Today I have a colourful new addition to add to my AquaAmi crochet pattern range: the Starfish Collection! These puffy starfish are a fast and easy no-sew pattern and look equally good as toys or home decor.

Starfish Collection is a mix-and-match no-sew pattern that includes 4 sizes of sea stars, ranging from 3 to 7 inches (7.5 to 18cm) across:

L-R: Tiny, Small, Medium and Large Starfish

You can make each size in any of three colour patterns (plain, striped top, and pale underside):

Clockwise from top left: striped top, pale underside, plain underside, plain top

The pattern also includes options (for any size and style) for making a flat appliqué starfish, and amigurumi-style starfish with a cute happy face:

Left: flat starfish appliqué; right: happy amigurumi starfish

About the Designs

These Starfish are fun to crochet – with no sewing needed (yay!), and the same basic technique for all the different sizes and options, once you’ve made one, you’ll find them very fast to work up.

Choose size, pattern, colour(s), flat or 3D, and whether it has a face – you can mix-and-match endlessly to make new combinations. Choose whites and pale neutrals to decorate your home with an elegant seaside vibe, or make colourful smiley toys (as they are made in one piece, they’re perfect baby-safe toys too, with embroidered or no features).

And that’s not all! Why not make a starfish Amigurumi Wall Hanging, or add a couple to a Turtle Beach blanket..?

Starfish on a Turtle Beach square

About the Pattern

Starfish Collection is a detailed pattern including written patterns, step-by-step photo tutorials, and right- and left-handed stitch diagrams for each size of starfish.

This is a modular pattern, so you can save paper and ink by reading all the background tutorial information on-screen and just printing the pages you need for the written instructions (p6-8) and stitch diagrams (right-handed p10-12; left-handed p14-16).

Buy Now & Launch Discount

Ready to start crocheting? You can pick up the entire Starfish Collection from my shop right now for only $5.50!

If you’re not ready to buy just yet (or even if you are!), please remember to heart and queue it on Ravelry:

But let’s make that deal even better: for one week only, I’ll give you an extra 10% off the price! To take advantage of this deal, add the Starfish Collection to your shopping cart, and enter the discount code SEASTAR at checkout! (Offer ends Wednesday 30 August, 2017.)

I hope you’ll enjoy my new mix-and-match pattern – I can’t wait to see which size, colours and options you choose for your first starfish. (And if you don’t feel like mixing it up, please feel free to copy my sea stars exactly – that can be just as much fun!)

Amigurumi is a special subset of crochet that requires its own skills. Even the most experienced crocheters can be startled when they pick up their first amigurumi pattern and discover it’s full of new terms and techniques!

In this post, I’ll cover all the essentials you’ll need to be able to tackle an amigurumi pattern with confidence and end up with great-looking crocheted stuffed toys.

Note: All the posts linked below include both right- and left-handed video tutorials!

1. Magic Ring

The magic ring gives the perfect start to any piece of amigurumi: you can start crocheting in the round without any trace of a hole in the middle.

L: magic ring; R: standard ‘chain 2’ start

2. Invisible Decrease

Decreasing without leaving any bumps or gaps sounds too good to be true, but the invisible decrease (abbreviated invdec) really does live up to its name!

3. Changing Colour

Changing colour correctly lets you make clean colour changes without dots of the wrong colour peeking through.

Note: To manage your colour changes perfectly, you’ll also need to deal with the yarn you’re not currently using. My Managing the Yarns tutorial explains how!

4. Seamless Join

My Seamless Join technique creates a smooth, almost invisible join whenever you’re stitching an open-ended piece to a closed piece.

5. Ultimate Finish

The Ultimate Finish is the equivalent of another magic ring at the end of your piece! Close up the remaining hole with a smooth, gap-free finish.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Master these 5 techniques and you’ll be all set to conquer any amigurumi pattern and get a beautiful result!

Why not pick a favourite from my extensive nature-inspired PlanetJune pattern range and practice your skills?

Further reading:

• If your amigurumi aren’t turning out as expected, try my Amigurumi Troubleshooter to discover the most likely reasons.
• For more amigurumi technique tutorials, see my main Amigurumi Help index.
• Read all about my amigurumi reference book: The Essential Guide to Amigurumi.

Love my tutorials? I have so many more amigurumi tips and tricks to share with you!

Boost your amigurumi skills with my latest book, The Essential Guide to Amigurumi, your comprehensive guide to amigurumi techniques and tips.