Mateo Alpaca in Schachenmayr Luxury Velvet - S10836 - Downloadable PDF

Mateo Alpaca Crochet Toy Pattern in Schachenmayr Luxury Velvet – S10836

The Mateo Alpaca is a charming, beginner-friendly crochet amigurumi-style stuffed alpaca toy designed by Denise Karg alias Fräulein Wollwunder and published by MEZ GmbH under the Schachenmayr label. This downloadable PDF pattern (reference S10836) guides crafters through creating an impressively large plush alpaca standing approximately 55 cm tall and 39 cm long — a generous, huggable size that makes it a wonderful decorative piece or gift for adults and older children. Please note the finished toy is not suitable for children under 3 years of age.

Designs Included

The pattern features two colorway versions of the same Mateo Alpaca design:

• Bunny colorway – worked in Schachenmayr Luxury Velvet shade Col. 00020, requiring approximately 3 balls (300 g)
• Fox colorway – worked in Schachenmayr Luxury Velvet shade Col. 00015, requiring approximately 1 ball for the main color

Both versions share the same construction method and shaping, differing primarily in their color choices and accent details.

Materials Used

Yarn

• Schachenmayr Luxury Velvet – a chunky-weight chenille-style yarn, sold in 100 g balls with approximately 75 m per ball. Its plush, velvety texture gives the finished alpaca an exceptionally soft and lifelike fleece appearance.
• Schachenmayr Catania – a sport-weight cotton yarn, sold in 50 g balls with approximately 125 m per ball, used in Col. 00110 (black) for fine detail work such as the nose and mouth. Catania's smooth, tightly spun structure makes it ideal for embroidering or crocheting small facial features with precision.

Tools and Notions

• A crochet hook appropriate for use with chunky chenille yarn
• Stitch markers – essential for tracking the beginning of each spiral round throughout the construction
• Stuffing material (polyfill or similar) to fill the body, head, and limbs

Techniques and Construction Method

The Mateo Alpaca is crocheted in the round using a continuous spiral method — a hallmark technique in amigurumi construction. Rather than closing each round with a slip stitch and beginning the next with a chain, the crafter works continuously, with each new round beginning directly in the first stitch of the previous round. This creates a seamless, smooth spiral that is especially well-suited to three-dimensional toy construction.

Because Schachenmayr Luxury Velvet is a thick chenille yarn, the pattern includes an important technique adaptation: the traditional magic ring starting method cannot be used, as the yarn's bulk prevents it from being drawn closed. Instead, the pattern begins with 2 chain stitches, with subsequent stitches worked into the 2nd chain from the hook. This is a practical and beginner-accessible workaround that maintains a neat, tight center for each piece.

Stitches Used

• Chain stitch (ch) – used at the start of each new piece as a foundation
• Slip stitch (sl st) – referenced in the context of what is not done at round ends, confirming its role is deliberately omitted to maintain the spiral
• Single crochet (sc) or equivalent basic crochet stitch – the primary stitch used throughout the body construction, typical of amigurumi patterns at this style and difficulty level
• Increases – worked by placing 2 stitches into the same insertion point, used to shape the rounded body parts, head, and limbs of the alpaca