A friend asked me to make this doll for her little boy. As I worked on it, I wrote down the pattern and took photos of the process so that other people could make the doll as well.

This amigurumi is based off a character from the old TV show Monster Rancher. Mocchi is a creature that resembles mochi, the Japanese sweetcake made of pounded rice. It has soft milky skin and a shell-like row of scales on its back.

Materials:

Crochet hook 4.25mm G/6 (or a hook size to get tight stitches)
Worsted weight yarn - white, yellow, green, dark green
Stuffing (such as poly-fil)
Stitch marker
Yarn needle
Black felt
Black thread and sewing needle or fabric glue

Gauge: Not important for project. Just make sure that your stitches are tight enough that the stuffing will not show through.

Abbreviations:

ch - chain

st - stitch

MR - magic ring

sc - single crochet

sl st - slip stitch

rnd - round

inc- increase (2 sc in the next st)

dec- decrease (sc 2 together)

blo - back loops only

hdc - half double crochet

hdc2tog - half double crochet 2 together

F/O - fasten off

Notes and Tips:

The pattern pieces are worked in continuous rounds. After finishing the round simply single crochet into the next stitch to start the next round. Using a stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round is strongly encouraged. You don’t need to have anything fancy, even a plain bobby pin will do.

There are stitch counts in brackets at the end of each round to let you know how many stitches there should be at the end of each round.

You can attach your pieces as you go or you can do it all at the end. I’ve listed what order I attached the pieces together in the Assembly section. When you are doing your assembly it is very helpful to pin the pieces into place before you sew them together. This will help you see what it will look like before it is permanently attached.

Don’t forget to stuff your project as you go. When working with large round objects it is easy to stuff them near the end (before the last few rounds). When you are making long thin pieces (like hands/arms) it is best to stuff them as you go or it will be hard to get the stuffing down to the ends properly later.

Instructions often call for you to F/O with long tail. That means that you will be using the tail to attach the piece to other pieces. Be sure to keep that in mind when you are deciding how long for the tail to be. (for example: a long tail to attach the green back would need to be longer than the long tail to attach the toes to the feet)

Step 1: The Head/Body

The first step is to crochet the head/body piece in white yarn. Be sure to stuff the body, either as you go or before you complete the last few rounds. Use the tail when you finish off to close up the hole in the bottom.

Rnd 1: Using white yarn, MR 6 (6)
Rnd 2: Inc around (12)

Rnd 3: [sc, inc] around (18)

Rnd 4: [sc 2, inc] around (24)

Rnd 5: [sc 3, inc] around (30)

Rnd 6: [sc 4, inc] around (36)

Rnd 7: [sc 5, inc] around (42)

Rnds 8-15 : Sc around (42)

Rnd 16: [sc 5, dec] around (36)

Rnd 17: [sc 4, dec] around (30)

Rnd 18: Sc around (30)

Rnd 19: [sc 4, inc] around (36)

Rnd 20: [sc 5, inc] around (42)

Rnds 21-22: Sc around (42)

Rnd 23: [sc 6, inc] around (48)

Rnds 24-34 : sc around (48)

Rnd 35: [sc 6, dec] around (42)

Rnd 36: [sc 5, dec] around (36)

Rnd 37: [sc 4, dec] around (30)

Rnd 38: [sc 3, dec] around (24)

Rnd 39: [sc 2, dec] around (18)

Rnd 40: [sc, dec] around (12)

Rnd 41: Dec around (6)

F/O with tail. Use the tail to close the bottom.

Step 2: Legs/ Feet

You will need two legs and feet made from white yarn. Each foot has three separate toes that are made and then added to the front of the foot. Make six toes, then make the foot/leg section. Attach three toes to the front of the foot using the tails from the toes. The tail on the legs will be used later to attach them to the body.

Toes
Make 6.

Rnd 1: Using white yarn, MR 5 (5)

Rnd 2: Sc around (5)

Rnd 3: Sc 4, inc (6)

F/O with long tail.

Feet/Legs
Make 2.

Rnd 1: MR 6 (6)

Rnd 2: Inc around (12)

Rnd 3: [sc, inc] around (18)

Rnd 4: [sc 2, inc] around (24)

Rnd 5: In blo, sc around (24) Rnd 6: Sc 6, hdc, hdc2tog 2 times, hdc 2, hdc2tog 2 times, hdc, sc 6 (20)

Rnd 7: Sc 6, dec, hdc2tog 2 times, dec, sc 6 (16)

Rnds 8-12: Sc around (16)

F/O with long tail.

Step 3: Arms

Make two arms using white yarn. To close off the arm you will be inserting your hook through a sc st on each side. You will sc them together.

Make 2.
Rnd 1: Using white yarn, MR 6 (6)

Rnd 2: [sc, inc] around (9)

Rnd 3-5: Sc around (9)

Rnd 6: [sc, dec] around (6)

Rnd 7: Sc around (6)

Rnd 8: Inc around (12)

Rnds 9-12: Sc around (12)

Rnd 13: [sc, inc] around (18)

Rnd 14-17: Sc around (18)

Sc the edges together. Insert your hook through the next st and through the last st of the last round. Sc together. Continue to sc the arm shut by inserting your hook through the next st and the st opposite to it on the other side. (9) F/O with long tail

Step 4: Attach Arms and Legs to the Body

Attach the arms and legs to the body.

The arms should be attached just below the head on opposite sides of the body. Use the tails from the arms to attach them to the body.

The legs should be attached to the bottom of the body. Be sure that the feet are facing the right direction with the toes pointing forward before you attach them to the body. Use the tails from the legs to attach them to the body.

Step 5: Green Shell

The green shell is made in three steps before you attach it to the body. First, the base of the shell is made. Second, the ridge that goes around the edge of the shell is made. Third, the base and the ridge are joined together for form the completed shell.

Base of Shell

Using green yarn, Ch 6
Row 1:Turn and sc in 2nd ch from hook. Sc 4. (5)

Row 2: Ch & turn. Inc, sc 3, inc (7)

Row 3: Ch & turn. Sc across (7)

Row 4: Ch & turn. Inc, sc 5, inc (9)

Rows 5-6: Ch & turn. Sc across (9)

Row 7: Ch & turn. Inc, sc 7, inc (11)

Rows 8-43: Ch & turn. Sc across (11)

Row 44: Ch & turn. Dec, sc 7, dec (9)

Row 45: Ch & turn. Dec, sc 5, dec (7)

Row 46: Ch & turn. Dec, sc 3, dec (5)

Row 47: Ch & turn. Dec, sc, dec (3)

F/O with long tail

Ridge of Shell

Using green yarn, Ch 5

Connect to the beginning of the ch with a sc. Continue to sc in rounds until the created cord is long enough to surround the whole outer edge of the base of the shell.

F/O with long tail.

Assembly

Using the tail of the ridge piece, sew the ridge along the outer edge of the base of the shell. It is helpful to pin the ridge into place to make sure that it can cover the whole outer edge of the shell before you start to sew it into place.

Step 6: Mouth

The mouth is made up of two separate pieces that are sewn together. Make the bottom and the top, then use one of the tails to sew the mouth together. The top piece should be a little large than the bottom piece. It slightly extends over the bottom piece on either side.

Mouth Bottom:

Rnd 1: MR 5 (5)

Rnds 23: Sc around (5)

Rnd 4: Sc 4, inc (6)

Rnd 5: Sc around (6)

Rnd 7: Sc 4, dec (5)

Rnds 89: Sc around

F/O with long tail.

Mouth Top:

Rnd 1: MR 5 (5)

Rnd 2: Sc around (5)

Rnd 3: Sc 4, inc (6)

Rnd 4: Sc 5, inc (7)

Rnd 5: Sc 6, inc (8)

Rnds 6: Sc around (8)

Rnd 7: Sc 6, dec (7)

Rnd 8: Sc 5, dec (6)

Rnd 9: Sc 4, dec (5)

Rnds 10-11: Sc around (5)

F/O with long tail.

Sew the mouth pieces together.

Step 7: Attach Shell and Mouth

Using the long tail from the base of the shell, attach the shell to the head/body of the Mocchi. It should start in the middle of the its forehead and extend down the back. There should be a little bit that extends past the butt. This will hang loose, so when you get to the bottom of the Mocchi sew across the shell and continue back up leaving this piece unattached to the body.

Using the second tail from the mouth pieces, attach the mouth to the head. It should be placed low of the face and centered in the middle.

Step 8: Add the Details: Eyes and Shell Lines

Eyes

The eyes can be added in a variety of ways depending on what you are the most comfortable with.

1) Black felt : Cut out circles of black felt and attach them to the face. You can attach them using black thread and a needle or by using fabric glue

2) Needle felting: This is the method that I used. It requires a needle felting kit (wool roving, felting needles).

3) Embroidery: You can embroider the eyes on using black yarn or thread.

4) Black marker or black paint: Simply draw or paint on the eyes. Just make sure that the marker/paint you use will not wash or rub off.

Shell Lines

The shell lines are sewn on using dark green or black yarn. I added a shell line about every 6 rows of the base shell. The shell lines should span from one ridge of the shell to the opposite ridge.

Once you are done with the details your Mocchi doll is complete!