Recently I came across many videos of beavers carrying big loads of food - carrots, cabbages, kabocha squash - looking just like an exhausted parent of five, who forgot to bring bags for the weekly supermarket haul; this pattern is my tribute to those dogged little guys. You can make the beaver sitting up or standing on all fours, give them snacks natural (maple branch) or farmed (carrot, squash), and if you would like to make a whole family, crochet kits from my separate, free Baby beaver pattern.

Size
Sitting beaver: about 16.5cm (6 ½”) long and 11cm (4 ¼ ”) tall; standing beaver: about 20cm (7 ¾”) long, if made with the recommended yarns.

Tools and materials:

• worsted weight yarn in light brown, dark brown, red and white
• 3.5mm(E) crochet hook
• 8mm black plastic safety eyes
• fiberfill stuffing
• stitch marker, pair of scissors, pair of tweezers, pins, yarn needle
• optionally, wire (30cm/12” total) and wire cutter

Difficulty
The pattern uses no-turn short rows to shape the body while keeping the smooth in-the-round single crochet texture. It is quite simple and only uses basic stitches, but since it is an unusual technique and easier if you are confident reading your stitches, this pattern is recommended for intermediate to advanced level crocheters.

Head, body and tail are crocheted in one piece, front legs are joined as you go - only the ears, nose, teeth and rear feet must be attached by sewing. If making a sitting beaver, wiring the feet makes sure it can keep the pose (or you can simply prop it up using the kabocha squash)

The pattern is written in English using US crochet terminology (UK/Aus equivalents provided). It contains many in-progress photos to help you make the beaver, but also includes a text-only appendix for easy printing, if you prefer working from a printed pattern but want to save ink and paper.

Finished amigurumi made from this pattern are yours to keep or gift or sell, I only ask you to credit me as the designer in case you decide to sell them.