Worked on the glider, counted out loud —
An intermediate amigurumi cow with strawberry hat and bag. About 4-6 hours, great for confident sc crocheters.
This is the project for a quiet stretch of evenings when you want something a little whimsical on the hook. You know the kind of friend this is for: the one who'd love a cow wearing a strawberry hat and carrying a tiny strawberry bag, no questions asked. It's for the crocheter who's made a few amigurumi already and is ready for a piece with more personality and more parts to fuss over.
You can play with color placement well beyond pink and off-white — try the body in a soft brown for a more traditional cow look, or swap the strawberry bag's pink and green for any fruit palette you like, since the shaping doesn't depend on the color. If you want a smaller or larger toy, go up or down a hook size from the 4.5 mm called for; the pattern notes that the 4.5 mm hook with worsted-weight yarn gives you roughly a 12-inch finished cow, so a smaller hook with the same yarn will shrink it and a larger hook will grow it without changing a single stitch count. The two strawberry hair accessories are an easy place to experiment too — make just one for a single hair tie, or make a few extra in different shades to clip onto the ears or the bag strap instead. If you're making this as a gift and want it washable for a child, stick with the Himalaya Dolphin Baby yarn as written rather than swapping in a delicate natural fiber, since the toy's small parts (horns, ears, snout) will see a lot of handling.
There's real pleasure in the color-change moments here: pink into off-white on the legs and arms, worked mid-round so the transition sits clean. You get to practice continuity crochet, too — the body picks up straight from the second leg without a single cut, which feels like a neat trick once you see it work. The head's thirteen rounds give you room to actually feel the shaping happen under your fingers rather than just following numbers. And the small add-ons — snout, horns, ears, tail, plus the strawberry bag and matching hair accessories — turn this from one plain toy into a little costume party of parts, each one quick enough to finish in a sitting but detailed enough to keep you interested.
The rounds, in full
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Everything this one takes, in the order you will reach for it.
Crochet with pink color.
Fasten off and cut the yarn after completing the first leg.
Do not cut the yarn after the second leg; continue crocheting.
Step by step: Crochet with pink color; Change the color to green before Round 7.
Stuff the detail. Cut the yarn, tighten the hole. Fasten the yarn, hide the end inside. Embroider grains with Off-White yarn.
Step by step: Crochet two pieces in the same way.
Crochet with pink color.
Stuff only the bottom of the arm before folding and closing.
Fasten off and cut the yarn, hide the end.
Crochet the second arm in the same way.
Continue crocheting directly from the second leg without cutting the yarn.
Move the marker to the middle of the body, crochet sc to the marker. Attach the arms with pins on the sides of the body. In the next round, crochet together the stitches of the body and arms (before Round 14).
Stuff the legs and body before Round 15.
Do not cut the yarn, continue crocheting into the Head.
Crochet with pink color.
Crochet sl st. Fasten off and cut the yarn.
Crochet with pink color.
Fasten and cut the yarn, leaving a tail for sewing.
Crochet the second ear in the same way.
Crochet with pink color.
Change the color to green before Round 5.
Crochet sl st. Fasten off and cut the yarn. Embroider grains with Off-White yarn.
Crochet two pieces in the same way.
Crochet with Off-White color.
Cut the yarn, leaving the tails for sewing. At the end of the tail, make a brush with pink yarn (5-6 elongated loops), tie the ends with a knot, cut and burn.
Crochet with Green color.
Change the color to light green color before Round 10.
Fasten off and cut the yarn. Embroider grains with Off-White yarn.
Move the marker to the middle of the head, crochet sc to the marker. In the next round, begin crocheting pink spots, changing Off-White and pink yarn, leaving broaches (floats) inside the head. Spots can be any shape, but make 6 decreases in each round (before Round 25).
Fasten off and cut the Off-White yarn. Stuff the head (before Round 31).
Cut the yarn, tighten the hole. Fasten the yarn, hide the end inside the head (after Round 31).
Attach the Eyes: Position the safety eyes between rounds 24 and 25, spacing them 9 stitches apart. Secure with glue. You can add black felt circles behind the eyes for extra definition.
Stuff Components: Carefully stuff the snout and horns with fiberfill.
Pin and Position: Use pins to temporarily attach all the details (ears, horns, snout, tail, and bag) to the body. This allows you to adjust positioning before permanently sewing.
Sew Details: Using a needle and Off-White strong thread, sew all pieces securely in place. The ears can be sewn using the leftover pink yarn tails.
Create Eye Tightening: For a professional finish, insert a needle with thread through the bottom of the snout into the eye area. Work through points as follows: through 1-2, then 3-4, and finally 5-6. Gently pull the thread to create small depressions around the eyes, then tie a secure knot. Hide the thread ends inside the head.
Embroider Features: Using thick black thread, embroider the nostrils on the snout, add eyelashes above the eyes, and create a sweet smiling mouth.
Sew strawberries to hair clips, headbands, or ponytail holders for matching accessories!
Keep your single crochets tight and even throughout; a looser gauge on the head or body will let the fiberfill peek through at the thirteen- and eleven-round marks.
Stuff as you go rather than all at once at the end; the pattern calls for stuffing the legs and body before a specific later round, and the arms only at the bottom before folding.
Using the specified materials will create a toy approximately 12 inches (30 cm) tall. Different yarn weights or hook sizes will alter the final size.
These cows can be made in any colors you like! Feel free to customize and use your favorite color combinations.
Original pattern: https://amigurumicorner.com/strawberry-cow-plush-toy-free-pattern-guide/
the ones that come up on the glider
Yes, both legs are worked first, with the first one fastened off and the second left uncut. That second leg's yarn continues directly into Round 1 of the body, so don't cut it.
The pattern has you move your stitch marker to the middle of the body and crochet around to that point, then pin the arms in place on the sides. The following round joins the body and arm stitches together, so pinning first lets you check the position before committing.
The eyes go in between rounds 24 and 25 of the head, spaced nine stitches apart. Secure them with the transparent glue, and add felt circles behind them if you want extra contrast.
The pattern only calls for fiberfill in the snout and horns, no wire, so stuffing them firmly with polyester fiberfill is all you need. Just pack it in evenly so the horns hold their small shape.
You'll want a size 7 (4.5 mm) hook paired with the Himalaya Dolphin Baby yarn, which is the lighter worsted weight. That combination is what gives you the roughly 12-inch finished cow mentioned in the pattern notes.
It's worked as a standalone piece with its own eleven rounds, pinned and sewn onto the body like the other details. It holds its shape as a small bag, but it's really there as a sweet accessory rather than a working pocket.
Sunday evening, from the glider —
A pattern and a note from the glider, most weeks.
That was the last round. Would you like the letter when the next one goes up?