Shark Crochet Kit, Blue or Blue Gray

About the design

This shark is a step up from a first ball-shaped amigurumi, and a satisfying one. The body is a long, tapered tube that changes from the main color to a white belly, and the fins and tail are small flat shapes you sew on at the end. A few stitches of black yarn add the gills.

• Blue gray: a soft lavender gray with a white belly.
• Blue: a sky blue with a white belly.

The finished shark is about 5.5 in (14 cm) long and 2.6 in (6.7 cm) tall, big enough to sit on a shelf or a desk and small enough to finish in a weekend.

How amigurumi works

Amigurumi are small stuffed figures crocheted in the round. Each piece starts with a magic ring, a small adjustable loop, and grows in a spiral of single crochet stitches. Adding stitches, called increases, makes the piece wider; working two stitches together, a decrease, closes it again. Put a stitch marker in the first stitch of every round so you always know where a round begins, and count your stitches at the end of each one.

Most of the shaping happens on its own. Follow the stitch counts in the pattern and the ball, the body or the shell takes shape round by round. Stuff each piece firmly before you close it, then sew the parts together with the yarn needle.

The color change

The belly is worked into the body as you go, so you will carry two colors for part of the rounds. Swap colors on the last step of a stitch, keep the unused yarn behind your work and don't pull it tight, and the line between blue and white will stay crisp.

What is in the kit

• Yarn in white, black and the color you choose
• A crochet hook
• A yarn needle
• Stitch markers
• Eyes
• Fiberfill stuffing
• Printed instructions
• A zip bag to keep it all together

How long it takes

Plan on about 3 to 5 hours. The body takes about half of that, because it is the longest piece and has the color change for the belly. The fins and tail are quick, and the sewing and gill details take the last half hour or so. If you have made a simple ball or a turtle before, you will be at the faster end.

Finishing your figure

When every part is done, pin the pieces in place before you sew, so you can check the look from every side. Sew them on with the yarn needle, then pass each yarn tail through the body a couple of times and trim it close, so the ends disappear inside. Fix the eyes the way the instructions show.

Delivery and returns

Delivery is $6.95, and free on orders from $49. The delivery estimate for your address shows on this page and at checkout. You can return the kit within 30 days of delivery; return shipping is yours unless it arrives faulty or wrong. See delivery and returns for the details, or compare the other crochet kits.