Baby Tortoise Amigurumi Pattern – Free Crochet Tutorial

Last Updated on March 24, 2026 by Holly Lanier

It’s been a while since I shared a small amigurumi pattern here. Sometimes you just need a super quick and easy project, and this baby tortoise amigurumi pattern checks all the boxes! Tuck the Tortoise is a fun, tiny tortoise that’s easy to customize and the perfect make for Spring markets and craft fairs.

Meet Tuck the Tortoise! Tuck loves the slow, easy life. For Tuck, there’s nothing better than relaxing in the warm sun while munching on his favorite foods – watermelon and cabbage! His favorite things include lots of alone time and wide open spaces to roam in. His least favorite things include large bodies of water and being mistaken for a turtle.

You can purchase a printable, ad-free, beautifully formatted, concise version of this baby tortoise crochet pattern in my shop HERE. Otherwise, please keep scrolling down for the free version!

Want more FREE small amigurumi patterns? Check out Snorkel the Seahorse Free Amigurumi Pattern and Sandy the Sea Turtle Free Amigurumi Pattern!

Disclaimer: Some links in this free baby tortoise amigurumi pattern may be affiliate links. Affiliate links are a way for me to make a small commission on certain products at no extra cost to you!

Materials You Need to Make This Baby Tortoise Amigurumi Pattern

• Worsted-weight yarn (4-ply) in green and brown, plus a small amount of white, black, and pink for the face details. (The U.K. equivalent is Aran, and AUS/NZ is 8 ply.) For my tortoises, I used Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn in the colors “Keylime” and “Light Sage” for the greens and “Latte” for the lighter shell, and Red Heart Super Saver in the color “Cafe Latte” for the darker shell.
• G (4 mm) crochet hook
• 10.5 mm black safety eyes
• Fiberfill (or your stuffing of choice) 
• Bent tip tapestry needle
• Scissors 
• Stitch marker 
• Straight pins
• Black embroidery floss

Abbreviation Key

Abbreviations are in U.S. terms.

• sc – single crochet
• st/sts – stitch(es)
• sl st – slip stitch
• dec – decrease (join the next 2 stitches together)
• inc – increase (2 single crochet in the next stitch)
• BLO – back loops only
• FLO – front loops only
• R1 – round 1
• rep – repeat
• ** – repeat the group of instructions between the asterisks the number of times indicated.

Note:  All rounds are worked continuously (that is, vs. joined rounds.) 

The finished size is approximately 4 in. (10 cm.) tall. (Please be aware that your personal gauge, tension, hook size, and the brand of yarn you decide to use will all impact the finished size.)

The pattern and images in this post are the sole property of Storyland Amis. This written pattern is for personal use only. Please do not share, sell, or redistribute it in whole or part.

You MAY sell the finished product, but please credit Storyland Amis as the designer. If you sell your finished items online, I would appreciate it if you could link them to my blog! You may not mass-produce items made from this pattern. Thank you for your understanding and respect.

Important Additional Info

Starting round: When starting my crochet pieces in the round, I always use the “ch 2 method.” That is perfectly fine if you prefer to start your pieces using the magic circle/ring instead. These two methods are interchangeable, and the end result will be the same regardless of your choice. Watch this short video to learn how to make the “ch 2 method”.

Right vs. wrong side: When working in the round, I always crochet with the “right” side of the stitches facing out. Watch my short video to see the difference between the “right” and “wrong” side of crochet stitches.

Yarn under vs. yarn over: I always yarn under (YU) instead of yarn over (YO) for all my amigurumi. Doing YO might make your amigurumi slightly larger than mine, so keep that in mind if you prefer YO. Watch my video on the differences between yarn under and yarn over.

Sewing pieces together: I sew all my pieces together using the whipstitch unless otherwise specified.

Stuffing: Check out my short video on how to stuff pieces properly here.

Color changes: Insert hook into last st of round or section with old color, yarn over & pull hook through st. Take your new color of yarn, yarn over & pull hook through remaining 2 loops on hook. Now you’re ready to start the new round or section. Check out my video on color changes here.

Free Baby Tortoise Amigurumi Pattern

Head (Using Green Yarn)

R1: ch 2, starting in 2^nd ch from hook, sc 6 (6 sts) (you can use the magic circle if you prefer, as it won’t make a difference in the end. In that case, you will make a magic circle and make 6 sc in the magic circle. Watch this video to see how to start crocheting in the round using the “ch 2 method”.)

R2: *inc* rep 6 times (12 sts)

R3: *sc 1, inc* rep 6 times (18 sts)

R4: *sc 2, inc* rep 6 times (24 sts)

R5: *sc 3, inc* rep 6 times (30 sts)

R6: *sc 4, inc* rep 6 times (36 sts)

R7-8: sc in all 36 sts (2 rounds total at 36 sts each)

R9: *sc 5, inc* rep 6 times (42 sts)

R10-11: sc in all 42 sts (2 rounds total at 42 sts each)

R12: *sc 6, inc* rep 6 times (48 sts)

R13-14: sc in all 48 sts (2 rounds total at 48 sts each)

R15: *sc 6, dec* rep 6 times (42 sts)

R16: *sc 5, dec* rep 6 times (36 sts)

R17: *sc 4, dec* rep 6 times (30 sts)

R18: *sc 3, dec* rep 6 times (24 sts)

Adding the Eyes and Eye Details

Stop and insert your 10.5mm safety eyes between R13 & 14 of the head, 9 sts apart (Hint: insert the 1st eye. Count 9 sts from the hole where you inserted the 1st eye and insert the 2nd eye. There will be 7 visible sts between the eyes. See pic. #1.)

Now we will embroider the eye details around the safety eyes. Take some white yarn and divide it down the middle so that it is half the thickness and embroider a straight stitch just under each eye. You’ll want it to be about 3 sts wide and about one stitch less than halfway around the eye. There should be slightly more white stitch toward the outside of the eye than the inside. (See pic. #2.)

Now take some black yarn and insert your needle in the same hole you started your white stitch at, which is toward the outside of the eye. (See first image in pic. #3.) Make a straight stitch across half of the eye (see 2^nd image in pic. #3). I found that my black stitch wouldn’t stay above the eye without falling, so I added a small loop stitch in the middle to tack it down. (See last 4 images in pic. #3.) Watch this video to see exactly how I embroidered the eye details.

Adding the Mouth, Eyebrows, and Cheeks

Using your black embroidery floss, embroider a smile centered between his eyes over R14 of the head (see pic. #4). The smile should be about 2 sc sts wide. Watch this video to see how to embroider a simple smile.

Take your embroidery floss and embroider his eyebrows by inserting your needle between R12 & 13 of the head, one stitch away from the eye, then make a single stitch over R12 & 11 of the head at an angle (see pic. #5). Do this for both eyebrows then secure the thread with a knot on the inside of the head.

Finally, take some pink yarn and your tapestry needle and embroider some little cheeks on either side of the head. Each cheek should be about one sc st from the eyes, about 2 sc sts wide, and embroidered between R14 & 15 of the head. Make each cheek 2-3 sts thick (see pic. #6).

Finishing the Head

R19: *sc 2, dec* rep 6 times (18 sts)

R20: *sc 1, dec* rep 6 times (12 sts)

Finish off. No need to leave a long tail. Stuff the head firmly and set it aside until we have made the body.

Body (Using Green Yarn)

R1: ch 2, starting in 2^nd ch from hook, sc 6 (6 sts)

R2: *inc* rep 6 times (12 sts)

R3: *sc 1, inc* rep 6 times (18 sts)

R4-7: sc in all 18 sts (4 rounds total at 18 sts each)

R8: *sc 1, dec* rep 6 times (12 sts)

R9-10: sc in all 12 sts (2 rounds total at 12 sts each)

Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing. Stuff body firmly (see pic. #7).

Since both the last round of the head and the last round of the body have 12 sts, the two pieces will line up perfectly (see pic. #8).

Align the body to the underside of the head and, using the whipstitch, sew the two pieces together (see pic. #9). When you are about three-fourths of the way around, you might want to put a little more stuffing into the neck to make it sturdier.

When finished, knot the finishing tail from the head to the remaining body tail to secure the sewing and weave the tails into the body to finish (see pics. #10 & #11).

Shell (Using Brown Yarn)

R1: ch 2, starting in 2^nd ch from hook, sc 6 (6 sts)

R2: *inc* rep 6 times (12 sts)

R3: sc in all 12 sts (12 sts)

R4: *sc 1, inc* rep 6 times (18 sts)

R5-7: sc in all 18 sts (3 rounds total at 18 sts each)

R8: *sc 2, inc* rep 6 times (24 sts)

R9: in FLO (front loops only) sl st in all 24 sts (24 sts) (watch this video to understand what crocheting in the FLO looks like) (crocheting in the FLO will create a nice edge. See pic. #12)

Finish off neatly using the invisible finish technique and leave a long tail for sewing (see pic. #13).

Sewing the Shell to the Body

Stuff the shell lightly and place it on your tortoise’s back. I sewed my shell on slightly more toward the side rather than directly centered behind his head, so that when my tortoise is sitting down, you see a good view of both his face and his shell. You can position your shell however you like. Pin it into place wherever you like, using straight pins, so that it stays in place and doesn’t shift around while you are sewing it on (see pic. #14).

Using the long tail we left and your tapestry needle, sew the shell to the back of the body. We do this by going in and out through each stitch directly behind the slip stitch round of the shell and the sts on the body, as seen in pic. #15. Step 1: Pull your needle through the back of the slip stitch round and also through a stitch of the body. Step 2: Pull your needle back up through the next stitch on the shell. Repeat steps 1 and 2 all the way around.

About two-thirds of the way around, stop and add more stuffing to the shell so that it is stuffed firmly (see pics. #16 & #17).

When finished sewing, knot the end to secure and weave the remaining tail into the body to finish (see pics. #18 & #19).

Arms (Using Green Yarn)

R1: ch 2, 5 sc in 2^nd ch from hook (5 sts)

R2-4: sc in all 5 sts (3 rounds total at 5 sts each)

Finish off and leave a long tail for sewing (see pic. #20). Do not stuff.

On each arm, sew the open ends closed using the whipstitch to create a flat edge for sewing (see pic. #21).

Sew to either side of the body using the whipstitch just under the head right next to the shell (see pic. #22). When finished, knot the ends to secure and weave the remaining tail into the body to finish.

Legs (Using Green Yarn)

R1: ch 2, starting in 2^nd ch from hook, sc 6 (6 sts)

R2: in BLO (back loops only) sc in all 6 sts (6 sts) (this is the only round we will crochet in the BLO)

R3: sc in all 6 sts (6 sts)

Finish off leaving a long tail for sewing (see pic. #23). No need to stuff and do not sew the open ends closed.

Position the legs onto the front of the body over R3-6 of the body spaced approx. 2-3 sc sts apart from each other. Make sure the legs are centered evenly between the arms we already sewed on (see pic. #24). Pin them into place using straight pins (see pic. #24).

With the long tail we left and your tapestry needle, sew the legs to the front of the body (see pics. #25 & #26).

When finished, knot the ends to secure and weave the remaining tail into the body to finish (see pic. #27).

Congratulations—you’re done! I hope you enjoyed making this free baby tortoise amigurumi pattern. I would love to see pictures of your finished project!

Please feel free to leave a comment down below with any questions or comments you have about this pattern. I always try to respond personally to all comments!

If you make this free baby tortoise amigurumi pattern, share your creations with me via social media or email me directly! You can find me on Instagram (@storyland_amis) and Facebook (Storyland Amis).

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, then – stay crafty!