Amigurumi, Food, Free Patterns, Japanese
Free Onigiri Rice Ball Play Food Amigurumi Crochet Plushie Pattern
May
Onigiri, or Japanese rice balls, have always been one of my favourite foods. Growing up in Taiwan, my mom would always drop us off at a 7-11 to grab onigiri (and tea eggs/oden) for breakfast when we were in a time crunch. Since I grew up with 3 siblings, my parents were pretty busy so these 7-11 visits were quite frequent.
Now that I live in Canada, those convenient store onigiri aren’t as easy to come by. So when I was designing the souffle pancakes plushie, I knew I had to make her a little onigiri friend to feed my nostalgia!
When made with Worsted weight yarn (Medium 4), this amigurumi crochet onigiri toy is the size of a real onigiri. When made with Super Bulky (6) weight yarn, it turns into a huggable plushie!
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Yarn I Used
I used Hobbii Toucan yarn (Super Bulky 6) for the onigiri and Hobbii Friends Cotton 8/8 (Light 3) for the nori. You can use any yarn you’d like but just keep in mind that the proportions work best if you are using Super Bulky (6) yarn for the onigiri and Light (3) yarn for the nori.
Gauge
4 Round Circle = 2” with a 5mm (H) hook
1 8sc in magic circle [8]
2 8inc [16]
3 (sc, inc) x 8 [24]
4 (sc, inc, sc) x 8 [32]
Note: I am working with the x-stitch (yarn under/yarn over single crochet). If you are working a standard sc, go down a hook size.
Gauge isn’t super important for amigurumi, but I included it just in case you want to check your gauge. Being a little off should not affect the final product too much. You can learn more about how to measure gauge for amigurumi here!
How to Crochet an Onigiri Plushie – Free Amigurumi Pattern 🍙
The difficulty level of this pattern is Intermediate and this pattern is written in US crochet terminology. All the photos in this pattern are worked right-handed.
If you have any questions, you can also reach out to me for help. I will respond quickest through DMs on Instagram, but you can also just fill out a contact form here.
The finished onigiri measures to be roughly 5 in (13 cm) tall if you use similar weight of yarn as me and match my gauge.
Please do not reprint, sell or claim the pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to the free pattern on the blog. Please do not copy and post the pattern onto your site.
TERMINOLOGY
st(s): stitch(es)
ch: chain
sl st: slip stitch
sc: single crochet
inc: two single crochet in one stitch
dec: invisible decrease- single crochet two stitches together through the front loops only
(…) x #: repeat anything in the parenthesis however many times the number indicates
[#]: total number of stitches for that row
#sc/inc/dec: one sc/inc/dec in the following # stitches
sc#: sc # of times indicated in the same stitch – note that sc3 (3 sc in one st) and 3sc (one sc into each of the next 3 sts) are not the same.
THINGS YOU NEED
- Super Bulky weight (#6) yarn in Cream (or White) – I used 40g of Hobbii Toucan Yarn in Ecru (02). Please keep in mind that the exact amount of yarn you use will depend on your personal tension and the type of stitch you use, I’m providing the amount I use to give you a better idea of how much you might need. Each skein is 100g (120m).
- DK weight (Light #3 or 8-ply) yarn – I used 12g of Hobbii Friends Cotton 8/8 in Charcoal (123).
- 5mm (H) Crochet Hook– This is to use with the super bulky weight yarn. Adjust the hook size according to your own tension.
- 2.75mm (C) Crochet Hook– This is to use with the DK weight yarn. Adjust the hook size according to your own tension.
- 8mm Safety Eyes and Matching Backings
- Scissors
- Darning Needle
- Locking Stitch Markers
- Sewing Pins to help with sewing.
- Polyester Stuffing
- Small Piece of Fabric
- DMC 6-Strand Embroidery Floss – Black
Notes & Guides
This pattern is worked in continuous rounds unless otherwise stated. Mark the first stitch of the round with a stitch marker to help keep track of where the beginning of the round is.
Closing the Hole – To close the hole, fasten off and thread the yarn tail onto a darning needle. Insert the needle under the front loop of the next stitch and pull through. Repeat with the rest of the stitches, then pull on the tail to close the hole. Weave the tail into the centre of the hole to hide the tail.
Working into a Chain – When looking at your chain, you’ll notice that the front of the chain looks like a string of v’s stacked on top of each other. And when you flip it over, you’ll see that there are little bumps behind each chain.
When working into a chain, I like to start in the back bumps of the chain instead of going through the chain itself. Do so by inserting your hook into the bump and working your stitch as usual.
If you are working around the chain (to work in the round), you’ll start off by working into the back bumps first, then when you reach the end, continue along the front of the chain (the neatly stacked v’s), making sure to go under both loops of the v.
This method creates a cleaner edge when working flat. And when working around the chain, the centre of the piece will look a little less gappy. You are free to use your preferred method.
Safety Eyes – To prevent smaller safety eyes from being pulled through between the stitches when using chenille yarn, add a small piece of fabric between the eyes and the backing before snapping the backing in fully. Simply take a small square of fabric (I’m using felt), cut a small slit in the middle, fit it over the stem of the safety eye, then snap the backing in fully over the fabric. To make it even more secure, you can add a big glob of hot glue over the stem and piece of fabric once the backing has been snapped in.
Sewing – To make the stitches from sewing less bulky when working with cotton or acrylic yarn, split the tail for sewing into two bundles. Cotton/acrylic yarn is typically made up of multiple threads twisted together, so you’ll be able separate the threads by untwisting the yarn. Sew your piece onto the main piece using one of the bundles. Splitting the yarn into two bundles also allows you to leave a slightly shorter yarn tail.
HEAD/BODY
With Hobbii Toucan yarn in Ecru (02) & 5mm Hook.
1 Ch 15, start in the 2nd ch from the hook: inc, 12sc, sc3, continue in the front of the ch: 13sc [30]
2 sc, sc3, 12sc, sc3, sc, sc3, 12sc, sc3 [38]
Tip: If you are working with fuzzier yarn, mark the middle st of each sc3 to make it easier to count.
3 2sc, sc3, 14sc, sc3, 3sc, sc3, 14sc, sc3, sc [46]
4 3sc, sc3, 16sc, sc3, 5sc, sc3, 16sc, sc3, 2sc [54]
5 4sc, sc3, 18sc, sc3, 7sc, sc3, 18sc, sc3, 3sc [62]
6 sc in all sts [62]
7 5sc, dec, 18sc, dec, 9sc, dec, 18sc, dec, 4sc [58]
8 sc in all sts [58]
9 5sc, dec, 17sc, dec, 8sc, dec, 17sc, dec, 3sc [54]
10 sc in all sts [54]
11 (8sc, dec, 8sc) x 3 [51] Note: The decrease rounds from this point on will not align with the previous decreases.
12 (15sc, dec) x 3 [48]
13 (7sc, dec, 7sc) x 3 [45]
14 (13sc, dec) x 3 [42]
15 (6sc, dec, 6sc) x 3 [39]
16 (11sc, dec) x 3 [36]
17 (5sc, dec, 5sc) x 3 [33]
18 (9sc, dec) x 3 [30]
19 (4sc, dec, 4sc) x 3 [27]
20 (7sc, dec) x 3 [24]
Insert safety eyes between rounds 16 & 17, with 6 sts between the eyes. To ensure the eye placement is symmetrical on the face, it helps to stuff it fully to this point first. Then, use pins to map out where you want the eyes to go. I also used pins to mark the corners from round 5 (the middle of the sc3 on either sides) to help find the centre of the front. Remove the stuffing, then insert the eyes and snap them into place. Stuff as you go after snapping the eyes in.
21 (3sc, dec, 3sc) x 3 [21]
22 (5sc, dec) x 3 [18]
23 (sc, dec) x 6 [12]
24 (sc, dec) x 4 [8]
Fasten off, stuff fully, close hole, and weave the tail in. With black embroidery floss, embroider the smile between the two eyes. The smile on my onigiri is about 4 sts wide.
NORI
This piece is worked in rows. At the beginning of each new row, do not ch 1. Instead, work directly into the first st. Not working a ch 1 at the beginning of each row will create less jagged sides.
For my piece of nori, I’m using cotton yarn that is thinner than the main yarn (Light #3 vs Super Bulky #6). I like the difference in texture the different yarns offer, and using less fuzzy yarn will make the sewn portion look less puffy as well.
Alternatively, you can also just cut a long strip of black felt to size and glue/sew it on instead. The nori should be as wide as 7 sts on the main onigiri.
With Hobbii Friends Cotton 8/8 yarn in Charcoal (123) & 2.75mm Hook.
1 ch 13, start in the 2nd ch from the hook: 12sc, turn [12]
NOTE: Depending on the yarn you use for the main piece and your tension, you may have to adjust the number of chains you start with/sts per row. Work the first row, then hold it up 3 rounds below the eyes. The nori should be as wide as 7 sts on the main onigiri.
2-49* sc in all sts, turn [12] *48 Rows*
*NOTE: Line the nori up to the onigiri, starting 3 rounds below the eyes (round 13). Crochet more rows if you want the nori to extend further up the back.
Fasten off and leave a long tail for sewing.
ASSEMBLY
Pin the nori to the onigiri, starting 3 rounds below the eyes (round 13 of the body). Sew between the sts along the inside of the edge (see photo below).
And that’s it! I hope you enjoyed this pattern and are as in love with your lil onigiri pal as I am! If you want to make the drawstring bag, head to this post here.
Please leave me a comment down below (or contact me) if you have any questions about this pattern. I would also love to see your creation so don’t forget to tag me (@olliehollycrochet) on Instagram or use the #olliehollycrochet! Follow me on Instagram to get updates on new patterns and to see what I’m up to on a daily.
If you find any mistakes in the pattern, please contact me and let me know! My testers and I do our best to catch my mistakes, but we will still miss things here and there. Also, I will sometimes make mistakes while formatting the blog post.
You may sell products made from this pattern in small quantities but please clearly credit the design to me, Abby Sy of Ollie + Holly and provide a link to my blog www.OllieHolly.com. Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind. Thank you for being respectful and for your understanding!
Please do not reprint, sell or claim the pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to the shop or the free blog post. Please do not copy and post the pattern onto your site.
Onigiri Amigurumi Crochet & Onigiri Drawstring Bag (Pattern Only)
