The body is worked in one piece, from the nose down to the tail edge. The claws, antennae and legs are made separately and sewn to the body at the end. Using a range of tones of one colour creates a nice ombre effect – you could experiment with other shades for a more striking palette, perhaps a rainbow?

Stuffed toy crochet patterns like you’ve never seen before – weird and wonderful creatures in crochet!

Irene Strange is bored of bunnies and has had enough of elephants. It’s not that they’re not cute, but with the amazing biodiversity on our planet, isn’t it time we started celebrating – and crocheting – some of life’s more unusual creatures?

In this extraordinary collection, crochet designer Irene Strange opens our eyes to the wonders of nature with amigurumi patterns for odd and unexpected animals that you won’t find in other books. Think an aardvark can’t be adorable? Think again!

In this book you’ll meet 16 rather curious creatures. You’ll create furry tummies, spiky backs, scaly tails, and feathery necks. Some have long dangly legs, some have swirly tails, and some have features that baffle us all! But however strange, all the creatures included are surprisingly squishable when created in crochet.

• Remarkable Mammals – Aardvark, Echidna, Slender Loris, Orangutan, Wombat

• Surreal Sea Life – Puffer Fish, Lobster, Narwhal, Octopus, Leafy Sea Dragon

• Bizarre Birds and Irregular Reptiles – Cassowary, Flamingo, Hoopoe, Chameleon, Crocodile, Mary River Turtle

All of the projects in this book are made in amigurumi style, characterised by a smooth all-over single crochet texture, worked in a continuous spiral. You will learn how to crochet in the round and how to shape with increasing and decreasing, adding different effects through combination of yarns or stitches, and how combining materials and embellishments can bring out the personality in the strangest things.

With easy crochet techniques and step-by-step instructions, this book will delight crocheters and animal lovers alike, and give you a fresh cohort of amazing crochet animals to hug.