Cheer Anyone Up With This Adorable Crochet Pocket Monster!

I have a friend who has been navigating some tough challenges recently, so I crocheted this tiny little pocket monster to tuck into a care package I sent her way. I know he’ll bring a smile to her face and hopefully a little luck, too!

Scientific Proof That Pocket Monsters Cheer People Up…

Believe it or not, a little pocket monster like this triggers into our innate love for all things small and cute and can cause a rush of feel-good chemicals to surge into your brain…. how do I know? I dutifully googled “cuteness psychology” (yes, that’s a thing!) and the research shows that things with baby-like features and petite proportions ignite a person’s nurturing instincts, releasing oxytocin and dopamine to create an instant sense of connection with the cute and helpless object.

Plus, if you’re in a long-distance friendship, tucking your pocket monster into a care package is comforting for you and your pal when you can’t be there to hug each other. The magic of cuteness gives this little guy the power to boost their mood and fight feelings of isolation. And, for you, the process of making and gifting something comforting makes you feel a little less helpless when someone you care about is suffering. (I didn’t google for research on that one, I just know it to be true from my own experience!)

How to Crochet Your Own Pocket Monster

Option 1: Design Your Own!

Many years ago, I took a Craftsy class called Amigurumi: Design Your Own Monster by Stacey Trock. It walks you through all the basic amigurumi shapes and shows you how to combine them to build the monster of your dreams and it’s super fun!

BTW, if you’ve never explored Craftsy, I highly recommend it. I’ve learned SO MUCH about knitting (and crocheting!) on that platform. You used to have to buy each class one-by-one but they now have a subscription model where you can access the whole library for a monthly fee. Plus, you members can share their access with up to three friends, so don’t overlook the option to get guest access for free if you know a subscriber!!

In this class, she makes a bug cuddly monster stuffie that is the same shape as my tiny Pocket Monster that you can use to get started, OR, use the prewritten pattern for the mini version of that little guy, which I’ve done here.

Option 2: Use A Pattern!

I used a pattern to make this little fellow: Ro the Tiny Monster, also by Stacey Trock. I’m a huge fan of Stacey’s amigurumi patterns because they are super easy to follow with photos for every step, which makes them perfect for beginners. Plus, Stacey has you crochet through the backloop only on her projects, which gives them those cute ridges and it’s a little easier than crocheting through both loops. Give it a try!

If you are new to crocheting amigurumi, I recommend starting with a worsted-weight yarn and a size H crochet hook (5.0 mm), as specified in the pattern. Your Ro will be around 3” tall and will fit in the palm of your hand, like this:

I used 12mm safety eyes on that one and I think you could go even bigger to amp up the cuteness.

Once you have the hang of it, you can start sizing down your crochet hook and yarn weight. This one is knitted in DK yarn with a D hook (3.25mm). I made it ages ago and my notes say “8mm safety eyes… I think.” They are either 8 or 10mm, definitely not 12mm.

I also knitted the one below with a D hook, but I used fingering weight yarn. He’s got 8mm eyes and stands a little over 1.5” tall. This was previously my tinest Ro, until I was moved to create the neon pink one featured in this post.

My latest Ro is crocheted up with a size 1.9mm steel hook in fingering weight yarn. He also stands about 1.5” tall, but is much more compact than the one above. He has 6mm safety eyes for the pupils. I had planned to go bigger, but the stitches were so small that I had trouble getting the post of the larger eyes into the center of the white piece. Next time, I’ll wedge something in there before I tighten the magic ring to hold space for a larger post.

And there you have it! I guess I went on for a long time, considering this is such a tiny project, right? Sorry about that! I hope you enjoyed it just the same. Here are my usual project details for the hot pink pocket monster featured at the top of this post.