My interpretation of Maneki Neko has 2 versions - One pear body softie (white) and three round body softies. The pear body softie is knit in pieces and sewn together. The round body softies are knit in one piece. All are stuffed with balls of yarn, a great way to use up snips and yarn you don’t like. Yarn stuffing will not “beard” like polyester stuffing and holds shape nicely and is still squishable.

Maneki Neko can be any color, white and gold are fairly commonly seen. Calico is traditionally the luckiest of all. White is purity and positive things in the future. Gold is great wealth and prosperity. Black wards off evil and stalkers. Red is luck in marriage, relationships and personal matters. Pink is luck in love, romance. Green helps in health and education. There are doubtless other colors and meanings, these are the ones I have gleaned from my research. Pick a color you like or that has meaning for you.

You’ll need to know:

Crochet Chain cast on (optional)
Garter Stitch
Short Rows
3 needle bind off (optional)
Increasing
Decreasing
I cord
Applied I cord
Simple Sewing, embroidery or surface crochet

You’ll need these materials:

Worsted Weight yarn, 3.5 ounces or less depending on size you’re making
Stuffing or waste yarn
Waste yarn for casting on
Size 5 & 8 Knitting needles, most of the project can be done with DPN due to the small scale
Size K, H, and E crochet hooks

If you want to use this design to make items for charity, please credit me as the designer. I prefer to be contacted prior to use.