Plush Tiger Cub

Free crochet tutorial for Tiger Cub by Viktoriya Kravchenko @vikusik_toys.

With this pattern, you can crochet a plush tiger cub. Any plush yarn works for amigurumi: Himalaya Dolphin Baby, YarnArt Dolce, and others.

Finished toy size: about 17 cm.

Materials and Tools

• Plush yarn Himalaya Dolphin Baby (about 50 g of the main color)
• Crochet hook 3.5-4 mm
• Safety eyes 12 mm
• Synthetic poly filling
• Stitch markers
• Needle for sewing parts
• Scissors

Abbreviations

• MR - magic ring
• sc - single crochet
• inc - increase
• dec - decrease
• (...) x n - repeat n times

Plush Tiger Cub Amigurumi Crochet Pattern

Ears (2 pieces)

Crochet in body color. No offset stitches needed.

1. 6 in MR
2. (1 sc, inc) x 3 (9)
3. (2 sc, inc) x 3 (12)
4. (2 sc, inc) x 4 (16)

Fold in half and crochet 8 sc through both layers. Cut yarn and pull through the loop.

Arms (2 pieces)

Crochet in body color. No offset stitches needed.

1. 6 in MR
2. 6 inc (12)
3-4. 12 sc (2 rounds)
5. (2 sc, dec) x 3 (9)
6. Crochet 9 sc in black
7-8. Crochet 9 sc in body color (2 rounds)
9. Crochet 9 sc in black

Stuff the arms at the very beginning, loosely, only the first 5 rounds. Change to main color and crochet a couple of stitches so that color changes are on the inner side of the arm. Fold in half and crochet 4 sc through both layers. Cut yarn.

Tail

1. 6 in MR
2-4. Crochet 6 sc in body color (3 rounds)
5. Crochet 6 sc in black
6-8. Crochet 6 sc in body color (3 rounds)
9. Crochet 6 sc in black
10-13. Crochet 6 sc in body color (4 rounds)
14. Crochet 6 sc in black
15-18. Crochet 6 sc in body color (4 rounds)

Fold in half and crochet 3 sc through both layers. Cut yarn and pull through the loop.

Body-Head

Keep track of the marker; make offset stitches if needed. Crochet in body color.

1. 6 in MR
2. 6 inc (12)
3. (1 sc, inc) x 6 (18)

Body col. means crochet in body/main head color. Spot means crochet in the spot color. When changing colors, you can cut and knot yarns together, or keep carrying the yarn through the work.

4. Body col. - 2 sc, 3 inc, 2 sc, spot - 4 sc, body col. - 2 sc, 3 inc, 2 sc (24)
5. (3 sc, inc) x 6 (30). Align marker and watch the pattern carefully. Stripes should be exactly on the opposite side from the marker.
6. Body col. - 2 sc, (inc, 2 sc) x 2, inc, 1 sc, spot - 8 sc, body col. - 1 sc, (inc, 2 sc) x 2, inc, 4 sc (36)
7-8. 36 sc (2 rounds)
9. Align marker. I unraveled 1 sc. Body col. - 8 sc, spot - 3 sc, body col. - 14 sc, spot - 3 sc, body col. - 8 sc (36)
10. 36 sc
11. Body col. - 7 sc, spot - 5 sc, body col. - 12 sc, spot - 5 sc, body col. - 7 sc (36)
12. (4 sc, dec) x 6 (30). Align marker. I crocheted + 1 sc
13. Body col. - 7 sc, spot - 3 sc, body col. - 10 sc, spot - 3 sc, body col. - 7 sc (30)

Insert eyes between rounds 9 and 10 with 4 sc between them. Stuff the head evenly and smoothly; I spread filling from the center to the edges, then fill the center.

14. (3 sc, dec) x 6 (24)
15. (2 sc, dec) x 6 (18)
16. (1 sc, dec) x 6 (12)

Then move on to the body, do not cut yarn. Keep stuffing as you crochet, paying special attention to the neck. It should be stuffed a bit firmer to hold shape.

17. (1 sc, inc) x 6 (18)
18. (2 sc, inc) x 6 (24)
19. 24 sc
20. (3 sc, inc) x 6 (30)
21-22. 30 sc (2 rounds)
23. (4 sc, inc) x 6 (36)

Crocheting stripes.

24. Align marker - it should be centered on the back. I crocheted 2 more sc. Body color - 8 sc, spot - 3 sc, body color - 14 sc, spot - 3 sc, body color - 8 sc (36)
25. 36 sc
26. Body col. - 7 sc, spot - 5 sc, body col. - 12 sc, spot - 5 sc, body col. - 7 sc. (36)
27. (4 sc, dec) x 6 (30)
28. 30 sc
Do not forget to stuff the body well as you crochet the legs. Check again that the marker is exactly centered on the back.
29. Crochet 15 sc across the body, then crochet 1 sc into the first stitch of the new round. Place a new marker and crochet the leg.

Legs (2 pieces)

If you want shorter legs, crochet only the first 4 rounds as 15 sc, then in round 5 make 7 dec.

1-5. 15 sc (5 rounds)
Stuff the legs (medium firmness). Keep leg symmetry. They should be positioned evenly relative to the body.
6. 7 dec

For the second leg, attach yarn with a ch from the back (where the body marker was). Crochet 15 sc on the body and join to the first stitch of this round. Place a new marker and crochet the second leg as described above. An opening forms between the legs; later you can add filling there and sew it closed. Cut yarns and pull through the loop. Tighten the ring. Finish crochet.

Sculpting

From the bottom of the head, exactly centered between rounds 16 and 17, insert the needle and bring it out at the outer corner of the eye, then go into the inner corner of the same eye and bring the needle out through the neighboring stitch at the bottom of the head (next to the yarn tail).

Insert the needle again in the same place (where the tail is) and repeat for the other eye, bringing the needle out through the neighboring stitch. Pull the eyes in so they drop a little, tighten both threads evenly until you get the desired effect, then tie them together in a knot. Do not cut short; hide threads inside.

Embroidery and Face Finishing

Use black yarn to embroider the eyelash (first place and test the thread; for convenience you can use pins for basting). Now embroider the nose as in the photo.

Sew Ears

Sew on the ears. Sew ears into round 3 from the crown and above side stripes, exactly centered at round 8. For convenience, also mark ear placement with pins, check symmetry, and sew.

Arms

Sew on the arms at a slight angle, around round 18 from the beginning of head crochet on the front, and a couple of rounds lower on the back. The angle helps the arms point a little forward, not to the sides.

Tail

Sew on the tail about 10-11 rounds up from the end of leg crochet. Thank you so much for crocheting with me!