use for that weight. Like I use a 3.5mm hook with worsted weight which makes a tight fabric that doesn’t show the stuffing through the stitches
If you use thicker yarn like Bernat Blanket or something you’ll get a huge frog. Which could be cool if you want a pillow-sized frog but it’ll use a lot more yarn and stuffing. I haven’t tried this because it seems excessive but do what you want
Thinner yarn like sport or fingering weight will give you a tiny frog. You’d need like a 2mm or 2.5mm hook and a lot of patience because all those tiny stitches add up. Good for if you want to make like a keychain frog or something
Common Problems I Had
The legs kept looking weird and uneven no matter how many times I made them. I think I finally figured out that I needed to count my stitches more carefully because I kept accidentally adding or losing stitches and the legs would be different sizes
Stuffing showing through the stitches means your tension is too loose or your hook is too big. Go down a hook size and crochet tighter. It feels weird at first but you get used to it
The frog not sitting up properly is usually a leg positioning issue. The back legs need to be angled right and positioned far enough apart. If they’re too close together the frog tips over
Running out of yarn halfway through is the worst so make sure you have enough green. A medium sized frog probably takes like 50-75 yards of the main color but that’s a rough guess because I never actually measured
Time Investment Real Talk
A basic frog takes me maybe 4-6 hours spread over a few days. That’s including making all the parts and sewing everything together. The sewing part always takes longer than I think it will and that’s probably what annoyed me most about the whole process actually – I hate weaving in ends and sewing pieces together. I just wanna crochet and be done but no, there’s always assembly required
If you’re newer to amigurumi it might take longer because you’re still figuring out tension and shaping. That’s fine, just give yourself time and don’t try to rush it or it’ll look wonky
The first one you make will probably look a little weird and that’s normal. My first frog looked kind of derpy with uneven eyes and strange leg angles but I still liked it. The second one I made turned out way better because I knew what I was doing
Anyway that’s basically how you make a crochet frog. There’s probably official patterns out there with exact stitch counts if you want something more structured but honestly you can wing it pretty well once you understand the basic shapes involved
