Tortoise Family in King Cole Pricewise DK - 9066 - Downloadable PDF

Tortoise Family Amigurumi Crochet Pattern – King Cole Pricewise DK (Leaflet 9066)

This downloadable PDF crochet pattern from King Cole guides crafters through creating an adorable Tortoise Family using the popular amigurumi technique. The finished pieces measure approximately 20cm / 8 inches, making them charming handmade toys, nursery decorations, or gifts. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty and is worked entirely in crochet. A portion of every King Cole pattern purchase goes to the Pink Ribbon Foundation.

What Is Being Made

The pattern covers multiple members of a tortoise family, each crocheted separately and assembled. The designs included are:

• Large Tortoise – the parent figure, featuring a substantial shell worked across up to 16 spiral rounds, reaching 96 stitches at its widest point
• Large Tortoise Head – crocheted separately in Grass coloured yarn, shaped with increases and decreases across multiple rounds and then sewn on during assembly
• Baby Tortoise – a smaller version of the tortoise, constructed using the same amigurumi principles but with fewer rounds, giving it a compact and endearing appearance
• Baby Tortoise Legs – made as a set of four in Grass coloured yarn, each begun with a slip knot and worked in tight spiral rounds with increases and decreases to form a rounded limb shape
• Eggs – worked in Cream yarn, with the pattern inviting crafters to make as many as desired, adding a playful nest-like scene to the finished collection

Techniques Used

Amigurumi is a Japanese craft tradition of crocheting or knitting small, stuffed figures — most commonly animals or fantasy characters. The defining characteristic of amigurumi is working in continuous spiral rounds rather than joined rounds, which creates a seamless, smooth fabric ideal for three-dimensional shapes. This pattern follows that tradition faithfully.

• Continuous spiral rounds – the work is never turned at the end of a round; instead, crafters continue directly into the next round, keeping a stitch marker on the last stitch of each round to track progress
• Working into the top loops only – stitches are worked into the top loops of each stitch rather than between stitches, which is standard amigurumi practice and produces a tighter, more defined fabric
• Increasing and decreasing – the three-dimensional shell and body shapes are achieved by strategically placing increases (working two stitches into one) and decreases (reducing two stitches to one) at regular intervals throughout each round
• Stuffing and assembly – individual components such as the head, legs, and body are stuffed before being sewn together; the pattern instructs crafters to leave a long tail of at least 20cm when fastening off to facilitate neat seaming
• Stitch counting – the pattern places strong emphasis on counting stitches at the end of every round, with totals clearly indicated using the = notation (for example, inc, dc rep around = 18)

Stitches Used

• Double Crochet (dc) – the primary stitch throughout the entire pattern; in UK crochet terminology, this is a short, tight stitch that produces the dense fabric essential for amigurumi
• Increase (inc) – two double crochet stitches worked into the same stitch to expand the round
• Decrease (dec) – two stitches reduced to one to shape and taper the form
• Chain (ch) – used at the very start of each new piece; the pattern typically begins with a slip knot and 2 chain, with stitches then worked into the second chain from the hook to create the initial round
• Slip knot – the standard starting point for each individual component
• Yarn Over (YO) – listed in the abbreviations as a foundational technique within the double crochet stitch construction

Shell Construction Detail

The large tortoise shell is one of the more involved