Soft enough that a child will take it to bed rather than leave it on a shelf. Variegated chenille does the shading on this crochet shark amigurumi free pattern by itself, so no colour changes are needed anywhere. Variegated blue chenille gives this crochet shark amigurumi free pattern its mottled back without a single colour…

A coiled strip is all the shell takes, which is why beginners get through this in an evening. The green base is what turns this crochet snail amigurumi from a toy into something that sits on a shelf, and the flowers use up whatever scraps are nearest. The shell is a flat spiral rather than…

Dozen of these cost you a scrap bag and one weekend. Firm stuffing is what keeps a crochet christmas bauble round on the branch rather than sagging, and a set in three colours reads as deliberate instead of leftover. A bauble holds its sphere only if the decrease rounds mirror the increases exactly, and this…

Four inches tall with its head down and an apple at its feet. The grazing pose is what makes this crochet donkey pattern different from every stiff standing animal, and tan scraps cover the whole thing. The head hangs low rather than sitting upright on this crochet donkey free pattern amigurumi 4-inch christmas toy, which…

A plant that lives on your keys and never needs watering. Raised ridges give this crochet cactus amigurumi its shape, and the flower colour is the only thing that changes between them, so a set for a whole office costs almost nothing. Vertical ribs run up the green body on this crochet cactus amigurumi free…

Add a straw hat and a bow to a yellow duck and it stops being a bath toy. Yellow and orange scraps cover this crochet duck pattern free, and the hat is what makes anyone stop and pick it up. A wide flat beak sitting proud of the face is what makes this crochet duck…

Six colours of leftover yarn become hair that no shop-bought doll can match. The flat body makes this crochet mermaid doll free pattern quicker than a stuffed one, so the whole thing is a weekend rather than a project you abandon. Rainbow hair does the work on this crochet mermaid doll free pattern amigurumi, knotted…

Pink yarn and a bent neck give you something no shop sells for under twenty pounds. The curve is what makes this crochet flamingo pattern free work, and a pipe cleaner through the neck keeps it there for good. The neck curves rather than standing straight, and that curve is what makes this crochet flamingo…

Chains do all the work at the bottom, which means a beginner can finish this in one sitting. Curling half the tentacles and leaving the rest plain gives this crochet jellyfish amigurumi pattern its drift, and pastel scraps cover the whole thing. A dome and a handful of chains is the whole build, which is…

Half a dozen along a mantel and the whole shelf reads as Christmas without a single bauble. Wrapped thread makes the crossed sticks on this crochet drum ornament, so nothing needs crocheting at that scale. Vertical grey bands break up the red body on this crochet drum free pattern for mantels and tree garlands, worked…