Little Honey Bee Amigurumi
By Loop & Ladder · Updated
- Skill level
- Easy
- Hook
- 3.5 mm (E/4)
- Yarn weight
- Worsted (CYC 4)
- Time to make
- An afternoon
This little bee is worked in a single piece from the nose to the tail, so there is no body seam to sew — the only assembly is the wings, and those are two quick flat motifs.
It is a good first amigurumi. The shaping is all standard increases and decreases, the stripes are simple two-round bands, and the running stitch count on every line tells you exactly what you should have before you move on.
Why You'll Love This Pattern
- Worked in one piece — no body seam to close.
- Only two small parts to sew on: the wings.
- Uses tiny amounts of yarn — a scrap-buster.
- A gentle introduction to reading amigurumi round by round.
Step-by-Step Steps
- 1
With yellow, make a magic ring. Rnd 1: 6 sc into the ring. (6 sts) Pull the ring closed and move your marker up into the first stitch of each round from here on.
- 2
Rnd 2: (inc) x6. (12 sts)
- 3
Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x6. (18 sts)
- 4
Rnd 4: (2 sc, inc) x6. (24 sts)
- 5
Rnds 5-7: sc in every st. (24 sts) Fasten off yellow, join black.
- 6
Rnds 8-9: with black, sc in every st. (24 sts) Fasten off black, join yellow. If using safety eyes, place them now between Rnds 5 and 6, about 6 sts apart.
- 7
Rnds 10-11: with yellow, sc in every st. (24 sts) Fasten off yellow, join black. Begin stuffing firmly and keep adding fibrefill a little at a time as you go.
- 8
Rnd 12: with black, (2 sc, dec) x6. (18 sts)
- 9
Rnd 13: sc in every st. (18 sts)
- 10
Rnd 14: (sc, dec) x6. (12 sts) Finish stuffing — the body should feel firm but not stretched.
- 11
Rnd 15: (dec) x6. (6 sts) Fasten off, leaving a 6 in tail. Thread the tail through the front loops of the last 6 sts and pull tight to close. Weave the end into the body.
- 12
Wings (make 2): with white, make a magic ring. Rnd 1: 8 sc into the ring, join with a sl st, pull closed. Ch 1, then work (sc, 2 dc, sc) into the next 2 sts to shape a small point, sl st into the following st, and fasten off leaving a sewing tail.
- 13
Assembly: pin both wings to the top of the back around Rnd 7, angled outward in a V. Sew them on with the tapestry needle, going around each wing base twice. If you did not use safety eyes, embroider two small eyes in black between Rnds 5 and 6. Weave in all remaining ends.
Tips for Success
- Work into the back loop only on the first round after each colour join if you want the stripe lines to sit crisp and straight.
- Stop and squeeze the body every few rounds while stuffing. It is much harder to add or remove fibrefill once the opening is down to 12 stitches.
- If the fabric is loose enough to see stuffing through it, your hook is too big — drop to a 3.0 mm.
- For a baby-safe bee, skip the safety eyes entirely and embroider them.
Pattern at a Glance
- Time to make
- An afternoon
- Skill level
- Easy
- Hook
- 3.5 mm (E/4)
- Yarn weight
- Worsted (CYC 4)
- Yardage
- ~30 yd yellow, ~30 yd black, scrap of white
- Gauge
- Not critical — aim for a fabric with no gaps; first 4 rnds about 1.5 in across
- Finished size
- About 3 in long
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do I join each round or work in a spiral?
Work in a continuous spiral — do not join or chain up between rounds. Use the stitch marker in the first stitch of the round and move it up each time so you always know where the round begins.
My bee's stripes are slanting. What went wrong?
A slight slant is normal in spiral amigurumi — the round has to step up somewhere. To minimise it, keep your colour joins stacked in the same column each time and work the first stitch after a join into the back loop only.
Can I make it bigger?
Yes. Use a bulkier yarn with a hook one to two sizes smaller than its ball band suggests, and add safety eyes sized up to match. The stitch counts stay exactly the same; only the finished size changes.
What is an invisible decrease?
Insert your hook into the front loop only of the next stitch, then into the front loop only of the following stitch — three loops on the hook — then yarn over and pull through the first two loops, yarn over and pull through the remaining two. It hides the decrease far better than a standard sc2tog.
